The week’s top stories
-A Spotsylvania man was arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder, malicious wounding and two firearm counts after the shooting death of a Massaponax High School senior. Initial reports of the shooting indicated the county Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call of a residential burglary in progress, and that a resident fired shots at the alleged attempted intruders. A search warrant, however, revealed that one of those alleged would-be intruders, a teenager, told detectives they were playing a game called “ding-dong ditch.”
-A vandal or vandals toppled at least 15 headstones and damaged several more at the Fredericksburg City Cemetery on May 3 or May 4, causing $20,000 in damage, Joey LoMonaco reports.
–Amazon Data Services recently filed a petition in King George Circuit Court requesting a review of a county zoning decision related to property it owns for the purpose of constructing a data center campus.
-If you find a golden ticket at a business in downtown Fredericksburg and you’re familiar with the “Willy Wonka” story, you’ll know what to do. A kids version of the beloved tale will be performed next month at King George High School. Stephen Hu has all the details.
–Spotsylvania County School Board Chair Megan Jackson has had it with disruptive behavior at public meetings. She issued a warning to public speakers last week, stating that the board will strictly adhere to a recently-revised policy regarding decorum.
Go figures (Numbers that made the news)
–4.2, number of megawatts a solar energy facility south of State Route 3 in Stafford would generate. U.S. Solar has submitted an application to the county for a conditional-use permit for the project, Biz Beat’s
What they’re saying
-“These children end up in this prison pipeline that I don’t want to be responsible for when they become adults.” –Malvina Rollins-Kay, Ward 4 representative on the Fredericksburg School Board. She was talking about changing student behavior, and her comments came in a discussion about the proposed Student Success Academy, a shared elementary school intervention classroom.
Pressing on (a look at news in the week ahead)
-The Free Press will report on zoning changes about campgrounds being discussed in Stafford and check in on the controversial proposed Crow’s Nest Outdoor Adventure, which would be located in the southern part of the county.
Special Mother’s Day read
-May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and Free Press managing editor Joey LoMonaco brings you the story of Brittany Flowers, who has 40-plus foster siblings and now works for the nonprofit UMFS Fredericksburg.
