The week’s top stories
-Maybe things will calm down for Lisa Phelps now. The Spotsylvania County School Board member announced last week that she’s not running for reelection after a tenure that’s included filing a misdemeanor assault charge against colleague Nicole Cole. A judge dismissed that case, but Cole is now suing Phelps and Berkeley District School Board member April Gillespie. Taft Coghill Jr. has the story.
-The area’s median home sales price for April increased 3 percent year-over-year, a rezoning has been requested in Spotsylvania for more data centers and a new Chipotle was set to open at the intersection of Leavells and Courthouse roads. Biz Beat’s Bill Freehling has the scoop on these stories and more from the world of business.
-Former Stafford County resident Tug Coker is back in his old stomping grounds playing Atticus Finch in a production of “To Kill A Mockingbird” at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts. Coker has done quite well for himself, having played Larry Bird in the play “Magic/Bird,” which was directed by Thomas Kail, who went on to direct “Hamilton.” He also had recurring TV roles on “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Office.”
-Stafford County School Board members last week approved a $488.2 million budget for the next fiscal year, but the spending plan assumes the Board of Supervisors will designate $3.1 million for the schools that is estimated to be generated from increasing the county meals tax. The supervisors are scheduled to vote Tuesday.
-The former Fredericksburg Visitor Center building downtown will go from welcoming tourists to feeding the famished. An restaurant is planned there called IT’s Italian Eatery. It will be operated by Vinny Vitale, whose other restaurant brands include Basilico New York Deli and Vinny’s Italian Grill, Freehling reports.
Go figures (Numbers that made the news)
–31, the percentage of families in Fredericksburg who are above the Federal Poverty Level but still struggling to afford basic expenses. The Rappahannock United Way recently released a report about such families, who are described as “ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed).
What they’re saying
-“This feels like the end of, dare I say, a half-marathon,” –Will Mackintosh, Fredericksburg city councilman. He was talking about budget season in the municipality, which has been challenging as it has been in other places in the region.
Pressing on (a look at news in the week ahead)
-WJLA TV-7 and the Northern Virginia Democratic Black Caucus will host a televised debate among the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor in Woodbridge on Thursday, and The Free Press will be there.
Sunday long read
-Free Press managing editor Joey LoMonaco caught up with former James Monroe High School lacrosse player Gunnar Burns, who suffered a serious spinal injury during a game last year.
