Nick Minock

Reporter for WJLA @7NewsDC ABC in Washington, D.C. and Virginia. Fmr. TV news reporter for CBS, NBC, & FOX stations in Minnesota, South Carolina and Michigan.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

I’m happy to share I won three Emmys last night, including one for Daily News Reporter! Thank you to my wife and family, God, our loyal viewers, my sources, my team at WJLA, and the judges!

More information on the Emmy wins:

🏆 Talent: Reporter - Daily News
⁃Stories that were judged: My coverage of Loudoun County Public Schools and Superintendent Aaron Spence and how Spence handled student overdoses, my coverage on the Fairfax County and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, and my coverage on Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano.

🏆 Politics/Government News
⁃Stories that were judged: “Uncovering Local Politicians' Lavish International Travel” My reporting showed viewers how Loudoun County Chair Phyllis Randall and Supervisors Juli Briskman, Koran Saines, and Sylvia Glass spent tax dollars on lavish trips. My reporting also showed how the elected officials spent their time during taxpayer funded trips.

🏆 Business/Consumer News
⁃Stories that were judged: “Exposing Bogus Job Claims from Elected Officials” Loudoun County Chair Phyllis Randall claimed her lavish taxpayer funded international sister city trips brought a significant amount of jobs and investments to Loudoun County. My reporting showed viewers that was not true.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

🚨Gov. Abigail Spanberger is making the argument that she’s made life more affordable for everyday Virginians.

But ten months into her term, many Virginians have made it clear their life is not more “affordable.”

I asked the Governor if she wants the Democratic majority in the General Assembly to:

1) scrap the hated annual car tax
2) freeze rate hikes on power bills
3) pause the state’s gas tax

Her answers ⬇️

[Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_]

NEW: DHS confirms to @FoxNews that a suspect arrested on a Newark to New Orleans United flight last night for allegedly storming the cockpit and claiming to have a bomb, leading to United putting out a hijack alert for the plane, is a 2x previously deported Honduran illegal alien.

Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto was arrested by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office once the flight landed at MSY (New Orleans airport) and he has been charged with felony bomb threat, terroristic threats, and disorderly conduct.

Per DHS - Gomez-Alberto crossed the Texas border illegally in 2011 and was deported, then illegally re-entered through the New Mexico border in 2014 and was deported a second time. He illegally re-entered the country a third time in 2019, was arrested by Border Patrol, but was released from custody after an immigration judge ordered his release.

He is currently being held without bond by law enforcement in Louisiana.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

🚨A new law went into effect in Virginia that makes it easier for accused criminals to seal their crimes from public view.

Supporters insist the idea behind the law was to help accused and convicted criminals get jobs and housing. But the new law also makes it more difficult for the public to find out if prosecutors botched or dropped cases and allowed criminals to walk free.

There have been some cases where 7News has shown Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and his office making major mistakes or dropping charges in cases like Abdul Jalloh, who is now accused of murdering a single mother – and a total stranger - earlier this year.

But under this new Clean Slate law, those mistakes, dropped charges, or lenient plea deals can be hidden from the public.

For instance, today, this new law blocked 7News from seeing what happened in a sexual assault case.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

For the first time, I interviewed Steve Descano’s opponent. Brittany Dunn-Pirio is raising money and releasing major endorsements as she seeks to stop Descano from winning a third term.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

New: Steve Descano’s primary opponent Brittany Dunn-Pirio released a list of endorsements today.

“Fairfax deserves a functional, competent prosecutor’s office, and right now the people paying the price the most are women and children who count on that office to protect them,” said Dunn-Pirio. “These leaders agree. They’ve seen what’s happening in that office, they know it doesn’t have to be this way, and they trust me to fix it. I’m proud to have their support. They know being the Commonwealth’s Attorney is about doing the right thing for every victim, every defendant, and every person affected by crime.”

