| Dear friends and citizens, A vital protection from the vile movement that seeks to destroy important elements of Virginia's past has been erased. The Virginia Council has learned that the Capitol Square Preservation Council has been effectively "disbanded" according to Karen La Forge, Executive Director of the Virginia Capitol Foundation. This is the organization created by the legislature under the Code of Virginia (Title 30, Chapter 28, §§ 30-193 and 30-194) to act as a public review board for all the architecture and grounds of Capitol Square. The Preservation Council was stripped of its funding and personnel by the 2025 Virginia state budget bill (Acts of Assembly Chapter 725, approved May 2, 2025) and states that the Capitol Square Preservation Council is no longer in operation and includes a reversion of $764,114 in unspent general funds from the Council. The Capitol Square Preservation Council was entrusted by the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia to oversee the Capitol Square and interior of the Capitol: “With regard to the architectural, historical, archeological, and landscape features of Capitol Square and antiquities contained therein, the Council shall:… Review all plans or proposals for alterations, improvements, additions, renovations, or other disposition that is structural or architectural in nature. No implementation of such plans or proposals shall take place prior to review by the Council.” There have been no annual reports generated by the Council (as required by law) for 2021, 2022, or 2023. A report for 2024 was submitted on January 2, 2025, but it stated the Council had no staff or activities that year. While technically moribund, the Council is still existent by statute, however all the Council's duties have been shifted to the Department of General Services, which reports to the Governor. Governor Youngkin abandoned this public safeguard for “the architectural, historical, archeological, and landscape features of Capitol Square and antiquities” on “the grounds and the interior and exterior of all buildings in that area in the City of Richmond bounded by Bank, Governor, Broad, and Ninth Streets.” No notice, no warning, no explanation. Executive Director La Forge didn't think that there were any plans for the destruction or removal of any items on the Square or in the Capitol as of last week. However, with a new administration staffed with those dedicated to ‘re-imagining’ history nothing is for certain. This is why The Virginia Council continues to stand up for the preservation of the monuments and statues still standing as well as those torn down by unruly mobs with the obvious approval of those in power at the time. Our legal case against those transgressions is still alive and ongoing. We want to force a valid bidding process in Richmond for the artifacts and artworks that are currently assigned ignominiously and shamefully to the asphalt of a water treatment plant. Please help us in this effort; your donations and support will send a clear message to the new administration that this type of destruction will not be tolerated any more. You can donate to the legal fund HERE. Sincerely,  Will McGurn Interim President, The Virginia Council The Virginia Council is proud to present the first Virginia Forum event of 2026!  PURCHASE TICKETS Sponsorship packages are available to support one or all of our events! If you like to be a Virginia Forum sponsor for one or all 4 of our events please check the link below: For Virginia Forum Sponsorship Opportunities, click HERE.  Top Stories: Virginia Democrats look to decimate GOP seats in redistricting effort - POLITICO By Brakkton Booker Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger just signed 10 executive orders By WTVR CBS 6 web staff House of Delegates passes 4 constitutional amendments on the first day of the 2026 General Assembly session - Cardinal News By Elizabeth Beyer State Senate passes four constitutional amendments to close out first week of session - Cardinal News By Elizabeth Beyer With a cabinet heavy on experience, Spanberger seems primed for fast start - Cardinal News By Dwayne Yancey Virginia Democratic House Leadership lays out 2026 legislative priorities | WVTF By Brad Kutner January Releases Governor Abigail Spanberger Announces Board Appointments for GMU, UVA, & VMI Virginia Judge Denies Republican Effort to Block Congressional Redistricting Amendment - SJO Daily By Dani Tietz In his final address, Youngkin urges lawmakers to work with Trump - Cardinal News By Elizabeth Beyer DOJ sues Virginia for withholding voter registration data By Ryan Mancini ‘MLK Day of Service’ to honor local, national historic legacies - Richmond Standard By Kathy Chouteau Event Detail - Virginia American Revolution 250 Commemoration - VA250 Celebrate the 300th birthday of Brigadier General and physician Hugh Mercer! TODAY January 18, 2026, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM City of Fredericksburg  In an effort to streamline our weekly newsletter yet still report to you the news of the Commonwealth, we are trying something new. If you'd like to access ALL the curated news stories complied by The Virginia Council this week, please click HERE which will take you to The Virginia Council website. We hope that this new way of delivering information about The Virginia Council makes it easier for you to stay connected with our activities, while still providing you a library of pertinent news and information about the Commonwealth. Home - Patrick Henry's Red Hill Patrick Henry Jolly, a descendant of the founder, gave an informative and amusing presentation about Patrick Henry's home Red Hill. The first Bi-Monthly meeting of 2026 was a sold-out success. Jolly kicked off our coverage and celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.A. with a revealing history of the man behind the famous “Give me liberty or give me death!” speech at St. John's church. 