Virginia
Could Virginia’s express lane extension plan go into Maryland?
Virginia recently expanded its express lane network, with new lanes opening in the Tyson and McLean areas. So what happens when those lanes end right around the American Legion Bridge?
Maryland leaders are now being questioned about the possibility of express lanes reaching their side of the Potomac.
Virginia has basically gone as far as it can with express lanes on this section of the Beltway. The American Legion Bridge belongs to Maryland, and anything that’s going to happen across this bridge or into the Maryland Beltway, that is solely on the state of Maryland.
Should even more express toll lanes now head across the legion bridge and continue into Maryland? News4 asked some Maryland drivers and support for a new, quicker travel option across the Potomac.
“It would be nice to go to Tysons again,” said Matt, a Maryland driver. “It’s kind of impossible to get there with the traffic.”
“Because it’s time-saving and there’s so much traffic on the Beltway coming to and from, I think it would be a nice addition,” said Stephanie, another Maryland driver. “I don’t want to go through the hassle of making it, so, but other than that would be in favor.”
Any new improvement will take construction — and a lot of it.
Chris Conklin with Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation told News4 much of their focus, along with the state right now, is on building a new American Legion Bridge or making serious upgrades to the existing structure.
“From what we understand, the state is working hard to come up with a viable financial plan to enhance, repair and replace the American legion bridge,” he said.
That could mean federal funding or some sort of toll revenue plan for the bridge.
Experts News4 has talked to say the existing Legion Bridge in its current form will need serious upgrades or need to be replaced completely by the end of this decade — as in four years or so.
Maryland’s Department of Transportation sent News4 a statement about the Legion Bridge, saying, “Current activities funded in Maryland’s capital budget include completing field investigations necessary for final design and construction, acquiring permits and developing a life cycle study for the Legion Bridge to determine various options to maintain the existing bridge in a state of good repair.”
During a ribbon cutting for the new express lanes in Virginia, outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin talked about the need for Maryland leaders to begin improvements on their side of the beltway.
“We collectively urge Maryland to get on with it,” he said.
Sources also say the Moore administration in Maryland is looking forward to better agreement about how to reshape this part of the Beltway with incoming Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
Officials also told News4 money for a new Legion bridge could be tight, because Maryland has other bridge projects in the works, including replacing the collapsed Key Bridge in Baltimore and safety improvements to the Bay Bridge.
Virginia
AG Miyares urges Virginia schools to adopt stricter definition of antisemitism
VIRGINIA (7News) — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares urged all Virginia public schools to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism (IHRA definition) into their codes of conduct and anti-discrimination policies.
His office pointed to a 25 percent increase in reported hate crimes statewide in 2024, with crimes involving anti-Jewish bias rising 155 percent – the sharpest increase among all categories tracked by Virginia State Police in their most recent annual crime report.
READ MORE | Shots fired near Compass Creek Parkway in Loudoun County
In the letter addressed to superintendents and school boards sent Monday, Miyares states Jewish students “have been excluded, harassed, threatened, and even assaulted.” Miyares pointed to the U.S. Department of Education using the IHRA definition to enforce Title VI and to the Commonwealth’s 2023 adoption of the non-legally binding definition “as a tool and guide for training, education, recognizing, and combating antisemitic hate crimes or discrimination and for tracking and reporting antisemitic incidents in the Commonwealth.”
“Thus, the law of the Commonwealth requires use of IHRA to ‘recognize’ the discriminatory motive behind antisemitic conduct and act upon such discrimination findings pursuant to the Virginia Human Rights Act,” Miyares wrote in the letter, adding: “As part of your compliance with Federal and Virginia law, you must implement the [HRA definition and its contemporary examples into your codes of conduct and discrimination policies to assess unprotected activity.”
7News has reached out to Northern Virginia school districts for their response to Miyares’ letter.
Virginia
Annandale teen and grandmother killed in Christmas day crash
A Fairfax County family is demanding justice, saying the driver who caused a crash that killed a grandmother and a high school student is out free while they’re grieving an unimaginable loss.
The Vu family, from Annandale, was at a holiday dinner on Christmas day, but on their drive home, Virginia State police say another driver rear-ended the Vu family’s van on the Beltway in Fairfax County.
Duy Cao was driving the van — her 75-year-old mother, Su Nguyen, and her 15-year-old daughter, Annie Vu, were killed.
The family said according to Virginia State police, the driver who hit them was going more than 100 miles per hour.
“I don’t know how to, how to live,” Cao said, sitting alongside her husband An Vu, as the couple
gasped through their grief and recover from their own injuries.
There were six people in their van, and everyone was rushed to the emergency room, including their son, Annie’s brother, 12-year-old Andy.
“When he came out of it, his first question was, you know, ‘Where is Annie?’” said Kathie Vu, Annie’s godmother.
She says Annie’s brother was just released from the hospital four days ago and is struggling to cope with losing his sister and grandmother.
“My mom, the best. My mom, she came here, 11-years-old. She takes care of my children,” Cao said.
Nguyen was a devout catholic who helped raise the kids while their parents worked. Annie was a bright student at Annandale High School, where the principal says grief counselors have been made available for students.
At the beginning of this school year, Annie introduced herself to her classmates in her AP Seminar class at Annandale High School. Her principal shared with News4 what she wrote about herself. She told her classmates to count on her to always be hard-working, respectful and collaborative. She talked about her family and how her grandmother taught her to speak some Vietnamese. She hoped to major in biology at the University of Virginia saying, “although I don’t know what to do in the healthcare field, I’m sure I want to help others.”
“The other day, I heard my brother-in-law say, ‘There will be no more Christmas now.’ They’re always going to come into this time of year thinking about what happened,” Kathie Vu said.
The Vu family is demanding answers about the man who hit their car. Virginia State Police have not released his name nor any charges. The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney says reckless driving charges were filed, but News4 hasn’t been able to confirm that via court records.
While News4 has not been able to confirm if reckless driving charges have actually been filed against the driver who allegedly caused this deadly crash, the prosecutor’s office says it is waiting for the results of a toxicology test. Once those results are back, it could determine what charges the driver might face.
The family says that misdemeanor charge isn’t enough, they want him tried for involuntary manslaughter.
“I want everybody to pray for my mother-in-law and for my daughter so they can, you know, in heaven,” An Vu said.
Virginia
Former Oklahoma Sooners DB transferring to West Virginia
The Oklahoma Sooners are fully in the swing of transfer portal season in early January, as they’re making additions to the roster and seeing former players land at their new schools. The portal officially opened on January 2nd, and it will be open until January 16th.
One of the latest players to find his new school is former OU defensive back Maliek Hawkins, who has committed to West Virginia. Hawkins is the son of former Oklahoma defensive back Mike Hawkins Sr., who played for the Sooners in 2002 and then played multiple years in the NFL. He’s the younger brother of former OU quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who started five games in Norman over the last two seasons. Both Hawkins brothers are now headed to Morgantown, with the older Hawkins hoping to win the starting QB job, and the younger Hawkins hoping to crack the rotation at cornerback.
Hawkins was a member of Oklahoma’s 2025 recruiting class, signing with the Sooners as a three-star recruit. He played in just one game during his true freshman season, and now arrives at WVU as a package deal with his older brother.
Despite the Sooners expecting to return starters Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory at the CB spots in 2026, the portal exits of Hawkins, Devon Jordan, Gentry Williams, and Kendel Dolby have thinned the depth at that position. With Jacobe Johnson also expected to return, Oklahoma will be looking to add a key rotational cornerback or two in the transfer portal ahead of next year.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.
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