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Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood predicts Amazon will have more robot employees than humans by 2030.

A town in Virginia voted to provide Amazon with a special use permit to build a data center despite protests from over 100 speakers, including actor Robert Duvall, at a town hall meeting on Tuesday. 

"As an actor, I have the privilege to play many roles. My work has taken me all over the world, but I have always returned to Fauquier County, Virginia, with a sense of relief that comes from my appreciation for all that makes this place special," Duvall said. "The remarkable outpouring of opposition to this proposal indicates that the vast majority of the town and county believe this is a bad use of this site."

Robert Duvall during an interview for the June 24, 2021 show for the “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert. Image is a screen grab. (CBS via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Duvall, noting that he has lived on a farm in Virginia for 27 years, called the state "the last station before heaven" and demanded the town "keep it that way." The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he returned to his seat.

Amazon wants to build a 220,000-square-foot data center in Warrenton, and town councilmember Henry Herouix stressed the company has not asked for any tax breaks.

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Amazon projects that about 50 workers will be employed at the data center, and supporters said the data center will generate about $900,000 in tax revenue for the town annually. Ticker Security Last Change Change % AMZN AMAZON.COM INC. 97.20 -0.95 -0.97%

Herouix argued the tax revenue could go toward the county and schools. The permit for Amazon’s construction would include noise restrictions, bans on construction of an electric substation on the site and the requirement that any distribution lines go underground.

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Debate over the data center lasted some eight hours, but 92-year-old Duvall’s impassioned speech, along with the protests of roughly one hundred other speakers, seemed to make little impact as Warrenton’s town council voted 4-3 on Wednesday to approve a special permit for Amazon. 

The groups Protect Fauquier, Citizens for Fauquier County and the Piedmont Environmental Council organized an Oct. 26, 2022 town hall meeting in Warrenton, Virginia to explain to residents why they are opposed to a plan from Amazon Web Services to bu (Teo Armus/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The northern Virginia region is home to the greatest concentration of data centers, 275 in total, which support modern internet use.

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But the continued expansion of data centers has faced pushback as residents complain about the noise, the increased resource use to power the stations, and the increasing wires and other infrastructure that appear across the towns. 

Kevin Ramundo with Citizens for Fauquier County and Cindy Burbank with Protect Fauquier walk on Main Street on February 10, 2023 in Warrenton, Virginia. Both are opposed to Amazons plan to build a data center in the area. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Councilmember David McGuire acknowledged that the decision was a "pivotal moment" for the town, which would "never be the same as we know it, whether that’s good or bad," WUSA 9 reported. 

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Amazon has committed to invest roughly $35 billion by 2040 to build more data centers across Virginia. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Follow live: Kings look to take 3-0 series lead vs. Oilers

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Hagel suspended for Game 3 due to hit on Barkov

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Hagel suspended for Game 3 due to hit on Barkov

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday night for what it labeled “an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent” that injured Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Hagel will miss Saturday’s Game 3 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers lead the series 2-0.

Around midway through the third period of Thursday’s Game 2, Tampa Bay was on the power play while trailing 1-0. Barkov pressured defenseman Ryan McDonagh deep in the Lightning zone. With the puck clearly past Barkov, Hagel lined him up for a huge hit that sent the Panthers captain to the ice and thumping off the end boards.

A penalty was whistled, and the officials conferred before calling a “five-minute penalty.” After review, Hagel was given a 5-minute major for interference. Barkov left the game with 10:09 remaining in regulation and did not return to the Panthers’ 2-0 win.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after the game that he didn’t expect Hagel to receive a major penalty for the hit.

“Refs make the call. I was a little surprised it was a five, but it was,” he said.

The NHL ruled that Hagel’s hit made “some head contact” on Barkov.

“It’s important to note that Barkov is never in possession of the puck on this play and is therefore not eligible to be checked in any manner,” the league said.

In the Friday hearing, held remotely, Hagel argued that he approached the play anticipating that Barkov would play the puck. But the Department of Player Safety said the onus was on Hagel to ensure that Barkov was eligible to be checked. It also determined that the hit had “sufficient force” for supplemental discipline.

It’s Hagel’s first suspension in 375 regular-season and 36 playoff games. He was fined for boarding Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen in May 2022.

The Panthers held an optional skate Friday. Coach Paul Maurice said Barkov “hasn’t been ruled out yet” but “hasn’t been cleared” for Game 3.

“He’s an irreplicable player,” Panthers defenseman Seth Jones said of Barkov. “One of the best centermen in the league. He’s super important to our team.”

The Lightning lose Hagel while they struggle to score in the series; they scored two goals in Game 1 and were shut out in Game 2. Tampa Bay was the highest-scoring team in the regular season (3.56), with Hagel contributing 35 goals and 55 assists in 82 games.

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Goalies Montembeault, Dobes leave Caps-Habs

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Goalies Montembeault, Dobes leave Caps-Habs

The Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens lost their starting goalies because of injuries in Game 3 of their first-round series Friday night.

Canadiens starter Sam Montembeault was replaced by rookie Jakub Dobes, who made his playoff debut, in the second period. Capitals starter Logan Thompson left late in the third period after a collision with teammate Dylan Strome.

The Canadiens won 6-3 to cut their series deficit to 2-1.

Montembeault left the crease with 8:21 remaining in the second period and the score tied 2-2. Replays showed him reaching for the back of his left leg after making a save on Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev. Montembeault had stopped 11 of 13 shots. For the series, he stopped 58 of 63 shots (.921 save percentage) with a 2.49 goals-against average.

Dobes, 23, was 7-4-3 in 16 games for the Canadiens in the regular season with a .909 save percentage. Dobes had a win over the Capitals on Jan. 10, stopping 15 shots in a 3-2 overtime win.

Thompson was helped from the ice by a trainer and teammates after Strome collided with him with 6:37 left in regulation right after Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky made it a 5-3 Montreal lead. Thompson attempted to skate off on his own but couldn’t put weight down on his left leg.

Backup goalie Charlie Lindgren replaced Thompson, who had been outstanding for the Capitals in the first two games of the series, winning both with a .951 save percentage and a 1.47 goals-against average. He made 30 saves on 35 shots in Game 3.

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