Press Rewind podcast
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The week’s top stories
-Virginia voters last week approved a ballot referendum allowing the Democratically-controlled General Assembly to change congressional district boundaries mid-decade. But the move, aimed at countering other states’ redistricting, wasn’t a slam dunk locally, and two GOP members of the Fredericksburg area’s legislative delegation hope the decision is struck down.
-The Stafford Board of Supervisors continues to debate what the county’s real-estate tax will be for the next fiscal year (see below). It may end up being higher than the current rate of $0.9236 per $100 of assessed value, but it also may not be the $0.985 the county administrator has proposed.
-The issues of funding for Fredericksburg schools and local community agencies dominated a public hearing last week on the city’s budget for the next fiscal year. Several speakers pointed to the school division’s well-below-average performance in state testing across various subject areas and student groups, Joey LoMonaco reports.
-Radley Automotive Group last month purchased the Shirlie Slack Mitsubishi dealership on U.S. 1 in Spotsylvania County. Bill Freehling has more on the sale and other business news in Biz Beat Roundup.
-The Woman’s Club of Fredericksburg recently presented Anita Crossfield the 2026 President’s Award for Woman of the Year. Crossfield, a downtown business owner who escaped war-torn Kosovo in 2004, is involved with several local organizations, Kathy Knotts writes.
Go figures (numbers in the news)
2024 — That’s the year Jazz and a Mission began. Rick Horner has more on this entertainment-and-charity combo in Free Time, our weekly arts and entertainment newsletter.
What they’re saying
“At this point, they are legends from here on.” -Ed Hegmann, former Mary Washington athletic director. He was talking about the university’s NCAA Division III national champion men’s basketball team.
Pressing on (a look at the week ahead)
-The Stafford Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is scheduled to approve a county budget and tax rates for the next fiscal year. It looks like the supervisors may vote to raise the real-estate tax rate, but we’ll be there to find out for sure.
