Amendments Pass, Warner Wins 4th Term

Virginia voters approved all three proposed amendments to the state constitution Tuesday and returned Sen. Mark Warner to Washington for a fourth and final term.

The amendments enshrine a right to abortion, contraception, and in vitro fertilization; repeal a dormant 2006 ban on same-sex marriage; and automatically restore voting rights to felons once they’re released from prison.

Supporters called the measures a safeguard against shifting federal law. Opponents argued the marriage change was unnecessary under existing federal rulings and that the abortion language was too broad.

Warner, 71, defeated Republican Bert Mizusawa with about 60% of the vote, and the Associated Press called the race when polls closed. Reps. Don Beyer, Suhas Subramanyam, and James Walkinshaw, all Democrats, also won reelection in Northern Virginia, and Fairfax voters approved two bond referendums for parks and human services.

Voters in 32 Localities Reject School Sales Tax

Virginia voters rejected a proposed local sales tax increase for school construction in 32 of 47 localities on Tuesday’s ballot, according to unofficial results. 

The measure, authorized by the General Assembly, lets localities add up to 1% to the sales tax for building and renovating public schools. The money cannot fund salaries or operating costs.

Richmond approved it easily, with about two-thirds support, while Chesterfield County passed it with 50.47%, close enough for a possible recount. Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fairfax City, Radford, Staunton, Waynesboro, Winchester, Buena Vista, Lexington, and a few rural counties also approved it, and the measure led by just five votes in Martinsville.

Opponents prevailed in Norfolk, Newport News, Portsmouth, Powhatan, and many rural counties. Local governments must still adopt ordinances before any tax takes effect.

Wise County Weighs Nuclear Future

Wise County holds its final public meeting today on a study weighing whether to build a nuclear microreactor in the coalfields. The 6 p.m. session at The Inn at Wise will review community feedback and preview the study’s final report, due in mid-December.

The $100,000 study, funded by a GO Virginia grant and led by the Virginia Innovative Nuclear Hub, has examined microreactors (compact units producing up to 20 megawatts of thermal energy), small modular reactors, and other energy options. None of the microreactor designs now in development has been built in the U.S.

Two earlier public meetings and two surveys, which drew nearly 500 responses, surfaced concerns about safety, public health, and nuclear waste alongside hopes for jobs.

In 2022, then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin pitched the coalfields for the nation’s first small modular reactor, but in 2024 he said such reactors were better suited elsewhere.

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➤ Lexington: Virginia Military Institute received a bomb threat at Crozet Hall Wednesday morning. After VMI Police and local agencies investigated, they gave the all-clear, and the campus resumed normal activities. (More)

➤ Fairfax County: ICE arrested Walter Alexander Soto-Rodriguez, whom it calls a Salvadoran national and documented MS-13 member living in the U.S. illegally, after he allegedly fled agents on Oct. 29, clipping an ICE vehicle and several parked cars before crashing into a guardrail. No injuries were reported. (More)

➤ Central/Southside VA: Republican Rep. John McGuire declared victory in the 5th Congressional District, but Democrat Tom Perriello says it’s too close to call, with McGuire at 50.2% to Perriello’s 48% and 97.8% of expected votes counted as of Wednesday afternoon. (More and Latest Results)

➤ Bath County: Equipment failure, drought-depleted spring water, and seasonal pathogens killed about 130,000 trout at the state’s Coursey Springs Fish Hatchery, meaning fewer fish will be stocked in 72 waters across 11 counties, though no scheduled stockings are canceled. (More)

➤ Loudoun County: NBC News found Ashburn’s Discovery Elementary is within a half-mile of 11 data centers with up to 264 diesel generators. VCU professor Stephen Fong, whose team won a grant to study data centers’ impact in the Richmond region, is urging state air-quality monitoring. (More)

➤ Statewide: Virginia had the nation’s third-largest jump in credit card delinquency from early to mid-2026, up nearly 7%, with 28.6% of cards delinquent, trailing only Vermont and Delaware. (See Report)

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➤ The Washington Wizards fell 120-105 to the Hawks at Capital One Arena Wednesday night, where Anthony Davis posted 26 points and 10 boards, but the Wizards couldn’t overcome a late surge after trailing by eight entering the fourth. (See Stats)

➤ JMU football (7-2) seeks to rebound from consecutive overtime losses tonight at Southern Miss (3-5). Kickoff is at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. (More)

➤ No. 5 Liberty men’s soccer (6-7-2) travels to No. 4 East Tennessee State for its first SoCon tournament match today at 3 p.m. in a quarterfinal that advances the winner to face Furman. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | NHL | NBA | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer

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➤ Dominion Energy and Florida’s NextEra accepted many protections for their $67 billion merger but rejected a three-year rate freeze, 10-year staffing guarantee, and Gov. Spanberger’s six-year freeze. Public testimony starts today. A State Corporation Commission hearing begins Nov. 17. (More)

➤ Henrico-based firm Lingerfelt and Boston-based Davis Cos. broke ground on the first of four buildings at 7 Hills Distribution Center, a 95-acre warehouse complex topping 820,000 square feet in eastern Henrico near Richmond International Airport. (More)

➤ Riverview Theater, a landmark on Granby Street in Norfolk, is back on the market for $2.75 million after a restoration effort collapsed. Broker Chris Zarpas says an adjacent vacant lot could be the key to a sale. (See Photo)

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➤ A yearlong drought has left cattle farmers so short on hay that hungry cows have broken through fences for roadside grass, despite a September emergency declaration from Gov. Abigail Spanberger that eased hay shipments. (More)

➤ The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond opens The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art on Nov. 14, featuring Monet, Degas, van Gogh, and Matisse works. The exhibit runs through April 4, 2027. (See Details)

➤ Virginia Tech will begin building a donor-funded immersive technology center on the fourth floor of its Newman Library over Thanksgiving break. The project will include virtual reality, motion capture, and virtual-production studios set to open in fall 2027. (See Renderings)

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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. 

➤ Americans are fed up with tip screens, but what’s the real effect on workers’ paychecks? (Listen Now)

➤ Passengers who paid more than $300,000 for a lifetime at sea have been forced off their cruise ship in Cambodia. (Hear Why)

➤ The scientist who helped create Russia’s Novichok nerve agent, then accused Moscow of using it for state-level hits, has been found dead. (Hear Story)

How would you feel about living near a nuclear microreactor?

1. No thanks
2. It’d be fine
3. Not sure

Yesterday’s Results:

Since Richmond is throwing a Pickle Party this weekend, we have to ask: dill or sweet?

1. Dill: 40%
2. Both: 28%
3. Sweet: 21%
4. Neither: 11%

What movie did Norfolk’s Riverview Theater open with in 1947?

Show me the answer