| Dear Fellow Patriots, Let’s be honest- 2025 is off to a rough start. Fires on the west coast, shocking water shutdowns in our own capital city in Richmond and a very ugly series of crimes and incidents in other parts of the country. How do we make sense of all of this and hold onto hope for the future? We study enough history to know that none of this is new. For four hundred years in Virginia there have been shocking deaths and plagues and accidents and horrors. This is life. What has made us successful is the ability and determination of our people to not give up and to carry on in the face of disappointment and adversity. What has made us special is the remarkable covenant of our ancestors expressed in our founding documents. This experiment with freedom and self-governance may appear to be in jeopardy but a moral and honest and liberated people can always correct themselves and restore faith and prosperity. In the coming months we will be preparing for our nation’s 250th birthday and while others may lament what we have been through we intend to celebrate our founding and our history and rejoice that we have arrived at this great moment of hope. I’d love for you to join us in our efforts to plan and execute educational and ceremonial events to celebrate this great birthday as a volunteer or as a donor. We are busy planning new events for 2025 and 2026. I’ll be sharing more details on these exciting events occasion soon!  John Reid Founding Chairman of The Virginia Council Virginia Election Updates: ‘Huge win for girls and women’: Judge blocks Biden’s Title IX rewrite nationwide | The College Fix By Micaiah Bilger Miyares wins Title IX lawsuit overturning Biden regulations By Brandon Jarvis Biden signs Spanberger’s law to remove caps on Social Security benefits for some retirees • Virginia Mercury By Charlotte Rene Woods Republican Cifers wins special election; two Northern Virginia seats stay in Democratic hands - Cardinal News By Elizabeth Beyer Miyares and Rouse spar on social media By Brandon Jarvis Another poll confirms tight Virginia Governor’s race between Spanberger and Earle-Sears • Virginia Mercury By Markus Schmidt Problems at Richmond’s water plant known before collapse By Luca Powell & Samuel B. Parker Is 45 days too long? Political fight begins over Virginia’s early voting period - WTOP News By Nick Iannelli Special Election Turnout: January 7, 2025 By VPAP  Register today for The Virginia Council monthly meeting as we present legislative updates from Craig DiSesa, Nancy Smith, & Stephen Haner. Wednesday, January 29th at 12 Noon We'll be meeting at Park Lane Tavern in Short Pump. Chris DiSesa is the President of Middle Resolution and will give an education issue update. Nancy Smith is Political Director of Middle Resolution and will present on election integrity. Stephen D. Haner is the Senior Fellow for State & Local Tax Policy at the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy and he will discuss energy concerns. REGISTER HERE Virginia Assembly, Senate & Governor updates: Virginia General Assembly effectively delays start of 2025 session due to Richmond’s water issues | WRIC ABC 8News By Ryan Nadeau Democrats demand massive tax hike on Virginians - Red Virginia News Compromise with governor is key, Virginia Democratic lawmakers say By Avery Davis Virginia government grinds to a halt as hospitals, residents hit by colossal water plant failure | Fox News By Charles Creitz Preview: 2025 Virginia General Assembly priorities By Jahd Khalil What happened at Richmond’s water treatment plant, causing widespread water crisis? | WRIC ABC 8News By Ryan Nadeau Bipartisan push revives Prescription Drug Affordability Board proposal in Virginia • Virginia Mercury By Charlotte Rene Woods Richmond, Henrico, Hanover lift boil water advisories - Axios Richmond By Sabrina Moreno Va. AG wants to address human trafficking, 'deceptive' TikTok practices in 2025 By Noah Kim Avula commits to ‘independent’ report on water plant failure By Graham Moomaw City put off replacement of part that caused water outage By Samuel B. Parker An Expensive Failure to Follow the Law | Bacon's Rebellion - By Dick Hall-Sizemore Avula inauguration events postponed due to water crisis By Graham Moomaw Fairfax County Public Schools superintendent silent about a massive data breach by a tech vendor, PowerSchool | Articles | fairfaxtimes.com By Asra Q. Nomani Could cutting out big investors help Virginia’s homebuyers? One legislator thinks so. By Ryan Murphy Smasal is facing a lawsuit from a former staffer over unpaid wages By Brandon Jarvis General Assembly seeks to address rural healthcare disparities By Colby Johnson General Assembly seeks to address rural healthcare disparities By Charles Creitz Man accused of stockpiling 150 homemade bombs must stay in jail until trial, judge rules | AP News By Ben Finley Federal Employment and Armed Forces by Congressional District By VPAP  Articles, News, & Quotes: About the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commemoration Established by the General Assembly to commemorate Virginia’s role in the 250th anniversary of American independence, the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) will