FREDLINES
Claire Marshall Watkins, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Fredericksburg Free Press
Stafford supervisors vote to condemn land for reuse water system
By Jonathan Hunley 10/21/2026
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors ended up approving a process that will allow the county to take nine parcels of land to build the so-called “purple pipe.”
The votes on all nine related matters were 4-2-1, with Vice Chairwoman Maya Guy and Rock Hill Supervisor Crystal Vanuch dissenting and Griffis-Widewater Supervisor Tinesha Allen abstaining.
Balancing act: King George officials condemn gymnastics building with no short-term solution
By Taft Coghill Jr. 10/21/2026
As they addressed the King George board of supervisors on Tuesday night, parents and supporters of youth who participate in the county’s parks and recreation gymnastics program wore red T-shirts in a show of unity.
They said they understand the decision that the King George Fire and Rescue Department made to close the gymnastics facility known as the Quonset Hut indefinitely after it was deemed unsafe based on an Oct. 8 inspection.
Judge: HFFI does not have standing to appeal demolition of historic structure
By Adele Uphaus 10/21/2026
A circuit court judge has ruled that the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. does not have standing to appeal the city’s decision to allow demolition of a building in the historic district.
In an opinion earlier this month, retired judge Paul Cella determined that HFFI was not able to show during a Sept. 30 hearing that it will suffer “particularized harm” if the structure, located at 204 Lewis Street, is torn down.
The Free Lance-Star
Law enforcement arrests teens after spotsylvania shootout (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 10/22/2026
Deandre Kobe Cunningham, 18, and Miyel D.J. Cauley, 19, both of Spotsylvania, are both charged with attempted malicious wounding, shooting at an occupied dwelling, reckless handling of a firearm and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Both are being held in the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
Man pleads guilty in Spotsylvania manslaughter case (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 10/21/2026
A Spotsylvania man who killed a 91-year-old woman and injured himself and two others while driving recklessly in the county two years ago pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Wednesday.
Caleb Anthony Shade, 30, was also convicted in Spotsylvania Circuit Court of reckless driving. As part of a plea agreement, a felony hit-and-run charge was dropped.
Sexual assault case ends with prison and pending deportation (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 10/21/2026
Court records state that Jasson Reyes Velasquez is in the United States illegally and was previously removed from the country in 2021. He is currently being detained by federal immigration authorities and is expected to be deported a second time after he finishes serving his sentence, court records state.
Potomac Local News
Stafford schools break ground on new Hartwood Elementary
By PLN News 10/21/2026
The new school replaces a building that has served the community since 1963 and will provide an updated learning environment for generations of students. Officials thanked the Stafford County School Board, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc., and the Stafford community.
Central Rappahannock Regional Library gets $2,420 grant for Porter Branch garden
By PLN News 10/21/2026
Central Rappahannock Regional Library received a $2,420 SERVE Garden Grant to upgrade the garden at its Porter Branch in Stafford, the library said.
ADVANCE READS
Donnie Johnston, Phil Huber
Bath Time
Donnie Johnston, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
Many people prefer spring, but I like autumn. The warm days, the cool nights, the turning leaves, and the anticipation of blizzards to come.
Spring is usually a muddy mess. Winter refuses to give up, and the freezing temperatures can linger into early May.
In January, you can’t wait for March because you think that is when spring begins. It’s not, and you’ll wait almost three months before you can wear shorts on a regular basis.
Trump’s Last Two Years: Subject to What?
Phil Huber, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
On October 15, I watched Tony Schwartz, who helped write The Art of the Deal, express concern that Donald Trump might use nuclear weapons. That got my attention.
I did not take his warning as a prediction. But after years in military and federal service, I cannot regard the possible consequences as just another subject for political argument. “Surely he wouldn’t” is not a safeguard.
What might Trump do in his final two years?
STATE OF THE STATE
VaNews/VIRGINIA PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT
New tax on data center power consumption in Virginia takes effect slowly
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
The General Assembly needed more time to produce a two-year budget by the end of June, so it may be fitting that revenue is slow to arrive under a new tax on data center electricity consumption that was the cornerstone of the budget compromise between the House of Delegates and the Senate. The State Corporation Commission told the Senate budget committee Tuesday that the new data center electricity consumption tax should have generated about $100 million in new revenue in the first two months, but the state ultimately collected about $26 million for power use in July and August.
