Sunday, November 1, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1957, the original Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel opened to traffic. The 3.5-mile I-64 crossing of Hampton Roads harbor linked Norfolk and Hampton, replacing ferries and becoming the world’s first underwater tunnel joined to man-made islands.

From a Civil War general’s arm with its own headstone to a pipe organ played on cave rocks, Virginia has no shortage of oddities. Find a few in Et Cetera.

In case you missed it on Flyover Focus, we counted down the 10 most common scams putting Americans in danger right now, deceptions that cost victims $20 billion last year alone. These schemes are convincing enough to fool people who were sure they’d never fall for one, and odds are you’ve already encountered at least one of them. Plus, one scam on the list threatens to drain an entire retirement account. How many of them would you spot before it’s too late? Tune in here!

When was the last time you compared your car insurance? If it’s been a year or longer, the rate you’re renewing may deserve a second look. Today’s sponsor, Insurify, makes it easy to compare quotes from more than 120 insurers in just a few minutes.

Pump Failure Kills 130,000 Hatchery Trout

A recirculation pump shut off overnight at Bath County’s Coursey Springs Fish Hatchery, killing about 130,000 trout, more than half of the state-run hatchery’s planned batch.

The loss means fewer stocked trout through spring across 72 waters in 11 counties, including Augusta, Rockbridge, Rockingham, and Shenandoah, though no scheduled stockings will be canceled.

Drought had already left the hatchery’s spring-fed water supply historically low, which made the stressed fish vulnerable to pathogens. “To be quite frank, the staff at the hatchery are crushed over this incident,” hatchery superintendent Brendan Delbos told Cardinal News.

Virginia Ranks Seventh in Lost Forestland

Virginia permanently lost nearly 500,000 acres of forest between 1990 and 2017, the seventh-most of any state, according to a new Clark University report.

About 61% of that land became cropland and the rest was developed, with Chesterfield and Pittsylvania counties among the hardest hit.

“To put that into context, it’s equivalent to losing a football field every two minutes for 28 years,” said lead author Christopher Williams. Researchers are now finalizing a U.S. Forest Monitor tool to track ongoing losses.

Henrico Breaks Ground on East End Water Line

Henrico County broke ground at Richmond Raceway this week on a nearly 13-mile water main meant to keep eastern Henrico from losing water the way thousands of residents did during the January 2025 regional crisis.

The 42-inch line will move water from the county’s Three Chopt treatment plant to areas that now rely mostly on Richmond, easing a bottleneck crews couldn’t get around during the outages. “The pipes were simply too small,” said Bentley Chan, the county’s public utilities director.

The first mile is going in alongside a $40 million widening of Richmond-Henrico Turnpike, and the full line is expected around 2031.

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Last Year’s Best Rate Might Not Be This Year’s

Your driving habits may look the same. That doesn’t mean your insurance options do. Insurance companies regularly adjust their pricing, so the company that gave you a great deal a year ago might not offer the best rate today.

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➤ Botetourt County: The Army Corps of Engineers declined to hold a public hearing on Google’s three-building data center project despite 282 requests during the spring comment period, saying a hearing wouldn’t add relevant information. (More)

➤ Albemarle County: UVA Health bought the former State Farm complex on Pantops for $37.7 million and plans to turn the 365,000-square-foot building into a major outpatient center by 2028. (More)

➤ Charlottesville: A gene therapy center fully funded by the Suri family will open at UVA’s Manning Institute in 2027, with a dedicated professor and research team. (More)

➤ Falls Church: The city moved its red-light cameras to Broad and Washington streets and to E. Broad and S. Roosevelt streets, with warnings through Nov. 20 and $50 citations starting Nov. 21. (More)

➤ Arlington: A man was struck and seriously injured by a Metro train at the Virginia Square station Friday, halting service between Clarendon and Ballston. (More)

➤ Rockingham County: A new traffic signal at Stone Spring Road and Stone Port Boulevard, an intersection with a history of crashes and near misses, could be running by the third week of November after nearly two years of work. (More)

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➤ Virginia struggled in a 51-7 loss at No. 14 Wake Forest, its third straight loss and its second-worst defeat in the 54-game series. (More)

➤ Liberty scored six rushing touchdowns in a 49-10 rout of FIU, while Old Dominion lost 36-23 to Marshall as Thundering Herd kicker Jorge Diaz Nicolas made a school-record five field goals. (See Scores)

➤ Washington Wizards 2026 No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa earned “MVP” chants during a strong performance in his home debut, a 95-79 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. (More)

➤ The Washington Commanders will host the Philadelphia Eagles tonight on Sunday Night Football with a chance to gain ground in a convoluted NFC East race. Washington enters the game favored by a touchdown. (More)

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➤ 1 Cup of This Morning Drink Floods Your Body with Stem Cells. Harvard Researchers found that people who drank this hot morning drink had a 47% improvement in blood vessel function, a sharp drop in blood pressure, and a 220% increase in stem cells. See which drink here.

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➤ Johnston-Willis Hospital is investing more than $24 million to expand its Brain and Spine Center in Chesterfield, adding a specialized MRI and upgraded equipment for gamma knife and focused ultrasound treatments, which a hospital doctor says makes it the first program in the world to combine the two procedures. (More)

➤ Stonewall Jackson’s separately buried arm and a pipe organ played on Luray Caverns’ rock formations are among the 84 stops in Secret Virginia, a new guide to the state’s weirdest places. (More)

➤ The state’s elk cam is back for its ninth season, streaming a reclaimed mine field in Buchanan County where elk are showing up more often as the weather cools. (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, straight from the heart of the country.

➤ Halloween came with curfews and extra cops as towns braced for a repeat of last year's teenage mayhem. (Hear More)

➤ Scientists uncovered secrets of Mars’ ancient, watery past inside a rose-colored meteorite found in the Sahara Desert. (Listen Now)

➤ Art experts revealed how beginners could start collecting valuable artwork without spending a fortune. (Podcast Available)