Introducing the Press Rewind podcast
No time to read our weekly recap newsletter? Then listen up. Introducing the Press Rewind podcast, which will catch you up on the top headlines in five minutes or less.
The week’s top stories
-Spotsylvania County School Board meetings have been chaotic for years now, and Monday’s was no exception. A weapons-detection system was installed at the school division’s administrative building before the meeting, and Superintendent Clint Mitchell addressed concerns about his immigration status after a board member requested his college credentials and background-check documents. Taft Coghill Jr. has the details.
-A recount is still likely, but, after all votes were counted, it looks like Spotsylvania Supervisor Chris Yakabouski has defeated challenger Baron Braswell by 16 votes for the Battlefield District seat. The margin had been 24 votes on election night, Coghill writes.
-A portion of Fredericksburg’s Eagle Village shopping center that was severely damaged in a December fire is being rebuilt and should re-open next year, Bill Freehling reports in Biz Beat Roundup.
-They’re all Democrats, but the lawmakers in the Fredericksburg region’s congressional delegation didn’t see eye-to-eye last week on legislation to re-open the federal government. Rep. Eugene Vindman called the deal an “insult to the American people.”
-If you take rock music and blend it with sounds from India, you get the Prabir Trio. Founder Prabir Mehta’s immigrant experience informs the band’s work, Stephen Hu writes in Free Time, our weekly arts and entertainment newsletter.
Go figures (numbers in the news)
60 — This year marks the 60th anniversary of the integration of the Caroline County schools, and some of those history-making students spoke about their experiences with Taft Coghill Jr.
Scenes from the sideline
What they’re saying
“I only see on a given day, two or three bikes going past my house on a single day. A couple of them are homeless guys, [City Councilor] Will Mackintosh rides by my house a couple of times a day, and then there’s nobody. … We’re not Holland. Let’s get real here.” –Anne Little, who ran unsuccessfully in the recent Ward 2 Fredericksburg City Council election. Her comments were about a downtown traffic study that talks about bicycle infrastructure.
Listen up
A bonus episode of the Free Press’ podcast The Tribe debuted last week. This episode focuses on John Lightner, a former Fredericksburg Police Officer who rose through the tribal ranks to become chief.
Sunday long read
-Elijah Sarratt and Aiden Fisher used to star on Fredericksburg-area gridirons, but now they’re on a much bigger stage, helping No. 2 Indiana University to national college football prominence. Fans call Sarratt “Waffle House” because he’s always open. Steve DeShazo has the story.
