One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in practice take the opposite stance, acting as if records are by default private and the public must prove they should be handled otherwise.

In this feature, we aim to highlight the frequency with which officials around Virginia are resisting public access to records on issues large and small — and note instances when the release of information under FOIA gave the public insight into how government bodies are operating. 

Heightened concerns over drone activity

A Chinese national was sentenced to six months in prison in September after pleading guilty to illegally flying a drone over ship repair yards in Newport News, court records obtained by the Virginian-Pilot reveal. 

The incident raised national security concerns due to the proximity of the yards — used by BAE Systems and NASSCO — to the Naval Station Newport, the world’s largest naval base, located along the York River. 

According to the records, Fengyun Shi, a graduate student from China studying agricultural engineering at the University of Minnesota, purchased the drone on Jan. 3, 2024, The Pilot reported Thursday. Two days later, he traveled from San Francisco to Newport News, where he took photos of the repair yards and Newport News Shipbuilding.

His surveillance came to an abrupt halt when light rain forced his drone into a tree near 65th Street and Huntington Avenue on Jan. 6, attracting the attention of local residents and law enforcement as Shi attempted to retrieve it. 

Shi left for California before wind gusts dislodged the drone. Law enforcement later recovered the device, prompting an investigation by Newport News Police and the FBI. Shi was arrested in San Francisco on Jan. 19 while attempting to board a one-way flight to China.

The case underscores growing statewide concerns about unauthorized drone activity near sensitive areas. Reports of mystery sightings in the western and southern Virginia, including Danville, Fincastle, Floyd, Pulaski, Radford, Roanoke, Salem, and Vinton, have prompted state officials to ramp up surveillance.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on Dec. 14 that the Virginia State Police Homeland Security Division and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management are monitoring the issue through the state’s Fusion Center, which coordinates intelligence among law enforcement agencies.

In a statement, Youngkin said he is “concerned” about a lack of sufficient information shared by federal partners regarding drone incidents. “Virginia has consistently sought information from federal partners, and to date, the information shared with the commonwealth has been insufficient,” Youngkin said. 

Va. Beach city council to weigh future of Pharrell’s Something in the Water festival

The Virginia Beach City Council will decide whether organizers of the popular Something in the Water musical festival, founded by hometown star Pharrell Williams, can move forward this April after organizers missed a Dec. 31 deadline to announce their lineup and begin ticket sales, the Virginian-Pilot reports.

The multi-day festival, launched in 2019, has drawn high-profile performers, including Virginia natives Missy Elliott, Chris Brown, Clipse and Trey Songz, and other popular artists, such as Usher. Organizers had agreed to receive up to $500,000 in city funding, contingent upon meeting specific goals and ensuring transparency in the planning. 

Last year, organizers faced delays, postponing the festival from October to April and missing a deadline to sign a sponsorship contract that would grant the city greater oversight of planning and coordination. While the contract was eventually signed, the city council is set to revisit the issue on Tuesday. 

Manassas Park seeks charter change amid timing concerns

Manassas Park officials are pushing for changes to the city’s charter, including updates to candidate requirements for city council and rules for the city manager’s residency. However, InsideNOVA reports that the General Assembly may not act on the proposal this year. 

City Attorney Dean Crowhurst told the outlet that the council’s Dec. 10 decision to approve the changes came too late for legislation to be filed before the upcoming session.

If adopted, the changes would allow, city council candidates to qualify for office without party nominations or petition signatures from registered voters.

The proposed updates would also ease residency requirements for the city manager, allowing them to live within 30 miles of the city rather than inside city limits.

Have you experienced local or state officials denying or delaying your FOIA request? Tell us about it: [email protected]

Carnell Warren 
Wide receiver, Class of 2026 
Bluffton, Bluffton, S.C. 
6-4, 195 

Virginia Tech received its first commitment in the 2026 class on Thursday from wide receiver Carnell Warren.

The Bluffton, S.C., product picked the Hokies on ESPN2 during the Under Armour All-American Game. He’s a top-300 talent in the class who had other Power Four offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. Appalachian State, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Georgia State, Liberty, Miami (OH) and Toledo were among the Group of Five teams interested.

