ECONOMIC CENTS: Dominion Energy Rebates

By Bruce Saller

Rebates and audits from Dominion can lower the cost of upgrading equipment and deliver free energy efficient items to Dominion customers’ homes.

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OPINION: West, North, South, and East Virginia?

By Donnie Johnston

It could start a trend that puts an end to all this hate and distrust we are living with.

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The Rickord Triplets Bring Energy, Excitement to Education Work

By Martin Davis

The triplets share a passion for working with special education students.

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What to Do This Weekend

By Hailey Zeller

May 8 - May 11

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This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”

We are a nation consumed by hate and distrust. Nobody likes anybody anymore.

The Democrats hate the Republicans, the Republicans hate the Democrats and the independents hate everyone.

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Eighty percent of the people dislike and distrust President Trump (the other 20 percent worship him as their god) and the MAGA disciples despise former presidents Obama and Biden.

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It took only two months for Virginians — even those who voted for her — to fall out of favor with Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who truly has been a disappointment thus far (yes, I voted for her).

When you start getting into the taxpayers’ pocketbook, you alienate yourself really quickly, and Spanberger went straight for the wallet. That’s a no-no.

Virginia Republicans hate Virginia Democrats because of the recent redistricting vote. Redistricting was fine in Texas because it helped the GOP, but, according to one judge, it is illegal in the Old Dominion because it helps Democrats.

Goodness! What are we going to do? All this hate. Something has got to give.

Well, a few years ago some Virginia border counties — even as far east as Bedford — were talking about seceding from the state and joining West Virginia, which is a Republican stronghold and a dedicated Trump follower.

For the past 25 years I have advocated splitting Virginia into two states, North Virginia and South Virginia. I contend that the citizens of Northern Virginia counties like Fairfax, Loudoun, Stafford and Prince William, have absolutely nothing in common with counties like Wise, Lee and Scott.

Split it up. Everything north of the Rappahannock River becomes North Virginia. Let those people handle their own problems. If that happened, we’d have North Virginia, South Virginia and West Virginia. Make the Eastern Shore East Virginia and we’ve got it all covered. Everyone would be happy.

What about all the states that are not happy with Trump. Maybe they should secede. Form their own country? No. Too complicated. We tried that in 1861, remember, and it didn’t work.

Maybe some states, Minnesota, for instance, should secede and join Canada. Trump hates Minnesota and would like to get rid of it. Canada loves Minnesota and would welcome its people. And it’s right there on the border.

Instead of Canada becoming an American state (what a stupid idea), Minnesota could become a Canadian province. Sounds perfectly logical to me.

Michigan could move its allegiance north, too, as could Wisconsin, Maine and other border states. We don’t need Maine. Let Canada have the state. They don’t grow anything up there but potatoes and there are plenty of them in Idaho. Besides, Maine is too dang cold.

The truth is, I would not be adverse to Virginia becoming a Canadian province. Hey! Universal healthcare. One problem solved right away.

By the way, we’re celebrating our 250^th anniversary this year and praising the founding fathers. The founding fathers are the reason our medical costs are so high. If we were still part of England, we’d have national health coverage.

I’m just trying to figure ways to help alleviate all this hate and mistrust. The possibilities are there.

Just saying.

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The Rickord triplets are accustomed to attention. Triplets are, after all, fairly uncommon. Less than 74 out of every 100,000 births are triplets anymore. So no surprise they made the local Fairfax paper when their mother brought them into the world.

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Though born further north, Ashley, Caitlyn, and Rachael Rickord were raised in Stafford County where they continue to reside today. They also work in Stafford County. And what is likely as rare as triplet births is the fact that all three work for the same employer — Stafford County Public Schools.

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Caitlyn was the first to take the plunge, starting in August 2023 on the advice of one of her principals in high school — all three sisters graduated from Colonial Forge — who encouraged her to apply for a paraeducator opening working with Special Education (SPED) kids at Stafford High School.

It didn’t take long for Caitlyn’s enthusiasm for the job to catch on with Ashley and Rachael who also landed jobs as paraeducators working with SPED kids. Ashley works at Moncure Elementary School, and Rachael at Shirley C. Heim Middle School.

For Ashley the rewards of working as a paraeducator with SPED kids is tangible. “SPED is a great field to get into,” she told the Advance. “Seeing the kids improve in little things brings me joy and makes a difference.”

For Caitlyn, the joy is equal parts seeing the kids grow, but also growing herself in her role. There’s a “lot of growth in that field,” she said. “A lot of my coworkers have told me how much I’ve grown.” She finds her supportive coworkers one of the best aspects of her job.

Having your sisters involved in the same district is also helpful. “Sometimes we can connect,” said Rachael. We’re all “familiar with” the challenges and joys that come with working as a paraeducator, and this allows them to share ideas.

Rachael is hoping to now continue her education and take the next step up the ladder and become a kindergarten teacher.

Caitlyn and Ashley are still working through whether to make education a full-time career, but both share an enthusiasm for the experiences they’ve had in their roles.

