Sunday, October 25, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Portsmouth, where an artillery salute welcomed him near the waterfront before he proceeded to the Navy Yard to tour the impressive USS North Carolina.

In case you missed it on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla counted down the five best and five worst fast-food chains in America, ranked by more than 16,000 customers based on food quality, order accuracy, and value. McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and Panda Express all made the list. One sits near the very top, and one is tied for dead last. Plus, a champion that held the crown for 11 straight years just lost it, and the new No. 1 had never even been ranked before this year. Where does your favorite land? Tune in here!

A fresh start can begin long before someone leaves prison. For men and women behind bars in Texas, it can start with something as simple as receiving a Bible. Today’s sponsor, Prison Fellowship, invites you to help put God’s Word into the hands of someone asking for it.

NASA Partners With Virginia Energy

NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton signed a new partnership Friday with the Virginia Department of Energy to help the state plan for future electricity needs.

Under the Space Act Agreement, NASA will provide solar, weather, and future weather-risk data from its Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources, or POWER, program for Virginia Energy’s modeling. State officials will use the data to plan for extreme weather and to see how it affects electricity demand, power generation, and strain on the grid.

“Sound energy planning depends on models that reflect real-world conditions,” said Virginia Energy Director Vince Maiden. NASA Langley Deputy Director Allen Kilgore added, “This collaboration with Virginia Energy will benefit the citizens of Virginia and provide stronger energy security for the Commonwealth.”

NASA’s POWER team will work with state researchers to feed the datasets directly into Virginia Energy’s modeling tools.

Crime Sweeps Net 430 Arrests

Three coordinated law enforcement operations in Danville, Roanoke, and Lynchburg led to 430 fugitive arrests and 618 served warrants, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia’s first annual report on Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Federal, state, and local agencies also seized 65 firearms and more than 70 pounds of narcotics, including methamphetamine and cocaine. Authorities said the fentanyl recovered represented nearly 215,000 potentially lethal doses.

The monthlong Roanoke operation in May resulted in 150 arrests and 302 warrants served. Authorities seized nearly $2 million in drugs, including about 16 kilograms of methamphetamine, 12 kilograms of cocaine, and 352 grams of fentanyl.

VCU Study Could Shield Lunar Astronauts

VCU professor Arvind Agarwal is developing a coating that could shield astronauts from neutron radiation on lunar missions. The project began with protective coatings for metal equipment before expanding to spacesuit fabric, where the material must block radiation without limiting flexibility. The VCU research is still being tested.

The coating combines boron nitride, titanium, and silicone. Boron can absorb neutrons, converting them into other particles before they reach the wearer, but researchers still need to determine how well the coating holds up outside the lab environment.

NASA plans to test samples on the International Space Station, and Artemis IV is targeted for an early 2028 lunar landing. The coating could be considered for that mission, but NASA says more testing is needed before it can be used.

Based in Virginia. Reaching people behind Virginia’s prison walls.

Prison Fellowship’s mission has a connection close to home. The ministry is headquartered in Virginia and works in our state’s prisons, reaching people whose lives can feel far removed from our own.

But the need is easy to understand: there are men and women in prison who want a Bible and don’t have access to one.

Your gift can help change that.

Through Prison Fellowship, you can help put God’s Word into someone’s hands, offering a place to find guidance, encounter forgiveness, and consider a new direction.

You may never know the person who receives it. But you can help make sure they have the opportunity to read it.

Help send a Bible today.

➤ Buchanan County: Diversified Energy is proposing a fuel cell at the former Twin Valley High School property that would turn coal mine methane into electricity, starting at 1.6 megawatts. Residents raised concerns about noise, emissions, and property values, and supervisors will hold a public hearing on transferring the site Nov. 3. (More)

➤ Portsmouth: An 18-year-old I.C. Norcom student was charged with hazing, assault and battery, and abduction of a minor after court documents alleged he joined others in assaulting a fellow band student with a paddle and baton. (More)

➤ Fairfax County: Police are seeking a crew suspected in nine restaurant burglaries since mid-July; in the latest, on Oct. 8, suspects used a cinderblock to break into Hook & Reel in Bailey’s Crossroads and stole a cash drawer. (More)

➤ Richmond: Stony Point Village shopping center sold Oct. 16 for $41.3 million, nearly four times its $10.4 million sale price in 2019, shortly before Trader Joe’s signed on as anchor tenant. (More)

➤ Campbell County: Drought has cut hay yields so sharply that the Slusher family’s Southern Eagle Ranch has shrunk its herd from about 115 cows to 81 after harvesting fewer than 200 bales, compared with about 500 in a normal year. The family has spent $15,000 on extra hay at about $125 per quality bale. (More)

➤ Southeastern Virginia: Isle of Wight County and the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach remain under drought warning advisories, even as recent rain eased conditions elsewhere in the state. (More)

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➤ Virginia Tech scored the go-ahead touchdown on a fourth-down pass with 1:44 left to beat Clemson 20-16 on the road. The Hokies clinched bowl eligibility with their first win over the Tigers since 2007. (Watch Touchdown)

➤ Washington Wizards No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybansta was sidelined for the second straight game during a 112-102 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Dybansta will continue to be day-to-day moving forward. (More)

➤ No. 12 Liberty field hockey secured a spot in the Big East championship game with a 4-0 win over Temple on Friday afternoon. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | MLB | WNBA | NHL | NBA | Soccer | Golf

Flying together with our sponsor

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Flying together with our sponsor

You don’t have to go inside to reach someone there.

A gift through Prison Fellowship can help put a Bible where you may never be able to go yourself: into the hands of someone behind bars.

For that person, it can become something to read in quiet moments, return to with questions, and draw hope from while considering what comes next.

Help support a Virginia-based ministry’s work of sharing God’s Word.

Give the gift of a Bible.

➤ Roanoke College dedicated its new $60 million, 32,000-square-foot Shaun McConnon Discovery Center on Oct. 22. The STEM facility opened to students this fall and includes teaching labs, classrooms, and collaborative spaces. (More)

➤ Rooster Walk 17 announced its first acts for May 27–30, 2027, at Pop’s Farm near Martinsville. Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, back for a sixth straight year, and Andy Frasco & The U.N. lead the early lineup, with the top headliner still to come. (More)

➤ Osbourn Park High School senior Bokre Samson was one of two students chosen to represent Virginia at Boys Nation, where his proposal to boost NASA funding and STEM education passed the program’s mock Senate. Samson hopes to attend a service academy, fly fighter jets, and become an astronaut. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

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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, straight from the heart of the country.

➤ Linda McMahon pursues an unusual career goal: convincing Congress that her own department isn’t needed. (Hear More)

➤ Pooh’s rumored British homecoming fizzled before the bear could pack his pants, which he never wore anyway. (Listen Now)

➤ Michelin inspectors loosened their belts across the South and crowned three new stars, including a restaurant in rural Georgia. (Podcast Available)