Monday, March 9, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1862, ironclad ships fought for the first time at the Battle of Hampton Roads when the USS Monitor steamed into the Chesapeake Bay to confront the CSS Virginia. They exchanged fire inconclusively for four hours before the Virginia withdrew to Norfolk. Lawmakers in the House of […]

Friday, March 6, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1882, Virginia State University was founded by an act of the state legislature. It launched its first academic year in 1883 with 126 students and seven faculty members, all of them black. We asked readers to share their favorite Patsy Cline songs. I Fall to […]

Thursday, March 5, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1963, country music star and Winchester native Patsy Cline died at the age of 30 in a plane crash. A decade later, she became the first solo female artist elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. What’s your favorite Patsy Cline song? Hit reply […]

Wednesday, March 4, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1801, President Thomas Jefferson was sworn in and delivered his first inaugural address. After a divisive campaign, Jefferson called for national unity, saying, “We are all republicans: we are all federalists.“ The state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation has designated next week as Flood Awareness Week, […]

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1775, the Virginia Gazette warned residents of James City County that an armed British ship had landed at Kingsmill. The ship’s mission was to search all vessels traveling on the James River. Readers asked about a budget amendment we reported in yesterday’s edition. “What’s with that […]

Monday, March 2, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1865, Union troops under Gen. Philip Sheridan routed Gen. Jubal Early’s forces at the Battle of Waynesboro. More than 1,500 Confederates surrendered, and the victory gave the Union control of the Shenandoah Valley. Virginia lawmakers are split in their responses to the U.S. attack on […]

Friday, February 27, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1960, black citizens led by the Rev. Wyatt T. Walker and the Rev. R. G. Williams entered the segregated William R. McKenney Central Library in Petersburg and began a protest to demand equal access. It was the first library sit-in of the civil rights era […]

Thursday, February 26, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1925, the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry made its first trip across the James River. The vessel, known as the Captain John Smith, could haul 16 Model T Fords on each trip. We noted yesterday that the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk is marking its 125th anniversary this year […]

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1933, the USS Ranger launched at Newport News, the first U.S. Navy ship designed from the keel up to serve as an aircraft carrier. It eventually served in the Atlantic Fleet during World War II. The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk is marking its 125th anniversary this […]

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 Good Morning! On this day in 1803, Chief Justice John Marshall issued the Supreme Court’s decision in Marbury v. Madison, establishing the principle of judicial review of acts of Congress and the executive branch. The Virginian’s action in this case established the Supreme Court as the ultimate arbiter of constitutional questions. […]