FREDLINES
Eve Evans, EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
The Fredericksburg Free Press
By Adele Uphaus, 08/20/2026
Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity broke ground on Canterbury Estates, a six-home cul-de-sac development on Davies Street in Mayfield, with construction expected to start late August or early September now that permits are in. The homes will be modular builds delivered mostly complete from a Martinsville, Virginia factory and finished on site, built in partnership with CAVCO/Nationwide Homes. Future homeowners featured at the ceremony included a family who arrived from Burundi five years ago and a “legacy” buyer whose mother previously paid off her own Habitat home, reflecting the organization’s model of income-qualified applicants completing sweat equity and an affordable mortgage.
By Taft Coghill Jr. and Jonathan Hunley, 08/21/2026
Redfern Market, a hemp wellness store in Caroline County, is facing an uncertain future after a new state law (HB30) took effect August 15, capping THC at 2 milligrams per product and eliminating the previous 25:1 CBD-to-THC ratio exemption. A federal judge last week denied seven business owners’ request to block the rule, and store manager Corey Reed said the change has wiped out major sellers like gummies and full-spectrum CBD products. State officials say the law closes a loophole that let intoxicating, untested products reach minors, while a state delegate acknowledged the rules may unintentionally hurt small businesses and said lawmakers could revisit the issue in January’s special session.
Stuart: Water permit to Amazon would be ‘indefensible’
By Taft Coghill Jr., 08/21/2026
State Sen. Richard Stuart sent a letter to the Virginia DEQ calling it “indefensible” to grant Amazon a permit to withdraw 6.4 million gallons of water per year from the Potomac aquifer for the proposed Birchwood Tech Campus in King George County. He argued the move contradicts DEQ’s own recent report finding little remaining capacity in the aquifer — the same aquifer the county was directed to move away from for its drinking water at a projected $100 million cost to taxpayers. DEQ has tentatively recommended approving the permit, noting Amazon already holds a separate surface-water permit from the Rappahannock River, and a public hearing on the request runs through September 11.
Potomac Local News
Police Blotter: Death Investigation, Sexual Assault Reported
By Uriah Kiser, 08/21/2026
Prince William County police are investigating the death of a 39-year-old man found unconscious early Friday outside a Woodbridge restaurant, with preliminary findings showing no signs of foul play. Separately, police obtained warrants for a 41-year-old Dumfries man accused of sexually assaulting a store employee at a Woodbridge Food Lion, and arrested a Manassas man for impersonating a police officer at a county station. In Stafford County, deputies handled two fraud reports — an unauthorized bank transaction and a Wells Fargo wire-transfer scam — and arrested a man for public intoxication.
VDOT Plans Overnight Lane Closures on I-95 in Stafford and Near Fredericksburg Aug. 23-29
By Uriah Kiser, 08/21/2026
VDOT has scheduled overnight lane closures on I-95 from August 23-29: southbound near Exit 143 (Aquia/Garrisonville) for pavement markings between mile markers 142-145, alternating closures between Exit 133 and Exit 130 for bridge maintenance over the Rappahannock River, and construction-related closures at Exit 126 (Spotsylvania). Work happens mainly overnight Sunday through Thursday, weather permitting, with lanes reopening each morning. Drivers should also expect daytime lane closures on Route 1 between Corporate Drive and Russell Road, plus ongoing overnight closures and on-ramp restrictions at the I-95 Exit 126 interchange.
The Free Lance Star
Woman accused of handcuffing relative to bed in Spotsylvania
Keith Epps, 08/21/26
A woman who allegedly handcuffed an elderly relative to his bed to keep him from wandering has been indicted on charges of felony abduction and abusing a vulnerable adult. The woman, Nikki Ann Breeden, was arrested in April after sheriff’s deputies were summoned to an apartment on Castlebridge Road for a welfare check by Adult Protective Services. Deputies said the man was covered in fecal matter and urine, and had been handcuffed continuously to the bed for two days. No trial date has been set.
Stafford supervisors approve data center site water use (paywalled)
By Scott Shenk, 08/20/2026
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted 4-2 to approve water-use modifications for Amazon’s Potomac Church Tech Center, letting the project’s second data center begin operating before the reuse water system is finished. The changes lower peak combined water use for both buildings to 217,000 gallons a day, cap potable use for two years after the second building’s occupancy permit, and require Amazon to post bonds for the reuse system, which is now expected to be running by 2028. Amazon also offered $10 million toward fixing Old Potomac Church Road and is investing over $200 million in county water infrastructure, while resident speakers and two dissenting supervisors raised concerns about water use, traffic, and the site’s fuel-based generators.
Law enforcement officials hope technology solves gun theft (paywalled)
Keith Epps, 08/20/2026
The Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office is using cellphone data requests to try to solve two gun-related cases. In the first, a Fredericksburg detective’s service weapon, holster, and two magazines were stolen from her unlocked vehicle on Spring Creek Drive on July 31 after she heard someone in her driveway around 4 a.m.; a search warrant let police seek carrier data to identify phones in the area at that time. In the second, shots were fired at a Mount Olive Road home on August 4, leaving bullet holes and shell casings at the scene, and police are seeking similar cellphone data for the 2-3 a.m. window, though no suspects have yet been linked to the shooting.
