Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1831, the General Assembly passed a law that banned "all meetings of free negroes or mulattoes, at any school-house, church, meeting-house or other place for teaching them reading or writing." Exactly 33 years later, on April 7, 1864, the Restored Government's Constitutional Convention adopted the Constitution of 1864, which abolished slavery.

We aim to use clear, direct language at The Virginia Flyover. Texters don't have time for that.

Research from Unscramblerer.com, an online word-finding tool, identified some of the most confusing acronyms used by texters in Virginia. You may SMH (shake my head) when you see some of them, no matter WYF (where you're from). Do you use any unique acronyms in texts or emails? Just hit reply to LMK.

If you’re one of roughly 50 million Americans enrolled in Medicare Part D, these changes could affect your costs more than you realize. On today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast, host Ayla Brown shares details on the updated spending cap, what counts toward it, and the long-awaited end of the donut hole. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor, American Hartford Gold, is helping Americans protect their retirement savings from rising inflation and economic uncertainty with the timeless stability of physical gold.

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.

Four Suspects Charged with Murder

Four suspects were charged with murder in the death of 18-year-old Jayden McComber of Hopewell.

His body was found in Caroline County last week, and his disappearance may be linked to the death of an unidentified woman who was found nearby, although no charges have been filed in that case.

Those charged include Rashad Mayfield of Henrico County, 23, Devonti Pettaway of Chesterfield County, 20, Kennady Lambert of Hopewell, 18, and Jaden Phillips of Richmond, 19.

"It's a tragedy. These individuals are all just children, really," Caroline County Sheriff Scott Moser said.

Authorities said Virginia Beach police recovered McComber's vehicle on March 28, and that evidence recovered from the vehicle helped lead them to the body and the suspects.

Referendum Deadline Nears

Virginians have two more weeks, until April 21, to vote on whether to amend the constitution to allow redistricting this year.

Democrats have introduced a gerrymandered map that would give their party an advantage in 10 of the state's 11 congressional districts. "These maps basically tell the farmers and the people who live in rural Virginia: don't even bother," Republican John Reid said.

The most recent George Mason University Schar School/Washington Post statewide poll showed narrow support for the amendment, with 52% of likely voters saying they would vote yes and 47% saying they would vote no.

In Northern Virginia, voters in Fauquier County had cast more than 7,100 ballots before this week, while voters in Prince William County had cast more than 16,500. Election officials in Albemarle County warned that many of the mail-in ballots they have received were not properly filed.

UMW Wins DIII Championship

The University of Mary Washington earned its first Division III men's basketball national championship on Sunday. The game came down to the final play, when Colin Mitchell banked home a put-back at the buzzer to beat Emory 75-73.

The Eagles seemed to be in control late in the game, having built a 10-point lead with 2:21 remaining. But then Emory ripped off a 12-2 run to knot the score.

"We knew they were going to make a run, that they wouldn't go away," Eagles Coach Marcus Kahn said. Hundreds of supporters were on hand to see the matchup in Indianapolis, including three busloads of students who made the 9-hour trip.

After the game, Gov. Abigail Spanberger posted: "Congratulations, @UMW_Basketball! You've made Fredericksburg and our entire Commonwealth proud!"

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➤ Statewide: Gov. Abigail Spanberger's approval rating in the most recent polling from the Washington Post and George Mason University is 47%, with 46% of voters saying they disapprove and 7% expressing no opinion. (Details)

➤ Lynchburg: City officials hosted a retreat last week to discuss the city's $259 million proposed budget. (More)

➤ Alexandria: Former Deputy Sheriff Amarachukwu Igwe was fired after she allegedly attempted to smuggle narcotics into the city's detention center. (Details)

➤ Virginia Beach: Authorities found the body of a missing boater after a search near False Cape State Park. An investigation is underway to determine what may have gone wrong on the water. (More)

➤ Hampton Roads: A joint operation, which included officers from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Customs and Border Protection, and Suffolk police, seized 159 kilograms of cocaine worth about $6 million. (Details)

➤ Statewide: Medical patients pay more than $10 per gram for medical marijuana in Virginia, one of the highest prices in the nation. Gov. Abigail Spanberger is considering a bill that would create a retail market for marijuana later this year. (More)

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➤ James Madison baseball visits UVA this evening. The Cavaliers are 24-9 and have lost two straight. (More)

➤ Virginia Tech softball, ranked No. 11, visits Radford today. (Box Score)

➤ Virginia Tech women's basketball guards Mackenzie Nelson and Carys Baker both plan to enter the transfer portal. (More)

➤ Liberty named Darius Buck as its new assistant cornerbacks coach. He had served as defensive coordinator at Southwest Mississippi Community College. (More)

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➤ The average price of gas in Virginia was $4.06 per gallon last week, according to GasBuddy. That's 17.6 cents more than last week and 79.7 cents more than last month. (Details)

➤ At least three new businesses opened their doors in downtown Roanoke recently, helping to offset the loss of several other storefronts. (More)

➤ Farmers in Southwest Virginia said they are feeling pressure as prices—particularly for fuel and fertilizer—increase. "It also makes you think, is it worth all this? Can I keep my money that I got and go do something else?" farmer Mark Woods said. (Details)

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➤ Virginia will allow judges to require speed-limiting devices on the vehicles of any driver caught exceeding 100 mph. The new policy will take effect on July 1. (Details)

➤ The Accomack County Board of Supervisors voted to keep funding a program that makes TV signals from Hampton Roads available over-the-air to residents. (More)

➤ Matthew Wommack of Campbell County was named Chick-fil-A Teacher of the Year for his commitment to student leadership and development. (Details)

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