Thursday, May 7, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1862, the Civil War’s Peninsula Campaign continued at the Battle of Eltham’s Landing. A Union division was attacked by two Confederate brigades. The skirmish resulted in 194 Union casualties and 48 Confederate casualties.

We recently asked how you can tell if someone is from Virginia, and readers had thoughts.

One emailer said Virginians drive much better than people with out-of-state tags, adding “of which there are far too many driving around JMU!”

When not on the roads, pronunciation is apparently the giveaway. “My mother used to say you can tell people from Virginia from other Southerners, because they say ‘aboot,’ rather than ‘about,'” someone wrote.

“The real Virginian girls learned to say Yawl/Uawl before they learned to say Mama or Daddy,” a regular reader noted. Finally, “another way to tell if a person is from Virginia: they know the proper pronunciation for Staunton.”

Is AI harming your brain? We break down the top five ways to protect yourself from the influence of AI. Listen here.

Today’s sponsor, Cytonics, is opening the door for everyday investors to access early-stage biotech opportunities as the company advances toward potential FDA approval for a groundbreaking osteoarthritis treatment.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Redistricting Deadline Passed

The State Board of Elections missed its Tuesday deadline to certify the referendum voters passed by a narrow margin on April 21. The constitutional change would allow congressional redistricting ahead of November’s elections.

Officials cannot certify the vote because a Tazewell County judge issued an injunction while the state’s Supreme Court is considering legal challenges to the vote’s legitimacy. The redrawn map would give Democrats an advantage in 10 of the state’s 11 congressional districts.

Candidates are “raising money from both the old districts and the new districts, not knowing which district they’ll be running in,” Larry Sabato, executive director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said.

The Virginia Public Access Project reported that voter turnout for the referendum was lower than in last year’s gubernatorial race, especially in historically Democratic-leaning areas.

Drought Conditions Persist

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a drought warning for most of the state last month. Despite some Wednesday showers, there has been little precipitation since then. The Richmond area received less than an inch of rain in April, about a third of its usual amount.

“If we don’t get rain in the next few weeks, it’s just going to intensify,” the DEQ’s Weedon Cloe said. “Temperatures are going to be getting warmer, there’s going to be a higher level of evaporation.”

The Virginia Department of Forestry warned that the dry conditions have increased the risk of wildfires. Many localities banned outdoor burning until further notice.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is expected to release a new map of conditions in the state today.

Teacher of the Year

Madeline Duffy, a special education teacher at Nottoway High School, was named Virginia’s 2027 Teacher of the Year. She was one of eight educators selected as Regional Teachers of the Year.

Duffy, who also graduated from Nottoway County Public Schools, is finishing her seventh year in education. One of her innovations was launching a student-led coffee shop, the Cougar Cafe, which helps students learn skills useful beyond the school walls.

“This recognition reflects the hard work happening in classrooms every day and would not be possible without my students, whose growth and accomplishments drive me to be my very best,” Duffy said.

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➤ Portsmouth: Federal agents raided the office of Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), who serves as president pro tempore of the state Senate. The federal warrant is reportedly tied to a corruption investigation. (Details)

➤ Manassas: Del. Michelle Lopes Maldonado, a Democrat who represents the 20th District, announced she will resign from the Assembly at the end of the month to take a full-time job and spend more time with her family. (More)

➤ Statewide: The federal government reported that commercial electricity sales in the Commonwealth increased by nearly 30 million megawatt-hours between 2019 and 2025, the largest jump of any state except Texas. (Details)

➤ Norfolk: A scammer gave his victims the number of a city bank account, which they were able to use to withdraw funds in 2019 and 2020. Habeeb Anibaba is now behind bars in the U.K., charged with 13 counts of bank fraud. It isn’t clear how the victims accessed the city’s account. (Details)

➤ Richmond: Attorney General Jay Jones joined 21 other states that oppose a proposal by the postal service to allow particular firearms to be mailed legally. “This loophole puts guns in the hands of those barred by Virginia law from buying weapons, and it allows people to blatantly dodge background checks and access illegal firearms,” Jones said. (Details)

➤ Suffolk: The state purchased 870 acres of land from The Nature Conservancy in a deal that closed last month. It is part of a project to restore the longleaf pine savanna ecosystem in the Tidewater. (More)

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➤ Virginia Tech wrestling announced a $1 million philanthropic gift from Dave and Heidi Jester, the largest single donation in program history. “We want the roster and the coaching staff to know this program has the backing it deserves,” Dave Jester said. (Details)

➤ Washington Commanders sixth-round pick Kaytron Allen is becoming a fan favorite thanks to his childhood nickname, “Fat Man,” given to him by his mother when he was a baby. (More)

➤ Roanoke native Elijah Hutcheson, a four-star offensive tackle, committed to play football for Florida this week, opting for the Gators instead of Virginia Tech. (More)

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➤ Virginia Beach was tabbed as one of the top three cities for small businesses by the Diverse Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (Details)

➤ Milestone Technologies, an IT services provider, told the state that it will shutter its Richmond facility and lay off more than 50 employees beginning next month. (More)

➤ The River District Association of Danville is marking National Small Business Week with a pair of ribbon-cuttings at new retailers. (Details)

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Pro Athletes Invested Millions Into This Medical Breakthrough

As a third-generation Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master and former WWE champion, few people understand joint health like Rener and Eve Gracie.

They’ve dedicated their lives to keeping the body in peak shape. So when they made a seven-figure investment into Cytonics, the medical and investment world noticed.

Cytonics potentially developed the first and only treatment to reverse the effects of osteoarthritis, the world’s most common cause of joint pain. This therapy attacks the root cause of the disease, a solution Big Pharma has chased for years.

With the osteoarthritis market worth $560B, and current treatments only masking pain, it’s easy to see why the Gracies got involved. Now, you can join them as an early-stage Cytonics investor.

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This is a paid advertisement for Cytonics Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://cytonics.com/ Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. There is no guarantee of performance. Past performance does not predict future results. All investments involve risk, including loss of principal.

➤ The mayor of Virginia Beach appointed a task force to consider whether e-bikes should be allowed on the Oceanfront boardwalk, where they are currently banned. “With gas prices higher than usual, more citizens are using them to get to and from work,” Deputy Police Chief Brad Wesseler noted. (Details)

➤ Virginia State University won $1.03 million in federal funding to establish a Center for Generative AI and Industrial Cybersecurity. (More)

➤ The Virginia Department of Corrections is marking Correctional Officers Week through Saturday. VADOC is the state’s largest agency. (Details)

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