Virginia Child Care Fix Could Cost $4.5 Billion

Making child care affordable for Virginia families could cost the state up to $4.5 billion a year once fully phased in over the next decade, according to new estimates from the Virginia Department of Education.

The department presented three options to the state’s Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education, ranging from $1.6 billion a year to an “Affordability for All” plan that would serve 240,000 more children from birth to age 5 and cap what families pay at 10% of their income by 2036.

Virginia currently spends more than $600 million a year on early childhood programs, up from about $75 million in 2018. Officials said the options aren’t specific proposals, and actual costs would depend on decisions about eligibility, family fees and provider pay rates.

Federal Grant Boosts Virginia Manufacturing Hub

The U.S. Economic Development Administration plans to award about $24.8 million to a regional tech hub working to grow advanced manufacturing across Southern and Southwest Virginia.

The hub, led by the New River Valley Regional Commission with Virginia Tech and more than 65 partners, will use roughly $17 million for product-testing labs at Virginia Tech and Danville’s Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, about $4.4 million to train 2,000 workers and create a national additive manufacturing credential, and about $3.4 million to recruit industry and run an innovation grant competition.

The money comes from an EDA disaster recovery program, awarded in response to Hurricane Helene’s damage in Southwest Virginia in September 2024. The region’s roughly 1,200 manufacturers employ about 60,000 people.

Popular Trick-or-Treat Street Comes Alive Tonight

Richmond’s Hanover Avenue, one of the city’s largest neighborhood celebrations, will close several blocks to traffic tonight from 4 to 8 p.m. for its annual Halloween on Hanover trick-or-treat in the Fan District.

Decorated homes stretch from the 1600 to the 2500 block, with themes ranging from The Wizard of Oz to pirate ships, and one resident told 8News she bought 2,400 pieces of candy for the night.

The tradition dates to the late 1970s and has inspired imitators, including the first-ever BooFest on Broad, which will close three blocks of East Broad Street in Church Hill from 4 to 9 p.m. Organizers advise parents to bring young children early, while it’s still light out.

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➤ Arlington: At Reagan National Airport, 150 area high school students toured a workforce expo and discovered the range of aviation jobs beyond the cockpit—from firefighting and engineering to handling unusual live cargo, including sharks. (More)

➤ Danville: Buitoni will permanently close its pasta plant, a former Nestlé facility, on Dec. 28, eliminating all 251 jobs there, according to a notice the company sent the city. The company hasn’t given a reason for the closure. (More)

➤ Statewide: Virginia recorded 1,331 overdose deaths in 2025, down from more than 2,200 in 2020, according to an analysis of CDC data showing the state’s overdose death rate has fallen more than 50% since 2021. (More)

➤ Roanoke: Roanoke City Public Schools could lose about $6 million in state funding this year after enrolling roughly 500 fewer students than expected, with more than half of those who left going to Roanoke County schools. (More)

➤ Henrico: Two sewer main breaks sent about 1.4 million gallons of sewage into Gillies Creek, and county officials are urging people to stay out of the creek and away from where it meets the James River while crews clean up. (More)

➤ Virginia Tech women’s soccer beat Boston College 3-2 Thursday night at Thompson Field to close out its October home schedule, giving head coach Chugger Adair his 180th career win. (More)

➤ The Washington Capitals won their third straight game Thursday night, edging the Nashville Predators 4-3 on the road behind two goals from rookie defenseman Cole Hutson. (See Stats)

➤ Virginia Tech men’s basketball beat Maryland in a closed-door preseason scrimmage in Blacksburg, a matchup that brought former Hokies coach Buzz Williams, now at Maryland, back to town. The Hokies open their season next week. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | NHL | NBA | Soccer | Golf

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➤ Manassas Park police are looking for the owner of a runaway sheep they detained Wednesday after what the department called a “food pursuit” into a Blooms Crossing backyard, adding that no charges have been filed but officers suspect “a few outstanding baaa-violations.” (More)

➤ Twenty-one homes in Arlington’s Douglas Park neighborhood went all out for a spooky decorating contest, with residents paying to enter and every dollar going to a new neighborhood moms’ club for kids’ activities and events. (More)

➤ The first-ever Great Boones Mill Coffin Race rolls down Main Street in Franklin County today, with five-person teams pushing homemade coffins for a $500 top prize and part of the proceeds going to a local funeral home to help cover burials for people who can’t afford them. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. 

➤ What are the seven dirtiest things in your home? Hint: the toilet doesn’t make the list. (Hear List)

➤ Election season may take a measurable toll on your heart, researchers say, no matter which party wins. (Listen Now)

➤ New research is challenging centuries of scholarly doubt over a nearly 2,000-year-old non-Christian account of Jesus. (Podcast Available)

Are you a candy corn fan?

1. Love them
2. Hate them
3. I’m indifferent

Yesterday’s Results:

Are you wearing a Halloween costume this year?

1. No: 83%
2. Haven’t decided: 10%
3. Yes: 7%

Which abandoned mental institution in Virginia is widely regarded as having the highest paranormal activity on the East Coast?

Show me the answer