Thursday, October 29, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1618, an executioner beheaded Sir Walter Raleigh at Westminster. It came three decades after the courtier sponsored England’s first New World colonies in the land he had named Virginia, honoring the Virgin Queen Elizabeth I.

From queens to dukes! Duke’s Mayonnaise fans will enjoy today’s edition. Find out why in Top Stories, then take our mayo-themed Poll.

Misplaced keys, a name that won’t come, and a parent telling the same story twice in one afternoon. Somewhere around age 50, memory stops being something we take for granted and starts being something we worry about. Researchers say nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed, and the steps that help are surprisingly ordinary. The No. 1 suggestion isn’t a puzzle or a pill, and it might be the easiest one on the list. Ayla counts down the seven things you can do to protect your memory on today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here!

Later today, you’ll receive a special email from Fisher Investments about their Stock Market Outlook, a free guide to help investors with $1 million or more navigate key retirement questions, from inflation to withdrawals.

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DOJ Requests Poll Monitoring Access

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked to send election monitors to Virginia Beach and Charlottesville polling places on Election Day, Nov. 3.

The request is part of a DOJ plan to send roughly 1,000 monitors to all 50 states—more than double the number deployed in the 2022 midterms.

Virginia’s Department of Elections and the attorney general’s office flagged concerns about federal access to polling places in an Oct. 15 bulletin to local officials. The DOJ says its monitors will only observe and report possible violations of federal law, a practice administrations of both parties have used for decades.

Virginia Beach Electoral Board chairwoman Nanette Miller said her board is coordinating with the DOJ and has nothing to hide. “I’m happy to open the doors and show DOJ how well Virginia Beach does voting,” Miller said.

Watchdog Revises Virginia Spending Figures

Virginia’s legislative watchdog agency has revised figures in its annual state-spending report after finding coding errors in the data.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, the nonpartisan arm that reviews state agencies for the General Assembly, presented the report to lawmakers this month.

The errors affected comparisons of how much state money flows to individual localities and their residents, the focus of this year’s edition, which examined the financial give-and-take between the state and local governments.

The revisions changed the rankings: Richmond County, first listed as receiving $4.75 in state spending for every $1 its residents paid in state taxes, now stands at receiving $1.51 for every $1 paid in state taxes, while Lee County tops the list at $4.06.

Sauer Brands Now Duke’s Mayo Company

Richmond’s Sauer Brands now operates as the Duke’s Mayo Company, taking the name of its best-known product.

The change follows the company’s sale of its spice and seasonings business, including the Sauer’s, Spice Hunter, and Kernel Season’s labels, to Minnesota-based Watkins. The deal closed in early October and left the firm focused on condiments.

That sale handed Watkins the landmark West Broad Street plant with its lighted Sauer’s sign, a Richmond fixture for generations. Duke’s Mayo Company keeps its Richmond headquarters, Duke’s Mayonnaise, and Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa.

The Sauer company, founded in Richmond in 1887, bought the Duke’s brand in 1929. Eugenia Duke created the mayonnaise in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1917

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➤ Statewide: Flags flew at half-staff yesterday in memory of former state Sen. Janet Howell, a Democrat who died Aug. 2 at age 82. Howell represented parts of Fairfax and Arlington counties from 1992 to 2024, and was the first woman to chair the Senate’s budget committee. (More)

➤ VA Highways: The Commonwealth Transportation Board is weighing a plan to divert money from new construction to cover a $1.7 billion shortfall in highway maintenance, a proposal aired at the board’s Oct. 13 meeting. (More)

➤ Western/Southwest VA: The Spanberger administration announced $52 million from the U.S. Forest Service, to be spent over 10 years, for Hurricane Helene recovery in Southwest and Western Virginia. (More)

➤ James City County: Speeding of 10 mph or more over the limit in I-64 work zones has dropped 90% since $100 camera fines began in mid-September, according to the company that installed the cameras. (More)

➤ Radford: Radford University President Bret Danilowicz released a video on Oct. 27 addressing a series of sexual-assault allegations by current and former students, after launching a task force to review the school’s Title IX and student-conduct policies. (See Video)

➤ Norfolk: The city’s snowplow crews ran equipment drills in late October to ready their fleet and train new operators for winter. (More)

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➤ The Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 Wednesday night, as Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch each scored twice while Dylan Strome recorded three assists in the home victory. (More)

➤ Old Dominion dropped to 2-6 after a 26-0 shutout at Louisiana Tech and now ranks last in the nation in total offense, at about 250 yards per game. ODU hosts Marshall for Homecoming on Saturday and must win its last four games to become bowl-eligible. (More)

➤ Virginia Tech men’s basketball is selling a $48 “Commonwealth Showdown” bundle for four home games against in-state foes Richmond, ODU, Radford, and VMI, available through Nov. 12. (See Details)

➤ UVA released its 2027 softball schedule, mapping out next spring’s slate for the ACC program. (See Schedule)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NBA | NHL | Soccer

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➤ The Local, a Blacksburg retail incubator in the restored Cook’s Cleaners building downtown, opened with Moon Hollow Coffee café and five stalls for up-and-coming entrepreneurs, with space starting at $300 a month. (More)

➤ Mike Hatch, owner of Brandermill Country Club, bought Green Club, an indoor golf-simulator venue in Midlothian, from founders Kyle Petersen and Jarad Earley, giving his Acumen Golf a year-round revenue stream. (More)

➤ A Hope and Future Ministry, founded by Jill Howell and Corey Sparks, hopes to open Tazewell County’s first women’s addiction-recovery residence by the end of November. The county is using opioid-settlement money to buy the house, which will hold up to 12 women. (More)

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➤ A raccoon contacting electrical equipment at a Norfolk substation caused over 4,000 Dominion Energy customers to lose power Tuesday morning, with most service restored by 7:45 a.m. (More)

➤ More than 300 Virginia Beach middle schoolers, with and without intellectual disabilities, teamed up Tuesday at Corporate Landing Middle School for “Meet in the Middle,” an annual Special Olympics competition. (See Photos)

➤ Highland Springs native Brittney Tennyson, host of the Richmond podcast She’s A Ten, is among the finalists in Colossal’s Top Host competition, which raises money for the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and its work with hospitalized children. Voting in this round ended today. (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.

➤ Try these seven everyday habits that researchers say may help prevent or delay dementia. (Listen Now)

➤ Brazil’s defeated presidential candidate has fled the country and surfaced in the US, defying a court order to surrender his passports. (Hear Details)

➤ One of basketball’s most familiar voices says heart issues played a role in his decision to make this season his last. (Listen Now)