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Fredericksburg

FXBG Tacos and Beer Festival

Photo by Krisztian Tabori on Unsplash

Taco lovers and craft beer fans can sample flavors from vendors across the region during this lively festival at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds. The event features live music, beer tastings, taco samples, and festival-style games throughout the afternoon.

When: Saturday, May 9 | 11 AM – 4 PM
Where: Fredericksburg Fairgrounds
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FAM Downtown Sounds: The Unsuitables

FAM Downtown Sounds returns to Market Square with an evening of live rock, funk, and soul from local band The Unsuitables. The longtime summer concert series continues its tradition of bringing the community together for music under the evening sky. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy a relaxed night downtown.

When: Friday, May 8 | 6 PM – 8:30 PM
Where: Fredericksburg Area Museum Market Square
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Skate Night: Garden Party

Dixon Park transforms into a lively outdoor skate party with music, themed activities, and open skating for all skill levels. This month’s Garden Party theme adds extra fun to an evening designed for community connection and movement. Personal skates are welcome, and rentals will also be available on-site.

When: Friday, May 8 | 6 PM – 8 PM
Where: Dixon Park
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Flower Festival

Downtown Fredericksburg blooms with live music, games, photo installations, and spring-themed activities during the city’s Flower Festival. Visitors can enjoy a free group pilates class, explore downtown businesses, and participate in the popular Flower Crawl while building custom bouquets from participating shops.

When: Saturday, May 9 | 3 PM – 7 PM
Where: Market Square at Fredericksburg Area Museum
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Spotsylvania

Mother’s Day Moms & Mimosas

Photo by Ecaterina Tanase on Unsplash

Celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with brunch, live music, giveaways, and a flower bar at Orleans Bistro & Grill. Guests are encouraged to wear spring pastels while enjoying chef specials and a festive atmosphere.

When: Saturday, May 9 | Seating at 11 AM and 1:30 PM
Where: Orleans Bistro & Grill
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Virginia Renaissance Faire

Step into Staffordshire Village for the return of the Virginia Renaissance Faire at Lake Anna Winery. The annual event features jousting, archery demonstrations, live performances, wandering musicians, food vendors, artisan marketplaces, and immersive medieval entertainment for all ages.

When: Sunday, May 10 | 10 AM – 5 PM
Where: Lake Anna Winery
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Kinetic Triathlon Festival

Athletes from across the region head to Lake Anna State Park for the Kinetic Triathlon Festival, featuring long course, Olympic, and sprint races throughout the weekend. The event includes open-water swims, scenic cycling routes, and trail runs through the park.

When: Saturday, May 9 – Sunday, May 10 | 7 AM – 2 PM
Where: Lake Anna State Park
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Stafford

Mother’s Day Weekend at The Grounds

Photo by Rikonavt on Unsplash

Three Stafford women-owned businesses are teaming up for a Mother’s Day experience featuring handcrafted floral arrangements, specialty lattes, and family photo sessions. The event combines coffee, flowers, and keepsake photography into a relaxed afternoon celebration for moms and families.

When: Saturday, May 9 | 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Where: The Grounds Coffeehouse
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National Mini Golf Day at Monster Mini Golf

Monster Mini Golf celebrates National Mini Golf Day with youth pricing available for all guests throughout the day. Visitors can enjoy glow-in-the-dark mini golf, music, and interactive challenges in a family-friendly indoor atmosphere.

When: Saturday, May 9
Where: Monster Mini Golf
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Local Obituaries

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Dominion Energy offers rebates ranging from $1 - $400 on selected products. The rebates are available immediately upon purchase if bought online through Dominion’s Energy Marketplace or from select retailers. Here are the available rebates:

• Heat Pump Water Heater: $400

• Variable Speed Pool Pump: $300

• Thermostats: $50

• Air Purifiers: $50

• Bathroom Vent Fans: $25

• Dehumidifiers: $25

• Water Dispensers: $25

• Power Strips: $10

• Furnace Air Filters: $1

• Spray Foam Insulation: $1

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Some of these rebates almost cover the cost of the product. For example, you can purchase an Amazon Smart Thermostat for $5.99.

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Dominion Energy will also ship you a free energy savings kit if you complete a short online energy audit. As needed, the kit will contain low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators, water heater pipe insulation, LED bulbs, door and window weather stripping, door sweeps, electric outlet and switch insulators, caulking, and a smart power strip. You can also pay to have an energy audit performed, and will receive rebates towards incorporated recommendations.

With the hot summer weather approaching, now is the time to install these energy saving products.

Local Obituaries

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Mary Washington, Spotsylvania, Stafford Hospitals Receive Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades

By Martin Davis

This year’s scores are complicated by some data issues, and Leapfrog’s losing a lawsuit over grades in Florida this past March.

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Motions Filed This Week in Amazon Data Services v. King George County

By Adele Uphaus

A trial is scheduled for September 28-29, 2026.

