Thursday, July 31, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1816, George H. Thomas was born in Southampton County. A West Point graduate, Thomas remained loyal to the Union in the Civil War and became known as the “Rock of Chickamauga” and the “Sledge of Nashville.”

Just after UVA began its search for a new president, a state judge put a hold on several of Gov. Youngkin’s appointees to its Board of Visitors. The Virginia Flyover has the details in our Top Stories and wants to hear what you think in our Poll.

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Don’t feel like reading the national edition of The Flyover? Tune in to The Flyover Podcast! New episodes drop daily—watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, all in under 15 minutes.

Judge Suspends University Picks

A state judge suspended the appointments of eight people selected by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to serve on the governing boards at the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and the Virginia Military Institute. The ruling came after a group of Virginia Senate Democrats filed a lawsuit, which the judge said may proceed.

All the nominees had been serving on the respective Boards of Visitors, even though the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections—controlled by Democrats—voted along party lines against confirming them.

“Here, the public interest is served by protecting the power of the elected legislature to confirm or reject gubernatorial appointees,” Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Jonathan D. Frieden wrote in his decision.

“The governor respectfully disagrees with the court’s opinion and looks forward to the attorney general’s appeal to the Supreme Court,” a spokesperson said.

Louisa Pulls Plug on Data Center

Amazon Web Services said it will shelve plans to build a third data center in Louisa County, where it is already developing two facilities and another company is operating a different one.

Some county residents had criticized the proposal during meetings with the company, handing out bumper stickers that say, “Don’t Loudoun My Louisa,” referring to the proliferation of such facilities in Northern Virginia.

A spokesman for Amazon commented that the company “appreciates the desire for more robust input in any future projects that may be brought forward in the county.”

The proposed building could have held up to seven substations. “I think we need to stay the course, slow down, pump the brakes, and see how that impacts our county,” County Supervisor Duane Adams said.

Ranking Virginia’s Best Hospitals

U.S. News & World Report reviewed 120 hospitals across the Commonwealth and rated 19 of them as Best Regional Hospitals.

Inova Fairfax Hospital took the top spot in the state and was nationally ranked in one adult and one pediatric specialty.

VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, and VHC Health in Arlington rounded out the top four.

Fifth place was a three-way tie between Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals in Richmond, the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, and Winchester Medical Center.

Rankings were based on a review of specific, common procedures and hospital conditions.

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➤ Danville: City Councilman Lee Vogler was flown to the University of North Carolina for treatment after being attacked at his workplace by a man who dumped gasoline on him and set him on fire. Authorities said the incident seems to stem from a personal, not political, disagreement. (Details)

➤ Blacksburg: Virginia Tech announced plans to use artificial intelligence to help admissions officers review essays from prospective students. (More)

➤ Chesterfield County: Three teenage lifeguards working at Pocahontas State Park said they suffered heat-related illnesses last week when the “feels-like” temperature topped 100 degrees. Not every station had a protective umbrella. A break from the heat is expected over the weekend. (Details)

➤ Goochland County: VDOT had to resurface a section of I-64 westbound after a truck flipped on its side and dumped bags of concrete across the roadway, forcing it to close. (More)

➤ Richmond: VCU Health said it will no longer offer medical services related to gender to patients under age 19. The hospital system had been providing limited services, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers, to patients it had been seeing before President Trump signed an executive order banning all such treatment. (Details)

➤ Charlottesville: Jane Batten, the widow of UVA alum Frank Batten, donated $5 million to establish the Batten Family Tomorrow’s Teachers Fund. (More)

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➤ The Washington Nationals lost two of three in Houston with a 9-1 loss against the Astros. The last-place Nats host Milwaukee this weekend. (Summary)

➤ UVA is just one of six programs in the country entering its football training camp with the same entire coaching staff it had last year. (Details)

➤ Fairfax County Public Schools changed its student-athlete transfer process to curb recruiting schemes, which plagued the school district last season. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA

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➤ State inspectors imposed a $120,000 fine after they found environmental violations at a solar facility in Henry County. It’s the fourth straight year the site has been fined. (Details)

➤ Amtrak Virginia welcomed a record number of riders aboard in its most recent fiscal year, which ended June 30. More than 1.4 million passengers rode a train, a 4.8% increase year-over-year. (More)

➤ The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will provide $60.9 million in disaster aid to cover infrastructure, timber, and other losses suffered by producers in Virginia as a result of Hurricane Helene last year. (Details)

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➤ George Woltz, the advertising expert who created the motto “Virginia is for Lovers,” passed away at the age of 92. His slogan remains the longest-lasting tourism campaign in American history. (More)

➤ Virginia is adding new data centers all the time, but is it true—as many sources say—that 70% of the world’s internet traffic passes through the Commonwealth? One expert says the real figure is probably closer to 22% of American traffic. (Details)

➤ Construction of the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Waynesboro is more than three years behind schedule and is still in the planning stages, according to its executive director. (Details)

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