Monday, June 1, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1861, the Battle of Fairfax Court House took place when Union cavalry under Lt. Charles Henry Tompkins clashed with Confederate militia in Virginia. Captain John Q. Marr became the first Confederate killed in action during the Civil War.

The search has ended for a man who allegedly ambushed two Carroll County sheriff’s deputies, killing one of them. Learn more in Top Stories.

Flyover Updates officially launches today! Each weekday afternoon, we’re bringing the nation’s biggest developing stories straight to your phone via text message. It’s designed to be brief and easy to read, giving you news that breaks after your morning edition lands. If you’d like to stay informed between editions of The Flyover, sign up today.

Today’s sponsor, the knēNest Pillow, is designed to relieve nighttime pain and improve sleep by keeping your body properly aligned for deeper, more restorative rest.

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Spanberger’s Party Turns Against Her

Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger has vetoed 31 bills passed by her party’s legislature, including major priorities such as establishing a retail cannabis market and expanding public-sector collective bargaining.

The actions have drawn sharp criticism from fellow Democrats, who feel blindsided after she proposed extensive amendments that lawmakers rejected. Progressive groups have protested, accusing her of stalling key reforms on unions, cannabis, and drug pricing.

Republicans have offered limited support for some of her positions, creating an unusual political dynamic for a governor just four months in.

Spanberger has defended her vetoes as necessary to maintain fiscal discipline, saying she ran as a moderate who would not rubber-stamp every bill from the legislature.

Manhunt Ends in NC After Deputy’s Shooting

Michael Puckett, the suspect in the killing of Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy Logan Utt, was arrested Sunday evening in Mount Airy, North Carolina, ending a two-day multi-agency manhunt.

State Bureau of Investigation agents spotted him with a drone as he went door-to-door on Skyview Lane and took him into custody without incident around 8:32 p.m. He was armed with a handgun at the time.

Puckett is accused of opening fire on deputies during a welfare check Friday night on Fancy Gap Highway. Utt was killed at the scene, while a second deputy survived after being struck in his ballistic vest. Puckett fled on foot across the Virginia-North Carolina border.

He is being held without bond in Surry County Detention Center and is scheduled for a hearing on Monday.

Utt, a military veteran and former firefighter who joined the sheriff’s office in 2023, left behind a wife and children.

Driver Charged in Deadly I-95 Crash

The driver of the charter bus that killed five people on I-95 in Stafford County has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, Virginia State Police announced Saturday.

Jing S. Dong, 48, from Staten Island, faces charges in connection with failing to slow for a work zone, triggering a chain-reaction crash that also injured 44 others when his E&P Travel charter bus struck at least six cars.

Dong doesn‘t speak English, which U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called ”unacceptable,” as federal rules require commercial drivers to communicate safely.

Among those killed was a Massachusetts family of four traveling to a wedding with a carload of homemade desserts. Additional charges are pending, according to Virginia State Police.

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a full investigation into the crash, which occurred in a highway work zone on one of Virginia’s busiest travel corridors.

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➤ Statewide: Virginia State Police resumed background checks for private firearm sales on Wednesday, ending a seven-month halt caused by a Lynchburg Circuit Court injunction, after Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed legislation raising the handgun purchase age to 21 to restore universal background checks. (More)

➤ Norfolk: Reggie Prevail, a Norfolk native and founder of Prevail Group, is bringing free AI workshops to communities across Hampton Roads, aiming to ensure residents aren’t left behind as the technology economy evolves. (More)

➤ Hampton Roads: Virginia’s drought is delivering an unexpected gift to the Chesapeake Bay. Dead zones are forecast to be 31% smaller than average, potentially making 2026 one of the best summers for Bay fisheries in recent memory. (More)

➤ Chesterfield County: The family of Amy Bradley, who vanished during a cruise nearly three decades ago, is advocating for an “Amy Alert”—a ship-wide passenger notification system modeled after the Amber Alert. The effort has resulted in over 35,000 petition signatures supporting it. (More)

➤ Blacksburg: Virginia Tech is mourning the loss of former assistant football coach Curt Newsome, 67, who coached the Hokies’ offensive line under Frank Beamer and led Emory & Henry from 2014 through 2023. (More)

➤ Virginia Beach: A multi-vehicle crash on Fury Way left six people hospitalized Saturday, adding to a difficult weekend on Virginia roads. (More)

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➤ UVA baseball’s season came to an end yesterday after a close 7-6 loss to Jacksonville State. The Cavaliers had the potential game-tying run on second base in the eighth inning, but were unable to score. (More)

➤ Liberty baseball fell 6-1 to No. 3 Georgia yesterday at the Athens Regional, ending their season. The Flames left eight runners on base throughout the game. (More)

➤ Virginia Tech football added to its highly rated recruiting class over the weekend, landing a commitment from four-star tight end Sam Faniel. (More)

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➤ Virginia residents and the American Battlefield Trust are urging the Virginia Supreme Court to reject an appeal by QTS Data Centers seeking to revive the previously blocked Digital Gateway data center project. (More)

➤ Arlington County school leaders are nearing final approval of a deal to relocate Arlington Community High School to Amazon’s HQ2 campus in Pentagon City this fall, with rent-free space for its roughly 300 students. (More)

➤ Westover Taco in Arlington has rebranded as a dedicated women’s sports bar, featuring wall-to-wall TVs showing women’s games, athlete memorabilia, and partnerships with local teams like the D.C. Divas and Washington Mystics. (More)

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➤ The Jackalope Festival and Virginia Beach Street Art Festival drew large crowds to the oceanfront area over the weekend, marking the unofficial launch of Virginia Beach’s summer tourism season. (More)

➤ The Bike MS: Colonial Crossroads 2026 ride in Central Virginia raised more than $568,000 over the weekend, with over 375 cyclists riding to support multiple sclerosis research and local patient services. (Watch Video)

➤ Manassas Domino’s Pizza General Manager Richard Delcid won the chain’s “World’s Fastest Pizza Maker” competition in Las Vegas, prepping three pizzas in a record-breaking 31.22 seconds—eight seconds faster than the previous record—and earning $10,000 in prize money. (More)

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