Curated News from The Virginia Council 8/16/26

Special Feature: Flock Cameras - Boon or Bane?

Fact Check Team: What do Flock cameras do and why are they raising privacy concerns By Morgan Stevens

DeFlock Maps | ALPR Camera Map & Privacy Routes Crowdsourced ALPR surveillance map. Data from DeFlock & OSM contributors.

Facing mounting criticism, Flock moves to address concerns about its license plate cameras | Just The News By Greg Bishop

(9) A Guy on X Striving to be the VA Change Agent on X: "👉People are treating data centers in Loudoun as the problem. That is the wrong frame. Data centers did not create Virginia’s energy crisis. They exposed it. The 2026 General Assembly is already flooded with energy legislation, grid and transmission bills, cost-allocation https://t.co/FTdjHMLc90" / X

Matthew Cavedon joined Judicial Watch's Chris Farrell on the On Watch podcast to discuss Flock cameras | Cato Institute

Domestic violence survivors advocate: When it comes to protecting victims, we can't afford to look away - Cardinal News By Stacey Sheppard

Warren County Supervisor charged with assault following altercation after data center hearing | FOX 5 DC By Jesse Nguyen

Flocked-Up: Florida Cop Allegedly Used Flock 717 Times to Track His Estranged Wife – RedState By Ben Smith

(5) KanekoaTheGreat on X: "Joe Rogan: "I don't like this flock camera thing. I know it can protect people from crime. But I also know hundreds of cops have been busted for stalking people... You can't just spy on us and be a corporation and have access to all the license plates." Flock cameras are clearly https://t.co/Xu7a8MqhfW" / X

Knee-jerk Flock panic threatens a tool that's making us all safer By Rich Lowry

Alexandria's Flock page now lists the 161 Virginia agencies that can search its cameras By Ryan Belmore

(9) John Stossel on X: "GIVE ME A BREAK! Because the masses fear data centers, politicians jump at the chance to write more dumb rules. I thought Shapiro was better than that. Guess not. The facts on data centers: https://t.co/yEikyPpvPA" / X

The Problem With Flock | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics By Eric Peters

WATCH: Top Virginia State Senator Who Authored $15 Minimum Wage Bill Slams Data Centers for Paying Construction Workers Too Much By Thomas Catenacci

Flock cameras trigger pushback in rural and urban communities | WVTF By Mason Adams

Cop Fired After Allegedly Using Flock Cameras to Stalk Former Boyfriend – She Abused System 166 Times * The Gateway Pundit * by Jack Davis, The Western Journal

Loudoun Wants to Rein in the Data Centers Paying Nearly Half Its Local Taxes – RedState By Ben Smith

Politically Unstable: Flock cameras flip the Fourth Amendment on its head Judge Napolitano joins Kelly Sadler

Surveillance state or public safety? Fredericksburg LWV hosts forum on Flock cameras - Fredericksburg Free Press By Rick Horner

Flock revises privacy policy: Here’s what to know | WAVY.com By Michael Rinker

Lynchburg pauses use of Flock cameras - Cardinal News By Susan Cameron

A City’s War on Surveillance Cameras - by River Page

(9) Rand Paul on X: "Flock has 120,000 cameras tracking cars across America, no warrant required. Over 5,000 police agencies have signed on. This isn't crime fighting. This is mass surveillance of every American, and a violation of our 4th Amendment rights. https://t.co/LW67xSOAMN" / X

License Plate Readers (LPR) Cameras | Flock Safety

New Surveillance Tech Links Your Phone to Your License Plate – RedState By Ward Clark

In Defense of Flock - The Atlantic By Charles Fain Lehman

thehill.com/policy/technology/6016998-flock-camera-map-how-many-are-in-your-neighborhood/ By Alix Martichoux & Spencer Gustafson

(1) Flock to Replace Yorktown Camera "At No Cost"; McClellan Comments on Proposed Dominion-NextEra Merger By Josh Stanfield

Harrisonburg takes down Flock cameras | Politics And Government | dnronline.com By Richard H. Hronik III

(7) Stu Smith on X: "Having sat through plenty of city council meetings on Flock and similar technologies, I’ve noticed the same pattern again and again. Much of the organized opposition comes from police abolitionists, including activists tied to DSA, FRSO, and even CPUSA. But last night in https://t.co/LMOkf4MAOj" / X

As Flock surveillance spreads, Virginia communities push back By Kunle Falayi

Flock cameras are a ‘gamechanger,’ Henrico Police chief says, but residents' privacy concerns still abound By Liana Hardy

Man discovers how many times cops scanned his license plate - YouTube By Atlanta News First

Data Centers, Small-town Life, and the Future Play Well Together in Mecklenburg – Virginia Free Press By Martin A. Davis

Growing anti-Flock movement unifying Democrats and Republicans By Rikki Schlott

'Have I Been Flocked' lets drivers check if their cars have been recorded, searched By Shane Galvin

Virginia Government updates:

She shines the light – and leads the way – on the national challenge of gambling addiction - VCU News - Virginia Commonwealth University By VCU News Staff

Amid major federal shifts, McMahon urges Va. universities to reform practices, restore public trust • Virginia Mercury By Nathaniel Cline

Eugene Vindman clashes with trans voters at Virginia meeting | Advocate.com By Christopher Wiggins

How Virginia keeps tabs on cybersecurity threats as AI takes hold By Dean Mirshahi

Va. lawmakers consider digital protections for children as app store accountability debate continues • Virginia Mercury By Nathaniel Cline

Virginia sets clearer triggers for nursing home sanctions - Axios Richmond By Sabrina Moreno

Down the Drain - richmondmagazine.com By Ian M. Stewart

Hemp businesses ask federal judge to block Virginia’s new THC cap • Virginia Mercury By Markus Schmidt

The Unspoken Affordability Question – Virginia Colleges – Virginia Free Press By Martin A. Davis Jr.

