The FXBG ADVANCE THURSDAY 7/9/26 NEWSLETTER
Michael Aubrecht: Black Loyalists in the Revolution. Dr. Patrick Neustatter: A Spelling Bee in My Bonnet. Yam Munah: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
Black Loyalists in the Revolution
By Michael Aubrecht, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
More than half a million African Americans lived in the Thirteen Colonies at the outbreak of the Revolution. Some were free; many were enslaved. As the patriot call to fight for liberty grew, the British government sought to undermine the expanding Continental Army by soliciting both free and enslaved African Americans.
Perhaps it is understandable why many of them did side with the British. As historian James Walker writes in his article “Myth, History and Revisionism: The Black Loyalists Revisited,” “The overriding motive of the escaped slaves and the one that was shared by free blacks who became loyalists, was for security in their freedom.”
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A Spelling Bee in My Bonnet
By Dr. Patrick Neustatter, SPECIAL to THE ADVANCE
I can’t stand people like Shrey Parikh, the 14 year old from Rancho Cucamonga, California, who just won the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Well, it’s not really anything I have against Shrey specifically, or the fact that he’s a hero because he knew how to spell “bromocriptine. (Last year’s winner had to spell “eclaircissement.”)
It’s all part of a resentment I’ve harbored for years because I can’t spell—a state of affairs that all too many people think means I’m a moron.
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A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
By Yam Munah, ADVANCE CONTRIBUTOR
There’s a possible white nationalist who goes for walks in my neighborhood every morning. Why do I think he may be a white nationalist? His “Appeal to Heaven” flag, for one thing. And the sign on the back of his truck says “Charlie Kirk is a martyr.
I’ve been noticing these sorts of things more lately since reading Tim Synder’s On Tyranny. In it, he urges his readers to do things like make eye contact and small talk with those around them, not only to un-silo ourselves, but also as a psychological stress test to see who will and who won’t meet your gaze.
So naturally, whenever we run into one another I greet my neighbor enthusiastically with a big smile, happy wave, and cheerful “Good Morning!” He doesn’t wear headphones, so I know he hears me, though he never responds, at least not initially. That’s why I always repeat myself, loudly, much to his chagrin.
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New News from Around the State
VaNews/Virginia Public Access Project
Judge halts enforcement of Virginia’s assault weapons ban statewide
By NORI LEYBENGRUB, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
A Washington County judge issued an order Tuesday night halting enforcement of Virginia’s assault weapons ban statewide. The order came as part of a lawsuit filed in the southwest corner of the state on behalf of individual gun owners and gun shop owners against the Virginia State Police superintendent and a patchwork of commonwealth’s attorneys across Virginia, including Washington County, Chesterfield County, York County, Frederick County, Giles County, and Chesapeake.
Virginia State Police clarifies marijuana enforcement after confusion over new law
By BRANDON JARVIS, Virginia Scope
Virginia State Police is clarifying its marijuana enforcement policy after an internal email showed instructions from a lieutenant stating that there are “no Code of Virginia violations related to marijuana” following changes enacted in this year’s state budget, a directive that aligned with questions over whether Virginia inadvertently created a yearlong gap in its marijuana laws. VSP Superintendent Jeff Katz indicated, however, that VSP will continue to enforce cannabis laws. “VSP acknowledges that there have been rumors and questions pertaining to the agency’s posture on cannabis enforcement,” he said in a statement. “I would like to make it clear that the Virginia state police will continue to enforce existing laws, in line with the code of Virginia.”
General Assembly panel balks on voting fate of acute-care facility
By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
The legislative panel charged with recommending, or not, to close an aging state facility for some of the frailest Virginians balked at a vote Wednesday, citing persistent concerns over the patients who remain there. Hiram Davis Medical Center’s air conditioning broke down last week, and regular checks of its plumbing still find legionella bacteria, while the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services says alternatives are available. After two years of presentations ... the General Assembly’s Joint Commission on Health Care is going to write a letter to Gov. Abigail Spanberger detailing its concerns and conditions it would like to see the department address. The commission decided to do that rather than have a formal vote on whether or not it would recommend closing the medical center in Dinwiddie County.
Virginia’s highest public earners come with a whistle or a corner office
By KUNLE FALAYI, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism
Virginia’s highest-paid workers were in a league of their own: University coaches and athletic directors dominated the top of the state’s payroll, with several earning more than $1 million. University of Virginia head football coach Tony Elliot earned over $3.4 million in total pay, the highest salary for a public employee in the Commonwealth in calendar year 2025, according to the public salary data analyzed by the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO. ... By contrast, Governor Abigail Spanberger earns an annual salary of $175,000. Attorney General Jay Jones receives $150,000 in compensation, while Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi earns significantly less at $36,321 annually, according to public data. These salaries are fixed by law.
By MICHAEL HEMPHILL, Cardinal News
Galax is widely known as the “Old-Time Music Capital of the World.” But who — and more importantly, whose race — is responsible for this distinction has become a dueling banjos of sorts that erupted recently into cries of racism and an online petition calling for a city councilman’s resignation. The debate began harmoniously enough at the city council’s June 8 meeting. Galax Tourism Director Patti Price-Love and Erica Crookshanks, the head of Downtown Galax Grows, presented what they thought was the final design for a new mural meant to celebrate Galax’s musical heritage, attributed in part to its famed Old Fiddlers’ Convention.
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