Spanberger Highlights New Worker Protections

Gov. Abigail Spanberger marked Labor Day by thanking Virginia’s workers and highlighting a series of new workplace protections enacted under her administration. 

Key among the reforms is a statewide paid family and medical leave program taking effect in 2028, allowing eligible workers up to 12 weeks of leave at 80% of their average wages—the first such law in the South. 

Additional changes include paid sick leave earning one hour for every 30 worked, a rising minimum wage reaching $15 by 2028, and stronger rules on wage transparency and theft enforcement.

Spanberger, a Democrat, described the package of laws as giving workers more power and dignity, including expanded protections for healthcare, farm, and home-care employees, while noting the broader effort to strengthen Virginia’s workforce.

47 Communities Weigh Sales Tax for Schools

Voters in 47 Virginia localities will decide in November whether to add a 1% sales tax to pay for building and repairing local schools.

The communities make up 38% of the localities newly allowed to try the tax after a law passed this year opened the option statewide. Leaders raced to get referendums on the ballot before an August deadline.

In Southwest and Southside Virginia, the list includes the city of Martinsville and counties of Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Grayson, Pulaski, Smyth, and Wythe. Under an earlier 2020 law, nine localities—among them Henry County, Danville, and Pittsylvania County—have raised more than $119 million through the tax.

The votes come as the state’s Commission on School Construction and Modernization meets this week for the first time since 2022. A 2021 report found more than half of surveyed school buildings were at least 50 years old.

Arlington Marks 25 Years Since 9/11

Arlington will bring together more than 200 first responders on Sept. 11 to mark 25 years since the attack on the Pentagon.

The ceremony at Fire Station 5 includes a wreath-laying and a rose-laying at a steel beam from the World Trade Center outside the station. Retired Deputy County Manager Jim Schwartz, the incident commander during the Pentagon response, is set to take part with the county’s fire and police chiefs.

The strike by American Airlines Flight 77 killed 184 people at the Pentagon, among nearly 3,000 killed nationwide that day. Arlington’s response was later studied as a national model for large-scale emergencies.

Virginia’s budget sets aside $1 million toward a Pentagon Memorial visitor education center. Other Virginia communities are preparing tributes as well, including Hampton Roads firefighters reflecting on their response 25 years on.

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➤ Central VA: Dennikia Boyce, 37, wanted in the shooting deaths of two VDOT contractors, now faces a federal charge and is believed to have fled Central Virginia to hide in North Carolina. (More)

➤ Ettrick: Six professors fired from Virginia State University’s Agricultural Research Station last December have filed civil rights complaints with the state attorney general’s office, after the school’s Faculty Senate found the terminations violated the university’s own policies. (More)

➤ Quantico has been without running water since Monday because of a problem on the Marine Corps Base Quantico system, prompting a Code Red alert. Officials have given no timeline for restoration. (More)

➤ Prince William County: Police detailed how their license-plate readers work as the county prepares a work session on the cameras, red-light cameras, and who may access the footage. (More)

➤ Hampton: Gov. Abigail Spanberger joined officials at Fort Monroe to unveil a new sculpture at the African Landing Memorial during the National Ceremony of Remembrance and Renewal. (More)

➤ Roanoke: The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb returns on Sept. 26 to the Wells Fargo Tower, where participants climb 110 stories—the height of the World Trade Center—carrying tags bearing the name and photo of a fallen firefighter or officer. (More) 

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➤ UVA cracked the AP Top 25 at No. 25 after Week 1, marking the Cavaliers’ surprising entry into the national rankings following their opening victory. (See Rankings)

➤ Virginia Tech coach James Franklin’s Hokies (1-0) host Old Dominion on Saturday at noon at Lane Stadium, a rematch of last year’s 45-26 loss to the Monarchs that cost the previous staff their jobs. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, ODU will retire Taylor Heinicke’s No. 14, making the former NFL quarterback the first Monarchs football player to have his jersey retired. (More)

➤ UVA volleyball swept host Virginia Commonwealth University in straight sets at the VCU Invitational for its first sweep of the season and third straight win, improving to 3-1. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | MLB |  Soccer

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➤ Brookneal-based Foster Fuels, a wholesale fuel distributor with about 250 employees, will be acquired by Savannah, Georgia’s Colonial Group in a deal expected to close Oct. 1. Both companies were founded in 1921. (More)

➤ The Richmond region’s first Waters Edge Winery Bistro franchise opened with a soft launch in Chesterfield’s Midlothian area, operated by franchisees Paul and Rebecca Williams at 2201 Chartermark Drive since mid-August. (More)

➤ A 116-year-old family farm in Orange County sits in the path of the proposed Valley Link transmission line, a 115-mile project from Lynchburg to Culpeper. Owner Michael Carter Jr. opposes it. (More)

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A Drone Expert Is Making Flying Cars Real

In 2016, after years working on military drones, Doron Merdinger began sketching a flying car. He saw how quickly the tech had advanced and believed people would soon fly from driveways. So he built Doroni.

Perfect timing. The urban air mobility market is worth $4.8B today. By 2040, Morgan Stanley puts it at $1 trillion. By 2050, $9 trillion. And with 600+ reservations for Doroni’s aircraft and commercial deliveries targeted for 2028, the demand for this innovation is undeniable. 

When FOX Business saw the showroom model get unveiled in March, they called it “the ‘flying car’ set to revolutionize personal air travel.” 

They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker $DRNI, preparing for potential growth. Invest in Doroni at $3.30/share today.

Doroni is offering securities through the use of an Offering Statement that has been qualified by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Tier II of Regulation A. A copy of the Final Offering Circular that forms a part of the Offering Statement may be obtained from: invest.doroni.io/

➤ Virginia ranks 16th among the happiest U.S. states in a new study, placing in the top 20 based on emotional and physical well-being, work environment, and community factors. (More and See Study)

➤ The University of Richmond finished a $66 million overhaul of its Boatwright Memorial Library, adding study spaces, renovated rare-book and special-collections areas, reworked outdoor terraces, and an expanded 8:15 Boatwright cafe. (See Photos)

➤ Nearly one-third of Norton’s volunteer fire department’s roster consists of city government workers who can leave their regular jobs during work hours to respond to emergency calls, helping address staffing shortages. (More)

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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. 

➤ How much money do you need to retire? The answer is simpler than you think. (Listen Now)

➤ Lindsay Clancy’s attorney is taking his fight straight to President Trump after a hung jury. (Hear Details)

➤ Novartis just hit a major trial failure that could upend one of the drug industry’s biggest cholesterol races. (Full Story)

Would you take a city job knowing volunteer firefighter work may be required?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your favorite Patsy Cline hit? 

1. Crazy: 49%
2. I Fall to Pieces: 21%
3. Not a Patsy Cline fan: 14%
4. Walkin’ After Midnight: 13%
5. Other: 3%

What did the University of Richmond start as?

Show me the answer