FREDLINES
Claire Marshall Watkins, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Fredericksburg Free Press
A Caroline County tail … er, tale … of dogs and what they do for man
By Jonathan Hunley 11/9/2026
A man with a Boston accent is quietly saving lives on a 200-acre former dairy farm in Woodford in Caroline County.
Well, quietly, except for maybe a dog barking every now and again.
Sixty-five-year-old Kevin Lanouette has amassed awards for training dogs since he started breeding German shepherds in 1986. But when a 20-something passerby at a dog show asked him which trophy was his favorite, he had a different kind of answer in mind.
Toy Box Scramble rolls in for fifth year of supporting Toys for Tots
By Grace Wagner 11/9/2026
Fredericksburg Roller Derby will bring skaters from across Virginia to the Fredericksburg Field House on Nov. 14 for its fifth annual Toy Box Scramble, a charity mixer benefiting the Quantico Toys for Tots.
The event will feature themed team games, a costume competition, audience participation and raffle prizes. Organizers hope to collect more than 200 toys, surpassing the over 100 toys the event donated in previous years.
“My personal goal for us this year is to donate over 200 toys,” said Joanna Arrighi, whose derby name is Mothra to Flame and who helps coordinate sponsorships for the league.
The Free Lance-Star
Mary Washington earns NCAA Division III tournament berth (paywalled)
By Alex Murphy 11/10/2026
For the 16th time in school history, the University of Mary Washington women’s soccer program will be playing in the NCAA Division III tournament.
The Eagles (12-2-4) were named to the 64-team bracket on Monday and are set to take on Colby College this weekend at the home of The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township, New Jersey, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. If they beat Colby, Mary Washington will take on the winner of TCNJ and University of Mount Saint Vincent on Sunday in the Round of 32.
Man accused of killing 2 while driving drunk in Stafford seeks bond (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 11/9/2026
A judge on Monday scheduled a bond hearing Tuesday for a man accused of killing a mother and her young daughter while driving drunk in Stafford last week, but it wasn’t clear Monday evening whether the hearing was going to happen.
Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen said Monday afternoon that he was in the process of filing paperwork seeking to postpone a bond hearing for 25-year-old Malik J. Thomas, who is charged with two counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. Olsen said he is seeking at least a brief delay because the victims’ family will be holding funeral services Tuesday and will not be able to attend the hearing.
Woman avoids jail in fatal DUI crash in Spotsylvania (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 11/9/2026
A Montross woman on Monday avoided jail time for causing a DUI-related crash in Spotsylvania more than three years ago that resulted in the death of her friend.
Kiana Charise Johnson, 30, received a suspended five-year sentence in Spotsylvania Circuit Court. She pleaded guilty to DUI-maiming in August and had been allowed to remain free on bond pending sentencing. She could have received up to 10 years in prison.
The show will go on for concert series Stage Alive (paywalled)
By Pilar Davis 11/9/2026
Since 1970, the Stage Alive Community Concert Association (SACCA) has put on 6 concerts per year in central Virginia. At the time of its final spring concert in April, the concert series’ future was in serious jeopardy.
Despite its long history, the COVID pandemic created challenges for the concert series in attracting audiences, leading to declining revenue. Organizers started a fundraising campaign in February to raise $100,000 to keep the group running for the next five years.
Thanks to support from a legion of donors, the SACCA board of directors announced that patrons exceeded the $100,000 goal ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline, allowing the program to continue for the foreseeable future.
ADVANCE READS
Lauren Bock, Steve Watkins
The Satisfaction Equation
Lauren Bock, ADVANCE CONTRIBUTOR
Soon after the Lifestyle Medicine class I wrote about last week, my new friends Dave and Kaye started joining me and others on the Canal and Heritage Paths in Fredericksburg for a weekly “Walk with a Doc” on Tuesday evenings. Walking was nothing new for Dave, who has long enjoyed his daily walks home from Hyperion after his morning coffee. Rather, Walk with a Doc served as an opportunity for us to catch up on his blood pressure, stories about their grandchildren, and upcoming travels.
During one of those walks, I mentioned that I was stepping down from my jobs at a preventive cardiology clinic to take time for myself and my family, and to spend more time in my garden.
Kaye looked at me with a wary eye and a dose of maternal compassion.
This Week’s Data Center Developments
Steve Watkins, ADVANCE EDITOR
On Tuesday, November 17 at 5:45 p.m., The Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors will hold a Public Hearing and Vote on the Crossroads Tech Campus (data center). We need citizens to attend this meeting to show our Board of Supervisors that there is strong opposition to this data center campus and continued data center development in the County.
Crossroads will consist of 2 million square feet of buildings on 555 acres. It will impact wetlands, have over 200 diesel generators, and require 1 million gallons of reuse water daily. In addition, this campus sits within close proximity to homes, an elementary school, and several churches. If approved, Crossroads will be the ninth data center campus in Spotsylvania.
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