Marijuana Legalization Questions Arise

Virginia’s new state budget established a legal marijuana market for 2027, but confusing language sparked a weeklong dispute over whether the Commonwealth accidentally repealed marijuana penalties a year early. Licensed sales to adults 21 and older are set to begin July 1, 2027.

Former Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares said Democrats “jammed their marijuana retail scheme into the state budget” and called for a special session to ensure selling marijuana to minors remains illegal.

Sponsors Sen. Lashrecse Aird and Del. Paul Krizek, both Democrats, countered that the General Assembly never legalized possession or distribution to minors, nor eliminated criminal penalties protecting them.

The ambiguity was significant enough that a Virginia State Police lieutenant initially advised colleagues that no marijuana violations existed under state code after July 1, before the superintendent clarified that enforcement would continue.

Perdue Janitors Guilty in Child Labor Scheme

Four people tied to a janitorial contractor that cleaned a Perdue Farms poultry plant on Virginia’s Eastern Shore have pleaded guilty to federal charges over staffing overnight shifts with illegal immigrants, including children.

The case in Accomack County began in 2022, when a 14-year-old’s arm was caught in a processing machine. Prosecutors say he had been hired at 13 under an adult’s stolen identity. The Department of Homeland Security found that 339 of 353 workers at the plant were using suspect documents, many of them students at the local Arcadia High School.

Fayette Janitorial Service manager John Mitchum, who court records show earned $391,000 a year, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, along with the site and HR managers. A fourth man admitted to selling fake IDs.

Fayette paid $649,000 in federal penalties in 2024 and says those charged broke company policy and no longer work for it.

UVA’s AJ Gracia Selected 9th Overall

Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia was the state’s highest draft selection, going ninth overall to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday—the first Cavalier taken in the top 10 since 2017. Gracia’s University of Virginia teammate, shortstop Eric Becker, was picked 58th overall by the Cincinnati Reds.

Liberty pitcher Ben Blair, a standout arm for the Flames, was selected 49th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Virginia Tech pitcher Brett Renfrow, a Manassas native, was drafted 74th overall by the Minnesota Twins. The right-hander made history as the Hokies’ first true freshman to start on opening day and wraps up a three-year career as a three-time All-ACC selection.

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➤ Statewide: A new $150 million fund in the state budget will let about 200,000 Virginians cut their Affordable Care Act premiums by up to 70% starting Nov. 1, after roughly 100,000 lost coverage this year when enhanced federal subsidies expired. (More)

➤ Central Virginia: Virginia had logged 177 measles cases in 2026 as of July 9—up from five in all of last year—in what health officials call the state’s worst outbreak in decades. A new map tracks where cases have appeared, with most centered in Buckingham and Cumberland counties. (See Map)

➤ Buchanan County: The Coalfields Expressway landed $10 million in state and federal money, including $7 million from the new state budget, to build about 4 miles of four-lane highway toward eastern Kentucky. (More)

➤ Norfolk: The USS Nimitz, the Navy’s oldest active aircraft carrier, docked Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk after its final deployment, closing 51 years of service. The carrier will train sailors before heading to Newport News for decommissioning. (More)

➤ Richmond: Richmond father Pat McAleer sets off July 15 on a roughly 5,000-mile bike ride from La Push, Washington, to Virginia Beach, aiming to raise $250,000 for type 1 diabetes research after his daughter’s 2009 diagnosis. (More)

➤ Wise County: The Health Wagon’s annual Move Mountains Medical Mission drew hundreds to its Wise-based health wagon this weekend, offering free medical, dental, vision, and veterinary care to uninsured and underinsured residents in the area. (More)

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➤ Former Virginia Tech and VCU men’s basketball forward Tobi Lawal knocked down a one-legged three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer during his NBA Summer League game on Saturday. Lawal finished the game with 8 points. (See Highlight)

➤ Washington Commanders team president Mark Clouse confirmed in a recent interview that the team’s new stadium will feature upper decks that bounce up and down, paying homage to RFK Stadium, the team’s home for each of its three Super Bowl championships. (More)

