Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
Virginia
Winsome Earle-Sears, Abigail Spanberger will face off in key Virginia governor’s race
In what could be a key 2025 bellwether, Virginia’s race for governor will also make history, all but guaranteeing the Commonwealth’s first female governor. Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman and CIA officer, will face Republican Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran, after both state parties confirmed their nominees in recent days.
One of the only competitive races of the year, the Virginia gubernatorial contest will be closely watched by both parties — and is often treated as a referendum on the president’s party. Historically, Virginia has voted for a governor of the opposite political party, every time a new president has been elected since 1977.
The race is already breaking state records for fundraising, with Earle-Sears raising more than $3 million from January to March and Spanberger raising around $6.7 million during the same period, according to the campaigns.
In an interview with “America Decides,” Spanberger told CBS News she believes national issues will weigh heavily on the race, from the Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal employees, more than 144,000 of whom live in Virginia, as well as what she called an “antagonistic trade war.”
“All of this impacts Virginia, and the stakes of this election reflect that,” said Spanberger.
When asked whether Earle-Sears supports President Trump’s tariff policy, her campaign deflected but said in a statement, “After leftists like Joe Biden and Abigail Spanberger devastated our economy and standing in the world—President Trump is doing the work to put America first again.”
Earle-Sears has attacked Spanberger for her votes in Congress supporting Biden administration policies including the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed in 2022 with no Republican support. Earle-Sears argues it has contributed to inflation.
“I think it’s a ridiculous assertion given that my opponent has been eager to claim credit for some of the funding that came through some of those federal dollars to Virginia’s Commonwealth,” Spanberger told CBS News. “But, the reality is that my opponent is endeavoring to distract, because she’s not talking about the fact that we’ve seen an absolute tanking of the stock market because of Donald Trump’s actions.”
In 2021, Earle-Sears became the first Black woman ever elected to statewide office in Virginia. She will have to appeal to moderates and independent voters in the blue-leaning state but has given mixed messages on her support for Mr. Trump in recent years.
In 2020, she co-chaired the group “Black Americans to re-elect President Trump,” but in 2022, following the midterms, she told FOX Business it was “time to move on.”
“A true leader understands when they have become a liability,” she said during the interview. “A true leader understands when it’s time to step off the stage.”
She went on to vote for Mr. Trump in 2024. A source close to the campaign says she sees the president as a federal partner. It remains to be seen if Mr. Trump offers Earle-Sears an endorsement given the high stakes of this year’s few marquee races.
While Mr. Trump made inroads in Virginia during the 2024 presidential election, the state comfortably went for Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is barred from serving back-to-back terms, endorsed his Lt. Governor early in the race.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Follow
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
-
West Virginia2 minutes agoWest Virginia to conduct comprehensive review of all bridges as state targets repairs
-
Wyoming8 minutes agoNWSR issues Flood Watch advisory for portions of Central, Northwest Wyoming
-
Crypto14 minutes agoDeFi’s Newest Threat: How Malicious Liquidity Pools Are Trick-Quoting Ethereum and Polygon Users
-
Finance20 minutes agoGold Purchases Accelerate as Dollar Confidence Wanes
-
Fitness26 minutes agoStrength training over decades linked to longer life – Harvard Health
-
Movie Reviews38 minutes agoMovie Review: “The Odyssey” by Nolan
-
World50 minutes ago
US strikes bridges and collapses a tower at a key port as its Iran campaign expands
-
Lifestyle2 hours agoAn eco-journalist takes on a Big Tech in this modern twist on the heist novel
