FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2026

Good morning! On this day in 1774, George Washington concluded his visit to Williamsburg after attending the Virginia Convention of Delegates at the Capitol. The convention elected him one of Virginia’s delegates to the upcoming Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Several Virginia hospitals earned national recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals list. Find out which ones in Top Stories.

Today’s sponsor is Mode Mobile, a technology company that gives investors the opportunity to back its mission to help people earn money from the time they already spend on their smartphones.

Data Centers Must Fund Power Lines

Virginia’s State Corporation Commission (SCC) announced Wednesday that it has ordered Dominion Energy to make data centers pay for the transmission lines and substations built solely to serve them, rather than spreading those costs across residential power bills.

The order followed a push from Gov. Abigail Spanberger, whose administration urged regulators to shield families and small businesses from the cost. She called it a decision projected to save Virginians hundreds of millions of dollars.

Dominion Energy has more than 200 transmission projects underway to feed over 600 data centers and had asked the SCC to recover those costs through monthly bills.

The utility says it already carries some of the country’s strongest protections for residential customers and will add more.

Reentry Program Debuts at Red Onion Prison

Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced on Wednesday that Red Onion State Prison in Wise County has launched an intensive reentry program, making the far-southwest supermax the first maximum-security facility in Virginia to run it.

The program, already operating at 14 other Virginia facilities, prepares inmates for release through workforce training, community connections, and what the Department of Corrections calls “cognitive restructuring”— group work on problem-solving and decision-making. Twenty inmates within seven to 20 months of release are enrolled in the pilot.

Red Onion drew national scrutiny in 2024, when inmates set themselves on fire in an effort to be transferred out.

A state ombudsman investigation later found most mistreatment allegations unsubstantiated and called claims of racism and retaliation inconclusive.

Virginia Hospitals Earn National Recognition

VCU Medical Center has been named the No. 1 hospital in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best Hospitals rankings and the No. 1 hospital in the Richmond metro area for the 16th consecutive year. It also earned national rankings in cardiology and orthopaedics.

Inova Fairfax Hospital ranked second statewide, followed by Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and VHC Health. University of Virginia Medical Center, Inova Alexandria Hospital, and several others also earned Best Regional Hospital designations.

HCA Virginia’s Chippenham, Johnston-Willis, and Henrico Doctors’ hospitals made the Best Hospitals list as well, joining facilities across the state recognized for high performance in multiple specialties and procedures.

Search the full list here.

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A $200B Industry Missed the Bigger Picture

TV video streaming exploded into a $200B market in 2025, driven by the hours we spend lost in entertainment.

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Smartphone screen time.

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➤ Statewide: A new state law allows Virginia’s certified home kitchens to sell baked goods online and over the phone, and to ship them anywhere in the state. Before July, these sales had to be made in person. (More)

➤ Chesapeake Bay: A regional fisheries board advanced a draft plan that could cut menhaden catch limits for Virginia’s only Bay reduction fishery, Reedville’s Ocean Harvesters, by 10% to 50%, citing steep declines in striped bass and ospreys. (More)

➤ Henrico County will receive about $99 million for 26 transportation projects through Virginia’s Six-Year Improvement Program. Roughly half of the projects fund pedestrian work, including the Fall Line and New Market Heights trails; the rest cover roads and bridges. (More)

➤ Loudoun County: The Sheriff’s Office is weighing whether to keep its agreement with ICE, the only such deal in Northern Virginia, after a new state law set a Sept. 1 deadline to renegotiate under stricter terms. (More)

➤ Norfolk: VDOT says the $3.9 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion remains on track for completion in 2027. Project director Ryan Banas said the twin new tunnels beneath the harbor will carry eight lanes of I-64 traffic to ease congestion. (More)

➤ Powhatan County: The Planning Commission sided with county staff and voted unanimously to recommend denying Throttle Therapy’s plan for a 700-acre ATV and dirt-bike park southwest of Rocky Ford Road, citing concerns over the location. (More)

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➤ The Washington Commanders signed wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million, finally giving quarterback Jayden Daniels another offensive weapon to throw to. Diggs topped 1,000 receiving yards with the Patriots last season. (More)

➤ Ferrum College announced its 2026 Sports Hall of Fame class, headlined by pitcher Daryl Irvine, a first-round pick by the Red Sox who went on to pitch in the majors. The seven-member class will be inducted Sept. 5. (More)

➤ Virginia Tech defensive tackle Kemari Copeland landed on both the Nagurski and Outland Trophy watch lists. Copeland led the Hokies with 4.5 sacks last season. (More)

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➤ Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she will intervene in Dominion Energy’s proposed $67 billion merger with Florida-based NextEra Energy, the first time a Virginia governor has done so before the State Corporation Commission. (More)

➤ Seven Virginia companies sued Gov. Abigail Spanberger and state officials over a rule, effective Aug. 15, that would bar hemp products with more than 2 mg of THC per package, stating it would clear most of their inventory. (More)

➤ McKesson Medical-Surgical will rebrand as Wellverse in January as it spins off from Texas parent McKesson Corp. into an independent, publicly traded company. The distributor and its roughly 1,000 local employees will keep their Richmond-area headquarters, with an initial public offering planned for late 2027. (More)

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SpaceX Wireless Push Could Send EarnPhone Soaring

SpaceX just put Big Telecom on notice, telling investors its plans to launch a U.S. mobile service for consumers. For most investors, that sounds like a shakeup for the $1.6T telecom industry.

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➤ Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin launched a policy group, Empowering America’s Parents, that will spend millions urging states to adopt the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, a school-choice program starting in 2027. (More)

➤ The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles will launch its first cannabis-impaired driving campaign, “Relaxxxxx,” Aug. 10 through Sept. 7, urging Virginians not to drive high. The push follows 233 drugged-driver fatalities statewide in 2025, with 117 of them tied to cannabis. (More)

➤ The 15th annual Touch-A-Truck rolls into Roanoke’s Greenhill Park on Saturday with more than 100 vehicles for kids to climb on, plus a foam pit, a car smash, and 10 food trucks. Admission is free, and a 9 a.m. sensory-friendly hour keeps the lights, sirens, and horns off. (See Details)

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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:

➤ New research suggests avoiding three midlife health risks could mean nearly 13 more years of life without dementia. (Hear Details)

➤ You already know your phone drains focus and sleep, but doctors warn the hidden toll runs deeper. (Hear Episode)

➤ The FAA quietly rerouted noisy flights during Bohemian Grove’s elite retreat, fueling accusations of preferential treatment from frustrated locals. (Listen Now)