Dogwood Daily: The Virginia hedge fund manager taking on Dominion

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood Daily. We’ve got a round-up of all of today’s Virginia news coming right up. And if you’re a fan, please forward to three friends who need to know what’s going on in the Commonwealth and tell them to subscribe here. 

But first …

In the market for some fresh ink? This past week, The Dogwood interviewed Erin Chance, a Richmond-based tattoo artist, about her career and life here in Virginia.

Five things you need to know today …

1. The hedge fund manager taking on Dominion — Michael Bills, a Charlottesville-based hedge fund manager, is now the largest individual campaign donor in all of Virginia. He says his primary motivation is to challenge Dominion Energy’s stronghold on legislation in the state and its negative influence on environmental policy. To get donations from his PAC, Bills requires candidates to refuse donations from Dominion.  According to VPAP, Bills has spent $1.7 million so far on political donations this election. –Virginia Mercury
   
   
2. Racist charges dating back to 1939 dropped — In 1939, five African American men were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after staging a sit-in at a whites-only Alexandria public library. After performing some research, library staff discovered that the charges were still officially outstanding. This past Friday, the charges against the men were formally dropped by the Alexandria circuit court after a request from the Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter. Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson will publicly present the court order to the descendants of the men tonight at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library. -WTOP
   
   
3. Fox Island Education Program to shut down — Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Fox Island Education Program announced that it would no longer be hosting its annual education events after this fall. The reason? Rising sea levels. On a blog post, the foundation said that rising sea levels have made it unsafe to continue hosting the event on Fox Island. Using aerial photos, they say over 70 percent of the island’s land has been swallowed up by the Chesapeake Bay in the last 50 years. –Capital Gazette
   
   
4. More questions about Sherwood Forest Elementary’s conditions — Despite a 2009 recommendation from a school facilities committee to renovate Norfolk’s Sherwood Forest Elementary, no improvements were ever made. Now parents say the conditions at the school are unsafe for the students. While spending on school buildings went down across the state after the Great Recession, Norfolk spends just a fraction of what neighboring counties do on school maintenance. “Norfolk and the Commonwealth have shown little commitment to the welfare of children, particularly children of color,” one parent said to The Virginian-Pilot. –The Virginia-Pilot
    
   
5. Northam joins forces with Virginia Council on Women to award scholarships — Gov. Ralph Northam and First Lady Pam Northam will serve as honorary co-chairs of an annual essay contest that award scholarships to female high school students interested in studying STEM. The Northams announced they will team up with the Virginia Council on Women for their 9th annual contest. The program is open to all female high school seniors interested in pursuing STEM careers, and applications are due in January. -The Washington Post