It’s Friday, August 1, 2025.

Hey, y’all. It’s Amie.

We thought we knew everything when we bought our home back in 2016. As almost-weds, we closed on a circa 1910 two-story just two weeks before our wedding and moved in after our honeymoon. Within the first year, we’d ripped up the carpet upstairs (except one small pesky corner we still haven’t gotten to nearly a decade later) and in the kitchen. Who puts carpet in a kitchen anyway? 

You couldn’t have convinced us we weren’t the next HGTV stars with impressive projects like that. Then there came the vexatious oil circulator that works about as often as it malfunctions, the galvanized and copper metal mixture that caused our pipes to burst and require full replacement, and the roof that we’ve accepted looks pretty cool covered in moss and random plants.

While we’ve come to terms with the fact that we have a long way to go before becoming the next Chip and Joanna Gaines, we’ve also discovered that experience is the best teacher. Enjoy reading about some actual HGTV goodies in today’s lead story, written by Dorothy Scott. No matter where you call home, I’m so glad you’re here.

HGTV fans will love these “House Hunters” episodes set right here in Virginia. (Shutterstock)

Here’s what you need to know: HGTV’s “House Hunters” has been showing off Virginia properties for years, and these episodes are the best examples of what our state has to offer.

Our top picks: 

• “Virginia Is for Mothers,” according to this family—Set in Strasburg, the episode sees a couple searching for a home that will be perfect for their children’s childhood. They want stability and a home that won’t give them too many problems. A home that won’t require too much renovation or upkeep is all the mom wants, but her husband thinks they could score a better deal if they go the fixer-upper route. 

• This couple becomes ensnared in “Art and History in Virginia”—Here’s the lowdown: A young teacher is offered a teaching position in Williamsburg, leading to the couple’s move. The catch? She really wants an art studio in the home. Meanwhile, her partner doesn’t care for big spaces like this, instead preferring interesting characteristics that help a home stand out. 
• “Old Holiday Traditions Move to a New Home” for one young woman—Holiday traditions create some of the most powerful forms of nostalgia that we carry on into adulthood, and for one young woman, they become the basis of her home-buying thought process. This single woman embarks on a first-time homebuyer journey alongside her mom and grandma, only to find that her expectations might be a little too high.

Enjoy the thrill of house hunting? Our synopses of Virginia episodes at the link below pack good drama, funny expectations, and heartwarming results that make them well-rounded watches.

Where was your first home—how big (or small) was it, and what drew you to the location? Let me know at amie@couriernewsroom.com.  

Democratic nominee for Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger has been rolling out policies she hopes would improve the economy. 

“I’m looking forward to implementing my ‘Growing Virginia’ plan. I’m looking forward to being a salesperson for Virginia,” Spanberger said. “Trying to bring as many businesses here to help those who have lost their federal employment find a new place. To ensure that those who have lost their federal employment may be able to transition to private sector or state and local government.”

Listen in as she outlines her vision.

• Life-saving crews responded to the site of a heinous crime in Danville on Wednesday when City Councilman Lee Vogler, the director of sales at Showcase Magazine, was attacked and set on fire. The suspect was held in the Danville City Jail under no bond and charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding. (Read more here)

• A Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates running in a Republican district is making support for unions part of his pitch to voters. Rodney Nickens Jr. is the Democratic challenger up against Republican incumbent Del. Jay Leftwich to represent House District 90 in Chesapeake, a district Leftwich won by more than 26 percentage points in 2023. (Read more here)

• In 2024, thousands of older Virginians picked up the phone, opened an email, or answered a message from someone they thought they could trust. Many never got their money back. According to newly released data from the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, seniors in Virginia lost $106 million last year to scams, placing the Commonwealth 11th in the nation for total elder fraud losses. (Read more here)

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