FREDLINES
Claire Marshall Watkins, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Fredericksburg Free Press
Explainer: Preventing teen violence in the City of Fredericksburg
By Joey LoMonaco and Adele Uphaus 10/01/2026
Earlier this month, the City of Fredericksburg released a report titled: Fredericksburg Youth Violence Prevention Plan. The Free Press requested the report and associated documents under the Freedom of Information Act, and the city published it publicly along with a press release on Sept. 11.
Here are some takeaways from the 113-page document, which outlines several challenges and potential strategies aimed at preventing teen violence.
Across the region, early voting is up compared to last midterm elections
By Adele Uphaus 10/01/2026
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, about 282,000 Virginians had cast ballots either in person or by mail as of Sept. 30, more than double the number who had voted at this point during the 2022 midterm elections.
In the Fredericksburg region, the turnout gap between early voting in 2022 and this year is largest in Caroline and Stafford counties, with nearly double as many voters in both localities.
Stafford supervisors to discuss doing away with incentives for data centers
By Taft Coghill Jr. 10/01/2026
With more than 10 data centers already proposed for Stafford, county supervisors are considering making the technology developments ineligible for certain economic development incentives.
At a joint meeting of the county’s Board of Supervisors and Economic Development Authority on Tuesday, the supervisors agreed to revisit the issue Oct. 27, when they will also discuss no longer allowing data centers to locate on land zoned for heavy industry without specific board approval.
The Free Lance-Star
Man pleads guilty to crimes in King George stabbing case (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 10/01/2026
young man who stabbed his father to death two years ago in King George pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday in King George Circuit Court.
John Bennie Barbour III, 20, was also convicted of aggravated malicious wounding. His father, 56-year-old John B. Barbour Jr., was stabbed six times in their King George residence on Sept. 22, 2024. He died about a week later.
Preliminary hearing set in Stafford sexual assault case (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 10/01/2026
A preliminary hearing for a man accused of raping an intoxicated woman in Stafford County last month has been set for Nov. 5.
Diamonte Alexander Stiney, 24, of Washington, is charged with rape and abduction. The charges stem from an alleged incident on Sept. 20 at a family party. The Public Defender’s Office was appointed to defend him during a hearing on Thursday in Stafford General District Court.
UMW boutique offers free professional attire to students (paywalled)
By Pilar Davis 10/02/2026
To help students put their best look forward, UMW held a pop-up boutique that gave away business attire to students seeking more professional attire for job interviews, class speeches, and career fairs. The event was held in partnership with Student Activities and Engagement, the Center for Career and Professional Development, and Rappahannock Goodwill Industries of Fredericksburg.
Spotsylvania blessing of the animals fair postponed one week (paywalled)
By Scott Shenk 10/02/2026
Ablessing of the animals fair in Spotsylvania County, scheduled for Sunday, has been pushed back a week because of the forecast for rain.
The event will be held on Sunday, Oct. 11.
The animal blessing and fair is sponsored by the Saint Francis Pet Ministry of Christ Episcopal Church. The event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the church, at 8951 Courthouse Road.
ADVANCE READS
Ranjit Singh, Bruce Saller, Phil Huber
Planet Blah: Environmentalism Needs a Better Soundtrack
Ranjit Singh, ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL COLUMNIST
Appearances aside, most tree huggers are actually rearwards-looking reactionaries.
You read that right. Don’t let our Patagonia vests and limited edition Subarus fool you. We’re no progressives aiming for a utopian future. For generations now, many of us have been seeking to recreate the past with an intensity that would make the most committed alt-righter blush.
The environmental past, as in: “I just want my kids to breathe the same clean air my daddy and granddaddy did, gosh darn it!”
Sadly, many of the triumphs and mischief made by the early eco-amateurs – the cheery stoners of Greenpeace, the careening firebrands of Earth First! – have now dissipated. Over time, hard-won environmental regulations have been hobbled by lobbyists expert in the dark arts of policy implementation (a political plant that grows best in the shade) or reversed by elected handmaidens.
Which Came First—Carbon Dioxide or Global Warming?
Bruce Saller, ADVANCE CONTRIBUTOR
Under normal conditions, rising temperature causes an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. But this does not mean that increased carbon dioxide does not cause an increase in temperature. In 1856, scientist Eunice Foote placed glass containers of various gases in the sun and found that carbon dioxide heated up the most and retained its heat the longest.
In 1896, scientist Svante Arrhenius hypothesized that certain wavelengths of light caused carbon dioxide molecules to vibrate, generating the heat. This theory was refined for decades until 2024 when the final piece of the puzzle (why carbon dioxide is so good at trapping heat) was explained. Carbon dioxide also absorbs some of the light being reflected from the earth and re-directs it back towards earth, generating additional heat.
January 6: Just the Facts
Phil Huber, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
On Tuesday I watched former federal special prosecutor Jack Smith testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his investigations into President Donald Trump’s actions related to the January 6 insurrection, the 2020 presidential election, and mishandling of classified documents. It was interesting, as hearings often are when old battles are brought back to life. But I am not writing about that hearing. I want to go back to January 6, 2021, and put down the record in the spirit of Sgt. Joe Friday, the Los Angeles police detective in Dragnet: Just the facts.
STATE OF THE STATE
VaNews/VIRGINIA PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT
By ELIZABETH BEYER, Cardinal News
The window to call a special session regarding the proposed merger of Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy has closed without action from Gov. Abigail Spanberger, state Sen. David Suetterlein and Del. Joe McNamara said Wednesday. The Sept. 30 procedural deadline passed without a call from the governor for a special session of the General Assembly to extend the time limit for the Virginia State Corporation Commission to review the proposed $67 billion merger of Dominion Energy and NextEra. An extended review period saw public bipartisan support from current and former lawmakers, including former Republican Gov. Jim Gilmore and Democratic Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi. Attorney General Jay Jones, also a Democrat, had recently begun arguing for a similar extension.
ABC scrambles to deal with tobacco permitting backlog as deadline arrives
By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
With thousands of tobacco and vaping retailers still waiting for the new permits they were supposed to have Oct. 1, state officials scrambled to find a way to keep stores from losing a key revenue source. Cigarettes, other tobacco products and vapes would otherwise have been harder to get today. Oct. 1 is the deadline for retailers to obtain a tobacco sales permit, and several thousand applications are still under review. Under a new law enacted this year, selling tobacco products and liquid nicotine devices and refills without a license from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority after today is a misdemeanor ...
By ELIZABETH BEYER, Cardinal News
The two major party candidates on the ballot this fall in Virginia’s 6th Congressional District appear miles apart on nearly all issues except for one: data centers. Incumbent Republican Rep. Ben Cline and Democratic challenger Beth Macy have both said that they support a moratorium or pause on the construction of data centers in the state until measures are in place to provide transparency and protections for residents and the environment regarding the operation of the technology infrastructure.
Virginia economists say inflation still ‘uncomfortably high’
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
Inflation didn’t rise as much as feared in August, based on the measurement that the Federal Reserve Board prefers, but Virginia economists say a 3.4% increase over a year ago is still “uncomfortably high” as record diesel fuel prices ripple through the economy. ... “They’re probably happy it didn’t grow by more, but it’s uncomfortably high,” said Alice Louise Kassens, dean of business, economics and analytics at Roanoke College.
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