Good morning, neighbors. Here is what is happening across Virginia today, with the wallet news first.
VIRGINIA TOP STORIES
1. Gas dips a little, but the year-over-year jump still stings. Virginia regular gas averaged $4.04 a gallon as of October 26, down 2 cents from a week ago, according to AAA data reported October 27. The national average was $4.28. Danville averaged $3.95, down 7 cents on the week, and Harrisonburg was $3.92. The hard part is the comparison to last year: Virginia regular was $2.87 a year ago. Diesel is still high, at $6.26 statewide.
2. Amtrak trains south of Washington are running again. Amtrak finished nine days of tunnel work in the First Street Tunnel just south of Washington Union Station, and service resumed today, October 27, after changes from October 16-26. If your train was rerouted last week, check your trip before you leave, but the work is done ahead of holiday travel.
3. Gordonsville votes to end its ICE agreement. On October 19, Gordonsville Town Council voted 3-2 to end its 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agreement let local officers act as immigration agents. Residents spoke at four straight meetings, and every speaker opposed the agreement, according to Charlottesville Tomorrow. ICE listed 22 active 287(g) agreements in Virginia; Gordonsville’s vote would bring that number to 21.
4. Manassas Park schools closed Monday after a weapon was found. Manassas Park City Schools closed all campuses Monday, October 26, after a weapon was found in the secondary parking lot, out of caution while police investigated. A later report said a school transportation worker found a loaded handgun between two division vans during morning safety checks at Manassas Park Middle School, and a staff member was arrested. No injuries were reported. Police are still working out who owned the gun and how it got there.
5. Two people killed in a Saturday night crash in Manassas. Prince William County police say a crash at Leland Road and Maplewood Drive at about 11:56 p.m. Saturday, October 24, killed the driver and passenger of a Honda Civic. Police say a GMC Sierra traveling at high speed ran a stop sign and hit the Civic. A 14-year-old passenger in the truck had non-life-threatening injuries. Police have not released the victims’ names yet, pending family notification, and ask witnesses to call 703-792-7000.
Quick local notes: Alexandria’s gas-powered leaf blower ban starts November 17, after an 18-month phase-out. U.S. national parks offer free entry today, October 27. Alexandria is also handing out limited-edition Halloween ‘I Voted’ stickers to early voters this week. Early voting runs ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.
VIRGINIANS / GENTE DE VIRGINIA
Louisa County neighbors get help that now stretches further. The Louisa County Resource Council serves nearly 4,000 people a month with groceries, clothing, dental help, and rides to medical appointments. A new rooftop solar system, fully funded by an Amazon grant, is now live. It should cut about $1,000 a month from the power bill. The group estimates that saving could put nearly 48,000 meals on tables each year.
Dogs got their own thank-you day in Manassas. The third annual Kukur Tihar USA celebration took place Sunday, October 25, at the Prince William County Animal Services Center in Manassas. Families honored dogs with marigold garlands and a red-carpet walk, and the event promoted shelter adoptions.
Community note: Parrish Law Firm in Manassas is collecting 500 winter coats for Northern Virginia Family Service shelter residents through Friday, December 11. Infant, children’s, and adult sizes are welcome.
REST OF VIRGINIA / EL RESTO DE VIRGINIA
Richmond schools keep going after a cyberattack. Richmond Public Schools kept all 53 campuses open after a cybersecurity incident found October 21 left staff laptops showing ransom messages. Teachers switched to paper and workarounds. On Monday, October 26, the district said it had set up a secure alternate network on Chromebooks. Wednesday, October 28, is now a school-based work day for teachers, and students stay home that day. The district has not confirmed whether personal records were taken.
Newport News homeowners can apply for tax help. The city’s ResidentFirst Housing Relief Grant pilot has $300,000 and runs first-come, first-served. It pays half of an eligible homeowner’s real estate tax as a credit on the June 2027 bill. Applications are open October 1 through December 31, 2026, with decisions by March 1, 2027. You must own and live in the home, meet income limits, and show housing costs of at least 30% of household income.
Virginia Beach turns wastewater gas into energy. Virginia Natural Gas, Hampton Roads Sanitation District, and Johnson Controls broke ground October 26 on a renewable natural gas facility at the Atlantic Treatment Plant in Virginia Beach. When it runs, it should make enough renewable gas each year for about 5,000 homes, with about 268 construction jobs and 18 permanent jobs. Note: this item is single-sourced from the project announcement.
WORLD TENSIONS / TENSIONES MUNDIALES
Talks on Iran moved a step forward, but oil stayed high. Officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey met Iranian leaders in Tehran on Monday, October 26, and agreed to keep talking about peace and security. Reuters reported Tuesday that Brent crude eased to $115.15 a barrel and U.S. crude to $101.32, still near six-month highs, after Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia kept supply worries alive. A Saudi-led coalition said it stopped a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh. For Virginia, this still shows up at the pump: diesel averaged $6.26 statewide, and Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia military families are watching the Strait of Hormuz closely, since about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passed through it before the conflict.
AROUND THE WORLD / POR EL MUNDO
- Brazil: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection with 51.8% of the vote, against 48.2% for Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who refused to concede and said he will seek to annul the runoff. Reports say a judge barred Bolsonaro from leaving Brazil and ordered him to surrender his passport.
- Serbia: Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat after Sunday’s parliamentary election, ending his long hold on power, with turnout reported near 70%. Note: this brief is single-sourced.
- Ethiopia: Church officials say more than 60 Christians were killed in an ambush in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, with more than 20 people injured and about 20 houses burned.
- South Korea: The economy grew 1.0% in the third quarter from the second quarter, and 3.4% from a year earlier, the Bank of Korea said. Seoul’s Kospi rose 3.09% Tuesday to 5,638.34.
Sources / Fuentes
AAA Fuel Prices (gasprices.aaa.com, October 26, 2026); WBTM Danville, October 27, 2026; Stacker / Harrisonburg gas prices, October 26, 2026; ALXnow Morning Notes, October 27, 2026; Amtrak via ALXnow; Charlottesville Tomorrow, Gordonsville ICE vote; Potomac Local News, Manassas crash and Manassas Park schools, October 26, 2026; Prince William County Police via Potomac Local / Prince William Crime; Amazon, Louisa County Resource Council, October 23, 2026; Potomac Local News, Kukur Tihar, October 27, 2026; Prince William Living, Monday Moment, October 26-November 1, 2026; Cybernews, GovTech / Richmond Times-Dispatch, and The Richmonder, Richmond schools, October 21-27, 2026; City of Newport News ResidentFirst program and The Legacy Newspaper; FMLink / Virginia Natural Gas project announcement, October 26, 2026; Reuters, October 27, 2026, and The Wall Street Journal on Iran and oil; Onest Network and AFP via Stockbiz on Brazil; Horizon / BBC summary on Ethiopia; The Edge Daily on South Korea.
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