Amazon agrees to withdraw data center construction plans on GW’s Virginia campus following backlash
By SARAH GROSS, The GW Hatchet
Amazon will no longer build data centers on GW’s Virginia Science and Technology Campus following an agreement with Loudoun County officials, Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall announced Tuesday. Randall held a press conference Tuesday with Amazon Web Services Vice President for Data Center Delivery Josh Weissman to announce the county and Amazon came to an agreement, dubbed “Project Potomac Promise,” where Amazon agreed to withdraw its plan to develop 800,000 square feet of data centers on the VSTC campus and instead agreed to donate 25 acres of land to Loudoun County for mixed-use development. ... Chief Financial Officer Bruno Fernandes said at the time of the sale that several interested buyers approached GW about purchasing the property, prompting officials to “capitalize” on the rising land prices.
Spanberger critical of ‘opaque’ Dominion-NextEra deal
By KATE SELTZER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Gov. Abigail Spanberger filed paperwork Monday with the State Corporation Commission urging the regulatory body to reject the proposed merger with Dominion and NextEra as it stands. At a press event Tuesday, she doubled down on her asks for a rate hike freeze and increased bill credits and criticized what she said had been an opaque process. Spanberger told reporters that she didn’t think SCC regulators could make an informed decision on the deal without a specific dollar amount tied to the efficiencies the companies expect from the merger. ... Spanberger also was critical of the secrecy behind the so-called “Robo memo,” a document authored by a consulting firm addressed to NextEra’s then-CEO James Robo.
More than 2,600 Va. crime lab cases sent for new review
By DEAN MIRSHAHI, VPM
When an examiner at one of Virginia’s state crime labs failed to pass a proficiency test, it set off a string of events that has led to an ongoing review of more than 2,600 firearm comparisons. Virginia’s Department of Forensic Science has notified local prosecutors and law enforcement that 2,173 comparison cases that one former examiner worked on — and 497 from a second ex-DFS employee — should be reviewed for possible reexamination.
Virginia Transportation secretary blames road maintenance funding gaps on Youngkin administration
By BRAD KUTNER, WVTF-FM
Virginia needs to take significant resources from the state’s new construction budget to maintain its roads according to the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Transportation. Blame was put on the previous administration at a Senate Finance meeting Tuesday. “Transportation funding on the highway side is like a balloon; if you squeeze on one end, take something there, it bulges out somewhere else,” said Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation Nick Donohue.
Calls for local Virginia GOP leader to step down in light of website revelations
By JAYSUN SILVER, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism
The Republican president of the Winchester City Council has called on the chairman of the city’s GOP committee to resign, following a report by the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO that revealed the chairman’s ties to an opaque local news website, The Winchester Gazette. In an interview with VCIJ, Council President Corey Sullivan said that Carroll “Beau” Correll should step down from his roles as chairman of both the Winchester Republican Committee and the city planning commission. “I think that he needs to take some time off, think about where he goes from here,” Sullivan said. “I’ll tell you, Beau’s a very talented guy. He’s multi-talented, he can do a lot of things. But I think he’s made some big mistakes in this process, and he’s got to win back people’s trust.”
Their police jobs ended. They kept using Flock’s vast surveillance network.
By DOUGLAS MACMILLAN, DREW HARWELL AND AARON SCHAFFER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
When Andrae Wright left his job as an investigator at the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office in 2021, he handed in his gun and badge. But he kept something powerful: his log-in credentials for Flock, a police tool he used to search a vast network of roadside cameras tracking the locations of passing cars. In the five years after leaving the force, Wright searched the system more than 60 times without being stopped by anyone at the Georgia sheriff’s office, according to a statement by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Flock audit logs reviewed by The Post. He repeatedly searched the location of a vanity license plate bearing the middle name of his wife, according to the audit logs. The couple divorced this year, court records show, and at the time of some of his Flock searches, Wright was fighting for permanent custody of their teenage daughter.
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