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Virginia’s New Paid Leave Program Covers Domestic Violence

By Adele Uphaus

To Kathy Anderson, executive director of Empowerhouse, it’s an acknowledgement of the enormous upheaval domestic violence causes in the lives of survivors.

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PODCAST: Remembering a Local Music Legend

Thom Schiff was the heart-and-soul of Fredericksburg’s local music scene. His passing leaves a void that others are now stepping in to fill while growing music in Fredericksburg.

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This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”

Legislation signed into law by Gov. Abigail Spanberger last month will allow paid leave for workers dealing with domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.

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To Kathy Anderson, executive director of Empowerhouse—which provides confidential domestic violence assistance to the Fredericksburg region—the legislation is an important acknowledgement of the gravity of these crimes and the upheaval they cause.

“I really see this as a way for people to keep their jobs and a way for our community to acknowledge what an unexpected disruption domestic violence is,” Anderson said.

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Senate Bill 2, introduced by Jennifer Boysko, requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish a paid family and medical leave insurance program to begin April 1, 2028. It will be funded through payroll contributions by employees, and will allow employees to take up to three months paid leave at 80% of their salary, including up to four weeks for “safety services.”

As defined by the bill, “safety services” includes attending civil and criminal court proceedings; seeking and receiving medical treatment, recovery services, and/or mental health services; and relocation related to or caused by “domestic violence, pervasive harassment, sexual assault, or stalking.”

The paid leave will allow a survivor time to transition out of a dangerous situation, which often means physically leaving their home, without the added burden of worrying about missing work or losing pay, Anderson said.

“It really just stops you in your tacks when you have to figure out all things you need to figure out, in addition to worrying about where you’re going to sleep and how you’re going to care for your children, and what your ultimate decision is going to be,” she said. “Sometimes people are not initiating that change themselves, but maybe somebody else called law enforcement, and now all of a sudden there are a number of things in motion that you don’t have any control over.”

Thanks to the new legislation, survivors will be able to take time off work to deal with these matters, just as they might be able to for any other family emergency, Anderson said.

The Virginia Employment Commission will start work on building out the new paid leave program this year.

According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, as reported by Axios, about 91% of Virginia’s private sector workforce, or about 3.2 million people, will be eligible for the program.

“With Virginia’s passage, nearly fifty million workers nationwide would be able to access leave under a state paid family and medical leave program,” the NPWF reported. “Including Virginians, more than one-third of private sector workers across the United States (35 percent) would be able to take paid family and medical leave through a state program when the need arises, marking a major milestone for the entire country.”

According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, Virginia now joins 13 other states and the District of Columbia in enacting mandatory paid family leave programs.

Virginia is the only southern state with a mandatory program.

Empowerhouse operates a free, 24/7, confidential hotline in English and Spanish, providing information and assistance. Call 540/373-9373 or toll free 877/734-7238.

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Trial dates of September 28 and 29 have been set in the lawsuit between Amazon Data Services (ADS) and the King George County Board of Supervisors.

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ADS filed the petition last spring, appealing a March 2024 decision by the county Board of Zoning Appeals. In that decision, the BZA upheld County Administrator Matthew Smolnik’s decision not to issue a determination finding that Amazon has vested rights in the 893-acre former Birchwood Power Plant.

In 2023, King George supervisors approved a 7-million square foot data center campus on the parcel, but the following year, the new Board pulled out of the agreement and began considering rezoning the land back to agricultural.

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ADS’s appeal asks the Circuit Court to decide that the BZA’s decision was incorrect, that Smolnik should have opined on the zoning determination request, and that the company does have vested rights in the parcel.

Both parties were in court this week for a hearing on motions entered last month. ADS, represented by Jaimie Wisegarver with the firm Hirschler-Fleischer, filed a motion on April 20 asking the court to enter a pretrial scheduling order.

The draft order requested would require the respondent—the Board of Supervisors, represented by County Attorney Richard Stuart, who is also a State Senator—to file an answer to ADS’s appeal by June 1, 2026, or 30 days after the end of the General Assembly’s April 23 special legislative session, and to complete all discovery and depositions by July 1, 2026.

On January 6, Circuit Court Judge Bruce Strickland entered a pretrial scheduling order that required discovery to be completed by April 3, 2026. At that time, the trial was scheduled for May 4-5, 2026.

On January 13, according to the motion, Stuart wrote to ADS’s counsel invoking his right to a 30-day continuance as a member of the General Assembly, as granted by Virginia Code. At the county’s request, ADS asked for the trial to be rescheduled to September, to which the court agreed, but ADS still expected discovery to be complete by mid-April.

According to the motion filed April 20, the county has “to date” not filed a response to the initial appeal or to the request for discovery. Stuart again invoked his right to a continuance early last month due to the April 23 special legislative session.

Stuart, on behalf of the county, filed a motion on April 24 for a reconsideration of Strickland’s January 6 pretrial scheduling order.

“The County did not agree to the pretrial scheduling order because it included provisions for discovery,” the motion states. It argues that Virginia Code did not intend for discovery to be allowed in a case seeking judicial review of a lower court or agency’s decision.

