Friday, January 3, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1781, British troops led by American traitor Gen. Benedict Arnold marauded up the James River from Portsmouth. They destroyed farms and settlements along the river on their way to Richmond, which they captured on Jan. 4 and burned down.

We preview the first potential storm of 2025 in Top Stories below. Are you ready for winter weather? Hit reply and let us know.

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We're sponsored today by Upwellness. Be sure to check them out in today's edition.

Feds Seize Cache of Explosives in Virginia

The FBI arrested a man on a farm not far from Norfolk last month and snared the largest supply of "finished explosive devices" it has ever seen.

Agents raided the home of 36-year-old Brad Spafford and discovered "a stockpile of more than 150 homemade improvised explosive devices, assessed as pipe bombs."

Court documents stated that some devices were so unstable they could not be moved and had to be blown up on the property.

After a hearing this week, Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leonard initially ruled that the suspect could be released to house arrest at his mother's home but later ordered him to remain in custody while prosecutors present further arguments.

"While he is not known to have engaged in any apparent violence, he has certainly expressed interest in the same, through his manufacture of pipe bombs marked 'lethal,' his possession of riot gear, and a vest loaded with pipe bombs," prosecutors wrote.

State Police Create Homeland Security Division

The Virginia State Police have established a Homeland Security Division (HSD) to track threats and improve cooperation with federal and local law enforcement groups.

The division is divided into Collection and Analytical sections, with Collection working to protect infrastructure and Analytical working to process intelligence.

"The Division will identify, document, collect, analyze, maintain, and disseminate criminal intelligence and homeland security information on a need-to-know basis," the HSD announced. "This intelligence will pertain to persons involved in organized crime, terrorist groups, and multi-jurisdictional or serial crimes."

The HSD will also attempt to build strong partnerships with federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, and FEMA.

Winter Weather Moving In

Commonwealth students are scheduled to return to class on Monday, but the weather may not cooperate in some locations.

The first winter storm systems of 2025 are expected to move across Western and Central Virginia beginning today and again on Sunday, bringing a potentially messy mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain.

Forecasters say snow could start in the D.C.-area suburbs as early as Friday and continue into Monday. It isn't clear there will be much accumulation near the capitol, but more than 4 inches is possible in some mountainous regions.

Even before any snow flies, be ready for sub-freezing temperatures today and into the weekend across much of the state as 2025 gets off to a chilly start.

6 Foods PROVEN To Eliminate Inflammation

Turmeric is probably the most well-known food PROVEN to fight inflammation and joint pain.

However, when you combine turmeric with these 5 foods they form a private squad of firefighters in your body that help control the raging flame of inflammation and joint pain.

Not only will the joint pain in your knees, back and hips become a thing of the past but you'll regain mobility that you haven't seen in years.

Combine these 5 foods with Turmeric to help your body fight inflammation, faster =>

➤ Onancock: Virginia's first baby of the year debuted as the clock struck midnight to end 2024. Cyrus Satchwell was born at Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital at 12 a.m. Wednesday. (Details)

➤ Statewide: Five people are celebrating after winning Virginia's New Year's Millionaire Raffle. Winning tickets were sold in Herndon, Ashburn, Moneta, Fishersville, and Henrico. (More)

➤ Dinwiddie County: Former Virginia State Police superintendent W. Gerald Massengill passed away. During his career, he oversaw Virginia's response to 9/11 and the D.C.-area sniper attacks. He came out of retirement to lead the investigation into the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. (Details)

➤ Richmond: Two lawmakers plan to introduce bills this year to limit the amount of money that debt collectors and creditors can seize. Current law allows debtors to hold back only $5,000 from creditors. (More)

➤ Suffolk: Scores of firefighters worked for nearly three hours on Thursday to extinguish a two-alarm blaze atop a landfill. (More)

➤ Brunswick: Hazmat crews were working to contain a spill after a truck hauling 8,000 gallons of gasoline overturned. Cleanup efforts could last into the weekend. (Details)

➤ The Washington Commanders visit Dallas to close the regular season on Sunday. Rookie Jayden Daniels comes into the game with more Pro Bowl votes than any other quarterback in the league. (Details)

➤ Virginia Tech plays Minnesota in the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte this evening, while the team's hockey squad is also in town to play an outdoor game on Saturday. (Preview)

➤ The Washington Nationals will have fan-favorite players Josh Bell and Trevor Williams on the roster when they open spring training next month. The team's payroll is now at $123 million. (More)

➤ Yesterday's results: NCAAF | NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW

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➤ The annual State of the Commonwealth report from Old Dominion University found that the economy in the New River Valley is expanding, while Northern Virginia's economy is cooling off. (Details)

➤ Smithfield Foods and VisionAg are partnering to create a new company that will own about 28,000 sows and has the capacity to produce up to 600,000 hogs yearly. (More)

➤ The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused the Lindsay Automotive Group of Alexandria of overcharging customers and engaging in bait-and-switch tactics over a period of many years, allegedly costing buyers millions of dollars. (Details)

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This Food Kills Knee, Hip & Back Pain

As a naturopathic physician, for the better part of the last 20 years my main job has been to keep my patients' joints moving freely...

Or to free them up when they're stuck.

Today, I'm going to share with you what I've learned over all these years...

And let you in on a "trade secret" that will help your joints feel like they just got an oil change.

Read Now: 6 Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Your Knees, Hips, & Back

➤ The "Something in the Water Festival" missed its Dec. 31 deadline to announce a lineup and begin selling tickets. Organizers have asked Virginia Beach to extend the deadline, and the city council is set to consider the request. (More)

➤ The second annual Disability Expo, hosted by Friendship Circle of Virginia and the Weinstein JCC, is scheduled for Jan. 12 in Henrico County. (Details)

➤ Built in 1776, a 1,400-acre property in Warrenton, dubbed North Wales, has been sold. The compound was valued at $23 million, but no information has been released about who purchased it or how much was paid. (More)

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