Banfield Found Guilty

Jurors in Fairfax County found Brendan Banfield guilty of double murder in the death of his wife and a stranger.

Prosecutors said Banfield lured Joseph Ryan to his Herndon home to frame him and then killed Ryan and his wife, Christine. Banfield admitted he was having an affair at the time with the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães.

The au pair participated in the killing and pled guilty to manslaughter before she testified against Banfield at trial. She will be sentenced on Feb. 13.

“As the law is written right now, Brendan Banfield will not walk free for the rest of his natural life,” Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said. Banfield will be sentenced in May.

Fairfax Abortion Case in Federal Court

Zenaida Perez filed a defamation case in federal court alleging that Fairfax County school officials are violating the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Law. She is asking for $2 million in damages.

Last year, Perez claimed that a social worker at Centreville High School helped two underage girls get abortions without parental consent.

After several organizations investigated the allegations, Superintendent Michelle Reid said Perez’s claim was “based largely on statements that were misinterpreted, mistranslated, taken out of context, or in some cases knowingly fabricated.”

Perez is represented by lawyers from Americans United for Life and is asking for a jury trial in federal court.

Virginia to Join Suit Against EPA

The Commonwealth will rejoin a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency over the federal agency’s attempt to roll back segments of the Clean Air Act.

The EPA wants to change a rule so that what it calls “major sources” of air pollution could be reclassified as “area sources” under some conditions.

Former Attorney General Jason Miyares removed Virginia from the suit in 2024, but current Attorney General Jay Jones, who promised during the campaign to push back against the Trump administration, announced that the Commonwealth will rejoin it.

“The Clean Air Act was put in place to prevent major polluters from releasing toxic emissions into our air that harm our communities and damage our health,” Jones said.

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➤ Richmond: The Omni Richmond hotel was cited in the cache of Jeffrey Epstein documents released last week by the Justice Department. An anonymous tipster told federal agents the site was used to traffic children. (Details)

➤ Stephens City: Authorities interviewed a suspect who may have taken part in eight vandalism incidents in four different jurisdictions. (More)

➤ Loudoun County: Judges on the State Corporation Commission will issue a decision on whether Dominion Energy can build new transmission lines through the county. Local government and homeowners’ associations requested that portions of the lines be buried, while the utility proposed overhead lines. (Details)

➤ Norfolk: Many customers complained about higher utility bills. A spokesperson for Dominion Energy blamed last month’s cold weather and a recent rate increase of around $11.24 per month. (More)

➤ Galax: Jayden Hunter Tankersley, a 20-year-old from Tennessee, was charged with eight felonies in three jurisdictions. During the course of a two-county high-speed chase, he allegedly attacked officers twice with his vehicle before he crashed and was arrested. (More)

➤ Statewide: Gov. Abigail Spanberger issued her first proclamation since taking office. It honored a group of Buddhist monks who passed through Richmond during their 2,300-mile walk for peace. Spanberger called it “a powerful reminder to us.” (Details)

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➤ Randolph-Macon, ranked No. 6 in Division III, visits Hampden-Sydney tonight. (Schedule)

➤ VCU fired women’s basketball coach Beth O’Boyle after 12 years at the helm. Assistant coach Kirk Crawford will be the interim coach for the remainder of the season. (More)

➤ University of Lynchburg swimmers Sienna Schmeck and Jackson Holsten were named Old Dominion Athletic Conference swimmers of the week following their performances against Southern Virginia and Liberty at the Battle of the ‘Burg. (Details)

Yesterday’s results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer | H.S. Boys Basketball | H.S. Girls Basketball

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➤ The Virginia Cattlemen’s Association hosted its first conference for young cattlemen. Participants had the opportunity to engage in policy and industry advocacy. (Details)

➤ Weird Brothers Coffee of Herndon wants to franchise its concept and open more locations around the Commonwealth. (More)

➤ Tysons Corner Center, a high-end mall, was left in the dark for several hours on Sunday. Dominion Energy blamed the snow piled on a transformer, which caused it to malfunction. (Details)

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The Tale Behind SpaceX’s $1.5 Trillion IPO

SpaceX plans to IPO at a $1.5T valuation. If true, they’d be the tenth-most-valuable public company by the time the average person can invest.

The lesson? Like Uber, which delivered 490,000% returns to First Round Capital, the biggest growth today comes at the private stage.

A similar dynamic is playing out in lithium, with EnergyX crossing a $1B private valuation. Only this time, you can invest at the private stage, too.

Why did big names like General Motors already back EnergyX? Because lithium powers everything from EVs to data centers. Demand will grow 5X by 2040, and EnergyX’s tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods.

➤ Experts at Virginia Tech created the United States Water Withdrawals Database to track how fresh water moves and is stored in the country. (Details)

➤ Single-person households represented 23% of households in Virginia, up eight percentage points from the year before, according to a real estate research group. (More)

➤ Restaurant Week was extended in Falls Church and Arlington through this weekend after poor weather last week dampened sales. (Details)

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Have you ever donated blood?

1. Yes, a few times
2. Yes, frequently
3. No

Tuesday’s Results:

Have you ever shoveled out a fire hydrant? 

1. No: 41%
2. Yes: 31%
3. Last week!: 28%

What is the largest county in Virginia by total area?

Show me the answer