Spanberger Signs More Laws 

Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed another batch of bills passed by the General Assembly. “I am signing these bills into law so we can continue to grow Virginia’s economy and create opportunities for Virginians,” she announced.

One set of laws authorizes funding for projects totaling up to $7.1 billion in business investment, with the potential to create 3,250 jobs in Virginia.

Specific bills signed clear the way for investment in defense projects, pharmaceutical production, and electrical infrastructure.

Other bills aim to reform government policies and procedures to reduce prices for prescription drugs, housing, healthcare, and electricity.

ACA Enrollment Drops

About 33,000 Virginians dropped out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace in the first three months of 2026, according to a recent federal report.

That number is expected to increase in the months ahead, as a three-month grace period for non-payment recently ended. Premiums in Virginia increased by an average of roughly 20% after the federal government ended its enhanced subsidies last year.

“We saw two and a half or almost three times the number of customers cancel health insurance compared to prior years,” State Health Exchange Director Keven Patchett said. “The only significant difference that we’ve been able to identify is this cost difference.“

Last year, 389,000 Virginians obtained insurance through the ACA marketplace.

Virginia Grad Schools Ranked

U.S. News and World Report included 16 Virginia universities in its list of the best graduate schools nationally in 2026. The rankings break down graduate programs into specific majors.

George Mason University placed seven programs in the top 10 nationwide and hosts 13 programs ranked No. 1 in the Commonwealth.

Virginia Tech boasts four top-10 programs within its College of Engineering, including environmental, civil, and biological engineering.

Fine arts took center stage at VCU, with the School of the Arts tied for second place in the nation. The University of Virginia ranked in the top 10 nationally in education (No. 6) and law (No. 4).

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➤ Statewide: Hospitals in Virginia filed more than 1 million lawsuits attempting to collect $1.4 billion in medical debt between 2010 and 2024, according to a recent report. From 2018 to 2020, VCU filed more court actions than any other institution in the state, while UVA’s medical center ranked second. (Details)

➤ Eastern Shore: Authorities arrested 13 people as they broke up a drug ring that spanned Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. They also seized 42 kilograms of cocaine and almost $24,000 in cash. (More)

➤ Roanoke Valley: Health care is now the region’s largest economic sector, boosted by more than $450 million in economic impact from Virginia Tech’s operation of its medical school and related biomedical research. (Details)

➤ Charlottesville: The University of Virginia may increase tuition by up to 4.5% beginning next year. “We are the only public university left in the country that is both need-blind in admissions and meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all undergraduate students,” the university’s chief operating officer said. (More)

➤ Halifax County: The Board of Supervisors voted to bring former Finance Director Stephanie Jackson back to help locate missing paperwork from a recent audit. The external auditor called the county’s financial management “inconsistent, insufficient, and noncompliant.” (More)

➤ Statewide: The Virginia Department of Health warned that a new strain of COVID-19—the “cicada” variant—may spread in the Commonwealth. The variant was noted two years ago, disappeared for a time, and is now reported to be back in circulation. (More)

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➤ UVA women’s basketball player Kymora Johnson plans to transfer following the program’s recent coaching change. She was a first-team All-ACC selection and averaged 19.5 points and 5.9 assists this season. (More)

➤ Virginia Tech’s former basketball general manager, Nelson Hernandez, accepted the same position at Seton Hall. (More)

➤ James Madison women’s lacrosse players Payton Root and Reese Cuviello were named American Conference Attack Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week following the Dukes’ 20-10 win at Charlotte. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: NBA | MLB | NHL | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer | Tennis

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➤ Joe May, the founder of Leesburg-based EIT 2.0, transferred ownership of the company to new CEO Pradyumna Kumar “PK” Swain. (Details)

➤ RVA Wealth Management, based in Richmond with $320 million in assets under management, was acquired by RFG Advisory. (More)

➤ Packaging Corp. of America will close its Richmond facility and lay off 110 employees. (Details)

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The Next $435B Energy Empire Is Being Minted

In today’s dollars, John D. Rockefeller would be worth $435 billion. But “oil money” is old news, and what’s next might surprise investors in 2026: a $2.1 Trillion opportunity in “clean” coal. 

Now is the “Rockefeller” moment for Frontieras as they reform coal into hydrogen, diesel and other valuable commodities (just like Rockefeller did with oil). With a White House that favors domestic energy, the NASDAQ ticker FASF reserved, and land officially purchased for their flagship coal reformation plant, Frontieras is positioned for potential valuation impact. 

➤ Steph Cuprak, a senior at Brentsville District High School, earned a score in the top 1% of test takers on the Cambridge English AS Level exam. He hopes to go to medical school. (Details)

➤ The Virginia Beach Fire Department will add 17 new members today as its most recent fire academy class graduates and join the force. (More)

➤ Alyssa Brown of King George was named Ms. Wheelchair Virginia 2026. “I just don’t want people with disabilities or wheelchair users to feel the same thing that I have felt, so I want to be a powerful voice for as many people as possible,” she said. (Details)

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Have you been to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not yet

Tuesday’s Results:

Do you use emojis in text messages? 

1. Yes: 36%
2. No: 24%
3. What’s an emoji?: 20%
4. What’s a text?: 20%

Who was Halifax County named for?

Show me the answer