Monday, May 4, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1961, two busloads of Freedom Riders crossed into Virginia from Washington, D.C. They encountered both resistance and arrests while trying to use segregated bus station facilities on their way to their ultimate destination, New Orleans.

Our Commonwealth is noted for its plethora of vanity license plates. We asked readers to share details of their designs.

Many cited the make or model of their car. “’CPT TRBO’ on my ‘86 Buick Grand National,” one reader wrote. That car still “drives like the day it was born.” Another writes, “I own a 2011 Nissan Juke license plate reads: ‘JSTJKN.’” It’s a fun car.

Others go for humor. “Our plate says ‘AM LOST.’ It goes back to well before GPS and my wife’s lack of sense of direction when behind the wheel.” We’re just thankful they (and you) found The Virginia Flyover.

As a Christian, you shouldn’t be getting most of your news from social media. It’s designed to trigger your emotions, not inform your faith. That’s why we read The Pour Over. It’s one of the sources we trust to deliver the facts, while uniquely keeping our hearts grounded in Christ.

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Norfolk Awaiting the Ford’s Return

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford will return to its home port of Norfolk this month after being away for more than 300 days. It’s the longest deployment of any ship in the post-Vietnam era.

“It’s felt like about seven years,” a Navy spouse named Lisa said about the extended deployment. “We’ve missed every holiday, every anniversary. Everything.”

The Ford was deployed to the Mediterranean last June, re-crossed the Atlantic to support missions in the Caribbean last fall, and returned to the Middle East to take part in Operation Epic Fury this year. A laundry room fire on March 12 sidelined the ship temporarily.

Once it docks stateside, it may be some time before the ship sets out again. Because of the fire damage and deferred maintenance, the Ford may remain in port for a year or more.

Officer Hurt on I-95

A Virginia state trooper was injured when hit by a car while investigating an accident on I-95 in Hanover County.

“A Virginia State Police trooper was positioned in the left travel lane with emergency lights activated, providing traffic control for the initial crash scene,” a spokesperson said. “A 2021 Nissan Rogue traveling southbound in the left lane struck the marked Virginia State Police vehicle.”

The officer and the driver of the Nissan were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Virginia’s Move Over law requires drivers to move to a different lane when approaching emergency vehicles that are displaying flashing lights. The crash caused backups of several miles on Friday morning.

Clean the Bay Day

Virginians across the state pitched in to pick up more than 30,000 pounds of trash on Clean the Bay Day this weekend. It’s the Commonwealth’s largest and longest-running litter cleanup event.

Much of the state lies within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, so litter from western areas, such as Front Royal, can end up making its way into the bay.

The annual event is sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which uses the event as a stepping stone to encourage Virginians to take care of the bay the rest of the year as well.

The watershed is also endangered by habitat loss, sediment buildup, and nutrient pollution, not just trash.

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➤ Bedford County: Local authorities arrested two illegal immigrants as part of a fraud investigation at a tire dealership. Both men were charged with credit card theft and obtaining goods by false pretense. (Details)

➤ Statewide: The deadline to certify the constitutional referendum that voters narrowly passed on April 21 is tomorrow. The state Supreme Court is considering whether the process was legitimate. (More)

➤ Tazewell County: Two women filed a lawsuit challenging a proposed amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in Virginia’s constitution. “The language voters will see when they walk into the voting booth in November is engineered to obscure what this amendment actually does,” the head of the Founding Freedoms Law Center said. (Details)

➤ Richmond: The United Network for Organ Sharing is testing whether drones can effectively speed the delivery of organs for human transplant. The project is in the planning phase and is currently testing navigation capabilities and organ preservation during transit. (Details)

➤ Fairfax County: A local government report found that a family would need to earn at least $230,000 each year to be able to afford a house at the county’s median home sale price of $770,000. (More)

➤ Virginia Beach: Boaters should be cautious to avoid shoals when navigating in the Rudee Inlet. Authorities warned there are places where conditions exceed zero feet mean lower low water (MLLW). (More)

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➤ Virginia Tech softball, ranked No. 17, swept the Orange on the road in Syracuse. The Hokies wrapped up the three-game series with a 12-1 victory yesterday, finishing 44-9 in the regular season. (Details)

➤ Richmond men’s lacrosse qualified for the NCAA tournament by winning its second straight Atlantic 10 championship. The Spiders topped Saint Joseph’s 8-6 at home. (More)

➤ UVA men’s lacrosse captured its first ACC championship since 2019 with a convincing 16-6 victory over No. 5 North Carolina. (Details)

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➤ The director of Chesterfield County’s Economic Development Department will retire at the end of the year. H. Garrett Hart III has worked for the county for two decades and has run the department since 2015. (Details)

➤ Ten new businesses have opened in downtown Roanoke in the past year, according to the city’s director of economic development. (More)

➤ Richmond will provide up to $100,000 to help businesses in 13 eligible neighborhoods install cameras linked to police systems. (More)

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➤ Are you looking for a way to work out your frustrations? Rage rooms are springing up across the Commonwealth to give patrons a place to shake off anger by (safely) smashing things. (Details)

➤ VCU Health broke ground on its Pauley Heart Center Pavilion in Richmond. The state-of-the-art medical facility is part of the city’s Diamond District redevelopment. (More)

➤ Humans aren’t the only ones who like to visit Virginia Beach—so does at least one black bear. The animal, which may have wandered over from First Landing State Park, was spotted last week in the Alanton neighborhood. (See Video)

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