Virginia
Virginia Tech grads living in LA share wildfire experiences
ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Firefighters are continuing to battle the devastating fires in Los Angeles that have destroyed thousands of homes and led to the evacuations of over 180,000.
While the fires are thousands of miles away those flames have connections to our hometowns. WDBJ7 spoke with two Virginia Tech Alumni living in Los Angeles on Thursday. While neither of them have had to evacuate their homes, they shared what it’s like to be in LA during the fires and how people there are handling the destruction.
“It definitely feels like a little apocalyptic, just the sky being somewhat black and grey. Here it’s more like the sun is covered by the smoke so it’s just very eerie,” said Jillian Ostick, a 2017 Virginia Tech graduate who lives in Los Angeles.
Ostick lives in the South Bay area of Los Angeles about 10-15 miles from where the fires are.
“It’s close by but in terms of being evacuated or anything we’re very safe down here. We’re really just affected by the air quality and being worried about other people,” she said.
Ostick works in residential real estate and says many of her clients have lost their homes or evacuated and her team is currently working to help them find rentals.
“People have lost everything and they’re just scared but I think people have a place to stay and have resources. Our team is collecting blankets and clothes and is just messaging out to everybody ‘If you need help, no questions asked just fill out this form’,’” she said. “A lot of people did have to just pack up quick last night if they were in an evacuation area.”
Leah Gay is a 2014 Virginia Tech Graduate who is from the Blacksburg area. She lives in the West Hollywood area of LA and hasn’t had to evacuate yet but says she is prepared to do so if needed.
“Everything so far in our area has just been super smokey, there’s been ash on the ground, on the car, everything like that but in terms of actual fires our area is safe,” said Gay. “Last night we got a new fire that was in the Hollywood Hills. It’s since been contained so that’s good but we could see those flames, the second you open the door it smelled like you were right in a fireplace. It was super close to us so we could see it, especially with the night sky it was super illuminated with all that fire.”
Gay said that she is remaining alert and closely following the latest updates on the fires.
“There’s an app called Watch Duty that pretty much everyone in LA is using for updates. It gives you real-time information about where first responders are being placed and where needs to be evacuated, where the flames are even if they’re moving in a certain direction. It’s a really great app, it has an amazing map in it so you can see in real-time who is being affected and what you need to do next,” she said.
Gay said that she does know several people who have had to evacuate. She said that it is an emotional time in Los Angeles.
“It’s super heartbreaking, so many people’s lives have been affected by this. It feels almost like COVID outside how there are so many less people out on the streets, many people are wearing masks to stay safe from the smoke, so it’s kind of feeling like a completely different Los Angeles,” she said.
Both Gay and Ostick said that people are already doing everything they can to help those who have lost everything to the fires. They both noted that there are many places where people can donate to help those in need.
While not everyone in L-A has had to be evacuated from their homes, the smoke from the fires is causing major air quality problems that can be harmful to people. The air quality is being adversely affected as far as 100 miles from the fire.
Copyright 2025 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
Virginia
Teens killed on Virginia interstate identified
PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. — Virginia State Police have identified two teenagers killed in a crash on I-295 south in Prince George County.
A 2014 Toyota Camry driven by Cristofer Luna Cortes, 18, of Sandston, ran off the right side of the interstate and struck the back of a disabled tractor-trailer parked on the right emergency shoulder.
Both Cortes and his passenger, Jeimey Alexa Gonzalez-Moralez, 18, died at the scene of the Nov. 25. crash.
The 51-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer has not been cited and the crash remains under investigation.
Police believe speed was a contributing factor in the crash.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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Virginia
Video Virginia man arrested in connection with pipe bombs planted outside DNC, RNC HQs
Virginia man arrested in connection with pipe bombs planted outside DNC, RNC HQs
After a nearly five-year investigation, federal authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with pipe bombs planted outside the DNC and RNC headquarters in Washington D.C.
December 4, 2025
Virginia
Virginia Democrats propose redrawing maps to get four new seats
Virginia Democrats are attempting to create a new congressional map in 2026 that could help them win four new seats.
Amid efforts in other states to make maps more favorable to Democrats or Republicans, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott outlined the state’s plans to do the same at a meeting of the Virginia Property Owners Alliance.
Scott said President Donald Trump was “bullying” other states to redraw their congressional maps, causing Virginia to do the same. “We didn’t want to have to do this,” he said. “This was done because Donald Trump told Texas, Indiana, North Carolina—our neighbors—to rig their elections.”
The speaker said a new map could change the balance of the state legislature from six Democrats and five Republicans to 10 Democrats and one Republican, meaning Democrats would gain four more seats.
Newsweek contacted the Democratic Party of Virginia and the Republican Party of Virginia for comment outside normal business hours.
Why It Matters
Republicans and Democrats have been engaged in a redistricting war over the past few months, with both parties attempting to draw new state maps to affect the results of future votes.
Redistricting could have a major effect on upcoming elections—including the November 2026 midterms, which would affect the balance of power in Congress and, in turn, Trump’s ability to carry out his agenda. Republicans have a 219-213 majority in the House of Representatives, which is set to narrow further in January when Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia resigns, placing greater importance on each seat.
What To Know
Virginia’s redistricting plans were first reported in October when Democrats in the state legislature recommended an amendment that would allow it to bypass the bipartisan commission the draws Virginia’s maps.
Scott said changing the makeup of Virginia’s state delegation from six Democrats and five Republicans to 10 Democrats and one Republican was “not out of the realm” with new maps.
Mark Shanahan, who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the U.K., told Newsweek: “The Virginia plans are contingent on what happens in other states. If these remain mired in court action, it’s unlikely Virginia’s plans will progress. The mid-decade redistricting began as a Trump-inspired move to secure the House for the GOP, but as well as being caught up in legal challenges, every red state move is being matched by blue states. It’s less and less likely that redistricting will deliver a decisive result in 2026.”
On November 4, California voters passed Proposition 50, an amendment put forth by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in response to Texas’ redistricting efforts. The proposition would temporarily revise the state’s congressional map, a move expected to boost Democrats in future elections.
Republican lawmakers in Louisiana have also recently moved forward with plans that could allow mid-decade redistricting ahead of next year’s midterm elections. But similar efforts have faced issues in other states, including Texas, where federal judges ruled against a Republican-drawn congressional map.
The three-judge panel wrote in the ruling, “Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said he will file an appeal with the Supreme Court and ask for a stay of the order.
What People Are Saying
Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat, told WAMU’s The Politics Hour on November 7: “There’s two seats that are pretty obviously in play. And after that it’ll probably get pretty hard, but you know, anything’s possible.”
What Happens Next
For the Virginia redistricting to go ahead, there would have to be an election on whether to adopt the amendment allowing the legislature to redraw maps.
Meanwhile, redistricting conflicts are likely to intensify as the midterms approach. Republican-led Florida is also considering redistricting plans, while New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, has said she is open to it.
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