The week’s top stories
-Later this year, the Virginia Supreme Court will hear a case that centers on the possible demolition of a small, 1910s-era building in the back of a lot on Lewis Street in Fredericksburg. The owners of the property got the OK from the city’s Architectural Review Board to take down the structure, but Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Inc. balked and has sued the City Council over the action, Joey LoMonaco reports.
-During the most recent Fredericksburg budget cycle, the city School Board exceeded its line item for professional development trips. The budget was about $16,500, and school board members went over that by about $5,000, leading to a new policy, LoMonaco writes.
-An organization called The Colosseum Sports Resort is raising investment capital for an indoor and outdoor sports and recreation facility to open in Stafford County in 2027. Bill Freehling has more details about the project in Biz Beat Roundup.
-The Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors will decide next month whether to provide financial relief to the Virginia Heritage at Lee’s Parke Homeowners Association, which says it’s been on the hook for making repairs to the community that wouldn’t have been needed if the county government had caught problems with the subdivision developer’s work ahead of time. Taft Coghill Jr. has the details.
-Ever seen Carl’s in a comic book? If not, you might want to check out the work of Charlie McElvy, a Spotsylvania County dad who’s also been on TV’s “American Ninja Warrior.” Rick Horner profiled him in Free Time, our weekly arts and entertainment newsletter.
Go figures (numbers in the news)
1,256 — The number of requests for assistance from the Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care’s Homeless Helpline from July to December 2024. The helpline, however, was able to refer only one in 10 households to shelter, according to a recent report, Taft Coghill Jr. writes.
What they’re saying
“Progress happens. I remember seeing Richard Pryor at Spotsylvania Mall when it was the mall to go to. We’re not going to stop progress, but we can at least make it beautiful.” – Fredericksburg resident David Corbin, the only speaker at a Planning Commission public hearing on a data center project in the city. It’s not clear what Pryor would think about data centers if he was still alive.
Pressing on (a look at the week ahead)
-Taft Coghill Jr. will be on top of education news this week, as the school boards in Spotsylvania and Caroline counties hold meetings.
From the editor’s desk
The editor is on vacation this week. Be good to each other.
-Joey LoMonaco
