Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1824, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was born in Clarksburg, which is now in West Virginia. He was killed from wounds inflicted while fighting for the Confederacy at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.

With college football season over—congratulations to the Hoosiers—it's time to talk college baseball.

The University of Virginia is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 under new coach Chris Pollard. The Cavaliers will start the campaign ranked No. 14 in the nation. The first pitch is set for Feb. 13 against Wagner in Charlottesville.

Will the Wahoos make it back to Omaha, or will this rebuild hit some roadblocks? Hit reply to tell us how you think the season will unfold.

Today's sponsor, Incogni, helps stop identity theft by removing your personal data from 420+ broker sites. Get 55% off with code FLYOVER.

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.

Spanberger Addresses Lawmakers

Gov. Abigail Spanberger outlined her plans for the next four years at a joint session of the General Assembly. She announced an Affordable Virginia agenda that will center around health care, energy, and housing.

"I intend for Virginia to dominate," the Democrat said during the 65-minute speech. She added that voters sent a clear message to all the state's elected officials: "Work together. Deliver results."

The governor said she supports rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Virginia entered the RGGI in 2021, before Glenn Youngkin withdrew via executive order in 2023. "Withdrawing from RGGI did not lower energy costs," Spanberger said.

Republicans, the minority party in both houses, criticized the speech. "If Democrats were serious about affordability, they would have started with cost relief, not partisan politics," Sen. Glen Sturtevant said.

Lobby Day in Richmond

Monday marked Lobby Day at the State Capitol, giving citizens a chance to rally in support of or in opposition to specific bills, including current proposed gun ownership legislation.

State lawmakers will consider three gun restriction laws in this session. In the House of Delegates, one proposal would impose an 11% tax on firearms and ammunition. Another would prevent anyone under 21 from buying or selling a semi-automatic weapon, while a Senate bill would ban untraceable "ghost guns."

"It is purely about controlling, discouraging, and beating you into submission," Chris Stone with Gun Owners of America told nearly 1,000 people at one gathering. "It's about forcing lifelong Virginians to flee the state."

A later gathering of a few hundred people heard from newly elected officials. "We will use every tool in our toolbox to make sure that we keep our communities safe, including working with the legislature to get these bills passed, and then enforcing them," Democrat Attorney General Jay Jones said.

Upcoming Winter Activities

This weekend may bring a sizable snowfall across the Commonwealth, but the storm isn't the only event on the calendar. Virginia Living magazine listed several winter gatherings, both indoors and outdoors.

The Ice Fest in Leesburg is set for Saturday—weather permitting, ironically—with ice carvers working live to create colossal sculptures.

Busch Gardens in Williamsburg hosts Mardi Gras celebrations throughout February, with Fat Tuesday set for Feb. 17, while Cirque Mechanics will bring its circus troupe to campus Feb. 10-11 with a stop in Blacksburg.

Valentine's Day also offers opportunities for revelry, with the George Washington Birthday Parade in Alexandria and a classical music recital in Hot Springs.

Flying together with our sponsor

Don't wait to become a victim. Take control of your identity.

Over 422 million people had their personal data exposed last year alone. And the easiest targets? People whose info is still floating around online.

Incogni tracks down and removes your personal details from 420+ data broker sites, people-search pages, public records, and more—automatically. They periodically check if your information appears on the data broker sites and remove it, so you get total peace of mind.

With their Unlimited plan, you can go even further. Google yourself and send them any link you find with your info on it. Their privacy team will assist you in getting it wiped.

Stop making it easy for identity thieves. Lock down your personal data before criminals take advantage of it.

Remove your data now—55% off with code FLYOVER

➤ Richmond: Republican lawmakers reacted after Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger revoked an executive order that compelled state police to work with ICE. "Folks need to be able to walk their street at night without fear of being either shot or kidnapped or raped," Republican House Leader Terry Kilgore said. (More)

➤ Statewide: DOGE job cuts resulted in a net decline of 23,500 civilian federal jobs across the Commonwealth in 2025, according to an analysis of federal statistics, enough to erase all of the state's federal job gains this decade. (Details)

➤ Washington County Public Schools inaugurated an Internet Safety and Prevention Task Force aimed at helping keep students safer online. (Details)

➤ Lynchburg: Visitors to Centra hospitals must show a government ID to enter and wear a badge during their stay. The new safety measure is now in place throughout the system. (More)

➤ Statewide: Virginia State Police implemented the Federal Rap Back Program. Employers can register workers, contractors, and volunteers to get real-time monitoring of their criminal records and activity. (Details)

➤ Central Virginia: The Northern Lights were visible across large swaths of the Commonwealth on Monday night. The rare celestial show was caused by a solar radiation storm. (Photos)

Like The Virginia Flyover? Share it with a friend! ✈️

➤ Randolph-Macon men's basketball, ranked No. 5 in DIII, visits Virginia Wesleyan at 5 p.m. (Details)

➤ VCU women's basketball hosts George Washington tonight in an Atlantic-10 conference game. (More)

➤ UVA ranks No. 22 on FOX Sports' RJ Young's Way-Too-Early rankings for the 2026 college football season. (See List)

➤ Virginia Tech, meanwhile, is at No. 23 in On3's Way-Too-Early rankings, which ignored UVA entirely. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Buried Hiroshima secret finally EXPOSED: If you thought history books taught you everything you needed to know about Hiroshima… you need to see this shocking video. The full story is finally coming out… and it's incredible. Watch Now.

➤ The University of Virginia's Licensing and Ventures Group Seed Fund is an investor in Nanochon, a medical start-up that's working to develop a process to help humans regrow damaged cartilage. (Details)

➤ CarMax, the Virginia-based used car dealer, laid off nearly 230 people, 113 of them in the Richmond area. (More)

➤ Francesca's announced it will close all of its fashion stores, including six in Northern Virginia. (Details)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Unexpected medical bills can add financial stress when you need peace of mind most. HealthLock uncovers billing errors, overcharges, and insurance mistakes that could be costing you hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars. With expert review and ongoing bill protection, HealthLock can reduce invalid medical expenses, so you can take back control of your healthcare with confidence. Enroll with HealthLock today.

Flying together with our sponsor

Scammers don't guess—they look you up.

Most scams don't start with malware—they start with public data. Addresses, phone numbers, and relatives are often pulled from data brokers and people-search sites. That's why scam calls can sound calm, specific, and legitimate.

Incogni helps reduce this exposure by removing personal data from these sources and monitoring for re-listing. When less of your information is easy to find, impersonation gets much harder.

Limit what scammers can find—save 55% with code FLYOVER

➤ Two competitors played the silver ball, avoided tilting, and flippered their way to victory at the Virginia State Pinball Championships. (Details)

➤ Gladys Cantrell of Lynchburg celebrated her 100th birthday this week with a putter in her hand. She said she started playing putt-putt back when she was just 89 years old. (More)

➤ Virginia Democrats asked their party leaders to move the state's 2028 presidential primary to an earlier date. The Commonwealth traditionally votes on Super Tuesday. (Details)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Over 50 and feeling weaker or more forgetful? Johns Hopkins researchers warn of a "silent epidemic" that may raise frailty risk by 230%. The solution isn't medication—it's a forgotten, nutrient-dense superfood tied to Nobel Prize-winning research, said to support cognition, muscle strength, and bone health when eaten daily. Learn more.