The Circuit Court has not yet ruled on the two motions argued this week.

Hirschler-Fleischer is an FXBG Advance donor.

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On Wednesday the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for health care consumers and purchasers, issued its Spring 2026 safety grades.

Three hospitals in the Fredericksburg region received grades.

• Mary Washington Hospital - C

• Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center - C

• Stafford Hospital - B

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The grades are based on 32 evidence-based measures of patient safety that Leapfrog pulls from several sources and assigns a rating of Worse Than Average, Average, or Above Average.

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Only Mary Washington Hospital received a grade in all 32 measures, earning ratings of Worse than Average in 13 areas, Average in 9 areas, and Above Average in 10 areas.

To read the full ratings and grades for each hospital, visit Leapfrog’s pages for Mary Washington Hospital, Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, and Stafford Hospital.

Data Concerns

Mary Washington Hospital has since 2023 received grades of C, D, or No Grade from Leapfrog. In an interview with the Advance on Tuesday, the hospital’s Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Kendra Gerlach, spoke about some data issues that have had an adverse affect on the hospital’s previous grades.

The problem began in 2023, said Gerlach, who joined Mary Washington Healthcare late in 2025, when “our electronic health record was incorrectly defaulting to include a data element that should have been excluded.”

That data was “automatically transferred to [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services], which is where Leapfrog pulls data for its ratings.” (To learn more about Leapfrog’s data collection and scoring methodology, see here.)

Though improperly transmitted, Gerlach told the Advance, “By the time the issue was known, it was no longer possible to transmit corrected data,” and the hospital had to wait for it to roll off of Leapfrog’s data set. That is likely to occur in early 2027, according to Gerlach.

This matters because another body that measures patient safety indicators, Vizient, has according to Gerlach rated the hospital more favorably. According to a press release issued by Mary Washington Healthcare:

• In 2025, Mary Washington Hospital ranked in the top 10 percent in Vizient Safety Domain.

• Mary Washington Hospital was best in state in 2025 for Patient Safety Indicators per Vizient’s data.

The Advance reached out to Vizient for more details. In an emailed response, the company said, “Vizient policy is that we do not comment on specific providers or clients, so I’m unable to confirm or discuss the information referenced regarding Mary Washington.”

Challenging Year for Leapfrog

Leapfrog’s ratings have been challenged this year in Florida. Five Tenet hospitals in Palm Beach County sued Leapfrog accusing it of deception in how it calculates grades. (Read the text of the lawsuit.)

The five hospitals had four years earlier stopped submitting data to Leapfrog. According to the lawsuit, “Until last year, TLG continued to assign grades to Plaintiffs based on how similarly situated participating hospitals performed on standard metrics, and notably, Plaintiffs were never assigned F grades under that system.”

The lawsuit claims that changed in 2024 when under a new policy Leapfrog instituted, “any hospital declining to provide data would automatically fail on the affected metrics.”

A U.S. District Court Judge in the Southern District of Florida sided with the plaintiffs and ordered Leapfrog to remove the grades for the five hospitals bringing suit.

Leapfrog also pulled the ratings for another 445 additional hospitals that also didn’t submit metrics to Leapfrog, according to reporting by MedPageToday.com, and instead labeled them with GNA — Grade Not Assigned.

Leapfrog is appealing this decision.

In a letter dated March 8, Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder called the ruling “a threat to patient safety.” It continued, “We cannot accept the decision’s main conclusion, that Florida citizens—and all Americans—don’t have a right to hear Leapfrog’s expert perspective on how well these five Tenet-owned hospitals care for patients.”

Other Virginia Hospitals

Virginia ranked No. 2 overall in the percentage of hospitals (59.2%) that received a grade of A in Leapfrog’s ratings. Connecticut was first with 64.3% of hospitals receiving As.

Rounding out the Top 10 are South Carolina, Utah, Montana, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and California.

Within a 50-mile radius of Fredericksburg, Leapfrog assigned grades to 24 hospitals. Of those, 15 received A’s, including UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center.

Find the full list of Virginia hospitals with a Leapfrog score here.

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On this episode of the New Dominion Podcast, Cori, Shaun, Craig, and Marty reflect on the life and legacy of Thom Schiff who was the beating heart of the Fredericksburg music scene. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Schiff and the local music scene, or are just learning about either, this is a must-listen podcast

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Transportation Opt-In, Walking Zones On the Table for Next School Year in Fredericksburg

By Adele Uphaus

Operations director David Ferguson presented options for improving transportation going forward.

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FROM THE EDITOR: Youth Is the Time for Intellectual Rigor, Not Short-sheeted Options

By Martin Davis

Anti-intellectualism is enjoying a hay-day, and our youth are the ones feeling the effects.

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Congratulations to Brian Goldstone - 2026 Pulitzer Prize Winner

By Martin Davis

Goldstone was interviewed by the Advance in November about his book “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America.”

