THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1665, three men staged Ye Bare and Ye Cubb at a tavern in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore—the first known English-language play in the American colonies. They were hauled into court for it, then acquitted.

Virginia is mourning the death of Dolly Parton this week. Learn more in Top Stories, then test your knowledge of which theater—and it happens to be home to the Li’l Ole Opry—once hosted her in our Trivia section.

Have you heard about this debate over whether couples should combine all their finances? Maybe you, your kids, or even your grandchildren are dealing with this decision right now. It's one of the first big money decisions every couple makes, and most people assume there's an obvious right answer. Today on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla shares the ins and outs of combining finances and which way today's generation is leaning. Tune in here!

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Virginia Mourns Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton died Tuesday at age 80, and by evening Gov. Abigail Spanberger had ordered flags at Virginia’s state and local buildings lowered to half-staff in her memory.

The country legend died in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer. A Tennessee native, she reached deep into Virginia through her Imagination Library, which since 1995 has mailed free books to young children, including in Goochland, Powhatan, and Richmond.

In Southwest Virginia, those who worked with her remembered her grace. Roanoke’s Bruce Houghton recalled Parton quietly slipping offstage at a 2018 Dollywood event to fix a botched sound mix herself, sparing the young technician.

Gary Jackson, who worked shows with her near Smith Mountain Lake, said she once handed him a top from her own wardrobe, unprompted. He called her a “special human.”

Spanberger Preps for Medicaid, SNAP Changes

Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 20 on Tuesday, directing state agencies to keep eligible Virginians from losing Medicaid or food stamps when new federal rules take effect.

The changes stem from H.R.1, the tax-and-spending law Congress passed last summer. It pairs an extension of President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts with new Medicaid work requirements and a larger state share of SNAP costs.

Of Virginia's nearly 2 million Medicaid enrollees, more than 500,000 will face work requirements and yearly paperwork starting Jan. 1. About 749,000 residents receive SNAP, and the state’s share jumps to 75% in October.

Spanberger argued the law’s cut to a hospital provider tax is “pulling back dollars that had gone to hospitals.” A state watchdog has flagged 13 rural Virginia hospitals as vulnerable to closure.

Virginia Tech Board Weighs Hokie Loan

Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors met this week to discuss a planned loan of more than $15 million to Hokie Ventures, the new athletics nonprofit.

The three-day session at the Inn at Virginia Tech centered on finances, including how the nonprofit, approved in June, will support revenue generation, investments and donor relations amid rapid changes in college sports related to partnerships and NIL support.

New Athletics Director Brian White updated the board on the department’s position, while members voted to name Ted Hanson as the university’s representative on the Hokie Ventures board. Remaining directors were expected to be announced during the meetings, which wrapped up yesterday. The group’s first session is set for September.

The board was also expected to address other major items, including a tuition cut for medical students and large-scale dormitory repairs.

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➤ Statewide: The Virginia Department of Veterans Services opened its sixth round of Suicide Prevention and Opioid Addiction Services grants, with $4 million available and awards up to $200,000 for community programs serving veterans and their families. Applications close Sept. 30. (More)

➤ Chesterfield County: A state trooper was hurt Monday night on I-95 near Route 10 when a speeding Toyota Camry blew through a work zone, struck a VDOT safety truck, and pushed it into his parked cruiser. The Camry’s driver faces a reckless-driving charge. (More)

➤ Richmond International Airport opened bidding to connect its Rental Car Center to the main terminal and build a small park with room for a food truck. The project was estimated last year at $25 million. (More)

➤ Richmond: Ten people suffered non-life-threatening injuries Tuesday when a Greater Richmond Transit Company bus at Richmond’s Downtown Transfer Station jumped a median, struck a covered bench, and collided with a second bus, temporarily closing the station. (More)

➤ Henry County: The Board of Supervisors adopted what it called “stringent” data-center zoning, creating a new district with 1,000-foot setbacks, a 50-decibel noise cap, and a ban on water-hungry cooling towers. (More)

➤ Norfolk: Old Dominion University named 11 students to the inaugural cohort of its CyberAI Scholarship for Service, a National Science Foundation-funded program covering tuition and stipends for students studying AI and cybersecurity in exchange for federal service. (More)

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➤ UVA football suspended running back Solomon Beebe indefinitely after he was arrested last week on animal-cruelty charges. Security footage reportedly showed Beebe striking his dog multiple times at an apartment complex. (More)

➤ The Washington Commanders signed offensive tackle D.J. Humphries to a one-year deal after Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps. Humphries has 101 career starts since being drafted in the first round in 2015. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, the Commanders are selling a limited run of throwback merchandise bearing the retired Redskins name and logo. The team said it is required to keep the old trademarks in commercial use to maintain control of them. (More)

➤ Liberty University announced Christian radio network K-LOVE as the first uniform sponsor in school history, putting the K-LOVE logo on jerseys across 10 of the university’s athletics programs. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | U.S. Open | Soccer | Little League World Series

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➤ Amazon Web Services withdrew its bid to renew a groundwater permit for a data-center campus in King George County after state officials and local lawmakers objected to its 6.4-million-gallon annual withdrawal from the declining Potomac aquifer. (More)

➤ Gresham Smith, a Nashville-based architecture firm, is relocating its Richmond office from Truist Place to The Current development in Manchester, with plans to move 19 employees into a 6,200-square-foot space in early 2027. (More)

➤ Former Hamilton Beach executive Brian Schwartz launched a Richmond startup called NoctIQ, which sells a “smart” pillow with 12 sensors that detect snoring and reposition the sleeper’s head. It's on pre-order for about $550, with shipping expected in late September. (More)

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➤ Virginia farmers facing a severe drought-driven hay shortage are receiving vital supplies from Ohio and Kentucky producers, as local crops plummet and prices soar amid winter concerns. (More)

➤ Mad Skillz, the Grammy-winning Richmond rapper whose real name is Donnie Lewis, spent the weekend before school buying new shoes for kids, helping 13 families in his yearly back-to-school tradition. (See Photos)

➤ A bison broke through a fence and went wandering along the gravel roads of western Loudoun County, “creating his own version of a farm tour,” until animal-services officers found the owner and steered the runaway safely back into a field. (See Photo)

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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.

➤ Is a joint bank account the key to a happy relationship, or a trap? (Hear Debate)

➤ One of Wall Street's best-known investors admits his headline-grabbing op-ed attacking the Treasury secretary was written with AI. (Hear Details)

➤ Hackers tied to China's military allegedly spent years hiding inside some of America's most sensitive government networks. (Listen Now)