Monday, March 17, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1856, the General Assembly passed legislation that required a complete inspection of any vessel attempting to leave a Virginia port to ensure there were no enslaved persons aboard.

Today marks The Flyover's second anniversary! We sent our very first national issue on March 17, 2023, and never turned off the afterburners. Over 2 million Americans take off with us every morning, including those in Virginia, and we're honored to have you aboard.

Later today, you'll receive a special note from our founder. In the meantime, please enjoy today's top story about our journey from an idea to one of America's largest and fastest-growing news organizations—thanks to you! Check it out below.

We're sponsored today by Audien Atom Hearing Aids, offering affordable hearing aids with crystal clear sound.

The Flyover Celebrates 2nd Anniversary

Two years ago today, the first national edition of The Flyover was delivered to 47 people.

Our writing, editing, and proofreading staff consisted of just one person, Cole. Today, 10 editions of The Flyover reach more than 2.1 million readers daily, and we have a full team of writers, editors, and proofreaders across the country—along with sales, technology, and customer support staff.

We've learned a lot in two years, but as you can see in our first edition—the goal has always been to cover the day's news in a direct and unbiased way.

In 2024, we added our Rotator section and our special coverage section (Olympics, Election, Holiday, etc.). We also listened closely to your feedback and worked hard to improve our news coverage.

Growth brought new opportunities. Texas got the first Flyover state edition in January 2024, and that's grown to over 300,000 readers. Since then, we've added eight more state editions, including Virginia on October 2, 2024.

The Flyover's success is due to you, our readers, and we can't thank you enough for sticking with us.

We've got big plans for year three—including new state editions and a big new project that you'll hear more about soon. (Hint: it's a podcast. )

If you like The Flyover and find value and appreciate our work—we would love for you to support us financially if you can. We know everyone isn't able, but your financial support means a lot to us. You can do that by clicking here. It's a huge help!

'They're Off!' in Virginia Derby

American Promise won the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs in track-record time, dominating a field of top three-year-old thoroughbred horses.

The event drew a sellout crowd of 8,000 to the track, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin. This was the first time the race was run in the spring to serve as a qualifier for the prestigious Kentucky Derby.

"There are a lot of good horses here, good riders, good trainers," racing fan Esther Hall said about the race. "I think it'll really help the growth of Colonial Downs and hopefully horse racing in Virginia."

The Virginia Oaks, a race for female three-year-old horses, was also on the card. Fondly won that event in what was just her second competitive race.

Schools Chief Steps Aside

Virginia's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Lisa Coons, resigned after less than two years in the job. "It has been an honor to serve Virginia's students, families, and educators," she announced, without explaining the reason for her departure.

As the executive officer of the Virginia Department of Education, Coons oversaw public schools statewide. The Virginia School Boards Association thanked her for "contributing to a stronger education system."

Some of her achievements included updating the state's standards of learning, signing off on new laboratory schools, and reducing the teacher vacancy rate.

The governor's office announced that Chief Deputy Secretary of Education Emily Anne Gullickson will serve as acting state superintendent for now.

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➤ Statewide: A judge has ruled that Virginia does not have to participate in the carbon trading market known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) while the state is appealing a decision that it is obligated to remain in the multi-state partnership. (Details)

➤ Chantilly: Federal agents announced that they rounded up 214 illegal immigrants during a two-week campaign in Northern Virginia this month that focused on combating transnational organized crime, including the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs. (More)

➤ Southwest Virginia: Over a month after flooding swept through 11 counties, residents are waiting to see whether President Trump will issue the expedited major disaster declaration that Gov. Glenn Youngkin requested in the immediate aftermath of the destruction. Similar requests in West Virginia and Kentucky were approved last month. (Details)

➤ Virginia Beach: Tens of thousands of runners took part in the 53rd Shamrock Marathon, including the half marathon. (More)

➤ Wise County: Michael Donivan White was sentenced to 100 years in prison for killing Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler in 2021. This is in addition to a 100-year federal sentence imposed last month for murder, firearm offenses, and drug trafficking conspiracy charges. (Details)

➤ Fairfax County: Julie Coons, the president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, said the region needs to diversify away from its economic reliance on the federal government. "This is an existential moment for us, and we have to step forward, respond." (Details)

➤ William & Mary women's basketball enjoyed a March run for the ages. The Tribe, a No. 9 seed, won four times in four days to capture the Coastal Athletic Association tournament for the first time and qualify for the NCAA bracket. (More)

➤ Norfolk State's men's and women's basketball teams won their respective MEAC tournaments and will both play later this week in the NCAA tournaments. (Details)

➤ VCU beat George Mason 68-63 to win the A-10 Conference men's basketball tournament and qualify for the NCAA bracket. (More)

➤ Liberty, whose men's and women's teams are both champions of Conference USA, is the only other Virginia school in the men's Division I bracket. The Flames earned a 12-seed and will face Oregon. (The Bracket)

➤ Virginia State lost to Gannon 92-66 in the second round of the Division II men's basketball tournament. (More)

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➤ Norfolk's Visitor's Center reported that the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) basketball tournament generates $5.5 million in sales for local businesses. (Details)

➤ Fusion is the energy of the future, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said at a recent conference. Commonwealth Fusion Systems plans to build the world's first utility-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County. (More)

➤ Loudoun County's executive director of economic development predicted that development along Metro's Silver Line "represents our single best opportunity for future growth" as the region attempts to move beyond reliance on data centers. (Details)

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➤ The Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary has seven rare sketches by the Renaissance master Michelangelo on display through May 28. (Details)

➤ The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk easily debunked a social media rumor that a gorilla had escaped last week: The zoo does not house any gorillas. (More)

➤ The Commonwealth had one of the first official state maps in the United States. The Library of Virginia charts how early maps were made in a free exhibit that runs through June 7. (Details)

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