The endorsements include:

Virginia General Assembly

Sen. Russet Perry, Virginia State Senate, District 31
Del. Marcus Simon, Virginia House of Delegates, District 13
Del. Gretchen Bulova, Virginia House of Delegates, District 11
Del. Laura Jane Cohen, Virginia House of Delegates, District 15
Del. Garrett McGuire, Virginia House of Delegates, District 17

Local Elected Officials

Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, Fairfax County
Supervisor Kristen Umstattd, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
Robyn Lady, Chair, Fairfax County School Board
Billy Bates, Fairfax City Council Member
Sabrina Bruce, Herndon Vice Mayor-elect
Meron Yohannes, Herndon Town Council Member-elect

Community Leaders

Sharon Bulova, Former Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
Greg Rosen, Former Chief of the Capitol Siege Section, Breach and Assault Unit, U.S. Department of Justice
Col. Bree Fram, U.S. Space Force (Ret.)
Jay Reddy, Attorney and former officer, Fairfax County and Dranesville District Democratic Committees

[7News DC @7NewsDC]

For years, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has described his Afghanistan deployment as the experience of an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper who led soldiers in combat. Now, the Army officer who supervised Moore daily says his accounts of what happened there in 2005 and 2006 are unequivocally false.
https://t.co/rFcS4fZX0Z

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

New: Steve Descano’s primary opponent Brittany Dunn-Pirio released a list of endorsements today.

“Fairfax deserves a functional, competent prosecutor’s office, and right now the people paying the price the most are women and children who count on that office to protect them,” said Dunn-Pirio. “These leaders agree. They’ve seen what’s happening in that office, they know it doesn’t have to be this way, and they trust me to fix it. I’m proud to have their support. They know being the Commonwealth’s Attorney is about doing the right thing for every victim, every defendant, and every person affected by crime.”

The endorsements include:

Virginia General Assembly

Sen. Russet Perry, Virginia State Senate, District 31
Del. Marcus Simon, Virginia House of Delegates, District 13
Del. Gretchen Bulova, Virginia House of Delegates, District 11
Del. Laura Jane Cohen, Virginia House of Delegates, District 15
Del. Garrett McGuire, Virginia House of Delegates, District 17

Local Elected Officials

Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, Fairfax County
Supervisor Kristen Umstattd, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
Robyn Lady, Chair, Fairfax County School Board
Billy Bates, Fairfax City Council Member
Sabrina Bruce, Herndon Vice Mayor-elect
Meron Yohannes, Herndon Town Council Member-elect

Community Leaders

Sharon Bulova, Former Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
Greg Rosen, Former Chief of the Capitol Siege Section, Breach and Assault Unit, U.S. Department of Justice
Col. Bree Fram, U.S. Space Force (Ret.)
Jay Reddy, Attorney and former officer, Fairfax County and Dranesville District Democratic Committees

[Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_]

BREAKING: And this one is a stunner.

@FoxNews projects that Annie Andrews (D) will defeat Darline Graham (R) for US Senate in the traditionally reliably red state of South Carolina.

This will be another Democrat FLIP in the Senate.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner announced this will be his last campaign.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

Democratic Congressman Eugene Vindman is seeking reelection in VA-7. He narrowly won the seat two years ago.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

New: An illegal immigrant and MS-13 gang member was arrested by ICE after his attempted escape ended in a chaotic crash in Alexandria, Virginia, federal authorities said.

ICE said its Washington, D.C., Fugitive Operations Team arrested Walter Alexander Soto-Rodriguez on Oct. 29. The agency said he is a "documented member of the MS-13 Gangsters Clique."

During the arrest attempt, Soto-Rodriguez allegedly clipped an ICE vehicle and hit several parked cars before weaving around other vehicles and crossing into oncoming traffic at a high-speed. He lost control and crashed into a guardrail, ICE said.

ICE officers pinned the vehicle, but Soto-Rodriguez got out and ran about 20 feet before officers caught him.

“Walter Alexander Soto-Rodriguez has proven to be a significant danger to our Northern Virginia communities,” ICE's D.C. Field Office Director Robert Guadian said. “Not only is he a member of a transnational terror organization, he displayed a blatant disregard for human life during his arrest.”

ICE said Soto-Rodriguez entered the United States near Lukeville, Arizona, in May 2016, without being admitted, inspected or paroled by an immigration official. An immigration judge ordered him removed from the country on May 8, 2025.

"This arrest demonstrates Secretary Mullin’s commitment to arresting and deporting criminal illegal aliens from American communities and is in keeping with President Trump’s promise to Make America Safe Again," the agency said in a statement.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

New: Today, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s handpicked parole board released more violent felons early.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

New: At last night’s Loudoun County School Board meeting it came to light that the school system has implemented a hiring freeze for teachers without the school board’s authorization.  And school administrators proposed closing four schools in rural parts of the county to save money.

The school board has managed to find millions of taxpayer dollars to build new co-ed school bathrooms to accommodate transgender and non-binary students, after-school care for some families in eastern Loudoun, and a warehouse operation to distribute free items to community members.

The school board has also found money in its $2 billion budget to hire more highly paid administrators and give big raises year after year to Superintendent Aaron Spence, whose compensation exceeds half a million dollars.

