Monday, October 12, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1870, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee died in Lexington, where he had spent his last five years as president of Washington College, the school now known as Washington and Lee University.

Five cheetah cubs were born Oct. 5 to first-time mother Zura at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal. Learn more in Et Cetera.

You’re being overcharged every single month, and the companies doing it are counting on you never noticing. When’s the last time you combed through your bank statement line by line, looking for hidden fees? They’re coming from every direction: your bank, your cable provider, and that laundry list of subscriptions. On today’s episode of Flyover Focus, we count down 10 things you should stop paying for, ending with the No. 1 bill that’s still draining over $2,000 a year from millions of households. Tune in here!

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Isaias Remnants Bring Storms, Outages

The remnants of Hurricane Isaias swept across Virginia over the weekend, knocking out power to thousands and bringing heavy rain and a risk of severe storms.

Early Sunday, Appalachian Power reported its heaviest outages in eastern Roanoke, where more than 1,500 customers were without electricity. Hundreds more were in the dark in Bedford and Franklin counties.

As of Sunday evening, around 3,200 Virginia households were without power.

In Hampton Roads, the forecast prompted some events to close early, and the Suffolk Peanut Fest canceled its Sunday schedule.

In central Virginia, rainfall totals reached 1 to 3 inches by Sunday afternoon, with some areas seeing 4 inches. A flood watch for the Charlottesville area remained in effect through late Sunday night.

Governor Probes Rights-Restoration Letters

Gov. Abigail Spanberger said her administration is looking into how its voting-rights restoration letters reached the families of felons who had already died.

In July, Spanberger announced she had restored voting and civil rights to more than 66,000 Virginians with felony convictions who had been released from incarceration.

The governor, a Democrat, blamed databases that failed to flag deceased recipients, saying, “We are digging into it.”

Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, faulted the process and said restorations should be checked individually: “There should be a process that is overseen by the governor.”

The review comes as early voting is underway, and Virginians weigh a constitutional amendment that would make rights restoration automatic.

VA Universities Land New Research Grants

UVA and George Mason University announced new research funding last week.

UVA received a $3.4 million Hewlett Foundation grant to study AI and biosecurity risks. Stephen Turner, assistant dean for research and associate professor at UVA’s School of Data Science, will lead the project with faculty members Tom Hartvigsen and Chirag Agarwal and industry partner Signature Science.

To test whether AI benchmark scores reflect real-world risk, about 150 students will write lab protocols using either an AI model or a web search. The protocols will then be tested in a lab using non-pathogenic organisms.

Meanwhile, George Mason faculty received 20 awards through the statewide 4-VA consortium for 2026-27. Projects include AI feedback tools, public-safety robotics, coral reef microbiomes, and rare earth element extraction, with partners including Virginia Tech, the College of William & Mary, and James Madison University.

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➤ Virginia Beach: Eight people ages 16 to 28 have been charged after a months-long police investigation into narcotics distribution, illegal firearms, and gang activity. (More)

➤ Fairfax County: A Virginia Task Force 1 team of 10 specialists has deployed to Panama to aid earthquake response, joining Los Angeles crews for structural assessments within 18 hours of the quakes. (More)

➤ Hanover County: A tractor-trailer hauling two up-armored Humvees lost its load at the I-295 exit to Route 301 near the Henrico line Friday. The driver reported the steering locked, and the rig crossed Route 301’s southbound lanes and hit another vehicle. (More)

➤ Charlottesville: A new veterans group, Veterans Intent, demonstrated against Rep. John McGuire—a Republican and former Navy SEAL who represents the state’s 5th district—saying he isn’t fulfilling Congress’ duty to check the president and faulting his vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (More)

➤ Danville: God's Pit Crew, a disaster relief nonprofit, deployed to Florida today to help Hurricane Isaias victims and plans to stay through Oct. 21. (More)

➤ Abingdon: Barter Theatre is staging Kings Mountain, a new play by resident playwright Catherine Bush that follows the Southwest Virginia militiamen who marched south to fight in the pivotal 1780 Revolutionary War battle. It runs through Oct. 31. (See Photos)

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➤ The Washington Commanders and New York Giants battled to a 27-27 overtime tie for Week 5 on Sunday. Jameis Winston’s three touchdown passes fueled a late Giants comeback against Jayden Daniels’ two rushing scores. In overtime, Washington held the ball in field goal range, but the clock expired before they could get the kick off, sealing the deadlock. (More)

➤ Former Washington Capitals forward Bobby Gould passed away at the age of 69 over the weekend, the team announced. (More)

➤ JMU head football coach Billy Napier said that the team did not respond well to the lightning delay in Saturday’s game against Georgia Southern, contributing to their slow start in their 27-24 victory. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | NHL | Soccer | NBA | NASCAR | F1 | Golf

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➤ Companies are quietly overcharging you every month, and most Americans have no idea how much it adds up to. (Tune in here)

In the latest episode of Flyover Focus, we count down 10 things you should stop paying for, from the fuel upgrade drivers waste billions on every year to the bill that follows some families for generations. Our No. 1 spot is a charge most households still pay out of pure habit.

In case you missed it, last week’s Flyover Focus counted down 10 American traditions that are quietly disappearing. How many did you grow up with and completely forget about? (Watch Now)

➤ The FCC has temporarily blocked Verizon’s plan to discontinue copper landline service in nine states, including primarily rural areas of Virginia, after public opposition, requiring more time to review the application. (More)

➤ Reston-based defense technology firm Blue Sky Innovators plans to expand its workforce by 25% or more, growing from about 120 employees to more than 150 by the end of next year while completing a new secure facility. (More)

➤ Nearly 800 kids registered for the fifth annual Girls in Construction Experience in Roanoke, a hands-on day in construction, engineering, and architecture meant to draw more girls into the field. (More)

➤ As hospital labor-and-delivery units close across Southwest Virginia, the nonprofit Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s campaign is spotlighting the role of midwives in a region increasingly short of maternity care. (More)

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➤ The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute welcomed five cheetah cubs, born Oct. 5 to first-time mother Zura at its Front Royal research campus, where four generations of the cheetah family now live. You can watch them on the zoo’s Cheetah Cub Cam. (More and Cheetah Cub Cam)

➤ An 89-year-old Virginia Beach retiree filled a 4,000-square-foot warehouse with a detailed G-scale model train town featuring over 100 locomotives, hundreds of buildings, and intricate scenes. (See Photo)

➤ The Labrador Retriever remains the most popular dog breed in Virginia for 2026, according to a U.S. News analysis of pet insurance data. Nationally, the Chihuahua took No. 1, and Labs fell to No. 3. (See Map)

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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.

➤ Amazon keeps a secret list of assumptions about every shopper, and the people finding theirs are not amused. Here’s where it’s hiding. (Hear Details)

➤ Book publishers have spent all year fighting AI in public. Behind closed doors, three of the biggest are doing something else entirely. (Listen Now)

➤ Two years together and still no idea what your partner earns? There’s a right moment to ask, and most couples miss it. (Hear More)