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Press Rewind, Jan. 27-Feb. 1

by | Feb 2, 2025 | Press Rewind

The week’s top stories

-Will the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors provide enough local funding for schools over the next fiscal year to accommodate Superintendent Clint Mitchell’s spending plan? Speakers at a public hearing last week hope so, Taft Coghill Jr. reports.

-Fourteen people have applied to fill the remainder of former Ward 3 Fredericksburg City Councilman Tim Duffy’s term. He stepped down for personal reasons in December, but his work was honored by both his former peers and the Virginia General Assembly, Joey LoMonaco writes.

-Are data centers wonderful budget boosters for local governments, or evil, energy-devouring monsters? Both? Neither? A panel of environmentalists, data center developers and Fredericksburg Mayor Kerry Devine discussed one of the region’s most important issues of the moment last week, Martina Pugh reports.

-The two homicide victims found in a Spotsylvania home Jan. 25 were shot several times, an autopsy has determined. Our story has the details on part of what turned out to be a grim few days in the county.

-Gov. Glenn Youngkin mentioned a Culpeper County High School student in his recent State of the Commonwealth address in Richmond. The 16-year-old junior is enrolled in Germanna Community College’s Future Educators Academy program.

What they’re saying

“And I use the word ‘disgusting’ because, for crying out loud, we don’t serve under, or live under, a king, and we’re doing something that we believe will positively impact our community.” — Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chairman Deuntay Diggs, on whether simply having a diversity committee would endanger federal funding after President Trump’s executive order denouncing “diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Go figures (Numbers that made the news)

870, acres along the Rappahannock River officially under the stewardship of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia. The land, which includes natural preserves in Spotsylvania and Caroline counties, was formerly home to the tribe’s ancestors.

‘Tis the Saison to Lager your vote 

Fredericksburg has been nominated for USA Today’s 10 Best Small Town Beer Scenes for 2025. Biz Beat’s Bill Freehling tells you how you can vote for the city.

Pressing on (a look at stories in the week ahead)

Education, how much it costs and how to pay for it will be topics this week in at least two Fredericksburg-area localities, as the school boards in Fredericksburg and Stafford hold budget meetings.

Sunday long read

By the early 1960s, television viewers were ready for something outside the box. Enough with the “Leave it to Beaver” or “Father Knows Best.” Audiences were ready to think, and Rod Serling delivered. Indulge your supernatural side and read Mike Salmon’s story about how Serling was more than the face of “The Twilight Zone,” and how his daughter ensured the world would know.

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