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This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”

This past November the Advance described Brian Goldstone’s book There Is No Place for Us this way. This work:

delivers an intimate look at how the families Goldstone writes about became homeless, the wide range of situations that create homelessness, as well as the many ways that living without a home manifests itself in people’s lives…. Goldstone’s book is the single best road into that world.

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The announcement that Goldstone had won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction described his work this way:

By turns heartbreaking and urgent, There Is No Place for Us illuminates the true magnitude, causes, and consequences of the new American homelessness—and shows that it won’t be solved until housing is treated as a fundamental human right.

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In an extensive interview with the Advance, Goldstone described what reporting a book like this had done to him, and what he hoped it would do to others:

I want readers to feel this crisis and develop compassion, of course. Empathy is wonderful. But what I’m really hoping in terms of feeling is that readers will feel some of the anger that I felt while reporting this book, even rage at times that this suffering was being inflicted on these kids, on these adults in such utterly preventable ways.

The Advance congratulates Goldstone on this career-defining achievement.

And in case you haven’t read it, put it on your list today. It isn’t the easiest book to read, but it will likely be the most important you encounter this year.

Order There Is No Place for Us on Amazon.

Read Goldstone’s Interview with the Advance.

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Say this much for Meryl Streep — she knows how to play the villain. Her newest film, “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” resurrects Miranda Priestly, the arrogant and sadistic head of the mythical Runway magazine she first played in the original 2006 film of the same name sans the “2.”

Only this time, her villainy is shaking up not young personal assistants as in the first film, but a whole cultural movement that is telling women to forget a career and embrace the “trad wife” lifestyle.

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The telltale line this is the film’s target comes toward the end, when Streep says to Andrea Sachs — the terrorized assistant in the first film turned confident journalist in the second — “Boy, I love working. I really do. Don’t you?”

In her review of the film for the New York Times, Michelle Goldberg rightly notes:

Young women increasingly distrust the idea of throwing themselves into a job, especially amid a brutal labor market. In “Girls®,” an often sharp new book about the online commodification of young women’s lives, the Gen Z writer Freya India laments that for her generation, work “became an end in itself, the path to female empowerment.” India is a conservative, but her critique is shared by many on the left who dismiss the idea of “dream jobs” with the declaration, “I do not dream of labor.”

For Goldberg, Priestly’s clarion feminist line is a wake-up call to women and girls willing to walk away from professional careers for the sake of the domestic life.

“That’s no reason to tell girls and women to curtail their aspirations,” Goldberg writes. “People should know, Miranda says during her reverie about her career, that there’s a cost to a life like hers [divorce, absence from her children’s lives]. It’s clear she doesn’t regret paying it.”

It not just girls and women, however, who need to be reminded that there’s no sin in going after a successful, fulfilling professional career.

The Short-sheet Generation

In a range of ways, adults and institutions today are shutting off opportunities before students have a chance to fully discover for themselves what they may want to pursue.

The motivation isn’t malicious, but the effect is damaging. Students find themselves steered into less-challenging career options that are short-sheeting their intellectual growth and aspirations.

The push for Career and Technical Education (CTE) offers but one example.

In Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg City Schools, the push to accelerate CTE is growing. Part of the push is legitimate and based on market demands — high student interest and too few seats in available programs. School leaders are rightly attentive to those demands and are working to meet them.

However, part of the push is fueled in part by a growing anti-intellectualism that is driving our culture.

One hears this criticism of intellectual pursuits in statements like, “Not everyone is cut out for college.” It’s one often floated by CTE defenders, who point to bypassing college and going straight into a career that can lead to a comfortable life.

To be sure, CTE is a solid choice for some students. Before pushing them in that direction, however, advisors should reflect on another possibility. Though well-intentioned, pushing CTE may actually be less about what is best for the student and more about what school reformers have long accused public education of falling victim to — “The soft bigotry of low expectations.”

Somewhere over the past several decades, a sizeable sector of American culture has become terrified of intellectually challenging work.

We see this in a variety of ways. One is the growing distrust of highly educated people. Academics themselves are acutely aware of the problem, as evidenced by a book the MIT Press published last year by Jacob Russell and Dennis Patterson: “The Weaponization of Expertise: How Elites Fuel Populism.”

This distrust of the intellectual elite runs deeper than professors in ivory-covered halls. It includes high-school teachers, school leaders, journalists, professional government staff members at local and state levels, along with judges, attorneys, and doctors. Most of these professions require advanced education. And most are seeing people’s trust in them reach record lows with the general public. (See “Americans’ Ratings of U.S. Professions Stay Historically Low” from Gallup. While doctors rank well in this survey, doctors themselves have for more than a decade expressed concern about patients’ declining trust in them and their profession.)

The push, therefore, to funnel kids into CTE careers is not just about recognizing college isn’t for everyone (and, in fact, it isn’t), but it is likely also tied to our growing distrust of intellectual pursuits.

Consider a student, for example, with an aptitude for car repair. To be good at that works requires some core skills that, properly nurtured, can lead to careers beyond a service bay.

