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Virginia AG Rushes To SCOTUS After State Court Blows Up Congressional Maps Virginia AG Rushes To SCOTUS After State Court Blows Up Congressional Maps
Virginia AG Rushes To SCOTUS After State Court Blows Up Congressional Maps Virginia’s congressional map war is now barreling toward the US Supreme Court just months before the 2026 midterms. Attorney General Jay Jones and top Democratic lawmakers filed an emergency appeal Monday, May 11, asking the nation’s highest court to revive Virginia’s voter-approved redistricting referendum after the Virginia Supreme Court struck it down in a bombshell ruling days earlier. The emergency filing came after the state’s high court declared the April 21 referendum “null and void” in a sharply divided 4-3 decision that instantly froze the new congressional maps and triggered a po…

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by Zak Failla
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Anti-Semitic Graffiti Suspects Caught On Camera Walking Away From Greenwood ES: Police Anti-Semitic Graffiti Suspects Caught On Camera Walking Away From Greenwood ES: Police
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Suspects Caught On Camera Walking Away From Greenwood ES: Police Three suspects accused of scrawling anti-Semitic graffiti across a Maryland elementary school were caught on surveillance cameras casually walking away from the scene in the middle of the night, police say. Now Montgomery County detectives are trying to figure out who they are. The vandalism happened around 3 a.m. Saturday, May 2, at Greenwood Elementary School on Gold Mine Road in Montgomery County, according to police. Investigators say anti-Semitic graffiti was spray-painted on both a wall and the side of the school's roof in Germantown. Surveillance images released by detectives show …

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by Zak Failla
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‘I Am Not Backing Down’: Powerful Virginia Democrat L. Louise Lucas Fires Back After FBI Search ‘I Am Not Backing Down’: Powerful Virginia Democrat L. Louise Lucas Fires Back After FBI Search
‘I Am Not Backing Down’: Powerful Virginia Democrat L. Louise Lucas Fires Back After FBI Search One of Virginia’s most powerful Democrats is accusing the Trump administration of trying to “intimidate and silence” political opponents after federal agents searched her office this week. Virginia Senate President pro tempore L. Louise Lucas issued a defiant public response on Wednesday, May 6, hours after reports surfaced that FBI agents had been seen outside her Portsmouth office as part of a federal corruption investigation tied to a Virginia cannabis company. Lucas, a longtime Democratic powerbroker in Virginia politics and close ally of Gov. Abigail Spanberger, suggested the investiga…

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by Zak Failla
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DOJ Investigating Fairfax Prosecutor Steve Descano Over Immigration Plea Deal Policies DOJ Investigating Fairfax Prosecutor Steve Descano Over Immigration Plea Deal Policies
DOJ Investigating Fairfax Prosecutor Steve Descano Over Immigration Plea Deal Policies A federal civil rights investigation has been launched into Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano over allegations that his office may have offered preferential treatment to undocumented immigrants during plea negotiations and charging decisions. The US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday, May 6, that its Civil Rights Division is formally investigating policies adopted by Descano’s office in Fairfax County. According to the DOJ, the probe will examine whether the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office discriminated against US citizens “by offering preferential trea…

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by Zak Failla
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MS-13 Gang Member Wanted In El Salvador Arrested By ICE Agents In Virginia, Feds Say MS-13 Gang Member Wanted In El Salvador Arrested By ICE Agents In Virginia, Feds Say
MS-13 Gang Member Wanted In El Salvador Arrested By ICE Agents In Virginia, Feds Say A suspected MS-13 gang member wanted for extortion and robbery in El Salvador was arrested in Virginia, according to federal officials. Josue Saul Garcia-Lopez was taken into custody on Monday, May 4, when ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents from Harrison tracked him down and re-arrested him. Garcia-Lopez, a Salvadoran native, has been identified in an international warrant as an active member of the MS-13 gang and tied to extortion and robbery schemes in his home country, officials noted. Federal officials say he entered the United States at an unknown time and location. He also …

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by Zak Failla
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Guatemalan National Accused Of Raping Child Arrested By ICE In Virginia Days After Release: HSI Guatemalan National Accused Of Raping Child Arrested By ICE In Virginia Days After Release: HSI
Guatemalan National Accused Of Raping Child Arrested By ICE In Virginia Days After Release: HSI A Guatemalan national accused of raping a child under the age of 13 was arrested again by federal agents in Virginia, days after being released from custody, according to officials. ICE agents arrested Walvin Victor Hugo Garcia on Friday, May 1, following a court appearance in Fairfax County, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday, May 5. Garcia had previously been arrested in June 2025 on multiple felony charges, including:  Rape of a child under 13; Aggravated sexual battery of a victim under 13; Use of a computer to commit a sex offense with a minor; Distributing…

