Rescue Team Welcomed Home 

The Virginia Beach Fire Department’s Swiftwater Rescue Team returned home after spending almost three weeks performing search, rescue, and recovery operations in Texas.

“We spent the 18 days, kind of working our way across roughly 20 miles of river, searching debris piles and assisting ground crews,” Virginia Beach Fire Captain Matthew McQuarrie said. 

“Once things switched over from more of a rescue to a recovery, we were even more motivated to bring closure to these families,” team member Adam Hodge added. More than 130 people were killed in the Texas flooding.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management trains and supervises nearly 500 volunteers across the Commonwealth’s 20 volunteer search and rescue teams.

Panel Considers Moving Elections 

A special General Assembly subcommittee is holding hearings to consider whether to reschedule the Commonwealth’s elections to coincide with federal elections in even-numbered years.

Political expert Dr. Bob Holsworth testified this week that rescheduling could boost voter participation in state elections. Holsworth added that in federal election years, less money would flow into Virginia from out of state because of increased competition for campaign dollars.

It isn’t clear how or when the schedule could be changed, even if lawmakers decide they want to do so.

Elections for the next several years are already set, with the U.S. Senate and U.S. House elections in 2026, the election of an entirely new General Assembly in 2027, the elections for the U.S. president and House of Representatives in 2028, and another governor’s race in 2029.

Seized Giraffe Dies During Relocation

The attorney general’s office said that Valentine, one of four giraffes it seized from the Natural Bridge Zoo because of alleged mistreatment, died in May while being moved to a facility in Georgia. The other three animals arrived safely at their new home.

“Valentine showed no sign of distress or discomfort moving into South Carolina and was discovered to be deceased as they crossed into Georgia,” a spokesman for Attorney General Jason Miyares said.

Gretchen Mogensen, the owner of the zoo, gave Valentine a shot the evening before the move because she said the animal “had not been eating and was not acting normally.” The AG’s office contends the giraffe had two separate injection wounds.

The University of Georgia carried out a necropsy and said the animal did not die from stress related to the move. A toxicology report is not yet available.

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➤ Purcellville: Vice Mayor Carl “Ben” Nett was arrested and charged with bid rigging and conspiracy. A warrant was also issued for the arrest of Town Manager Kwasi Fraser. (Details)

➤ Northern Virginia: Drivers around the nation’s capital have the country’s worst commute, according to a ranking in Consumer Affairs. It found that drivers in the D.C. region spend more time dealing with traffic than drivers anywhere else. (More)

➤ Richmond: The group AI Ready RVA hosted a two-day workshop to help hundreds of teachers learn how to use artificial intelligence tools in the classroom. (More)

➤ Fairfax: A group that represents George Mason University professors gave the school’s Board of Visitors a vote of no confidence. The resolution said the board had abdicated its fiduciary duty and failed to protect the university’s president from four different federal investigations. (Details)

➤ Virginia Beach: Traci Ratcliff Miller will be sworn in next week as postmaster, which will make her the first woman to oversee mail delivery in the city. (More)

➤ Clarke and Loudoun Counties: The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said it found the invasive box tree moth at four locations. It’s the first time the species has been spotted in the Commonwealth. (Details)

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➤ Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is not yet in training camp as he holds out for a contract extension from the team. (Details)

➤ Virginia won the 2025 PGA Boys High School Golf National Invitational in Pinehurst this week, beating out Utah and North Carolina by nine strokes. (More)

➤ UVA has named Tyler Jones as the general manager. He’ll oversee roster construction for both football and women’s basketball. He had been serving as the deputy athletics director. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | PGA | LPGA | Tour de France

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➤ Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca took only about a month to select Virginia as the site of its largest planned manufacturing plant, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said. While the plant’s location hasn’t been announced, Youngkin said the state boasts a “great portfolio of shovel-ready sites.” (Details)

➤ The city of Newport News invested $4 million to help the Newport News-Williamsburg Airport upgrade into an Air Commerce Park. (More)

➤ Virginia’s Medicaid Director is taking a wait-and-see approach to recently enacted changes to the program. “We do not have CMS guidance for 90% of this,” Cheryl Roberts said. (Details)

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➤ Bryan A. Jenkins was charged with destruction of property and reckless handling of a firearm after allegedly shooting down a drone that was flying over his property in The Plains. (Details)

➤ The Virginia Pesticide Collection Program will host a collection event in Melfa next month. Only pesticides—not other chemicals such as fertilizer, motor oil, or paint—will be accepted. (More)

➤ A Virginia Commonwealth University study found that 44% of census tracts (or neighborhoods) in the state do not have adequate access to primary health care services. (Details)

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Should the state reschedule elections for even-numbered years?

1. Yes
2. No
3. I’m not voting

Thursday’s Results:

Should public water systems in Virginia keep adding fluoride? 

1. No: 38%
2. Yes: 33%
3. I’m not sure: 29%

What is the most valuable agricultural commodity raised in Virginia?

Show me the answer