Friday, November 13, 2026

Virginia Icon Sunk, Kalahari Opens, and Trails of Purpose

Friday, November 13, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1982, Michael Copon, an American actor and producer known for roles in Power Rangers Time Force and One Tree Hill, was born in Chesapeake. Copon graduated from Deep Creek High School in 2000 before launching his entertainment career.

A Hampton Roads icon has reached the end of the line. Learn more in Top Stories.

The Flyover Book of Trivia 2027 is already a top ten trivia book on Amazon, four days in. If you’ve been meaning to grab one, this is the week to do it. The book contains 100 of the best questions we’ve ever run, each with its own illustration, and the first copies are landing on doorsteps now. Get your book here.

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Virginia Icon Sunk to Create Reef

The SS United States, a record-setting ocean liner built at Newport News Shipbuilding and delivered in 1952, was sunk off the Florida coast on Wednesday to become the world’s largest artificial reef.

Crews flooded the 990-foot ship in a controlled, explosive-free sinking about 25 miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, and the ship settled in 180 feet of water. Longer than the Titanic, it surpasses the carrier USS Oriskany as the largest vessel ever sunk as a reef.

The liner set a transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage that still stands, carrying passengers from Hollywood stars to a young Bill Clinton before it was mothballed in 1969. The $13.5 million project aims to draw divers and anglers.

Some 3,000 workers built her in Hampton Roads in 1950 and 1951. Pieces of the liner remain in Newport News: her bell at Christopher Newport University and a 34-ton propeller at The Mariners’ Museum.

Newport News Reimagines Its Harbor

Newport News is spending about $9.5 million to add a public waterfront market to its Seafood Industrial Park, Virginia’s largest commercial seafood port by landed value, with retail seafood sales, food vendor stalls, food trucks, and boat moorings.

The roughly 7,600-square-foot market will sit on the 39-acre East End harbor off Jefferson Avenue.

A companion dredging-and-dock project is replacing the harbor’s aging piers, with new docks expected by late spring 2027. The market itself is targeted for mid-2028.

The project grew out of the city’s Choice Neighborhood Initiative to revitalize the Southeast Community.

Lawmakers Rethink Killer Outing Privileges

Virginia state Sens. Dave Marsden and Scott Surovell, both Fairfax Democrats, are weighing changes to a law that lets the state behavioral health commissioner grant unescorted community outings to some violent patients, even over a judge’s objection.

People found not guilty by reason of insanity go into the custody of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services rather than prison, even in killings. A judge must approve a conditional release, but not unescorted outings of up to 48 hours.

The push follows the case of Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda, found not guilty by reason of insanity in his landlord’s 2019 killing. Toshpulodzoda fled to Tajikistan in July on an unescorted pass.

A state inspector general report found that Dr. Azure Baron, who leads the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute and approved his privileges, engaged in misconduct, including manipulating patient risk-management plans.

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➤ Arlington: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Thursday awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal to Spc. Thomas Iglesias, the Army sentinel who reprimanded him and his aides for laughing and talking while posing for photos at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. (More)

➤ Richmond Public Schools confirmed that personal data stolen in an Oct. 21 cyberattack, potentially including Social Security numbers, addresses, and driver's license numbers, has surfaced on the dark web. The district expanded free identity monitoring to current and former students and staff. (More)

➤ Norfolk: The city’s new Granby Street bike lanes, built with pedestrian upgrades along a 2-mile stretch near Wards Corner, have cut corridor travel times, wth city officials calling the project a blueprint for other potential bike lanes. (More)

➤ Campbell County: Region 2000 voted in a special meeting to move forward with a 60-acre expansion of the Livestock Road Landfill, which would add about 24 years of life to a facility otherwise set to fill up by 2029. The plan still needs county rezoning. (More)

➤ Bedford County: Newly released documents show an investigator concluded in 2017 that crime-scene blood typed as O, which was key to Jens Soering’s 1990 conviction in the 1985 Haysom murders, was likely type A, matching victim Derek Haysom. Soering’s attorney says the finding should overturn the conviction. (More)

➤ Manassas: The Manassas Chorale performs at Carnegie Hall on Nov. 16 for a concert marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, featuring Joseph M. Martin's The Four Freedoms with the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra. The group, founded in 1994, has sung there before. (More)

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➤ Jayden Daniels overcame two late interceptions to throw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with less than a minute remaining, lifting the Washington Commanders to a 24-21 win over the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. (Watch Video)