➤ The Washington Nationals blew their 27th save of the season on Saturday, putting them on pace to smash the single-season record for blown saves, held by the 2024 Chicago White Sox, who also recorded the most losses in a season. (More and White Sox Record)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: Wimbledon | MLB | WNBA | NASCAR | Golf

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➤ Harvard Discovers Why Diets Fail After 50. It’s not willpower—it’s your GLP-1. This “weight loss hormone” controls appetite and fat burning but declines with age. Now a breakthrough botanical can naturally boost your body’s own GLP-1 production in seconds daily—no costly injections or dangerous side effects required. (Learn More)

➤ Data center opponents rallied at Capitol Square in Richmond on Saturday, pressing Gov. Abigail Spanberger and lawmakers for more transparency and tighter limits on an industry that already runs nearly 400 centers statewide, with about 300 more proposed. (More)

➤ Freedom of Information Act requests by residents revealed records tying a possible 50- to 100-megawatt data center to Rocky Mount’s Summit View Business Park, including an April meeting between county leaders and Crusoe AI. (See Details)

➤ The 12,000-square-foot Windsor on the James mansion at 105 Brookschase Lane sold for $6.2 million in June, marking its third ownership change in four years and topping Richmond-area luxury home sales. (See Photos)

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➤ Big AC companies are panicking over this new cooling invention that helps Americans stay cool for less. Stop suffering from extreme temperatures and high electric bills. Get instant cooling in summer and cozy warmth in winter with CoolCove. Learn More.

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The Next $435B Energy Empire Is Being Minted

In today’s dollars, John D. Rockefeller would be worth $435 billion. But “oil money” is old news, and what’s next might surprise investors in 2026: a $2.1 Trillion opportunity in “clean” coal.

Now is the “Rockefeller” moment for Frontieras as they reform coal into hydrogen, diesel, and other valuable commodities (just like Rockefeller did with oil). And they just broke ground for their flagship coal reformation plant. With a White House that favors domestic energy and the NASDAQ ticker FASF reserved, Frontieras is positioned for potential valuation impact. 

The company fully subscribed its first Reg A+ round by $25M. Now their offering has reopened at $9.01/share due to increasing investor demand.

Join 12K+ investors and become an early-stage shareholder in Frontieras today.

➤ A rare 30-foot whale shark was spotted swimming alongside a Rudee Tours fishing boat just 18 miles off Virginia Beach last week, thrilling passengers and surprising the captain during a flounder trip. (Watch Video)

➤ RFK Solutionz Corporation, a nonprofit founded by retired military cybersecurity experts, rolled out a mobile STEM and cybersecurity classroom, built with a $200,000 state budget appropriation, to reach students who aren’t able to come to its Cyber Academy. (More)

➤ The 48th annual Hanover Tomato Festival returned this weekend, celebrating the county’s famous tomato with food, crafts, live music, and family activities. (See Photos)

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➤ New Hidden Panic Button That Saves Lives. InvisaWear lets you secretly call for immediate help whenever you feel unsafe – without needing to reach for your phone or draw attention to yourself. Learn More.

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Think the King’s English is the “original” English? Turns out the poshest accent in Britain is one of the newest, and the oldest sounds are hiding somewhere surprising. (Hear Where)

➤ Firefighters spent decades spraying a foam that saved lives, and now more than a dozen states are racing to destroy every last drop of it. (Hear Why)

➤ You can learn to spot an AI deepfake in about an hour, and the six telltale signs aren’t what you’d expect. (Hear How)

What’s your favorite way to eat a tomato?

1. Sliced with a little salt
2. In a sandwich with mayo
3. On a BLT
4. Fried green
5. Straight off the vine
6. Other

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you driven on Skyline Parkway? 

1. Yes: 59%
2. No: 22%
3. Not yet: 19%

What’s the most common shark off the Virginia coast?

Show me the answer