mark the nation’s semiquincentennial by bringing Virginians together to learn more about Virginia’s key role in shaping the nation Richmond and Los Angeles Have Been Mugged By Reality | RealClearMarkets By Rob Smith From healthcare to hotels to live music, Richmond's water saga seeps into industries of all sorts - Richmond BizSense By Staff Virginia Residents Left Without Water As Pro-DEI Water Manager Sits At The Helm By Spencer Lindquist Virginia to receive $46 million in federal funds for Helene relief efforts • Virginia Mercury By Nathaniel Cline The people moving into rural Virginia since the pandemic make a lot more money than those who moved in before - Cardinal News By Dwayne Yancey Charges continued for area man accused of hate crime at UVA frat house | News | cbs19news.com By Mark Gad Opinion | Water Fiasco’s Silver Lining? by Paul Goldman - RVA Mag Invictus sentenced in connection with 2017 torch march | News | cbs19news.com By News Staff VMI’s Integrity at Stake | RealClearWire By Sal Vitale Marching-Toward-Violence-1.pdf The Capital Research Center: The Domestic Anti-Israeli Protest Movement By Ryan Mauro Hernandez Proposes Florida-Here-We-Come Bill — Kerry: By Hans Bader General Assembly Begins Monday - by Sheila M Furey, MD Virginia Museum of History & Culture Lafayette Bicentennial Farewell Tour Dinner, January 25th Feds approve amendments to Virginia's K-12 accountability and support plan • Virginia Mercury By Nathaniel Cline America’s 250th birthday prompts rethinking of historical markers • Virginia Mercury By Erika Bolstad State approves 7 historical markers - Cardinal News By Cardinal Staff Report: Virginia’s faith communities want to build affordable housing and they have plenty of land to do so. But it ain't easy. | WVTF By Brad Kutner Jamestown archaeologists hope ancient DNA can solve a gravesite mystery within historic church By Katherine Hafner Capitol Police Arrest Man Claiming To Have ‘Napalm’ At Grant Memorial By Daily Wire News  Interviews of Interest WRVA's CHARLES PYLE Reports on Richmond's Water Crisis Delegate MARK EARLEY JR. Forecasts the General Assembly Session WATCH: Senator Kaine talks legislative priorities - Fredericksburg Free Press By Ted Schubel Author DAVID SHEPHARD Discusses "The Biden Legacy" 'I need to tell y'all a story': How a grieving mother helped FCPS go cellphone free - Fredericksburg Free Press By Joey LoMonaco How Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons Broke Free from the Industry | PragerU By Marissa Streit The Board of The Virginia Council met this weekend for a planning session for 2025 and 2026. The Virginia Forum, monthly meetings, and new initiatives will be on the calendar soon. As we expand our educational efforts, we welcome committed volunteers to the cause! If you'd like to help in our efforts to celebrate the best of Virginia, please volunteer here.  Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press Issues Free Speech Victory for Albemarle Teacher! — Founding Freedoms Law Center By Victoria Cobb Marc Andreessen Is Right: Debanking Must End By Jack Solowey & David Inserra Meta Scraps DEI Amid Broader Corporate Retreat From Diversity Policies | The Epoch Times By Tom Ozimek If you are interested in donating appreciated securities, we now have an account to make it easy for you (see the information below). Contact us HERE for more details.  The Virginia Council has been blessed with unwavering support from the community since its founding a few years ago. And we decided to add some new ways to thank you for your ongoing assistance in our efforts to educate and inform Virginians. "Announcing The Virginia Council membership reward program. Sign up today on our website for the various levels of support!" Member level: Simple membership is free when you sign up for our email newsletter or attend a monthly meeting. Liberty level: For an annual contribution of $100 you get the newsletter, access to our monthly meetings and a commemorative Virginia Council lapel pin. Patriot level: When you step up to make an annual contribution of $250 you receive first access to tickets to our annual Christmas and Patriot Parties, the commemorative Virginia Council pin, and the newsletter and monthly meeting access. President's Council level: For a commitment of $1000 you receive the newsletter, access to our monthly meetings, 2 lapel pins, 2 invitations to both of our annual parties, and 2 VIP tickets to one Virginia Forum lecture of your choice. We hope you'll find these rewards an added incentive to help fund our efforts to restore a full view of Virginia's history, monuments & role that government plays in our lives. We appreciate all your support and encouragement and look forward to bringing you more compelling voices of liberty, freedom, and conscience over the next year. To become a Liberty, Patriot, or President's Council member, please make a contribution here. To volunteer, click here. The Executive Board of the Virginia Council The Virginia Council Preserving Virginia’s history and creating a more prosperous future for all Virginians. Stay Hopeful. Stay Connected P. O. Box 5 Manakin-Sabot, VA 23103, United States |
