Thursday, August 14, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1775, the first Hessian soldiers—Germans hired by the British to fight against colonial independence—came ashore in Isle of Wight County. Eventually, 30,000 Hessians were deployed in North America.

In our Top Stories today, the Republican candidate for governor makes her case at stops around the state. In Sports, soccer season kicks off for several Commonwealth schools.

We're thrilled to share some big news: our reader-owned campaign has surged past $800,000! Later today, you'll get a note from Cole, our CEO, with more info.

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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.

Earle-Sears on the Trail

Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears calls her gubernatorial campaign Operation Defend and Deliver. "It's about defending what we've accomplished, defending the people, and then continuing to deliver results," Earle-Sears said.

She hosted a Women Win With Winsome event this week in Northern Virginia, where she vowed to promote fairness in sports and protect students in schools. Democrat Abigail Spanberger's campaign responded, pointing to a recent event where she "laid out her plan to prepare all of Virginia's students for success."

At another event, Earle-Sears suggested the state could use its "rainy day" reserves to fund Medicaid if the federal government follows through on President Trump's promised cuts. "We have the money and the budget to help," she said.

Earle-Sears added that she doesn't believe the opinion polls that show her trailing by double digits.

Surf Lagoon Opens on Saturday

The long-awaited Atlantic Park Surf Lagoon in Virginia Beach is set to open this weekend. It's the first Wavegarden Cove surf lagoon in North America.

The lagoon's sessions last about an hour each and will be available year-round. Each session delivers an average of 12 waves per surfer.

Its waves can be tailored for beginners or experienced surfers. The project cost about $350 million, and the city kicked in $150 million of that.

Beware Scammers

Authorities acted to debunk a pair of scams targeting Virginians.

Videos on TikTok and other social media sites are claiming there has been a "mass kidnapping" of children in Virginia, but state police said this is false. According to the police's Missing Children Clearinghouse, 88 children were actually reported missing last week, which is 10 fewer than the weekly average.

Police said that most children reported missing have run away from home voluntarily and return shortly. Of 3,245 children reported missing so far this year, 149 are still missing, or about 4%.

In another case, the U.S. Marshals Service for the Eastern District of Virginia warned that scammers are making fraudulent phone calls, pretending to be from the service.

Scammers claim they are trying to collect a fine and warn that victims might be arrested for failing to report for jury duty. "We want people to know these calls are scams," a deputy U.S. Marshal said.

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➤ Statewide: All 100 seats in the House of Delegates will be on the ballot in November. Political tracking site Ballotpedia identified the 23 most competitive districts. (Details)

➤ Richmond: State Democratic lawmakers plan to introduce a proposal to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as an official state holiday on the second Monday in October. (More)

➤ Fairfax: Attorney General Jason Miyares filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court asking it to overturn a temporary injunction that blocks eight gubernatorial appointees from serving on governing boards at state universities. (Details)

➤ Statewide: The Commonwealth is one of only nine states that reach the Anti-Defamation League's standards for combating antisemitism. The group lauded Virginia for having created a Commission to Combat Antisemitism and an Antisemitism Task Force. (More)

➤ Roanoke: The city rolled out a plan to make sure all of its 1,643 full-time employees earn at least $42,000 per year. "The goal is, we don't want anyone living in poverty in the city," Mayor Joe Cobb said. (Details)

➤ Bristol: Students at Virginia High School enjoyed live entertainment on their first day back in school, including a live band rocking the cafeteria. (More)

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➤ Washington Nationals outfielder Robert Hassell III made the play of the day on Tuesday, reaching over the wall to turn what would have been a home run into a long out. (See Highlight)

➤ The University of Richmond women's soccer team hosts the Virginia Military Institute at 5 p.m. (Stats)

➤ William & Mary women's soccer welcomes George Mason at 7 p.m. (Updates)

Yesterday's Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | LLWS

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➤ Dominion Energy has proposed building a natural gas power plant at the site of a former coal-fired plant in Chesterfield. More than 100 residents turned out at a meeting last week to protest the proposal. (Details)

➤ The Women's Business Center of Northern Virginia will host a virtual work session to provide advice to potential business owners. (More)

➤ The Bedford County Economic Development Authority has prepared two business-ready parcels at its New London Business and Technology Center. (Details)

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➤ The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will present a free concert tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Neptune's Park in Virginia Beach. (Details)

➤ The federal Department of Health and Human Services awarded three grants worth more than $1.8 million to researchers at Virginia Tech. (More)

➤ Diners at an oceanside restaurant enjoyed live entertainment courtesy of an acrobatic dolphin. (Watch Video)

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