During the school board public comment period on Tuesday, several parents asked the school board not to close the four schools.  Meanwhile, some immigrant parents in eastern Loudoun County, who didn't speak English, asked the school board to expand taxpayer-subsidized after-school care. 

An interpreter on behalf of a Spanish-speaking parent told the school board, "I would like to thank you for allowing me this after-school pilot program to be implemented. Thanks to this effort, many families are seeing the benefits these programs provide to our children. My son attends Guilford Elementary School and participates in this program. As a mother, I have seen how beneficial it has been for him. He not only has a safe place to stay after school, but he also learns, interacts with other children, and participates in activities that positively contribute to his academic and social development. As a mother who works extended hours, this program gives me great peace of mind. I can fulfill my work responsibilities knowing my child is in a safe place, learning and making good use of his time while I finish work and get there to pick him up. These programs benefit more than 250 families, but funding and available spaces are currently limited. I am concerned that the funding has an end date and that many families could lose this important opportunity, this important support. That is why we are asking you to consider a $10 million investment in the 2027 school budget to ensure these programs continue in the long term, maintain the five schools currently participating in Sterling Park, and expand the program to two additional schools in the Leesburg area. Our children need opportunities to learn, grow, and participate in positive activities after school. Our families also need accessible childcare options that allow us to work with peace of mind. Investing in these programs means investing in our children, the well-being of our families, and the future of our community.”

Loudoun County parent Brandon Michon hopes the school board doesn't close western Loudoun elementary schools to help fund these types of programs in eastern Loudoun County. Michon’s children attend one of the schools on the chopping block.

"Everyone has their own life situation," said Michon. "I'm not gonna say anyone's personal situation is better than anyone else's, but to go and plead for potentially millions of dollars of "free" services, and there was some parents who said 'we have to go work and so we need someone to watch our kids'. Well, I have to work as well. And so do all the other parents. Why do those people get free services, but we don't get free service? I am not a big proponent of everything should be free. Life isn't always equal at times, and I'm not gonna try to argue that, but this is a school system. This is not a charity. [LCPS is] there to educate our children, and if we don't have schools to educate them in, then that's scary."

The closure of the four rural schools would also mean that children who attend those schools would likely have to wake up much earlier to catch a school bus to a school farther away.

[Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_]

NEW: Yesterday, @CalMatters published a sympathetic profile on a “Fresno father” who was “suddenly” deported by ICE to MX. He told the outlet he’s not a criminal & doesn’t know why he was targeted.

However, I’m told by federal sources that he has been deported from the U.S. five times before, he has an active deportation order, he has pending felony aggravated assault charges from November 2025, he has decades old convictions for DUI w/ bodily injury & negligent discharge of a firearm that resulted in prison sentences, and he admitted in a consensual interview w/ ICE that he’s been a member of the Fresno Bulldogs street gang.

I’m told his real name is LUIS ALBERTO ARREGUIN-VILLA, and he was previously deported from the US in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2003, and 2005, and that he admitted in an interview that he last crossed illegally into the U.S. in 2005 near San Ysidro, CA.

Under federal law, illegal re-entry after deportation is a felony via 8 USC 1326. He has illegally re-entered at least five times.

None of this context appears in the Cal Matters report.

https://t.co/DZJhNKb7Np

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

Story: https://t.co/BspQgELfHP

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

New: At last night’s Loudoun County School Board meeting it came to light that the school system has implemented a hiring freeze for teachers without the school board’s authorization.  And school administrators proposed closing four schools in rural parts of the county to save money.

The school board has managed to find millions of taxpayer dollars to build new co-ed school bathrooms to accommodate transgender and non-binary students, after-school care for some families in eastern Loudoun, and a warehouse operation to distribute free items to community members.

The school board has also found money in its $2 billion budget to hire more highly paid administrators and give big raises year after year to Superintendent Aaron Spence, whose compensation exceeds half a million dollars.

During the school board public comment period on Tuesday, several parents asked the school board not to close the four schools.  Meanwhile, some immigrant parents in eastern Loudoun County, who didn't speak English, asked the school board to expand taxpayer-subsidized after-school care. 

