JMU Votes to Join American Conference

James Madison University’s Board of Visitors voted unanimously on Monday to end its Sun Belt Conference membership and accept an invitation to join the American Conference. The move becomes effective no later than July 1, 2028.

Seventeen of JMU’s 18 athletic programs will compete in the American, whose members include Temple, East Carolina, Tulane, Memphis, and other schools spanning the Northeast to the Gulf Coast. 

Field hockey will remain in the Mid-American Conference. Women’s lacrosse and swimming and diving already compete as American affiliates.

University officials said the transition is fully funded by private gifts and new corporate partnerships, requiring no student tuition, fees, or state taxpayer support. The change aligns JMU with academically similar institutions and positions athletics for greater revenue growth.

Spanberger Releases $67M, Aiming to Lower Bills

Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced the release of more than $67 million in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) funds to weatherize homes and lower energy bills for Virginia families.

The money had been withheld under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who pulled Virginia out of RGGI in 2023. Spanberger and the General Assembly returned Virginia to RGGI this year.

Of the total, $15 million will fund critical repairs to more than 1,000 homes, covering leaking roofs, mold, and electrical and plumbing work. Another $52 million goes toward energy-efficient affordable housing.

Republicans have long opposed RGGI. Youngkin previously branded it a hidden tax passed to ratepayers through their monthly electric bills. Democrats counter that the proceeds pay for weatherization that lowers bills, along with flood-prevention projects. 

The release landed a week after Spanberger rolled out her 2026 Virginia Energy Plan.

Virginia Transformer Industry Surges

Virginia’s power transformer manufacturing sector is experiencing rapid growth as electricity demand soars from data centers, AI, population increases, and grid upgrades. 

Companies are expanding facilities and adding thousands of jobs to address production backlogs and supply chain needs.

Hitachi Energy announced in September 2025 that it would invest $457 million in Halifax County to add 825 jobs and build a new South Boston factory by 2028, making it the nation’s largest large-power-transformer site. The expansion builds on the company’s existing operations producing medium transformers.

Other firms are following suit. Lynchburg-based Delta Star announced in April 2025 that it was adding hundreds of jobs through multiphase expansions, while Roanoke’s Virginia Transformer has nearly tripled employment. A new factory in Wytheville further underscores the statewide boom.

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➤ Statewide: U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, and Republican challenger Bert Mizusawa split over health care, voting access, and artificial intelligence in a virtual forum hosted by disability rights groups. (More)

➤ Martinsville City Schools marked 10 years of full accreditation for all four of its schools, a turnaround from a decade ago under state and federal monitoring. The high school now posts an 87% four-year graduation rate and the middle school has halved its chronic absenteeism. (More)

➤ Christiansburg is moving to sell about 5 acres of Huckleberry Park land near Peppers Ferry Road for commercial development, with a public hearing set for Oct. 27 on the sale of two parcels. (More)

➤ Amherst: Growers who attended the Wine and Garlic Festival say they are facing steep harvest losses after a spring frost and a yearlong drought battered Virginia vineyards and drove up costs for garlic growers. (More)

➤ Norfolk Public Schools will hold a public hearing Wednesday on Phase II redistricting tied to the June 2027 closures of Tarrallton, Granby, Lindenwood, and P.B. Young elementary schools. (More)

➤ Alexandria: History and social studies teachers learned from Virginia Tech Innovation Campus professors about ways to bring AI into class without dulling students’ creativity. (More) 

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➤ The Washington Wizards signed guard Alondes Williams to an Exhibit 10 contract and waived forward/center Skal Labissiere in a pair of roster moves announced Sunday. (More)

➤ No. 14 Virginia women’s soccer earned its first road win of the season Sunday, routing SMU 5-1 in Dallas behind three late goals after the Mustangs had trimmed a 2-0 deficit to one. (More)

➤ Fans who purchased concessions at Capital One Arena and paid a 3% venue fee between October 2024 and December 2025 may be able to claim a share of a $4.5 million Aramark settlement. (See Details)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NFL | NHL | NBA | Tennis

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➤ Four Richmond-area nursing homes sold to entities tied to a New York buyer for $165.2 million, including the Colonial Heights facility where a patient died in 2024. Prestige Healthcare Administrative Services is now running them under new names. (More)

➤ A former Henrico church site near Parham Road and Broad Street could become 250 apartments, with developer Middleburg Communities planning to redevelop the old Mount Vernon Baptist Church property that later served as Henrico schools’ adult education center. (More)

➤ Roanoke Mountain Adventures held its grand opening Oct. 11 at its new home inside Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, roughly tripling its old footprint with expanded camping gear, backpacks, and bikes. (More)

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➤ The Eastern Shore Public Library and Eastern Shore Railway Museum are hosting Give Me Liberty: Virginia & The Forging of a Nation, a traveling history exhibition marking the Declaration’s 250th anniversary, through Nov. 22. (More)

➤ Richmond father Pat McAleer finished a cross-country bike ride of more than 4,000 miles Sunday in Virginia Beach, raising over $250,000 for Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy. His daughter, Mary Kate, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2009. (More)

➤ Virginia’s fall outdoors are hitting their October peak, with strong bass fishing, saltwater action, archery deer season, and Blue Ridge fall color all in play across the Commonwealth. (See Details)

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➤ Your credit card likely comes with perks worth real money, and most cardholders don’t even know they have them. (See Perks)

➤ Federal regulators have recalled more than 82,000 rechargeable hand warmers that can overheat and catch fire. (Hear Details)

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What’s your favorite fall outdoor activity?

1. Hiking
2. Fishing
3. Hunting
4. Road-tripping
5. Other (reply to tell us)

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you ever volunteered for a cause in another country? 

1. No: 78%
2. Yes: 15%
3. Not yet: 7%

Where are some of the best-preserved Civil War earthworks in Virginia?

Show me the answer