Virginia’s first onshore wind farm is no longer just a vision. The Rocky Forge Wind Project, located along North Mountain in Botetourt County, is now visibly under construction — with turbines already standing as the project moves closer to producing power later this year.

Construction is under way on Rocky Forge, which Apex Clean Energy describes as Virginia’s first large land-based wind project. Apex says the project will include 13 turbines, each rated at more than 6 megawatts, for a total nameplate capacity of about 78 megawatts, and that annual production should be roughly equal to electricity used by about 20,000 average Virginia homes.

The most expensive dinosaur fossil ever discovered will be on view in New York starting this weekend.

The nearly complete fossilized remains of a 161-million-year-old stegosaurus discovered in Colorado in 2022 will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York next week.

State investigators repeatedly identified fire and safety hazards at a leased storage space under an elevated Los Angeles freeway before it burned in an arson fire last weekend.

A fire that erupted in storage yards beneath a Los Angeles freeway has renewed attention on the city’s inability to protect the thousands of homeless residents living in such perilous locations.

The state of California operates a little-known program to lease land under freeways that is now under scrutiny after an arson fire under Interstate 10 in Los Angeles.

BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – A proposed wind farm in Botetourt County got the last state permit it needs to move forward. Now, those plans can be submitted to county officials for final approval. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued the permit to the utility solar and wind company Apex Clean Energy in October, which is a requirement to build the Rocky Forge wind farm. Botetourt County officials said they’re just waiting for Apex to submit all the permits, site plans, noise and sound studies before the board of supervisors will look them over and make their final decision. There’s no official timeline yet, but Botetourt County officials hope to get all the documents from Apex by the end of the month.

BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – Botetourt County leaders are still considering whether to allow wind turbines taller than they originally approved five years ago. This after the company behind the county's first proposed wind farm, Apex Energy, said the Rocky Forge Wind Farm needs to be taller than originally planned. Originally approved in 2015, it took Apex four years to find a buyer for the electricity it would produce. The county originally approved height of 550 feet for wind turbines. Planning Commission chairman Brandon Nicely said they continue to review all feedback and county leaders will be taking more site tours of other currently operating wind farms.

BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – The future of a proposed wind farm in Botetourt County is up in the air after changes to the project. But it said technology has changed in the time since, and that the taller turbines produce 10 percent more electricity. The Rocky Forge wind farm was in a holding pattern until the deal with Dominion was secured. The project would be the first onshore wind farm project in Virginia and has strong support from Governor Ralph Northam. The initial plan was for turbines up to 550 feet tall, the maximum allowed height under the county’s wind ordinance.

ALTAVISTA, Va. – Facebook and a Central Virginia solar company will spend money in Campbell County next year. A: Once the solar project is completed, it will generate solar energy that will go into the Virginia electric grid which serves our facilities. Corporate purchasing of renewable energy has grown rapidly in recent years, in many cases because of companies setting impressive sustainability or renewable energy goals. With Altavista Solar, Campbell County is establishing itself as a leader in clean energy across the Commonwealth and the region. Over the past two years, Apex has formed strong relationships in Campbell County as we have developed the Altavista Solar project.

The game's developer, Respawn, owned by Electronic Arts, apologized Friday for the new in-game "loot boxes," or a random selection of virtual rewards available to players for purchase. Loot boxes have come under scrutiny by US and foreign lawmakers. Critics have compared loot boxes to gambling and say they may encourage addiction in kids who play these games. Loot boxes are a common way to monetize in dozens of games, including Fortnite, League of Legends and EA's Star Wars Battlefront II. "We do loot boxes for cosmetics, so for us it's about fair value.