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All donations matched right now! Double your impact by donating at this link https://cardinalnews.org/membership/ or comment "Donate" and we'll send you the link directly. “There’s always something unique and adventurous going on to write about.” ✍️🌄 Virginia’s Republican congressional delegation will shrink from five members to three next year. Democrats Shannon Taylor and Elaine Luria unseated incumbents Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans, while Republicans John McGuire, Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith held on. But each saw his margin narrow: McGuire’s fell from 15 percentage points in 2024 to 2, Cline’s from 28 to just under 11, and Griffith’s from 45 to just under 32. Nationally, Republicans lost seven Senate seats and 44 House seats, with some races still undecided Wednesday. Yet Virginia’s remaining Republican congressmen and the state party chair stopped short of blaming President Donald Trump. They pointed instead to the familiar pattern of a president’s party losing seats in midterms — even as economic pressures, including high fuel prices linked to the Iran conflict and tariffs, prompted breaks with Trump elsewhere in the GOP. Montgomery County supervisors approved a 349-unit housing development on more than 260 acres of the historic Fotheringay property in Elliston, voting 6-1 Tuesday to grant Stateson Homes a special use permit. The plan includes 225 single-family homes and 124 townhomes, and is projected to double the village’s population of 855. The vote followed weeks of contentious debate and a second public hearing, required after a legal notice for the first hearing omitted information about part of the property. Nineteen people spoke Tuesday; all but one opposed the project. Board member Mary Biggs voted against it, citing the number of units. Those voting in favor said the decision was difficult, but that the developer had addressed residents’ concerns and the area needed population growth. District C representative Steve Fijalkowski said the proposal had split the community in half. The development will transform a section of the land surrounding Fotheringay, a historic house in Elliston. Montgomery County Sheriff-elect Tim Brown says he plans to evaluate the department before making personnel changes — and has no plans to bring in staff from outside. “That’s not my personality,” he said, rejecting the idea of arriving and “cleaning house.” Brown, who defeated interim Sheriff Robert Page by nearly 9,000 votes, is preparing for the role while continuing as a Christiansburg police lieutenant. He plans to meet individually with department staff and says any promotions would come from within. Brown expects to retire from the police department Nov. 30 and be sworn in as sheriff either Nov. 23 or Dec. 1. The county’s first African American sheriff-elect also outlined plans to increase transparency: quarterly meetings with news media and the department’s policies posted online for the public. His first public comments since winning the election offer an early picture of how he intends to lead.

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