Thursday, February 27, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1714, Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood signed a treaty with the Nottoway tribe affirming its members’ land rights. Those rights had been steadily eroded as settlers moved into tribal territory in violation of an earlier treaty.

Medical news dominates the Top Stories in today’s edition of The Virginia Flyover. VCU said it will follow UVA’s lead on sex-changing treatment for teens, and there is still time to get your flu shot.

Later today, we’ll send a special message from our sponsor, Pacaso, the market leader in vacation home co-ownership. Pacaso is sharing an exciting investment opportunity in their luxury home platform.

We’re sponsored today by Pacaso. This is your last chance to invest before midnight tonight.

VCU Follows UVA on Teen Sex-Changing Treatments

VCU Health announced it will resume providing treatments to patients under age 19 whom it had previously seen for sex-changing procedures, such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers, but it will not accept new patients.

Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU stated it will continue treating existing patients for now but will also work to transfer their treatment to non-VCU Health providers. It will provide education, counseling, and mental health services to new patients rather than medical sex-changing treatments and will maintain a suspension of surgeries for teenage patients.

The decision follows actions announced last week by the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors. UVA Health will also resume seeing existing patients but will refer potential new patients to out-of-network providers who are “less susceptible to the significant legal and funding uncertainties facing the University.“

Both health systems are reacting to an executive order issued by President Trump last month that threatened to withhold “federal financial participation in institutions which seek to provide these barbaric medical procedures that should have never been allowed to take place!“

More Trouble at Reagan National

The pilots of an American Airlines flight on final approach to Reagan National Airport pulled up and performed a go-around maneuver on Tuesday after spotting another plane on the runway they were supposed to land on.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the move was necessary to “ensure separation was maintained between this aircraft and a preceding departure from the same runway.“

American Airlines said that such go-around maneuvers can occur nearly every day at Reagan National. The airline stated that the flight “landed safely and normally at DCA after it was instructed by Air Traffic Control to complete a standard go-around to allow another aircraft more time for takeoff.“

A mid-air collision at the same airport last month between an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter killed 67 people.

Flu Slowing Down, but Threat Remains

According to the Virginia Department of Health, flu activity in the Commonwealth began trending downward last week, but respiratory illness activity remains high across most of the state.

Due to the prevalence of the disease, several health centers across Northern and Central Virginia are requiring all emergency room patients to wear masks at all times.

More than 60 Virginians have died from the flu so far this season, including four children. Roughly a quarter of ER visits this year have been related to flu symptoms.

Dr. Elaine Perry, director of the Richmond Henrico Health District, noted that fewer than a third of Virginians have had a flu shot but added that it is not too late to get vaccinated.

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Zillow’s Co-Founder Has a Big New Idea

Spencer Rascoff co-founded Zillow, scaling it into a $16B real estate giant. But everyday investors couldn’t invest until after the IPO, missing early gains.

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➤ Dulles: Customs officers at Washington Dulles International Airport seized more than 250 pounds of opium poppy pods. The pods were found in 81 different shipments from Madrid and would have had a combined street value of $25,000. (More)

➤ Roanoke: The city faces a budget gap of $4 million and may need to cut spending. “This is a very difficult budget year, as our expenditures are outpacing our revenues,” the city manager warned. (Details)

➤ Virginia Beach: City officials have denied a request from the organizers of the Something in the Water (SITW) Festival to reinstate the event for April. SITW was initially scheduled for October but was canceled without notice. (More)

➤ Southwest Virginia: Residents are waiting to find out whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s request for an expedited major disaster declaration from President Trump will be granted. A FEMA spokesperson said the request, made 10 days ago on behalf of Buchanan, Dickenson, and Tazewell counties, is “in process.” (Details)

➤ Statewide: Because of recent rains, the state Department of Environmental Quality lifted drought advisories in 28 localities. (Details)

➤ Richmond: Police Chief Rick Edwards shelled out $87 and attended driving school to settle a speeding ticket issued by one of his own officers last month. The chief was clocked going 61 in a 35-mile-per-hour zone in an unmarked car. (More)

➤ The Virginia High School League state wrestling championships this weekend will feature some fresh faces. Many varsity girls wrestling teams will be on the mats for the first time. (Details)

➤ The Washington Capitals host St. Louis today, coming off a home loss to Calgary. The team leads the NHL’s Metropolitan Division. (Preview)

➤ UVA’s softball team, ranked No. 25 in the nation, hosts the Party at Palmer Invitational this weekend, with games against Cornell, Seton Hall, and Hofstra. (Details)

➤ Virginia Tech’s softball team, ranked No. 17 in the nation, hosts the three-day Hokie Invite in Salem this weekend. (The Schedule)

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➤ Washington Dulles International is the most expensive airport in the country for domestic flights. The federal Transportation Department reported that the average domestic airfare from Dulles was $473 in the third quarter of last year, more than $100 higher than the national average. (Details)

➤ If a Category 3 hurricane hit Hampton Roads, it could cost the region as much as $15.6 billion and could eliminate tens of thousands of jobs, according to a study from Old Dominion University. The report warns that many homeowners lack flood insurance because no such storm has hit in 150 years. (More)

➤ Home sales climbed 1.8% year-over-year from January 2024, according to research by Virginia Realtors. More than 5,700 homes across the Commonwealth changed hands last month. (Details)

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➤ UVA Health is the first provider in Virginia to offer a treatment for pancreatic cysts, which can develop into cancer. (Details)

➤ This is National Invasive Species Awareness Week, spotlighting many non-native insects and plants Virginians see daily. “Unfortunately, we’ve had to deal with quite a few of them over the past several years,” an agent with the Virginia Cooperative Extension said. (More)

➤ Meet Dr. Wanda Tucker and her brother, Vincent Tucker, descendants of Isabella, Anthony, and William Tucker, who are thought to be the first enslaved Africans to arrive in America in 1619. (Details)

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