People who are mechanically inclined tend to have good spatial intelligence, an innate understanding of mathematics, and grasp the rudiments of engineering. Perhaps automotive repair will suit them. But they should also be presented with an understanding of how to build upon those skills and pursue more challenging disciplines — engineering, automotive design, chemistry, or physics.

Setting a Table, Not Closing Doors

Our educational system has significant challenges before it. The move to create more opportunities through programs like CTE is, in part, a response to those challenges.

But those opportunities should be about setting a table that allows students to experiment and explore a range of more-challenging options. They should not be shortcuts to employment that may work in the short-run but significantly handicap students who forgo more-challenging work.

Youth is the time to build young people’s core skills in challenging areas — math, literature, science, writing, engineering, and philosophy — not lock them into futures that don’t equip them with the knowledge they need to adjust in a changing rapidly economy.

Our work lives are growing longer, not shorter. And we should want our children to love working in jobs that allow them to pursue their full intellectual and creative potential.

Yes — those jobs are demanding and they come with trade-offs. But those are decisions for individuals to make. Not adults who want to shield them from intellectually rigorous work.

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Next school year, Fredericksburg families may be asked to opt in to bus transportation, and “walking zones” for eligible students are also under consideration.

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David Ferguson, director of operations for Fredericksburg City Public Schools, told the School Board at Monday’s meeting that these—along with adjusting middle and high school start times and “improving route efficiency”—are options that could improve transportation while the division continues to “fight through the driver shortage.”

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These options were also discussed at the beginning of this school year, which was disrupted by significant transportation delays.

Ferguson, who began work with the city school division in January, said he has been going out into neighborhoods and following bus routes “to be able to see what our drivers go through and some of the issues we are having” and to collect data about how to improve routing efficiency.

Regarding the transportation opt-in, Ferguson said, “We’ll always make sure we can take students to school, but if they select that they don’t need [transportation], we’re not going to route them right now.” He said this will allow the department to optimize routing for next school year and help principals by providing them with a list of car riders prior to the beginning of the year.

Ferguson said he has tasked staff with creating routes for summer school programs by June 2, and school year routes by the end of July or early August, rather than “the night before” school starts.

He also said the transportation department has hired an additional office manager. This person will work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in order to be present after school hours to answer questions from families, Ferguson said. The new hire will also assist the transportation supervisor with finance and payroll.

Also on Monday, Ferguson told the Board that his team met with English Construction and its landscape contractors, as well as with volunteer tree stewards with Tree Fredericksburg, to discuss the planting of trees at the new Walker-Grant Middle School.

As the Advance reported last month, contractors in March replanted 35 trees that were originally planted in July of 2025. These trees were not planted according to the city arborist’s specifications either last year or this year.

Ferguson said the contractors now know that the trees must be mulched according to the city’s standards, and he thanked Tree Fredericksburg and its tree stewards for working with him and his staff.

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Survey Finds Overwhelming Opposition to Dominion’s North Anna to Bristers Transmission Line Project

By Adele Uphaus

Fully 93% of respondents are opposed to the project, formerly known as Kraken Loop.

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Stafford Schools Receives $560,000 to Support Hands-on Learning, Food Security

By Martin Davis

Amazon announced a significant grant to Stafford County Public Schools that will give teachers significant opportunities to invest in classroom innovation, and also address student food security.

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Spotsylvania Seniors Prepare for the Next Step in Their Academic Careers

By Martin Davis

Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia are getting two of Spotsylvania’s finest. Both are National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists, accomplished students, tennis players, and chess lovers.

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Fredericksburg School Division Chosen to Participate in National Student Mental Health Initiative

By Adele Uphaus

The city school division is the only local division selected.

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This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”

On Monday night, Amazon made a $560,000 donation that will both support teachers in bringing creative, hands-on learning experiences directly to students and strengthen the district’s ability to support food security for families.

For Dan Maher, CEO of the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank, Amazon’s commitment to strengthening the Stafford community that it is raising data centers in is telling.

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“Amazon is proving by its depth of investment that it is not just in the community, but it is building the community,” Maher told the Advance on Monday evening.

As important, said Maher, is the “recognition by Amazon and the school district that the foundation of learning is food security for families.” Kids can’t really focus, he continued, if they come to school hungry.

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The $200,000 earmarked for food security will support two new automated community food kiosks that will be installed in school locations across Stafford County, building on the success of the existing model at Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center installed in 2023.

“Accessible 24/7, these kiosks provide food in a way that preserves dignity and meets families where they are,” reported Maher in a press release. “The expansion is expected to significantly increase the amount of food distributed each month to Stafford families in need, while also supporting other food insecurity programs such as the weekend meal program for students.”

The remaining $360,000 of this contribution will go toward the Sustainable Innovative Teaching Grants program. With these funds, Stafford County Public Schools expects that over the next three years more than 200 classroom projects will be funded that support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math exploration; career readiness; and student-centered instruction.

