Friday, May 22, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1865, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned at Fort Monroe. During his two years there, Davis was confined in a casemate and monitored by soldiers to ensure his safety and prevent escape.

A once-unsolvable Virginia Beach cold case has been cracked, leading to the arrest of a Connecticut man. See how police finally identified the suspect in today’s Top Stories.

The Democratic National Committee just released its long-buried 192-page autopsy of the 2024 election. What went wrong? Who was to blame for their losses? While the report assigns blame across the board, it leaves some of the biggest questions still unanswered. On The Flyover Podcast, Ayla Brown shares the 5 biggest revelations from the report, what it quietly leaves out, and how both sides are reacting. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor, RAD Intel, is drawing attention for its explosive growth and AI-powered marketing platform already being used by Fortune 1000 brands to predict campaign performance before ad dollars are spent.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Spanberger ICE Vetoes Split Democrats

Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed two bills that would have limited ICE arrests in sensitive locations while issuing her own executive order on the same topic—opening a fresh fracture among Virginia Democrats.

Spanberger rejected HB 650 and SB 351, which would have barred ICE from making civil arrests at courthouses, schools, health care facilities, and polling places. She said the bills “would not achieve the intended goals” and would create legal liability for local law enforcement.

Her executive order instead bars ICE from using state property as a staging area or operations base and requires “a valid warrant or order” before arrests on state grounds—a standard critics note does not specify judicial warrants.

Progressive lawmakers pushed back openly, and the immigration decisions compounded broader frustration over Spanberger’s simultaneous vetoes on cannabis retail and criminal justice—leaving the governor at odds with her own caucus six months into office.

Richneck Charges Dismissed Against Parker

A Newport News judge on Thursday threw out all charges against former Richneck Elementary assistant principal Ebony Parker, ending the criminal case tied to the January 2023 shooting of teacher Abby Zwerner by a 6-year-old student.

Circuit Judge Rebecca Robinson granted a defense motion on the fourth day of trial, ruling: “The court is of the legal opinion that this is not a crime, not under the Common Law of Virginia nor under the Code of Virginia.”

Parker faced eight felony child neglect counts after prosecutors alleged she ignored multiple warnings that the student had a gun before he shot Zwerner in her first-grade classroom. Parker was dismissed before the defense ever presented its case.

Parker had previously been found grossly negligent in a civil trial, with a jury awarding Zwerner $10 million in damages—a verdict still under legal challenge when Thursday’s ruling came down.

DNA Closes Virginia Beach Cold Case

Forty years after a 22-year-old library employee was raped and murdered in Virginia Beach, police have made an arrest in a case many feared would never be solved.

Roberta Walls’ body was found near her Virginia Beach workplace on May 15, 1986; investigators preserved DNA evidence and developed a DNA profile by 2001, but without a match, the case went cold for nearly two more decades.

In 2023, a state grant funded forensic genealogy work that identified a suspect with Virginia Beach ties in 1986, and a direct DNA comparison confirmed Berry as the suspect, 66, of Newington, Connecticut—a man police believe Walls had never met before the day she was killed.

A Virginia Beach grand jury indicted Berry for murder; he was arrested on May 18 and held on a $10 million bond. Detective Bureau Capt. Michele Wyatt called the breakthrough “incredibly significant.”

Help Us Test Flyover Updates

Several days ago, we announced something new coming to The Flyover: Flyover Updates, a quick afternoon message with the top breaking stories of the day, delivered straight to your phone while the news is still happening.

The response so far has been encouraging.

Before we officially launch in June, we’re inviting The Virginia Flyover readers to help test the experience and give us feedback.

Here’s what you can expect:

• A simple afternoon text message
• The biggest developing stories you haven’t seen yet
• No apps, clutter, or endless notifications
• The same straightforward Flyover reporting you already trust

A lot happens between this morning’s edition and tomorrow’s. Flyover Updates is designed to help you stay informed without spending all day chasing headlines.

If you’d like to be part of our early test group, sign up here.

We’d love to have you help shape what Flyover Updates becomes before the full launch.

Thank you for reading The Virginia Flyover and being part of what we’re building.

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➤ Statewide: Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed legislation creating a Virginia board to study prescription drug costs and recommend pricing policies, drawing bipartisan criticism from lawmakers. (More)

➤ Richmond: Officials hosted a speed management symposium on Tuesday, gathering input on a pedestrian safety master plan after four pedestrian deaths this year heightened concerns about traffic violence. (More)

➤ Norfolk: Officials approved a $352 million improvement plan that moves a long-planned fitness center and library from Military Circle, sparking both praise and criticism from residents. (More)

➤ Also Norfolk: Two people were stabbed at a Holiday Inn Express on Wednesday, leaving one victim with life-threatening injuries, according to police. (More)

➤ Charlottesville: UVA’s Scott Stadium will host the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships during Memorial Day weekend, bringing another major national event to Charlottesville and the university’s storied program. (More)

➤ Norfolk: Police arrested a 19-year-old Virginia Beach man after a West Ghent street takeover involving gasoline and a flamethrower led to disorderly conduct and fire-related property damage charges. (More)

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➤ Virginia Tech baseball faces North Carolina this afternoon in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Charlotte. (See Schedule)

➤ Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin said that new offensive coordinator David Blough told him to expect 10 targets per game. (More)

➤ Virginia women’s golf opens play at the NCAA Championships today in Carlsbad, California—the program’s fifth straight appearance at the national tournament. Junior Jaclyn LaHa leads the Cavaliers with a 71-stroke average, the lowest single-season mark in program history. (More)

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➤ Virginia officials warned of slowing job growth, rising inflation, and declining consumer confidence as lawmakers negotiate a stalled state budget despite revenues exceeding forecasts by more than $850 million. (More)

➤ Gov. Spanberger signed a statewide paid sick leave law Wednesday, requiring employers to provide one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, up to five days annually, covering more than a million workers. (More)

➤ BayPort Credit Union earned a spot on the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2026 Business Honor Roll for expanding financial literacy and workforce development programs in Virginia Beach schools. (More)

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➤ Hampton Roads communities will host Memorial Day parades, ceremonies, festivals, and commemorations through Monday to honor military service members across the region. (More)

➤ Southwest Virginia historians are highlighting the Roanoke Valley’s frontier role in the American Revolution as communities prepare for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations in 2026. (More)

➤ The Jefferson Hotel will preserve and renovate Richmond’s historic Second Baptist Church into an event venue, reversing plans approved five years ago to demolish the deteriorating 1905 building. (More)

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