An interpreter on behalf of a Spanish-speaking parent told the school board, "I would like to thank you for allowing me this after-school pilot program to be implemented. Thanks to this effort, many families are seeing the benefits these programs provide to our children. My son attends Guilford Elementary School and participates in this program. As a mother, I have seen how beneficial it has been for him. He not only has a safe place to stay after school, but he also learns, interacts with other children, and participates in activities that positively contribute to his academic and social development. As a mother who works extended hours, this program gives me great peace of mind. I can fulfill my work responsibilities knowing my child is in a safe place, learning and making good use of his time while I finish work and get there to pick him up. These programs benefit more than 250 families, but funding and available spaces are currently limited. I am concerned that the funding has an end date and that many families could lose this important opportunity, this important support. That is why we are asking you to consider a $10 million investment in the 2027 school budget to ensure these programs continue in the long term, maintain the five schools currently participating in Sterling Park, and expand the program to two additional schools in the Leesburg area. Our children need opportunities to learn, grow, and participate in positive activities after school. Our families also need accessible childcare options that allow us to work with peace of mind. Investing in these programs means investing in our children, the well-being of our families, and the future of our community.”

Loudoun County parent Brandon Michon hopes the school board doesn't close western Loudoun elementary schools to help fund these types of programs in eastern Loudoun County. Michon’s children attend one of the schools on the chopping block.

"Everyone has their own life situation," said Michon. "I'm not gonna say anyone's personal situation is better than anyone else's, but to go and plead for potentially millions of dollars of "free" services, and there was some parents who said 'we have to go work and so we need someone to watch our kids'. Well, I have to work as well. And so do all the other parents. Why do those people get free services, but we don't get free service? I am not a big proponent of everything should be free. Life isn't always equal at times, and I'm not gonna try to argue that, but this is a school system. This is not a charity. [LCPS is] there to educate our children, and if we don't have schools to educate them in, then that's scary."

The closure of the four rural schools would also mean that children who attend those schools would likely have to wake up much earlier to catch a school bus to a school farther away.

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

🚨NEW: Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told me that 32-year-old Olmer Danilo Perez Villegas is an illegal immigrant from Honduras. On Tuesday, Fairfax County police announced they charged Perez Villegas in connection with a shooting on the 2200 block of Astoria Circle in Hutchison.

The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) said Perez Villegas was taken into custody for shooting two men. FCPD said that Perez Villegas was living in Herndon.

FCPD said Perez Villegas is charged with two counts of Malicious Wounding, Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle, and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. He is being held without bond, according to police.

An ICE spokesperson told me, “On Oct. 27, Fairfax County Police arrested Perez Villegas in connection with a shooting in Herndon, Virginia. After his arrest, ICE Washington, D.C. lodged an immigration detainer against Perez Villegas with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.”

According to court records, Perez Villegas was charged with hit and run in 2019. But in 2020, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office dropped the charge.

In 2022, Perez Villegas was charged with DWI. Descano’s office reduced the DWI charge to reckless driving with no time served and 12 months of probation, according to court records.

[Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_]

BREAKING: NYT reports that operatives with Democratic Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign were behind the effort to find & recruit a candidate named Dan Sullivan to run against incumbent GOP Senator Dan S. Sullivan in an effort to confuse voters and peel votes from him.

Specifically, NYT says they have reviewed text messages and documents that reveal in summer 2025, a Peltola staffer received instructions from campaign staffers to find as many people named Dan Sullivan in Alaska as possible.

The staffer complied, going through voter records, and compiled a list. The operation “involved secret trips to far-flung Alaskan communities and the appearance of a mysterious Midwestern operative, who traversed the state using a fake name and made his pitch to would-be candidates over beers at brew pubs.”

Per NYT:

“The plan worked. This spring, a retired teacher from a tiny fishing village along the Alaska Panhandle, reachable only by air and sea, announced his candidacy for Senate. His name was Dan J. Sullivan.”

https://t.co/Fh1n4fporW

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

👀

[Ally Mutnick @allymutnick]

News: the NRCC is making its first coordinated buy with Rep John McGuire (R) in #VA05

This is a Trump+12 seat where McGuire faces ex-Rep Tom Perriello (D)

[Justin Jones @justinsamjones]

In the past 17 days alone, Dominion Energy has made $1,305,000 in political donations.

Check it out here by scrolling down to Large Expenditure Reports: https://t.co/Uxxwy6jInN

[Nick Minock @NickMinock]

NEW: ICE is pushing back against a news article that says a youth baseball coach was detained by ICE after a traffic stop. ICE says the coach is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela and was arrested for firearms and drug crimes. ICE said a judge ordered his removal and that his green card was revoked because of fraud.

"Work authorization or a pending application does NOT make you an American citizen or give you the right to remain in this country," said ICE.