16 senators sign letter urging Trump administration to declare Roanoke Valley native held in Russia as 'wrongfully detained' - Cardinal News By Dwayne Yancey

The Pulse: Virginia Department of Health reaffirms support for childhood vaccine schedule in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order - Cardinal News By Emily Schabacker

‘A betrayal’: International firefighters’ union unanimously censures Spanberger, says she ‘turned her back’ on them | WRIC ABC 8News By Ryan Nadeau

Richmond airport unveils giant hummingbird sculpture - Axios Richmond By Karri Peifer

The main lesson from DEQ’s groundwater report: Va. must budget to live within environmental limits • Virginia Mercury By Eric Bonds

Virginia Programs Promote Reading - The Daily Signal By Rich Tucker

History, Tradition, & the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence:

Great-Grandson of Slaves Blasts Smithsonian’s Woke ‘Indoctrination’: ‘It Makes Me Angry’ (Video) * The Gateway Pundit * by Margaret Flavin

Thomas Sowell as Cultural Historian | Coleman Hughes, Victor Davis Hanson, and Niall Ferguson

Suspect arrested, charged for allegedly vandalizing World War II memorial in DC, Pirro announces | Just The News By Kevin Killough

The fog of war: The Revolutionary War may have never reached Virginia without a meteorological miracle - Cardinal News By Kevin Myatt

(1) "Eric Metaxas: Why we Need to Know About our Revolution" By Naomi Wolf & Eric Metaxas

Federal judge rules against Confederate names for 2 Virginia schools | AP News

Freedom Redefined - Style Weekly A new exhibition at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia addresses different meanings of freedom. By Karen Newton

For sale at Richmond marina: One of the last surviving WWI boats. Needs work. By Daniel Payne

(1) William Howard Taft by John G. Roberts, Jr. - In Pursuit

(2) Atelier Missor on X: "The West has so much dormant potential. It is time to awaken it. It is time to usher in the Age of Prometheus. To charge fearlessly into chaos, unleash all the energy, and bring order to the universe. https://t.co/lpDPH0d5Rh" / X

The Constitution, Bill of Rights, & Liberty:

Hakeem Jeffries calls for Supreme Court overhaul if Dems capture midterms By George Caldwell

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Fast-Track Mail-In Ballot Case By Fred Lucas

O'Keefe, others go undercover to register voters under Minnesota 'voucher' law: 'You're the ID' | Just The News By Kevin Killough

Former SPLC CFO Heidi Beirich Arrested in Fraud Case By Tyler O'Neil

(1) Virginia's Constitutional Crisis - by Sheila M Furey, MD

Landmark Suppressor Ruling Leaves Gun World With Questions By Jordan Boyd

Campaign to enshrine voting rights in Virginia Constitution kicks off in Norfolk • Virginia Mercury By Charlotte Rene Woods

Noncitizen Voting Cases Contradict Claims They Don't Happen By Fred Lucas

Not a Single Democrat Backs Voter IDs in Jaw-Dropping Senate Vote – RedState By Kyle Becker

Virginia to take "F--k the police" license plate fight to Supreme Court - Axios Richmond By Sabrina Moreno

She's Going to Hate This — Ex-SPLC Employee Arrested for Wire Fraud Over Extremist Group Payments – RedState By Bob Hoge

Articles, News & Quotes:

Leftism thrives on its own failures By Jonathan Turley

| The Reid Revolution with John Reid | Facebook with Senatorial candidate Bert Mizusawa

(2) ((( charlottesville ))) on X: "🔥US @TheJusticeDept - Indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center @splcenter "F-37 was a member of the online leadership chat group that planned the 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ event in Charlottesville, Virginia and attended the event at the direction of the SPLC. F-37 made" / X

Big Tent, Small Space: Democratic Leaders Embrace the “Fine People” of the DSA as Radicals Call for Purges – JONATHAN TURLEY

The War on Ugly | Episode 1 | Viewer Discretion Advised By Julia James Davis

Virginia’s August Primary Felt Dead: Election Veteran Keith Flannigan on Low Turnout & What’s Coming By Buddy Bishop

(2) American Optimist on X: "Joe Lonsdale: It's perfectly fair to insist the data center owners pay for their own electricity, pay for their own water... But overall, they create jobs, and they're key to this industrial revolution for all of us... Young people are being taught to hate data centers, just https://t.co/JIblXdTKWt" / X

The Caisson Is Coming: Army Closes on Purchase of Middleburg Training Center | News | loudounnow.com By Norman K. Steyer

(4) Nick Freitas on X: "Did the Dems just steal an election with a thumb drive? In all fairness, in my election I wasn't 20 points ahead in the polls; maybe that's why the thumb drive in my district didn't get the same attention. Either way...those thumb drives sure are partisan! https://t.co/cIpKSVyrbo" / X

Congressional analysts predict Newport News Shipbuilding doesn’t have room to build Trump’s new battleships By Steve Walsh

(1) real communism has never been imagined - by el gato malo