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Fed’s hidden immigration weapon – Virginia’s surveillance network
Hundreds of Flock Safety cameras capturing images of motorists across Virginia weren’t supposed to be used for immigration enforcement. But they were. At least five Virginia counties shared data collected by Flock Safety automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) with federal authorities for immigration enforcement, despite prohibitions against using the surveillance for such operations, according to law enforcement logs. About 50 immigration-related enforcement searches were conducted in Flock data in Fairfax, Chesterfield, Isle of Wight, Loudoun and Stafford counties between June 2024 and April 2025, according to an analysis of the logs. . . . The logs reveal how data from more than 1,000 cameras tracking Virginia motorists was shared widely between agencies, and potentially used beyond its original purpose for criminal investigations and locating missing persons.
UVa board meeting abruptly canceled after Ryan resignation
Several minutes after it was set to begin, a special meeting of the University of Virginia’s governing Board of Visitors over a "resignation faculty matter" was abruptly canceled “as it was no longer needed,” according to school officials. ... The virtual meeting scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday was called to “discuss a faculty resignation personnel matter,” as announced on the board’s website on Tuesday evening. At around 11:35 a.m. — with more than 300 people waiting online for the meeting’s livestream to begin — the link suddenly stopped functioning. The meeting was then listed as canceled on the board’s calendar.
Dempsey-Henofer: Charlottesville’s nervous system is telling us something
As a mental health therapist and small business owner in Charlottesville, I sit with people every day who are trying to make sense of the world — of their pasts, their relationships and the systems that shape how safe they feel in their own bodies. Many of my clients are LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent or navigating trauma rooted in institutions that demand they be quiet, compliant or “neutral.” And here’s something I’ve learned again and again: When neutrality is demanded in the face of harm, the body knows it is not safe. Charlottesville is feeling that now.
Loudoun's congressional delegation rips Trump tax and spending bill
President Donald J. Trump says his transformative tax and spending cuts bill will increase Americans prosperity and security, but the members of Loudoun County’s congressional delegation say its effect will be ruinous. The Senate passed the bill July 1 in a 50-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. The House of Representatives, which passed an earlier version of the bill and sent it to the Senate, took it up again July 2. Trump had demanded passage by July 4. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, and Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Virginia both voted no. In a written statement July 1, they called the bill “disastrous legislation,” saying it slashes Medicaid and other social safety net programs to fund tax cuts for the rich.
Gigaland data center developer offers county $15M for land conservation
The developers of Gigaland, a seven-building, 2-million-square-foot data center campus proposed near Remington, are offering $15 million to Fauquier County’s land conservation program as part of a package of incentives to encourage county supervisors to approve it. The project initially included an offer of $1 million for county parks and trails, $1 million for Remington recreation programs and $500,000 to the nearby Meadows subdivision to mitigate its effects. With the additional $15 million, “it’s a bigger proffer package than the county's ever seen for anything ever, and certainly, the economics are very compelling,” said county Supervisor Ike Broaddus.
Yancey: Attorney general opens criminal investigation into baby giraffes missing from the Natural Bridge Zoo
Attorney General Jason Miyares has opened a criminal investigation into the whereabouts of the two baby giraffes missing from the Natural Bridge Zoo, it was revealed in court Wednesday. That announcement came amid an all-day hearing on contempt of court charges against three people involved with the zoo: two members of the family that has run the Rockbridge County attraction and an animal property rights activist. They were charged with impeding court orders to cooperate with moving the four adult giraffes that had been awarded to the state after an animal cruelty trial.
Trump’s tax bill would send an iconic Smithsonian spacecraft to Texas
The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum could lose the iconic Discovery space shuttle to Houston if a pair of Texas senators get their way. President Donald Trump’s massive tax and immigration bill passed the Senate on Tuesday with language effectively ordering the shuttle’s move to Texas. It would set aside $85 million to transport Discovery and construct a home for it at Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA’s Johnson Space Center — which itself oversaw more than 100 shuttle launches over two decades. But the Smithsonian, which has housed the shuttle at its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Northern Virginia since 2012, estimated that the true cost would be north of $300 million.
Glenn Youngkin wrote a GOP playbook for winning Virginia. Republicans hope Winsome Earle-Sears can follow it.
On a Tuesday evening in northern Virginia, Republicans on edge across the state finally got their wish: a campaign event featuring gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, backed by incumbent Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who beat a Democrat four years ago. A racially diverse crowd was packed into a firehouse waving signs that read “Axe the Tax,” a nod to an Earle-Sears campaign pledge to eliminate the state’s car tax. Youngkin lauded Earle-Sears’ biography and work as the state’s lieutenant governor. At the end, he appeared on stage with the entire GOP ticket, clapping along to the tune of the classic disco song “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.”
GMU's Innovation District in Prince William receives $2.6M from state
The Innovation District in Manassas is receiving a $2.6 million Growth and Opportunity for Virginia state grant in part to bolster George Mason University’s programming at its Science and Technology Campus. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the grant along with seven others June 27. . . . Specifically in Prince William, George Mason University is launching the Innovation District at its Science and Technology campus in Manassas to drive growth in life sciences, emerging technologies, aerospace and defense, cybersecurity and data infrastructure.
Hampton Roads needs clarity on proposed move affecting Fort Eustis
News in May that the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) headquarters will be moving from Fort Eustis in Newport News to Austin, Texas, came as an unwelcome surprise. There are still many unanswered questions about how this change will affect TRADOC operations and its military and civilian staff members, as well as what the implications will be for Fort Eustis and the military presence that is such an important part of Hampton Roads.