Judge Extends Gun-Law Block Statewide

A Washington County judge has ruled that his injunction against Virginia’s new gun-law limits applies statewide, effective July 21—not just in the handful of localities named in his original order.

Judge Jeffrey Campbell granted the block on June 29 in a challenge to Senate Bill 749 and House Bill 217—which target certain firearms and magazines over 15 rounds—brought by gun owners, dealers, and a shooting-sports group. Campbell’s July 7 opinion widened it statewide, warning that a patchwork could shield an owner in one county but not the next.

The laws, signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger and in effect since July 1, ban future sales of many semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns the state classifies as assault firearms.

Attorney General Jay Jones defended the laws and vowed to keep enforcing them. The plaintiff’s attorney, Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, counters that the targeted firearms are in common use and constitutionally protected.

AG Jones Fights Trump Mail-Voting Order

Attorney General Jay Jones joined 24 Democrat attorneys general urging the U.S. Postal Service to scrap a proposed rule that would let it withhold mail ballots from voters not on a federally approved list.

The rule would carry out a March executive order from President Trump directing USPS and the Department of Homeland Security to build a national list of eligible voters and limit mailed ballots to people on it. The administration casts it as protecting election integrity against ineligible voters.

Jones argues mail-in voting is already fair under Virginia law and calls the order “a blatant attack on voting rights.”

A federal judge in June blocked key parts of the order as unconstitutional, ruling that election rules belong to the states and Congress, not the president. The administration is appealing and says time is short before November’s midterms.

11 New Roadside Historical Markers Approved

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources announced the approval of 11 new roadside historical markers on July 7 to be installed in the cities of Petersburg, Richmond, and Fredericksburg, and the counties of York, James City, Orange, Caroline, New Kent, King William, and Nelson.

The markers cover subjects that range from Petersburg businesswoman Mary M. Tabb, who ran a merchant estate and invested across the city in the 1700s, to a segregation-era black school in Chesterfield County.

Other markers address the community of Dawn in Caroline County, religious liberty debates involving James Madison, and Link Wray’s influential 1958 instrumental Rumble in Fredericksburg.

Virginia’s highway marker program, launched in 1927 along U.S. Route 1, is the oldest in the nation, with more than 2,600 signs. Sponsors cover the roughly $3,000 cost to make each one.

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➤ Statewide: The General Assembly set aside $150 million to lower Marketplace health insurance premiums for about 200,000 Virginians after federal subsidies expired and premiums jumped an average of 75%, pricing roughly 100,000 people out of coverage last year. (More)

➤ Central Virginia: Measles continues to spread in Virginia, with nearly 170 cases reported as of Tuesday—the vast majority of them associated with an ongoing outbreak that began in Buckingham County and has since spread to Cumberland County. (More)

➤ Henrico: The Virginia Department of Education is investigating Swim RVA after 9-year-old King Overton drowned at the organization’s summer swim camp, with scrutiny centering on whether the program should have been licensed by the state. (More)

➤ Harrisonburg: The families of three James Madison University students killed in a February 2023 crash have filed wrongful death suits against the Pi Beta Chi fraternity, its founder, and 29 members, each seeking $150 million and alleging a hazing- and alcohol-fueled recruitment event preceded the wreck. (More)

➤ Danville logged an 8% drop in crime overall last year, and a 28% decline in violent crime. Police have opened a public comment period to help sustain the trend, which officials credit in part to the Project Imagine violence-intervention program. (More)

➤ Stafford: A CFO named Cindy Zurawski Babbitt, 57, pleaded guilty Tuesday to embezzling $1.5 million from her employer and spending it on luxury goods from retailers including Tiffany & Co., Saks Fifth Avenue, Louis Vuitton, Versace, and Burberry, according to federal prosecutors. (More)

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➤ Justin Verlander, drafted second overall out of Old Dominion in 2004, announced this week that he will retire at the end of the 2026 season. The 43-year-old won three Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles across 21 seasons. (More)

➤ Free agent edge rusher Von Miller, who led the Commanders with nine sacks last season, has signaled interest in joining Washington’s arch-rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. The 37-year-old Super Bowl champion grew up in the Dallas area and has long wanted to play for his hometown team. (More)

➤ The Virginia Commonwealth Games are moving to the Richmond region this month after a decade in Lynchburg. Athletes of all ages will compete across more than 30 sports at venues in Chesterfield and Henrico counties. (More) 

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | Wimbledon | MLB | WNBA | Golf

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➤ The fuel portion of Dominion Energy bills rose July 1, adding about $8 a month for a typical Virginia household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours. The utility attributes the higher fuel prices and the cost of buying power from other providers over the past year. (More)

➤ Prince William County supervisors voted 8-0 to reject the proposed Dulles Cloud South data center, a nearly 2,000-acre project that would have been the largest development in county history, citing concerns over infrastructure, environmental impact, and the area’s rural character. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, Google’s planned data center complex in Botetourt County would draw about 2 million gallons of water a day, making it the company’s sixth-largest data center by water use in the U.S. and eighth-largest in the world, according to a company report. (See Report)

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This Metal’s Price Went Up 170%

No, not gold. Lithium. Prices more than doubled from last June to this one, spurring a modern-day “white gold” rush driven by AI, energy, and more.

With demand growing 5X by 2040, a major opportunity’s emerging. No wonder 50,000+ people have  invested in EnergyX.

Their patented tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods, in days instead of months. That combination of technological prowess and market demand earned an investment from General Motors.

In the past 24 months, EnergyX has raised ~$100M from retail investors, formed a first-of-its-kind lithium agreement with the U.S. Army, and Eni, Italy’s largest oil company, just signed an agreement to invest up to $225M.

Now they’re preparing to unlock ~15M+ tons of lithium. Invest in EnergyX before the 7/16 deadline.

➤ Hampton Roads’ St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway announced its winner of a $650,000, five-bedroom house in Suffolk, capping a raffle that sold out all 16,000 tickets and raised about $1.6 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (Watch Video)

➤ The Galax City Council voted 4-3 to replace a proposed downtown mural of four old-time musicians with a landscape-only design, after councilman Shane Coomes said the musicians didn’t reflect Galax’s specific music history. Critics called the remarks racist and launched a petition seeking his resignation. (See Mural)

➤ Virginia diners leave an average tip of 19.2% at restaurants, exceeding the national average of 18.8%, according to recent Toast transactions mapped out by Visual Capitalist. (See Map)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ The Justice Department has threatened criminal charges against election officials in all fifty states who let noncitizens vote. (Hear Details)

➤ More than 30 people were hospitalized in Maryland when a transit bus slammed into a building, setting off a chain of crashes. (Hear Episode)

➤ These household objects are negatively impacting your Wi-Fi connection. (Listen Now)

How much of a tip do you generally leave for restaurant waitstaff?

1. 20% or more
2. Between 15% and 20%
3. Less than 15%
4. No tip

Yesterday’s Results:

How many vehicles does your household own? 

1. Two: 37%
2. Three or more: 35%
3. One: 19%
4. None: 9%

When did Virginia end witchcraft trials?

Show me the answer

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