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They fell in love on WhatsApp. The travel ban means their wedding is off.
They had sent out invitations, bought their rings, and arranged travel logistics: Mohamed Abdo, the groom-to-be, would fly from Virginia to Egypt, where he would marry his fiancée, Hana Abdalaziz, in a traditional Sudanese wedding. The ceremony in Cairo scheduled for next month was supposed to be a festive, in-person introduction for the couple, who had fallen in love over WhatsApp after each of them fled armed conflict in Sudan and landed on opposites sides of the Atlantic Ocean. For months, they talked every day over video calls about building a life together in the D.C. suburb where Abdo, 44, had made a home and started a career.
Part 3: He saw his dad ostracized for reporting on civil rights. She grew up to be the Register’s first Black reporter.
David Womack was told to avoid downtown Danville during the summer of 1963. His parents instructed him to stay away, he recalls, though countless other kids his age were there daily — and the only difference between them and David was the color of their skin. He knew they were participating in civil rights demonstrations, but he was 14 years old and it was summertime. “I knew there were things going on that were impactful, but at first, I had other priorities in my life at the time,” David said, looking back on that summer 62 years ago. But the demonstrations began to feel very real to David when he saw how much his father cared about them — and how their family was treated as a result.
Rebuilding one of the nation’s oldest Black churches to begin at Juneteenth ceremony
A ceremonial groundbreaking will be held Thursday for the rebuilding of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches, whose congregants first gathered outdoors in secret before constructing a wooden meetinghouse in Virginia. The First Baptist Church of Williamsburg officially established itself in 1776, although parishioners met before then in fields and under trees in defiance of laws that prevented African Americans from congregating. Free and enslaved members erected the original church house around 1805, laying the foundation with recycled bricks.
Completed Va. tickets testing battle lines for Nov. election
The races were tight, with the definitive results coming late — and closer than has been the pattern in Virginia primaries — but the two parties’ November tickets are now complete. State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, is the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor and former Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk, will run for attorney general, on a ticket led by former Rep. Abigail Spanberger — all of them promising to run as a united team. So far, there’s been no word that that’s the plan for the GOP slate of Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for governor, former radio host John Reid for lieutenant governor and Attorney General Jason Miyares, seeking re-election to that post.
Part 1: Civil rights protesters trusted one Danville paper — and it wasn’t the daily
There was a routine to Sundays in the Moore household. A big breakfast and the morning paper, followed by church service. It was June 1963, and the cool mornings warmed up quickly into long, sticky days. Eighteen-year-old Dorothy Moore sat with her parents and her sister at the kitchen table of their home in Camp Grove, a historically Black neighborhood in Danville. Like usual, Dorothy’s father passed around different parts of the daily local newspaper, the big Sunday edition of the Danville Register.
The surrendered sword that gave birth to America returns to Virginia
Paul Morando lifted the lid on the wooden crate that had been shipped to the National Museum of the U.S. Army from England the night before. He paused, took a pair of blue gloves from a coat pocket, and put them on. He and an assistant, Lisa Noll, removed the crate’s two inner covers. They pulled out the white packing paper. And Morando, the museum’s chief curator, lifted out the 275-year-old sword.
Virginia Board of Education approves $83.4 million allocation for infrastructure grants
After a competitive application process, multiple school divisions and a regional technical center will receive $83.4 million in grants for school construction projects, a move the Virginia Board of Education approved on Wednesday. A total of $80 million from the fiscal year 2025 application process will be allocated to 10 school divisions, including Lunenburg County for Central High School, the city of Richmond for Woodville Elementary School, and Massanutten Technical Center in Harrisonburg. The Petersburg High School project, which received $13 million towards the project’s $91 million total, was the only project that did not receive full funding.Petersburg missed out on an additional $13 million.
Crypto group wades into Virginia special election
The special election in Virginia to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is getting $1 million worth of attention via broadcast TV ads, courtesy of the crypto PAC Protect Progress. Crypto funds had an outsized impact on congressional elections in the 2024 election and the groups have pushed on into each of the three special elections that have come up this year. Protect Progress will use its funds to support Democratic candidate James Walkinshaw, the former chief of staff for Connolly.
Clean Virginia tops Dominion in Democratic primaries
The clash between Clean Virginia and Dominion Energy was on full display in Tuesday night’s Democratic primaries — and Clean Virginia came out on top. Dominion Energy, the state’s largest public utility, is one of Virginia’s most prolific political donors, contributing to candidates in both parties. Clean Virginia, a rival donor group, says its mission is to promote clean government and clean energy — and backs only candidates who refuse contributions from Dominion.
Two Danville council members to face off for House of Delegates seat
It looks like two Danville City Council members will duke it out for the 49th District House of Delegates seat. Madison Whittle and Gary Miller won the Republican and Democratic nominations, respectively, during their parties’ primaries Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections. Miller prevailed against his opponent Jasmine Lipscomb while Whittle defeated Vanessa Scearce.