Warren is rated higher on ESPN and On3 than 247Sports and Rivals. Here’s a breakdown:

247Sports Composite: No. 277 nationally, No. 44 WR, No. 6 S.C. (Four-star)
ESPN: No. 203 nationally, No. 30 WR, No. 4 S.C. (Four-star) 
On3: No. 185 nationally, No. 23 WR, No. 5 S.C. (Four-star) 
247Sports: No. 43 WR, No. 4 S.C. (Three-star) 
Rivals: No. 10 S.C. (three-star)

As a junior this season at Bluffton High School, earned all-region honors after catching 59 passes for 846 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding an interception on defense. Including his sophomore year, which featured 53 receptions, 723 yards and nine scores, Warren’s posted 112 catches, 1,569 yards and 23 touchdowns in two campaigns. He also plays basketball and averaged 13.6 points per game as a sophomore with the Bobcats.

Warren received an offer from the Hokies last May before camping in July. He had two unofficial visits to Blacksburg during the 2024 season, along with one to Tennessee.

It’s another big addition to the wide receiver room for Fontel Mines, who has constructed a talented room. Looking ahead, of the 10 wideouts slated to be on the roster in 2026, six of them — including Warren and Tennessee transfer Cameron Seldon — were once four-star prospects out of high school. Keylen Adams, Chanz Wiggins, Micah Matthews and Shamarius Peterkin are the others.

Warren is the second player in the 2026 class to verbal to Tech, though quarterback Peyton Falzone backtracked and decommitted in November after his original pledge in July.

Carnell Warren links: 

247Sports 
ESPN 
Hudl 
On3 
Rivals 
Twitter 

The Hokies are in their second bowl game in the second consecutive year, and this one is a huge test for Brent Pry. The Hokies are missing plenty of transfer portal entries, NFL declarees, and more. The Hokies opponent is tough too. Minnesota is in a great spot and P.J. Fleck is one of the best Bowl coaches in the country. He is undefeated in Bowl games as Minnesota’s head coach. The only two years during his tenure where he did not make a bowl game was the COVID year, and his first year as a head coach where the Golden Gophers finished just one game shy of six wins.

The Hokies path will be tough. Freshman quarterback William “Pop” Watson will likely get the start and the Hokies’ defensive staff will look much different, as Bud Foster will put on the headset. Although Pry said Foster will remain with the program, he will not be the Hokies’ defensive coordinator in 2025. Shawn Quinn will lead Virginia Tech’s defense for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Virginia Tech will likely be without twelve starters from the 2024 lineup, with the biggest losses being Aeneas Peebles and Antwaun Powell-Ryland on the defensive line. The Hokies will have to rotate plenty of defensive lineman in, even though Virginia Tech is short at that position. Honestly, there are some freshmen who will get significant time in this Bowl, even players who didn’t touch the field at all this season.

It’s not impossible, but it’ll be tough. The Hokies offense without Bhayshul Tuten has just struggled, he’s the indenture of the 2024 Virginia Tech’s defense offense. It’s not just Tuten that isn’t playing either. With the loss of multiple top wide receivers to the draft, Virginia Tech will again be playing backups at the wide receiver position, something that the Hokies did not do much of in 2024. Most of Virginia Tech’s pass production ran through their top receivers. There’s just so many missing pieces for Virginia Tech on both ends. Not having Dorian Strong, Mansoor Delane, Antwaun Powell-Ryland, and Aeneas Peebles all in one game means the defense will look much different. Missing almost the entirety of their starting lineup offensively will mean the Hokies’ offense will also look much different.

If the Hokies pull it off, it will be nothing like what we’ve seen throughout the season. Expect the Hokies to pass the ball more offensively, take more risks defensively, and just look like a completely different team. This game could go extremely well for Virginia Tech, or it could do the opposite. So much is uncertain about this game and it’s incredibly hard to predict.

Here’s how we think Virginia Tech’s bowl matchup against Minnesota will go.

Jackson Caudell (Publisher and Lead Editor), 8-4 record this year: Minnesota 28-17

Connor Mardian (Writer), 7-5 record this year: Virginia Tech 26-20

Phoebe Winters (Writer), 2-0 record this year: Virginia Tech 34-28

Kahlil McCuller (Writer), 7-5 record this year: Virginia Tech 31-28

RJ Schafer (Writer), 9-3 record this year: Minnesota 31-24

Dukes Mayo Bowl Predictions: SP+ Predicts Virginia Tech To Defeat Minnesota

Dukes Mayo Bowl Predictions: Oddsmakers Favor Minnesota, but ESPN’s FPI Likes the Hokies

Virginia Tech Football: Top 2026 target sets commitment date