UVA Urged Not to Sign Federal Compact 

Democrats in the state Senate sent a letter urging the University of Virginia not to sign the Compact for Academic Excellence, which the Trump administration has invited UVA and eight other out-of-state institutions to join.

The compact would require UVA to pledge to remain neutral on political events, cap the number of international students it admits, and meet the administration’s equality and objective criteria in selecting students and staff.

“This is not a partnership; it is, as other university leaders have aptly described, political extortion,” the lawmakers warned.

The proposal is opposed by 97% of UVA’s faculty. “The very idea that the federal government would intervene in what we do on a college campus or on a university campus goes against everything that higher education is supposed to be,” Professor Bonnie Gordon said.

The University of Virginia is in the process of hiring a new president after James Ryan departed under pressure from the Trump administration this summer.

Governor Candidates Debate

The gubernatorial candidates, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger, squared off in their only debate of the year last night. Earle-Sears spoke forcefully, often interrupting the Democratic candidate, making it difficult for the moderators to maintain order.

From the onset, Earle-Sears demanded that Spanberger call on attorney general candidate Jay Jones to withdraw from the race. “The comments Jay Jones made are absolutely abhorrent,” Spanberger said. “I denounce them,” but she did not directly withdraw her endorsement of Jones .

On the topic of energy, Earle-Sears criticized Democrats in general and Spanberger in particular for supporting the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which she said reduced the amount of electricity available in the Commonwealth. Spanberger said she supports an “all of the above” energy strategy.

The Democratic candidate came into the debate with a solid lead in several statewide polls and stayed on message throughout the evening. The lieutenant governor frequently asked Spanberger questions, which she ignored.

Illegal Immigrant Sentenced in Rape Conviction

An illegal immigrant from El Salvador was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of three counts of raping a child.

Ricardo Mejia had been hired to renovate a bathroom in Virginia Beach when he attacked the family’s 11-year-old daughter three times in 2024. “I’m sorry for the pain she is going through in this process,” Mejia said at a sentencing this week.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a detainer for Mejia, who will be taken into ICE custody after his sentence is completed.

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➤ Arlington: Some flights from Reagan National Airport have been delayed because of staffing shortages in the control tower. Aviation workers who were not furloughed at the beginning of the shutdown have not been paid since Oct. 1. (Details)

➤ Henrico: The county is spending $300 million to build a water line to link the eastern regions of the county to its water treatment plant in the West End. The goal is to reduce reliance on the city of Richmond. (More)

➤ Alexandria: Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to two federal charges of lying to Congress and faces a Jan. 5 trial date. Comey’s lawyer indicated his team will attempt to have prosecutor Lindsey Halligan disqualified from the case, which would make the charges invalid. (Details)

➤ Campbell County: The Board of Supervisors voted down a proposal to bring three data centers to the county. (More)

➤ Statewide: The Commonwealth will spend $1.3 million on three programs aimed at helping young people find careers and unemployed older workers to retrain. (More)

➤ Charlottesville: UVA Health Children’s was selected by U.S. News & World Report as the leading children’s hospital in the state for the fifth year running. (Details)

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➤ Virginia Wesleyan (soon to be Batten University) and the University of Lynchburg played to a scoreless tie in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference women’s soccer matchup. The Hornets visit Randolph-Macon tomorrow. (Details)

➤ William & Mary hired its former business school dean, Larry Pulley, as interim general manager of the athletic department. He plans to partner with the school’s computing and data science divisions to focus on sports analytics. (More)

➤ UVA quarterback Chandler Morris is on the Johnny Unitas Award shortlist. Morris is responsible for 92 points so far this season—13th most in the nation. (Details)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NFL | NHL | NBA | NCAAF | Soccer | Tennis

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➤ Virginia Furniture Company in Norfolk announced it will go out of business at the end of the year. The company was founded in 1939. (Details)

➤ Virginia Business magazine handed out its 2025 Women in Leadership awards at a reception in Richmond. (The Winners)

➤ The Virginia Tech Foundation may sell the Hotel Roanoke, a landmark it has owned for almost 30 years. (Details)

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This Technology Makes Every City a Potential Surf Destination

Topgolf revolutionized golf by transforming it into a social, tech-driven experience for everyone. And they’ve made billions in annual revenue doing it. Surf Lakes is applying that same model to surfing. Their patented tech creates 2,000 ocean-quality rides per hour, anywhere in the world, across all skill levels.

Surf tourism is a $65B global industry, yet fewer than 1% of people live near real waves. They’ve already sold licenses across the U.S. and Australia, with plans for a first commercial park in the works.

Three-time world champ Tom Curren and surf icon Mark Occhilupo have joined as ambassadors and shareholders. Even actor Chris Hemsworth has praised Surf Lakes.

You have until Oct. 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT to invest in Surf Lakes.

➤ Virginia Beach is for sea turtles. Bystanders watched recently as one newly hatched reptile crawled down the sand to the waves. (Watch Video)

➤ The Virginia Scenic Railway will unveil the Santa Express train this holiday season. The hour-long ride will leave from the railroad’s new location in Louisa. (More)

➤ The Taste of NoVA food and drink festival, scheduled for this weekend, will be held at the NOVA LIVE campus near Manassas instead of the National Museum of the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir. The event was relocated due to the federal government shutdown. (Details)

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Should Virginia vote for governor in presidential election years?

1. Yes
2. No
3. I don’t care

Thursday’s Results:

Do you play pickleball? 

1. No: 27%
2. Not yet: 25%
3. Yes: 24%
4. Never!: 24%

What was Virginia’s western boundary under its 1609 charter?

Show me the answer