Virginia News Today – October 7, 2026

Virginia News Today – October 7, 2026

Your daily look at what’s happening across the Commonwealth — gas prices, schools, Richmond, and how the Iran war keeps touching our wallets.

VIRGINIA TOP STORIES

1. Gas prices still climbing in Virginia: $4.13 average, up $1.39 from last year

Drivers are paying more again this week. The average price of regular gas in Virginia sits at $4.13 a gallon, according to GasBuddy’s survey of more than 4,000 stations across the state. That’s up two cents from last week and 69 cents from a month ago. The hardest number: prices stand $1.39 a gallon higher than a year ago. A separate AAA-based tracker put today’s statewide average at $4.20, with Richmond at $4.22.

2. Virginia wins in court: judge upholds in-state tuition for immigrant students

A federal judge ruled Monday that Virginia can keep its Dream Act in place, rejecting the Trump administration’s challenge. Senior U.S. District Judge Robert Payne granted Virginia’s motion for summary judgment, finding that neither the Domicile Pathway nor the Tuition Equity Pathway of the 2020 law is preempted by federal law. The federal government had argued the law gave benefits to undocumented students denied to out-of-state citizens. The state, now defending the law under Attorney General Jay Jones, said it doesn’t work that way — undocumented students simply can’t claim a Virginia domicile under the first pathway, and the second isn’t based on residence at all.

3. Parole board releases far outpace last year’s numbers

The state parole board, fully replaced by Gov. Abigail Spanberger in March, has granted parole to 38 people so far this year — more than the 32 granted in all of last year under Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s board, according to a Washington Examiner review of parole decision data. The review puts this year’s grant rate at 13.89%, against 1.23% for all of 2025. Earlier WJLA/7News reporting in September had put the new board’s rate near 10% versus roughly 1% under Youngkin. Critics, including a Virginia think tank, say the pace endangers communities; supporters of the shift argue the old rate was the outlier. What isn’t in dispute: the statute didn’t change — the governor did.

4. Richmond to resume property tax auctions — 85 properties flagged

Richmond is bringing back its tax-sale program next month, paused since the pandemic. Mayor Danny Avula and city officials said 85 properties that are two or more years behind on real estate taxes will get notices in November: pay up, set up a payment plan, or risk auction. Nearly 17,000 city accounts owe a combined $24.2 million; $5.4 million of that has crossed the two-year mark that makes a property eligible for sale. The first auctions wouldn’t happen before next June. The city says enforcement will prioritize vacant, blighted properties and ones owned by LLCs — and stresses that most accounts settle through payment plans before ever reaching auction.

5. ICE weekend arrests include cases in Alexandria and Richmond

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced weekend arrests it described as “the worst of the worst,” including two with Virginia convictions: a Salvadoran national convicted of homicide and other violent offenses in Alexandria, and one convicted of robbery and burglary in Richmond. Separately, a smaller outlet reported a Virginia–Maryland sweep totaled 1,328 arrests over two weeks, with about 400 involving people with criminal convictions or pending charges — that figure is single-sourced and hasn’t been confirmed by a second outlet. Enforcement in the region stays in the spotlight: the governor earlier ended state and local cooperation with ICE, and a DMV-area survey found 19% of Fairfax County households reported impacts from immigration enforcement this year.

VIRGINIANS / GENTE DE VIRGINIA

Food Rescue and Sentara team up to feed Greater Prince William

Northern Virginia Food Rescue announced a partnership with Sentara Health (October 1) to rescue more fresh food across the Greater Prince William area. The nonprofit moves donated food from stores, farms, and restaurants through about 145 partner organizations — pantries, shelters, senior communities, and schools — every week. The new partnership aims to raise the amount of food rescued by at least 25% next year, with more fresh produce, dairy, and protein. The announcement comes from the organizations themselves; a related effort, Northern Virginia Family Services’ Fall Food Drive, opens drop-off dates in November.

Mark your calendar: Make a Difference Day, October 24

Volunteer Alexandria is gearing up for Make a Difference Day on Saturday, October 24 — the annual national volunteer day, celebrated here since 1992. Trail crews will work segments of the Mount Vernon Trail near Gravelly Point, and organizers are asking for donations of nonperishable food for ALIVE! and winter coats for Koinonia Community Services. Last winter, the group’s Snow Buddies helped 111 Alexandria residents. (This one comes from The Zebra’s reporting; I haven’t found a second source yet.)

WORLD TENSIONS / TENSIONES MUNDIALES

Iran war, now in its eighth month

New this week: President Trump said Tuesday that “nobody knows who is running” Iran, as the conflict enters its eighth month. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the U.S. is “on the verge of achieving” its objectives and expects the operation to last “weeks, not months.” Meanwhile, a Quinnipiac poll found only 28% of voters approve of Trump’s handling of the war, and nine in ten believe the conflict is driving up U.S. gas and oil prices. That lands close to home in Virginia: our gas prices are $1.39 a gallon higher than last year, and the war in the Gulf — near the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s parliament speaker says stays closed for now — keeps pushing fuel costs up. A third U.S. carrier strike group is reportedly headed to the region around Election Day, with the midterms one month away.

AROUND THE WORLD / POR EL MUNDO

• Brazil heads to a runoff: Senator Flávio Bolsonaro finished first Sunday but below 50%, so Brazil votes again in a second round against President Lula. (Reuters)
• Floods kill two in Spain: Heavy rain and flooding in Catalonia killed two people, one when a wall collapsed in Tordera. (Reuters)
• Yemen fighting shifts: Saudi-backed government forces retake coastline near the Bab el-Mandeb strait; the Houthis responded by claiming attacks on Saudi targets including Riyadh’s airport. (Reuters)
• Ukraine war: Russia says Ukrainian drones hit two facilities at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant; no nuclear safety threat reported. (Reuters)

Sources / Fuentes: GasBuddy via ESPN Harrisonburg; whatsthepriceofgas (AAA data); Bloomberg Law; Courthouse News; Washington Examiner; WJLA/7News; realtor.com; The Richmonder; City of Richmond; DHS; Watchdog Report (single-sourced); FFXnow; EIN Presswire; Northern Virginia Family Services; The Zebra (single-sourced); Reuters; Quinnipiac poll via Nation Press; Reuters World News Summary via DevDiscourse. All quotes brief; facts paraphrased from the originals.