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by Zak Failla
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Fowl Play At Dulles? RFK Jr.’s Bird ‘Rescue’ Has Virginia Doing A Double Take Fowl Play At Dulles? RFK Jr.’s Bird ‘Rescue’ Has Virginia Doing A Double Take
Fowl Play At Dulles? RFK Jr.’s Bird ‘Rescue’ Has Virginia Doing A Double Take Robert Kennedy Jr.'s curious history with animals took another strange turn this week in Virginia. The Health and Human Services secretary shared a photo of himself on social media at Dulles International Airport clutching a bird in his fist in front of a terminal. "Starling rescue today at Dulles Airport," the 72-year-old lawmaker posted on several platforms. View this post on Instagram The nature of the "rescue" was unclear, and airport officials have not commented on the incident. Comments on Kennedy's post ranged from scathing ("the earl…

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by Zak Failla
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'Bonded Forever': Maryland Astronaut Who Named Moon Crater For Late Wife Reflects On Fallon 'Bonded Forever': Maryland Astronaut Who Named Moon Crater For Late Wife Reflects On Fallon
'Bonded Forever': Maryland Astronaut Who Named Moon Crater For Late Wife Reflects On Fallon A Maryland astronaut who once walked the halls of a Baltimore County high school is now leaving a deeply personal mark on the Moon—and sharing the story with the world. Reid Wiseman, a Dulaney High School graduate and NASA commander, explained during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, April 30, that he and his Artemis II crewmates named a lunar crater after his late wife, Carroll Taylor Wiseman, who had ties to Virginia through James Madison University. The moment, Wiseman said, wasn’t planned, but became one of the most meaningful of the entire missio…

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by Zak Failla
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Romanian National Convicted In Virginia Child Sex Case Rearrested After Early Release: ICE Romanian National Convicted In Virginia Child Sex Case Rearrested After Early Release: ICE
Romanian National Convicted In Virginia Child Sex Case Rearrested After Early Release: ICE A convicted child sex offender from Romania who was sentenced in Virginia — but released early — is back behind bars after a new arrest out of state, and federal immigration officials now want her out of the country. Rebeca Fratila-Ilies, 34, was arrested on a probation violation in North Carolina on March 12, 2025, after previously being convicted in Staunton of sexually abusing a middle-school boy, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Fratila-Ilies was convicted of two counts of carnal knowledge of a child and statutory rape in Staunton Circuit Court and sentenced to 10 ye…

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by Zak Failla
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Two Days, Two Guns At Same Maryland HS: Second Student Caught With Loaded Weapon, Sheriff Says Two Days, Two Guns At Same Maryland HS: Second Student Caught With Loaded Weapon, Sheriff Says
Two Days, Two Guns At Same Maryland HS: Second Student Caught With Loaded Weapon, Sheriff Says For the second straight day, officers from the Charles County Sheriff's Office were called to St. Charles High School to investigate reports of a student with a gun. On Thursday, April 30, an administrator in the building spotted a student acting suspiciously and holding a backpack in a "manner that appeared unusual," investigators said. When the student placed the bag in a locker, the administrator conducted a search, which led to the recovery of a fully-loaded handgun. The 15-year-old never displayed the weapon, according to the sheriff's office, the firearm was safely secured, and a Sch…

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by Zak Failla
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Maryland Teen Caught With Loaded ‘Ghost Gun’ Inside High School After Trying To Flee: Sheriff Maryland Teen Caught With Loaded ‘Ghost Gun’ Inside High School After Trying To Flee: Sheriff
Maryland Teen Caught With Loaded ‘Ghost Gun’ Inside High School After Trying To Flee: Sheriff A Maryland teenager was caught with a loaded ghost gun inside a high school after trying to push past staff and run, authorities said. The incident happened on Wednesday, April 29, at St. Charles High School in Charles County, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. School administrators and the school resource officer were alerted to a 15-year-old student who may have had a firearm. When the school resource officer, along with an administrator, attempted to search the student, the teen tried to push past the administrator and flee. He didn’t get far. The school resource office…

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by Zak Failla
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Body Found Near Virginia High School Campus Sparks Death Investigation: Police Body Found Near Virginia High School Campus Sparks Death Investigation: Police
Body Found Near Virginia High School Campus Sparks Death Investigation: Police A death investigation has been launched in Northern Virginia after a dead body was found on a high school campus, police say. Officers from the Prince William County Police Department were called shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, to Potomac High School in Dumfries, where a 39-year-old man was found unconscious in the woods. The man, who investigators noted had no affiliation to the school, was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. There were no signs of foul play, according to police, and there is no ongoing threat to the community concerning the death. "More infor…

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by Zak Failla