➤ UVA advanced to the ACC women’s soccer final with a 1-0 semifinal win over top-seeded Notre Dame on Addison Halpern’s 38th-minute goal. The Cavaliers play for the title Sunday at noon on ESPNU. (See Stats)

➤ Hampden-Sydney, unbeaten in ODAC play, hosts rival Randolph-Macon Saturday in the 131st edition of “The Game,” with the ODAC title and the conference’s automatic NCAA playoff bid on the line. (More)

➤ UVA football hosts California Saturday at 3:30 p.m., and their home finale against North Carolina, known as “the South’s Oldest Rivalry,” will kick off at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 at Scott Stadium, airing on CW Sports. (More)

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➤ Kalahari Resorts & Conventions opened its $900 million Spotsylvania resort Thursday, anchored by Virginia’s largest indoor water park at 175,000 square feet. The 1.38 million-square-foot complex off I-95 adds 907 guest rooms, a convention center, and roughly 1,500 jobs. (See Video)

➤ Family Service of Roanoke Valley, marking its 125th anniversary, launched the public phase of a $1 million campaign to expand mental health services and renovate its building. The nonprofit has nearly $895,000 pledged and aims to finish by Dec. 31. (More)

➤ VCU Health held a ribbon-cutting for a new 24-bed pediatric acute care unit on the 11th floor of the Children’s Tower at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. The $37 million unit raises the hospital’s acute care capacity to 72 beds. (See Rendering)

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➤ Kings Dominion will debut its new Hops & Harvest Festival from Nov. 14-29, transforming International Street with seasonal foods, craft beverages, live entertainment, and family activities on select afternoons. (More)

➤ A VCU trial called the HERO Study is testing whether guided breathing exercises can ease veterans’ long-term concussion symptoms, and researchers are recruiting local service members to take part. (More)

➤ Trails of Purpose, a Chesapeake nonprofit founded in 2019 that offers free equine therapy and counseling to veterans and first responders coping with trauma, is asking the public for support. The group says operations cost about $30,000 a month. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ Authorities say an HOA dispute over a man’s apartment turned into a deadly shooting at a Washington, D.C., gym. (Hear Story)

➤ New housing data suggests holiday-season closings may give buyers their smallest price markup of the entire year. (Hear Details)

➤ Spain’s first general strike in 14 years has escalated into street clashes just weeks before national elections. (Listen Now)

Do you order a pre-cooked turkey, roast your own, or smoke your turkey for Thanksgiving?

Yesterday’s Results:

Do you remember your kindergarten teacher’s name?

Yes: 43%
No: 57%

How did Kings Dominion get its name?

Show me the answer

If you’re a fan of our Trivia section, you’ll love our new book, The Flyover Book of Trivia 2027, an illustrated collection of 100 of our favorite questions and answers. (Buy It Now)

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330 New Jobs, Amtrak Collision, and Superstitious State

Friday, November 13, 2026

Good morning! On this day in 1884, construction began on the Georgia State Capitol. A crew of 250 spent more than four years constructing the building, the tallest in Atlanta at the time.

The Flyover Book of Trivia 2027 is already a top 10 trivia book on Amazon, four days in. If you’ve been meaning to grab one, this is the week to do it. The book contains 100 of the best questions we’ve ever run, each with its own illustration, and the first copies are landing on doorsteps now. Get your book here.

Today’s sponsor, Incogni, helps reduce the exposure of your personal information through automated data removal requests and follow-ups, with 58% off your subscription using code FLYOVER.

SupplyHouse Bringing 330 Jobs

Plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplier SupplyHouse plans to invest about $19 million in a Henry County fulfillment center expected to create 330 jobs.

The 715,000-square-foot facility on Highway 42 near Locust Grove will be the New York-based company's first in the Southeast. Construction is set to begin this month, with full operations expected in 2027.

Openings will include management, technical, maintenance, and quality-control roles. Gov. Brian Kemp announced the project Thursday.

The project adds to Henry County's logistics growth. In July, Highline Warren announced plans for a $170 million, 160-job logistics and operations center at the former Zinus building in McDonough.

Final SEC Title Game Looms

The final SEC Championship Game will take place Dec. 5 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as the College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams next season and Power Four title games are eliminated.

The SEC announced the decision to expand the playoffs and eliminate conference championship games this week. Atlanta has hosted the game annually since 1994, and 14 teams that played in the series went on to win national titles.

Former Georgia player and sports talk host DJ Jones of Columbus, who won three SEC titles before the championship game existed, said he hates to see the game end. Other fans also voiced disappointment. Georgia coach Kirby Smart called the championship "a great, historic game" but said that "the times they are a-changing."

