Good morning from the Mercury.
“The pattern we've seen in many places with new technology is that police go out and sign the contract with no city council vote on it or oversight by the mayor. Oftentimes, the department vetting is very minimal. It usually consists of reading the marketing materials that are delivered by Flock or any other vendor and talking to another police department that uses license plate readers.”- Michael Soyfer, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, a privacy advocate
A group of high school graduates. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
By Nathaniel Cline
The Virginia Board of Education has approved updates to its list of approved courses, clarifying expanded graduation requirements for schools.
The measure spells out graduation rules that schools must understand and follow, building on legislative efforts to expand how students can earn a standard or advanced studies diploma by meeting graduation requirements in math, science, history and social studies, economics and personal finance.
A protester outside Richmond City Hall during a demonstration against Flock cameras before a City Council meeting on July 27, 2026. (Photo by Jaysun Silver/VCIJ at WHRO)
By Kunle Falayi/Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO
A Williamsburg resident in March asked the police department at the College of William & Mary how data collected by the school’s Flock Safety surveillance system is shared.
Police Chief Don Butler asked Flock for the answer, according to records obtained by the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO. “I’m trying to be transparent with some folks who would rather we didn’t have Flock cameras,” Butler wrote to the company, “and want to make sure I tell them correctly.”
A statue of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in Virginia's Capitol Square on Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
COMMENTARY
By Jeff Bennett
On Aug. 28, 1899, hundreds of Black residents of Alexandria, Virginia, gathered at Shiloh Baptist Church after a white mob lynched 16-year-old Benjamin Thomas. On Friday night, August 28, 2026, exactly 127 years later, I sat inside the same church as Alexandria gathered there again.
The same day, about 100 miles south, workers in Richmond were removing three Confederate memorials from Capitol Square, statues honoring Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, former Virginia governor and Confederate general William “Extra Billy” Smith, and Confederate physician Hunter Holmes McGuire.
The coincidence was difficult to ignore. In Richmond, Virginia was reconsidering whom it had placed on pedestals. In Alexandria, a community was remembering someone history nearly forgot.
By Anna Claire Vollers
Jalapenos. Frozen berries. Beef. Alfalfa sprouts.
A summer of food recalls, including the record-shattering cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce that has sickened thousands, has raised many Americans’ fears of contracting a foodborne illness.
The recalls have focused attention on the Trump administration’s decision to cut funding and staff at several public health agencies, and prompted questions about whether those changes have made consumers more vulnerable.
NEWS TO KNOW
Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.
"Amazon's drone delivery is coming to Richmond. Here's what to know." | Richmond Times-Dispatch
"What's at stake in Virginia elections, including a key Senate race." | Staunton News Leader
"Virginia Tech gears up to fight enemy drones." | Cardinal News
"Cat lovers get more room as Virginia Cat Festival expands in Williamsburg." | Williamsburg Yorktown Daily
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