“Stafford Schools is committed to providing engaging, relevant learning experiences that prepare students for success,” said Dr. Daniel W. Smith, Superintendent of Stafford Schools. “This investment allows our educators to think boldly, innovate in their classrooms, and create meaningful connections between learning and the real world.”

The contribution was announced by the Stafford Education Foundation, in collaboration with Amazon, Stafford County Public Schools, and the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank.

“This investment reflects a shared commitment to supporting education, empowering local communities, and creating opportunities for future generations,” said Lisa Schooley, Amazon Community Engagement Manager. “By aligning classroom innovation with essential family support, the partnership delivers a comprehensive community approach to student success in Stafford County.”

Altogether, this $560,000 is expected to benefit more than 32,000 students, 4,700 staff, and families across more than 38 schools throughout the division.

“This partnership represents what is possible when education, community, and industry come together with a shared purpose,” said Jessica Marschall, President of the Stafford Education Foundation. “We are proud to invest in innovative classroom experiences, ensuring students have the resources they need to engage deeply in innovative learning.”

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Stafford citizens who responded to a county-issued survey about Dominion Energy’s North Anna to Bristers power line project are overwhelmingly opposed to it. Responses to the survey were collected on paper and via an online survey accessed via QR code over a two-week period.

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Out of 465 respondents, 93% indicated that they were “very or somewhat unfavorable” of the proposed project. Just 3% were favorable of the project, while 5% had no opinion or were unsure.

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The Board of Supervisors will discuss the survey responses at its meeting on Tuesday.

Supervisors in December approved a resolution expressing opposition to “alignments of the Project that negatively impact Stafford” and requesting additional engagement from Dominion. Last week, supervisors asked the Planning Commission to consider draft Comprehensive Plan amendments that would designate where in the county such power lines can go.

County attorney Rysheda McClendon told supervisors that the State Corporation Commission will take localities’ comprehensive plans into consideration when they review plans for the project. Dominion is expected to submit plans to the SCC in July, she said. There will be opportunity for public testimony in opposition to the project.

According to proposed plans, the North Anna to Bristers transmission line will be installed in Stafford in sections, first running from south to north through the George Washington and Aquia districts, and then from east to west across the county through the Garrisonville and Rock Hill districts.

The most concentrated and engaged opposition to the project came from residents living near segment 5 of the proposed transmission line, which runs close to communities including Embrey Mill and Augustine and a number of public schools, including Hampton Oaks, Winding Creek, and Margaret Brent elementary schools, Rodney Thompson and H. H. Poole middle schools, and Mountain View High School.

Common themes among all respondents, according to the county staff report on the survey, were concerns about property values; health and safety; proximity to vulnerable populations, such as children with special needs; environmental and wildlife impacts; quality of life impacts; and confusion and lack of trust.

Respondents in segment 5 of the project were more likely to report “direct property impacts, to cite schools and children as a primary concern, and to support underground construction,” according to the report.

“Segment 5 respondents also show greater readiness to escalate engagement, including higher intent to attend future meetings and provide SCC testimony,” the report states. “These patterns indicate that Segment 5 experiences the project as immediate and unavoidable, positioning it as the highest-risk area for sustained opposition and regulatory engagement.”

The survey responses indicate that support for the project would increase “dramatically” if the transmission lines run underground.

About 17% of the respondents said Dominion currently holds an easement on their property, and 30% were unsure.

Delegate Stacey Annie Carroll, who represents part of Stafford County in the General Assembly, will hold a town hall on the North Anna to Bristers project on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Colonial Forge High School, and Dominion will hold an in-person community meeting on Monday, May 11, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hampton Inn and Conference Center at 2965 Richmond Highway.

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Fredericksburg City Public Schools was recently chosen to be the only local school division to participate in a national initiative that seeks to build and strengthen networks for supporting student mental and behavioral health.

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Amelia Jurlando, psychologist at James Monroe High School; school social workers Barrie Massey and Jennifer Bunn; Kimberly Cunningham, counselor at Walker-Grant Middle School; and Maris Wyatt, director of student support services for the division, will participate in the multi-state initiative.

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“Staying the Course: Building ECHO Networks for School Behavioral Health” will convene state-level education departments, local school divisions, and school-based teams to meet monthly starting this year.

The goal is to discuss and develop ways to “build sustainable infrastructure that supports school behavioral health integration,” according to a description of the initiative. It will encourage collaboration both vertically, from state to division to school, and horizontally, between states, school divisions, and individual schools.

Four state-level education agencies—the Virginia Department of Education along with the education departments of Utah, Oklahoma, and Michigan—were chosen for the project, and Fredericksburg was the only local division selected from a pool of applicants.

Project ECHO, which is providing the framework for the discussion, wrote in response to Fredericksburg’s application, “Fredericksburg City Public Schools appears well-positioned to collaborate towards capacity building and implementation efforts. We believe your state’s participation will contribute meaningfully to the collaborative shared learning environment of school behavioral health professionals.”