This season, No. 1 Georgia could clinch a spot in the championship game by beating Missouri on Saturday if three of four contenders lose.

Restaurants Earn National Nod

Three restaurants from Georgia, all in the Atlanta area, made OpenTable's 2026 list of the 100 best restaurants in America: Bones, La Grotta, and UMI.

Bones is a longtime Buckhead steakhouse, La Grotta has served Northern Italian cuisine since 1978, and UMI specializes in sushi and contemporary Japanese dishes.

OpenTable released the list this month alongside its 2027 Dining Trends Report. The reservation platform based its choices on more than 11 million verified diner reviews from September 2025 through August 2026, along with booking and search data. Honorees span 21 states and Washington, D.C.

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Unknown Number Calling? It’s Not Random

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➤ Douglasville: A 90-passenger Amtrak train struck a tractor-trailer near Veterans Memorial Highway and Municipal Parkway on Thursday, splitting the trailer in two. No injuries were reported. (More)

➤ Roswell: Church members mourned Eric Stephens, 57, founder of local tech company zPaper, who died in Tuesday's plane crash near Gwinnett County Airport. (More)

➤ Augusta: Officials will break ground on a state veterans cemetery at 10:30 a.m. today on Byrd Road beside the Gracewood campus of East Central Regional Hospital. (More)

➤ Atlanta: Emory University demolished the Briarcliff Road building that appeared as Hawkins National Lab in Netflix's Stranger Things, clearing space for a proposed senior living community. (More)

➤ McCaysville: A week after record flooding forced 97 water rescues in Fannin County, the city's water remains unsafe to drink, and officials say cleanup supplies are now the top need. (More)

➤ Savannah: The state transportation department proposes widening more than four miles of State Route 21 from four to six lanes between Chatham and Effingham counties at an estimated cost of $124 million. (More)

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➤ Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale finished third in National League Cy Young voting, two years after winning the award in his first season with the team. Milwaukee right-hander Jacob Misiorowski was the unanimous choice for this year's award. (More)

➤ Atlanta is among the proposed host cities in a joint bid by the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica to stage the 2031 Women's World Cup. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Hawks visit the Chicago Bulls today in an NBA Cup group-stage game, the teams' first meeting this season. (More)

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➤ A federal court barred Griffin tax preparer Tanja D. Hollis from preparing federal returns, ordered her business closed, and told her to repay $567,000 after finding that 90% of the returns she prepared from 2022 to 2025 contained fictitious items. (More)

➤ Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins' six-bedroom Suwanee mansion remains unsold eight months after hitting the market, even after a $240,000 cut to $2.75 million. (More)

➤ State Farm Arena executives Amanda Mann and Trey Feazell earned national honors, Mann for operations and Feazell for programming at the Atlanta venue. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

Flying together with our sponsor

Tired of scam calls or scared of identity theft? Time to go anonymous.

Becoming truly anonymous online is hard—but not impossible. Experts say there are several steps you must take:

Use a VPN all the time
Buy a burner phone instead of a smartphone
Use a secure email service instead of Gmail or Yahoo
Delete your social media accounts and associated data

Hide what should stay hidden—start with Incogni. Get 58% with code FLYOVER

➤ Just in time for Friday the 13th, a study ranked Georgia fourth among the most superstitious states, based on psychics, astrologers, fortune tellers, metaphysical shops, and related Google searches. (More)

➤ Sandy Springs police officer Janssen Redcay will begin his third charity ride to combat child trafficking on Monday, an 800-mile cycling trek from Homestead, Florida, to Sandy Springs to raise $12,000 for nonprofit ZOE International. (More)

➤ Morgan Wallen will perform at Sanford Stadium in Athens on July 16-17, following this past spring's Live Between The Hedges concert featuring Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ Authorities say an HOA dispute over a man’s apartment turned into a deadly shooting at a Washington, D.C., gym. (Hear Story)

➤ New housing data suggests holiday-season closings may give buyers their smallest price markup of the entire year. (Hear Details)

➤ Spain’s first general strike in 14 years has escalated into street clashes just weeks before national elections. (Listen Now)

Will you avoid anything unlucky this Friday the 13th?

Yesterday's Results:

Has security ever told you or your group to tone it down at an event?

No: 78%
Yes: 13%
Not yet: 9%

How many times has Georgia won the SEC Championship Game?

Show me the answer

If you’re a fan of our Trivia section, you’ll love our new book, The Flyover Book of Trivia 2027, an illustrated collection of 100 of our favorite questions and answers. (Buy It Now)

Unsubscribe (Step One)

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