11 family members lived together in the small cottage: no wonder there's no privacy amendment to the Constitution! Jonathan Turley speech at the Library of Virginia: Free Speech is The Indispensable Right Professor Turley gave an inspired and impassioned defense of Free Speech in Richmond, VA yesterday. He argued that free speech and thought are integral elements of our identity as human beings. And it was our founders who encoded these natural rights in our Constitution and government for the first time ever. Professor Turley remarked that he was honored to speak on Friday at the Library of Virginia since it was Religious Freedom Day and Richmond and its inhabitants had played such a central role in defending that right. The presentation was sponsored by the Valentine Museum and the First Freedom Center, which celebrates the spot where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1777. Enacted with support from James Madison in 1786, this revolutionary document paved the way for the first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Dr. Turley described how the ‘natural rights’ of mankind by John Locke were the philosophical bedrock of the Declaration and the Bill of Rights. He argued that they should be considered ‘autonomous' & inalienable, rather than merely ‘functional’ or politically based and that we “cannot be fully human without them”. He cautioned that censorship “has never worked and has a perfect history of failure” and the erosion of free speech, especially through private actors constrained by government interference such as social media, was the “greatest threat to democracy”. He believes that good speech should be free to drive out or counter hateful, incorrect, or misleading speech. He cited James Madison's essay from 1800, 'Sedition is a Monster' as a cautionary tale that the urge to censor “lives and sleeps within us and is released when we are angry and afraid”. He said that we are currently in another “age of rage”, which have happened many times in our Republic. He left the audience on a hopeful note that we will survive this era as long as we still enjoy the benefits inherent in our creation and the protection of the Bill of Rights to prevent government overreach. The Valentine First Freedom Center and Monument - The Valentine Museum Religious Freedom Day, 2026 – The White House   Professor Jonathan Turley addresses the question, “If you are not a free speech absolutist, nor a ‘functionalist’ or ‘consequentialist’, where do you draw the line concerning permissible vs. lawful free speech?” posed by The Virginia Council board member Professor Scott Daniels. Twisted History  The Federalist Staff’s 2025 Winners And Losers Of The Year Elle Purnell's winner: Arlington Cemetery's Reconciliation Monument Help us to stop the further destruction and degradation of our historic past today! Help us fight for an honest, legal process to determine the fate of these historic pieces of art from Richmond. Decisions made by the mob are not a democratic process, but tyrannical. There have been some victories, but Virginia's monuments and history are still at risk of being erased. PLEASE DONATE HERE Click HERE for all the week's curated news from The Virginia Council Announcing The Virginia Council membership reward program. Sign up today on our website for the various levels of support!" Freedom 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 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 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 |
| Dear friends and citizens,A vital protection from the vile movement that seeks to destroy important elements of Virginia's past has been erased. The Virginia Council has learned that the Capitol Square Preservation Council has been effectively "disbanded" according to Karen La Forge, Executive Director of the Virginia Capitol Foundation. This is the organization created by the legislature under the Code of Virginia (Title 30, Chapter 28, §§ 30-193 and 30-194) to act as a public review board for all the architecture and grounds of Capitol Square. The Preservation Council was stripped of its funding and personnel by the 2025 Virginia state budget bill (Acts of Assembly Chapter 725, approved May 2, 2025) and states that the Capitol Square Preservation Council is no longer in operation and includes a reversion of $764,114 in unspent general funds from the Council.The Capitol Square Preservation Council was entrusted by the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia to oversee the Capitol Square and interior of the Capitol: “With regard to the architectural, historical, archeological, and landscape features of Capitol Square and antiquities contained therein, the Council shall:… Review all plans or proposals for alterations, improvements, additions, renovations, or other disposition that is structural or architectural in nature. No implementation of such plans or proposals shall take place prior to review by the Council.” There have been no annual reports generated by the Council (as required by law) for 2021, 2022, or 2023. A report for 2024 was submitted on January 2, 2025, but it stated the Council had no staff or activities that year.While technically moribund, the Council is still existent by statute, however all the Council's duties have been shifted to the Department of General Services, which reports to the Governor. Governor Youngkin abandoned this public safeguard for “the architectural, historical, archeological, and landscape features of Capitol Square and antiquities” on “the grounds and the interior and exterior of all buildings in that area in the City of Richmond bounded by Bank, Governor, Broad, and Ninth Streets.” No notice, no warning, no explanation.Executive Director La Forge didn't think that there were any plans for the destruction or removal of any items on the Square or in the Capitol as of last week. However, with a new administration staffed with those dedicated to ‘re-imagining’ history nothing is for certain.This is why The Virginia Council continues to stand up for the preservation of the monuments and statues still standing as well as those torn down by unruly mobs with the obvious approval of those in power at the time. Our legal case against those transgressions is still alive and ongoing. We want to force a valid bidding process in Richmond for the artifacts and artworks that are currently assigned ignominiously and shamefully to the asphalt of a water treatment plant. Please help us in this effort; your donations and support will send a clear message to the new administration that this type of destruction will not be tolerated any more. You can donate to the legal fund HERE.Sincerely, |