ADVANCE READS
Bruce Saller, Phil Huber
How We Got Here: America’s $40 Trillion IOU
Bruce Saller, ADVANCE CONTRIBUTOR
The federal debt reached $40 trillion dollars on 8/18/26. It previously reached $38 trillion on 10/21/25 and $39 trillion on 3/16/26. The debt was “only” $5.5 trillion in 1997, so why has it increased so much? The chart above shows the annual addition to—and in the year 2000, subtraction from—the debt since 1997 in current dollars.
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New Dominion Energy Incentives
Bruce Saller, ADVANCE CONTRIBUTOR
Dominion Energy has submitted a Virtual Power Plant pilot program to the State Corporation Commission which provides incentives to residential customers to help reduce peak demand. The programs include Residential Smart Thermostat, Electric Vehicle Charger, Peak Time Reduction, and Battery Storage.
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The ‘Beautification’ of Washington Has Turned Out to Be Anything But
By Phil Huber, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
The Trump administration’s efforts to make Washington, D.C. more attractive and orderly could have been a welcome chapter in the story of our national capital. Anyone who has walked the Mall, navigated Pennsylvania Avenue, or tried to enjoy a museum surrounded by crumbling infrastructure knows the city could use thoughtful care. In principle, a cleaner, more beautiful capital is a goal Americans can embrace across party lines.
But in practice, this effort has been marred by caprice, disregard for process, and a troubling impulse toward personal memorialization.
STATE OF THE STATE
VaNews/VIRGINIA PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT
Judge affirms ruling in favor of former felons in voting rights lawsuit
By CHARLOTTE RENE WOODS, Virginia Mercury
Despite winning a lawsuit earlier this year that found that certain Virginians with felony convictions should not have lost their voting rights, some Virginians missed their chance to vote in congressional primary elections earlier this month. But a new ruling from U.S. District Court Judge John Gibney means that they will be able to vote in this November’s general elections and weigh in on a state constitutional amendment that would enshrine restored voting rights for people with felony convictions, so long as their prison sentences are complete.
Virginia board approves ‘last resort’ fee increases for hunting, fishing, trapping licenses
By ANDREW KERLEY, Cardinal News
The Virginia Board of Wildlife Resources voted 6-4 on Thursday to approve fee increases for hunting, fishing and trapping licenses for the first time in 14 years. License prices were raised by the maximum amount required by law — roughly $5 to $20 depending on the package — for Virginia residents. Higher price hikes up to $50 will apply to nonresidents. They will take effect on Oct. 1. The fee increases were proposed amid significant financial pressures for the Department of Wildlife Resources, which has seen the size of its budget lag inflation and rising costs, according to spokesperson Shelby Crouch.
Interstate 95 express lanes expansion proposed by VDOT
By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Major changes could be coming to the Interstate 95 express lanes, the toll lanes that replaced the former high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes running between the primary interstate lanes. Those proposed changes include a third extension of the express lanes and the conversion of the system to 24/7 bidirectional use.
After eastern groundwater report detailed aquifer concerns, Virginia lawmakers consider policy shifts
By SHANNON HECKT, Virginia Mercury
After the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality released a 117-page report indicating that available groundwater east of Interstate-95 is “declining (in) availability in the near future,” the agency pitched recommendations on how to tackle the issue to lawmakers Thursday in Richmond. The report detailed the groundwater needs for the Eastern Groundwater Management Area, and showed that the region would not be able to handle any new major water withdrawal permits for industry use without risking water availability.
Dominion says it’s getting a Trump tariff refund
By BRAD KUTNER, WVTF-FM
Dominion Energy is working to collect millions of dollars in tariff fees and return it to ratepayers. The effort comes after Radio IQ reported the company said President Donald Trump’s tariff scheme added nearly $800 million to its offshore wind project. In a statement, a Dominion spokesperson said the company has ... “sought, and have begun receiving” tariffs paid on the construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, or CVOW project. Citing ... “[federal agency] processing [and] the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings,” among other variables, the spokesperson said it’s unclear how much and when and how those funds could land in ratepayers’ pockets. But state lawmakers have some ideas.
State didn’t send enough funds for nullified redistricting vote, leaving Richmond $375K short
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, The Richmonder
Richmond officials had to spend almost $375,000 in local tax dollars to run an unplanned election that didn’t count. A pot of state money set aside to help local election offices fund the April 21 redistricting referendum fell short of covering Richmond’s actual costs, according to city documents. City officials spent a little more than half a million dollars to run the redistricting vote, which ultimately didn’t matter because the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled the election invalid and overturned the result. Out of $5 million the General Assembly allocated to help pay for the redistricting referendum, Richmond received $129,606, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. That was significantly less than the $504,437 Richmond spent on staffing, equipment, ballots and other expenses ... Richmond isn’t alone.
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Articles from newspapers throughout the Commonwealth and Washington D.C. Firewalls will block you from reading some, but you’ll at least have some idea about what’s going on from the headlines and summaries. CLICK HERE.
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