In a press release, Fredericksburg City Public Schools wrote, “We are so excited for this opportunity for our division to participate in this national project to enhance the lives of our students and families.”

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Deven Jani and Ryan Ho have a couple of interests in common, namely chess and tennis. They also share an academic accolade — both scored in the Top 1% of all PSAT test-takers in the state of Virginia, which makes them eligible for National Merit Scholarships.

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They’re also both seniors who will be graduating this year from Spotsylvania County Public Schools. Jani is at Riverbend High School and will attend the University of Virginia this fall on a full-ride scholarship, while Ryan is at Massaponnax High School and will be attending Georgia Tech this fall.

Help Along the Way

To reach the pinnacle of anything — be it athletics, entertainment, or academics — raw talent is a component. But talent alone isn’t nearly enough. Both Jani and Ho have enjoyed important support from people in and outside of their families along the way.

Ho names his mother as one of the two important motivators in his life. “She’s always been there,” he told the Advance. “You can really tell that she cares about me, and that’s one of the reasons I want to succeed — so I can make her proud.”

Outside the family, Ho found a mentor in a retired mathematician and physicist who pushed him to reach higher goals. It started with chess, Ho said.

“He motivated me in chess to reach different goals, and then set new goals.” The lessons learned there, Ho said, “expanded to academics.” He “gave me a lot of books relating to math and physics,” Ho said. The vast majority of the books [in my collection] are from him.”

Jani’s parents have played a key role in his success. His father is a medical professional and his mother is an actuary. They have been there throughout his journey both modeling hard work and supporting his interests — namely, tennis. “My family emphasized hard work a lot,” Jani told the Advance. They also offered sound advice, like “putting my phone away in a different room.”

Jani also takes inspiration from the people he looks up to. In his case, it’s the tennis pro Roger Federer. “He talks about the importance of hard work,” Jani said, “and [he explains that ] effortlessness isn’t a real thing.”

That last point, in particular, is something that resonates with both young men.

Jani told the Advance that he understands how people might believe that math, which “makes sense” to him, comes easily. The reality, however, is that academic success is “a combination of hard work and talent. I am smart in math, but it comes with a lot of hard work” and using the intelligence one does have “to get better results.”

Ho agrees. “It’s easy to forget what goes on behind closed doors,” he told the Advance. People seeing students passing tests, but they “don’t see the effort they put in the night before.”

It’s important, he said, to “take into account the things that you don’t see.”

Lessons along the Way

One of the more-important skills that Jani learned early in his academic career was how to balance school, athletics, and friends. That didn’t come easily.

“I’m inside the Commonwealth’s Governors School,” he said, which carries with it elevated work loads. It took about a year to really learn how to balance all the competing interests, he said. “It was particularly challenging in the Spring because tennis is a spring sport.”

Ho also maintains a busy schedule. He played on Massaponnax’s varsity boys’ tennis team for four years, plays first-chair violin in the school symphonic orchestra, and as a senior is taking five AP classes. He has maintained a straight-A average throughout his high school career.

Next Steps

Both Jani and Ho will attend prestigious and highly competitive universities this fall. Not unexpectedly, each had multiple schools to choose from.

For Jani, the choice came down to the University of Virginia or Cornell University. The full-ride scholarship at UVa made that decision a bit easier.

“I’m looking to major in commerce at the McIntire School,” he told the Advance, and “double-major in applied statistics.” His goal is to work in finance, but he is also considering working in the fields of biology and math.

Ho has committed to Georgia Tech, but also considered UVa, the University of Illinois, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, and George Mason University.

The Co-op program at Georgia Tech is what proved the determining factor for Ho. “The Co-op program allows me to take a semester to work a fulltime job related to my major with a company that partners with Georgia Tech. That offers learning opportunities as well as building connections in those companies as well.”

He plans on studying either electrical or computer engineering.

Another Shared Trait

In the Advance’s interviews with Jani and Ho, there was another trait the two shared that also accounts for their success — humility.

Both students are grounded, focused, and interested in always looking to expand their knowledge as well as the base of people they are learning from.

They’re also loathe to brag on themselves.

Instead, both are forward-focused, grounded, and ready to take on the next challenge.

As they prepare to depart, the words of Garrison Keller are appropriate: “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

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Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania Bike Path Project Moves Forward

By Hank Silverberg

Public input is sought on two major projects. One would create a continuous 8-mile-long bike path between Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg.

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OPINION: When Bigger Isn’t Better: Rethinking Elementary School Expansion

By Lydell Fortune

How big should schools be? For elementary schools, there’s a compelling case that smaller is better.

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OPINION: The Technological Republic and the Re-Industrialization of America

By Shaun Kenney

Here’s a fact: the data center buildout is going to re-industrialize America. The sooner we embrace this reality; the sooner we reap the rewards.

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THREE THINGS TO STREAM: Fun Shows for the Whole Family

By Angela Davis

Test-stress is a thing, especially during SOLs. Here are some family friendly shows that can take the edge off the stress.

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This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”