|
| Will McGurnInterim President, The Virginia Council |
| The Virginia Council is proud to present the first Virginia Forum event of 2026! |
|
| Sponsorship packages are available to support one or all of our events! If you like to be a Virginia Forum sponsor for one or all 4 of our events please check the link below:For Virginia Forum Sponsorship Opportunities, click HERE. |
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| Top Stories: |
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| In an effort to streamline our weekly newsletter yet still report to you the news of the Commonwealth, we are trying something new. If you'd like to access ALL the curated news stories complied by The Virginia Council this week, please click HERE which will take you to The Virginia Council website.We hope that this new way of delivering information about The Virginia Council makes it easier for you to stay connected with our activities, while still providing you a library of pertinent news and information about the Commonwealth. |
| Home - Patrick Henry's Red HillPatrick Henry Jolly, a descendant of the founder, gave an informative and amusing presentation about Patrick Henry's home Red Hill. The first Bi-Monthly meeting of 2026 was a sold-out success. Jolly kicked off our coverage and celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.A. with a revealing history of the man behind the famous “Give me liberty or give me death!” speech at St. John's church. 11 family members lived together in the small cottage: no wonder there's no privacy amendment to the Constitution! |
| Jonathan Turley speech at the Library of Virginia: Free Speech is The Indispensable Right |
| Professor Turley gave an inspired and impassioned defense of Free Speech in Richmond, VA yesterday. He argued that free speech and thought are integral elements of our identity as human beings. And it was our founders who encoded these natural rights in our Constitution and government for the first time ever.Professor Turley remarked that he was honored to speak on Friday at the Library of Virginia since it was Religious Freedom Day and Richmond and its inhabitants had played such a central role in defending that right. The presentation was sponsored by the Valentine Museum and the First Freedom Center, which celebrates the spot where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1777. Enacted with support from James Madison in 1786, this revolutionary document paved the way for the first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.Dr. Turley described how the ‘natural rights’ of mankind by John Locke were the philosophical bedrock of the Declaration and the Bill of Rights. He argued that they should be considered ‘autonomous' & inalienable, rather than merely ‘functional’ or politically based and that we “cannot be fully human without them”.He cautioned that censorship “has never worked and has a perfect history of failure” and the erosion of free speech, especially through private actors constrained by government interference such as social media, was the “greatest threat to democracy”. He believes that good speech should be free to drive out or counter hateful, incorrect, or misleading speech.He cited James Madison's essay from 1800, 'Sedition is a Monster' as a cautionary tale that the urge to censor “lives and sleeps within us and is released when we are angry and afraid”. He said that we are currently in another “age of rage”, which have happened many times in our Republic.He left the audience on a hopeful note that we will survive this era as long as we still enjoy the benefits inherent in our creation and the protection of the Bill of Rights to prevent government overreach.The Valentine First Freedom Center and Monument - The Valentine MuseumReligious Freedom Day, 2026 – The White House |
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| Professor Jonathan Turley addresses the question, “If you are not a free speech absolutist, nor a ‘functionalist’ or ‘consequentialist’, where do you draw the line concerning permissible vs. lawful free speech?” posed by The Virginia Council board member Professor Scott Daniels. |
| Twisted History |
|
| The Federalist Staff’s 2025 Winners And Losers Of The YearElle Purnell's winner: Arlington Cemetery's Reconciliation Monument |
| Help us to stop the further destruction and degradation of our historic past today!Help us fight for an honest, legal process to determinethe fate of these historic pieces of art from Richmond.Decisions made by the mob are not a democratic process,but tyrannical.There have been some victories, but Virginia's monuments and history are still at risk of being erased. |
| Click HERE for all the week's curated news from The Virginia Council |
| Announcing The Virginia Council membership reward program. Sign up today on our website for the various levels of support!"Freedom 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 |
| 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 CouncilPreserving 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 |
