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Archived · Investigation · Reviewed October 10, 2026

Good News PAC: reporting discrepancy and money flow

Follow the reported $12,700 in unmatched June payments, PAC and campaign donors, returned transfers, vendor spending and the James River Strand completion contract.

Overview

Good News PAC (PAC-22-00083), Friends of Phillip Jones (CC-22-00013) and the two Shannon Jones campaign reports relevant to the June 2025 payments. Ordinary reports are reviewed through August 31, 2026, with later notices through October 8. This collection separates what committees reported from payment clearance, services delivered and city procurement decisions. The $275,000 transfer was returned and its loan repaid; it is separate from the unresolved $12,700 receipt question.

Source notes

The sources establish committee disclosures and a dated city-project listing. They do not establish theft, concealment, wrongdoing by Shannon Jones, favoritism, or an exchange of a donation for official action. Bank clearance, loan terms, vendor delivery, entity ownership and contractor selection remain unverified. Phil Jones and PDJ are retained as filed without an independently confirmed expansion. The latest supplied filing-history observations are dated October 10, 2026; later amendments could change the account. Questions are prepared, with no verified send receipt or substantive response in the reviewed material.

Documents (71)

Search this case’s document text

71 of 71 reviewed records. Source links and release indexes are identified separately from archived copies.

Timeline

Dates follow the cited records; document dates are labeled separately.

  1. December 10, 2024

    Provost contribution disclosed

    Good News PAC reported $10,000 from Provost Construction and Sons LLC. This contribution precedes the later city completion-contract listing; the chronology does not establish favoritism.

  2. June 2, 2025

    PAC organization statement identifies officers

    The statement’s effective-change date is June 2. The names as filed are Phil Jones, treasurer, and Joshua Jones, principal custodian of books and director. Do not expand Phil or PDJ to another identity without confirmation.

  3. June 5, 2025

    First $6,000 payment reported

    Shannon Jones’s amended campaign report lists Good News at the PAC mailing address for Web/Online Ads/Email, with authorizer initials PDJ. A reported expenditure does not independently establish bank clearance.

  4. June 11, 2025

    $100,000 PAC-to-campaign transfer reported

    Both committees report the transfer to Friends of Phillip Jones. This transaction is separate from the three expenditures underlying the $12,700 question.

  5. June 16–17, 2025

    Two further payments total $6,700

    The campaign lists $6,000 for Poll Workers and $700 for Digital, again naming Good News and PDJ. Together with June 5, the reported expenditures total $12,700. The separate $4,490.07 in donated services is not described as a refund.

  6. September 3, 2025

    PAC files zero receipts for the covered period

    Report 451182 covers May 26 through August 31, including all three payment dates, and shows zero contributions and receipts. The legal recipient, cleared payment status and reporting treatment remain unresolved.

  7. September 23–25, 2025

    Dominion contribution precedes a $48,000 transfer

    The PAC reported $50,000 from Dominion on September 23 and $48,000 to the mayor’s campaign on September 25. The campaign report mirrors the receipt. Timing does not establish donor designation or a requested city action.

  8. December 18–19, 2025

    $275,000 loan and campaign transfer reported

    Phillip Jones’s $275,000 loan to the PAC was followed by its $275,000 transfer to his campaign. Loan receipts are kept distinct from new external contributions.

  9. April 1, 2026

    Campaign returns funds and PAC repays loan

    The campaign reported returning $275,000; the PAC reported the receipt and loan repayment that day. The campaign’s net retained PAC transfers equal $148,000. Loan terms and bank execution remain unverified.

  10. July 13, 2026

    City lists a completion-contract start

    The project page lists Provost Construction & Sons LLC for a $2,252,509.54 completion contract after an earlier contractor-default hold. It does not identify the full selection or surety process.

  11. August 31, 2026 reporting cutoff

    Ordinary reports provide dated balances

    The reviewed PAC balance is $27,046.42 and campaign balance $196,930.91. Both report zero outstanding debt. These balances do not establish later bank balances.

  12. September 1–October 8, 2026

    Newer contribution notices supplement earlier periods

    Nineteen mayor-campaign notices disclose $40,050 after the ordinary-report cutoff. The latest is $2,500 from Lowe’s PAC on October 8. Later notices are not omissions from the already-ended August period.

  13. September 24, 2026

    Seventh Dominion contribution reported

    The $25,000 standalone notice brings reviewed Dominion support to $175,000, or approximately 72.3% of $241,962 in named external PAC cash. Returns, loans and unitemized funds are excluded from that denominator.

  14. October 10, 2026 webpage observation

    Current contract display preserved as an extract

    The city page showed $1,016,540.27 paid to date. Compared with the October 5 preserved display of $366,598.55, the difference is $649,941.72. Retrieval dates do not establish when payments occurred.

News story

Good News PAC reporting discrepancy and the money behind Mayor Jones

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People (2)

Open questions

Records still needed (8)

  • $12,700 unmatched receipts

    Identify the legal recipient; provide invoices, clearance/void/return records and the report line or amendment for each June payment. Confirm PDJ’s authorization role.

    Likely custodian: Good News PAC treasurer and books custodian

    Unresolved cross-committee discrepancy. These questions are prepared; no verified request submission or substantive response is established in this collection.

    Submit this record

  • Dominion support and transfers

    Explain any restrictions or designations attached to Dominion contributions; provide the authority and records for the $100,000 and $48,000 transfers.

    Likely custodian: Good News PAC and mayor campaign

    Donations and transfers documented; designation unverified. These questions are prepared; no verified request submission or substantive response is established in this collection.

    Submit this record

  • $275,000 loan sequence

    Provide the loan agreement, authorization, interest terms and payment instruments supporting the matched December transfer and April return/repayment.

    Likely custodian: Good News PAC and mayor campaign

    Reconciled in filings; contractual basis not reviewed. These questions are prepared; no verified request submission or substantive response is established in this collection.

    Submit this record

  • Vendor services and reimbursements

    Identify the legal payee and services delivered by Inklined Holdings LLC, CT Jones and Ava J’s Consulting Firm. Provide invoices, deliverables and reimbursement receipts.

    Likely custodian: Good News PAC; named vendors where appropriate

    Reported purposes established; ownership and services need verification. These questions are prepared; no verified request submission or substantive response is established in this collection.

    Submit this record

  • Provost city contract

    Provide the default/surety completion agreement, contractor-selection rationale, bid or negotiated procurement file, approvals and payment vouchers.

    Likely custodian: City procurement and project custodians

    Donation and city contract documented; no favoritism finding. These questions are prepared; no verified request submission or substantive response is established in this collection.

    Submit this record

  • Eleven September 15 business donors

    Confirm legal entities, ownership or affiliation, original funding sources and any shared solicitation event. Preserve separate contributions until identity evidence supports grouping.

    Likely custodian: Mayor campaign; contributing businesses

    Same-date contributions documented; coordination unverified. These questions are prepared; no verified request submission or substantive response is established in this collection.

    Submit this record

  • Historical special-notice exceptions

    Explain the $5,000 William Murphy notice and $1,400 Foundation Blue Media notice; provide void, correction, replacement or review records.

    Likely custodian: Good News PAC and ELECT

    Unmatched special notices; excluded from totals. These questions are prepared; no verified request submission or substantive response is established in this collection.

    Submit this record

  • Amendment and agency review history

    Provide existing review selection/outcome, deficiency notices and amendment correspondence relevant to these reports. Eligibility is not proof of selection or a finding.

    Likely custodian: ELECT and affected committees

    Records needed; no agency adjudication established. These questions are prepared; no verified request submission or substantive response is established in this collection.

    Submit this record