In September 2022, Malik Yousif — a petroleum and energy businessman from Manassas with no prior Caroline County real estate history — purchased approximately 47 acres on Partnership Boulevard in Ruther Glen, Virginia. His LLC, Partnership Blvd Properties, was named directly after the street address of the parcel. More than a year later, in November 2023, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) filed its first public interconnection request with PJM for a new distribution point — the Ruther Glen DP — projecting 170 MW by 2027, 300 MW by 2028, and 548 MW at buildout in 2031. The location: the northeast quadrant of US Route 1 and Rogers Clark Blvd — Partnership Boulevard, Ruther Glen. In March 2025, REC purchased Yousif's 47-acre parcel (plus an adjacent 12.5 acres from Cary) for a combined 60.48-acre campus. The purchase price is undisclosed. Yousif held the land for approximately 30 months between REC's first internal planning and the public filing. Based on comparable Ruther Glen land sales in the data center corridor, his return is estimated at 3–7× his purchase price — potentially $5M–$15M on a rural parcel. In February 2026, REC filed rezoning application RZ-04-2025 for the 60.48-acre parcel to create a corporate data center campus. The BOS approved the rezoning in March 2026. Closings were scheduled for July/August 2026. THE UNNAMED 30-YEAR CUSTOMER: REC's SCC filings confirm a 30-year Energy Service Agreement (ESA) was signed in December 2025. HES (Hyperscale Energy Services LLC) issued its first bill to this customer in January 2026. The switching station is on 'property owned by the Customer.' The customer's identity has never been publicly disclosed. The December 2025 special BOS meeting that preceded the signing went into 45 minutes of executive session. Charlie Payne — REC's General Counsel — was replaced at that meeting by his Hirschler colleague Brittany Falabella, suggesting Payne may have recused himself from the signing due to a personal conflict with the unnamed customer. THE CORE QUESTION (documented, not yet answered): REC's internal planning for the Ruther Glen campus had to exist by mid-2022 for Yousif to purchase the exact parcel in September 2022. The person with access to REC's internal infrastructure planning at that time was Charles W. Payne Jr. — REC's General Counsel. Payne also serves as a land-use attorney for multiple data center developers in the same corridor. This does not prove Payne disclosed internal REC planning information to Yousif or any other party. But the sequence of events — land purchase before any public filing, by a buyer with no local history, of the exact parcel that becomes REC's campus — is a documented fact that warrants formal investigation. AVAIO DIGITAL — THE REC CARMEL CHURCH CUSTOMER: AVAIO Digital's Carmel Church Data Hub (24279 Rogers Clark Blvd, Ruther Glen) is confirmed as the REC Carmel Church distribution point customer. The Carmel Church DP was filed October 2023 projecting 18 MW by 2027, 80 MW by 2028, 125 MW by 2029, and 300 MW at buildout. AVAIO's initial phase is under construction targeting H1 2026. FOIA TO FILE: 1. Caroline County — RZ-04-2025 full application documents including any appraisals, price disclosures, or conflict certifications submitted with the Yousif and Cary purchase agreements 2. REC (under Va. Code §56-37 member rights) — full purchase agreement for Partnership Blvd Properties LLC; any appraisal; any conflict-of-interest certification signed by Payne in connection with this transaction 3. SCC — Any new or amended interconnection queue withdrawals by CleanArc or CADC VA-1 LLC since November 2025 Sources: SCC dockets PUR-2025-00048 and PUR-2024-00213; Caroline County BOS minutes March 2026; Caroline County rezoning file RZ-04-2025 (co.caroline.va.us); REC 2025 Audited Financial Statements (myrec.coop); Fredericksburg Free Press (Taft Coghill Jr.); Baxtel data center registry.
This document is a formal response to a public records request regarding the management and maintenance of local water infrastructure. It reveals specific data points on service interruptions and highlights the operational challenges the utility provider has faced. This information is critical for residents to understand the history of system performance and to support arguments for improved infrastructure investment.
View documentThis document is a screenshot of a public Facebook post made by Clay Forehand, the Chairman of the Caroline County Board of Supervisors. The post features a meme and commentary that uses derogatory language to refer to transgender people.
View documentThis document is a formal response to a FOIA request concerning payments made by Caroline County to a company called State of Escape, LLC. It details the dates and staff members responsible for receiving, verifying, and issuing payment for services rendered in December 2025. The record serves as a verification of the county's financial trail for this specific vendor.
View documentThis document contains an invoice from 'State of Escape, LLC' to Caroline County for meeting support services totaling $2,640.00. It includes internal email discussions between a county assistant and the vendor regarding billing adjustments and coordination of equipment setup. This information helps clarify how the county spends its administrative budget on third-party vendors for meeting management.
View documentThis document is a record of public expenditure regarding a contract with 'State of Escape, LLC' for professional video recording services of various Caroline County government meetings. It details a payment of $1,320 for work performed in July 2024 across the Broadband Advisory Committee, Board of Supervisors, and Planning Commission. This provides citizens with transparency into how specific public funds are being utilized for digital recording and archival services.
View documentThis document is a government invoice revealing that Caroline County paid $1,400 to 'State of Escape, LLC' for professional recording services for several public meetings held in May 2022. The internal email correspondence shows how these invoices are submitted and processed for payment by the County Administration. It serves as a record of municipal spending for documentation services of public governmental proceedings.
View documentThis document is a professional invoice from a vendor called 'State of Escape, LLC' for services provided to the Caroline County government in March 2022. It details charges for recording meetings and creating web copies of records, totaling $1,750. This provides a clear look at how taxpayer money is being used for administrative support services.
View documentThis document consists of four invoices from 'State of Escape, LLC' to Caroline County for professional recording services of various government meetings, including the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission. It details specific charges for meeting recordings and web copies, providing a snapshot of the county's costs associated with documenting public proceedings.
View documentThis document is a formal investigation report from the Virginia Department of Health into brown and discolored water reported by residents of Lake Land’or. It reveals that samples taken from homes confirmed iron and manganese levels significantly above recommended limits, despite the utility's treatment systems appearing functional at the time of the inspection. The state has issued recommendations to the utility to improve system flushing and monitor water tanks more closely to address the recurring sediment issues.
View documentThis document is a formal letter from the Virginia Department of Health to Aqua Virginia, Inc., requiring them to report iron and manganese levels at their Lake Land’Or facility more frequently. The state mandated this change because residents have filed many complaints about discolored water, and internal reviews of water samples back to 2018 showed that iron levels often exceeded safety guidelines. Essentially, this record proves that state regulators are officially tracking persistent water quality problems at this specific location.
View documentThis document is a formal response from the Caroline County Finance Department regarding a public records request about payments to a vendor named 'State of Escape, LLC.' It confirms that the county made a payment for services provided in December 2025 and specifies that no further invoices were submitted for this vendor after January 2026. The response also lists the specific staff members who handled the invoice and payment process.
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