FREDLINES
Claire Marshall Watkins, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Fredericksburg Free Press
Spanberger joins Vindman to energize canvassers ahead of election day
By Adele Uphaus 10/26/2026
Hoping to maintain momentum going into the last week of early voting, a slew of Democratic officials joined Vindman in Stafford on Sunday, including Abigail Spanberger, who represented the 7th district before taking office as governor in January of this year.
Fredericksburg’s Idlewild VRE bus route shutting down next month
By FPP Staff 10/26/2026
As of Nov. 23, Fredericksburg Regional Transit (FXBGO!) will no longer operate a route out of the Idlewild neighborhood.
The Idlewild VRE Bus Route provides weekday service between Fredericksburg’s Idlewild neighborhood and the Virginia Railway Express Station downtown.
Stafford County author tells Marine POWs’ story in new book
By Jonathan Hunley 10/27/2026
Technically, Jon Couch’s Marine career ended when he retired as a gunnery sergeant in 1999. But his service to his peers continues.
The Stafford County resident’s third book, “2949: Marine Prisoners, Hostages, and Peacetime Governmental Detainees since Our Corps’ Founding” came out in June.
The Free Lance-Star
Mary Washington Ortho Urgent Care officially opened (paywalled)
By Pilar Davis 10/26/2026
Mary Washington Healthcare has added a new addition to the medical family. Mary Washington Ortho Urgent Care officially opened on Oct. 19. The new office will offer a new walk-in option for patients who need timely evaluation and treatment for orthopedic injuries and musculoskeletal concerns.
Career criminal gets 20 years in Caroline, more time pending (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 10/26/2026
Robbie Dionte Outterbridge, 42, of Ruther Glen, was sentenced to 80 years with 60 years suspended in Caroline Circuit Court, where a jury convicted him in April of two counts of possessing illegal drugs with the intent to distribute. He has more charges pending in Caroline and Stafford that could result in considerably more time.
Mystics star Shakira Austin selected to All-WNBA 2nd team (paywalled)
By Alex Murphy 10/26/2026
Washington Mystics fifth-year forward Shakira Austin capped off her best season in the WNBA with her first All-WNBA selection on Friday as she was named to the 2026 All-WNBA second team.
This news came after earning 2026 WNBA All-Defensive second team honors earlier this month and finishing second for the 2026 WNBA Most Improved Player behind Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard.
Potomac Local News
Manassas Park art teacher arrested after loaded handgun found in middle school parking lot
By PLN News 10/26/2026
A Manassas Park High School art teacher was arrested Monday after a loaded handgun was found in the parking lot at Manassas Park Middle School, WTOP reported.
Manassas Park police identified and took into custody Veronica Gooch-Ray, of Potomac Falls, in connection with the firearm. She was charged with possession of a firearm on school property under Virginia Code § 18.2-308.1. Police said she is employed as an art teacher at Manassas Park High School.
Two killed in Manassas crash after driver runs stop sign, police say
By PLN News 10/26/2026
Two people were killed in a Manassas crash Saturday night after a driver ran a stop sign at Leland Road and Maplewood Drive, Prince William County police said.
Police said a 2024 GMC Sierra traveling at a high rate of speed on Leland Road disregarded a stop sign and collided with a 2004 Honda Civic entering the intersection from Maplewood Drive about 11:56 p.m. Oct. 24.
ADVANCE READS
Nathaniel Cline, Steve Watkins, Phil Huber
Closing Virginia’s child care affordability gap could cost up to $4.5B a year
Nathaniel Cline, VIRGINIA MERCURY
Closing Virginia’s child care affordability gap would require up to $4.5 billion annually over the next decade, according to the Virginia Department of Education — an investment that, under one scenario, would also raise annual pay for 43,000 educators by an average of $17,000.
Virginia currently lacks at least 140,000 child care slots needed to support working families. Earlier this year, the General Assembly directed the agency to report on parent demand and service needs, calculate funding needs based on current program eligibility, measure historic growth, and account for relevant economic-development projects.
This Week’s Data Center Developments
Steve Watkins, ADVANCE EDITOR
On Wednesday, November 4, at 7 p.m., the University of Mary Washington’s Fredericksburg campus will host a screening of The New Data Center Alley in Room 145 of Seacobeck Hall.Focused on the rapid expansion of data center development in Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania, The New Data Center Alley explores the potential economic, environmental, and community impacts of this unprecedented wave of industrial development and asks what the emergence of a new Data Center Alley could mean for the region’s future.
The screening is open to the public, with a Q&A session and reception to follow.
I Swore an Oath. So Did He.
Phil Huber, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
I grew up in the coal and steel country of southwestern Pennsylvania, where authority was real and visible. Union bosses, mine foremen, sheriffs—they ran things, and you knew it. I didn’t question strong leadership. I was drawn to it.
Then I spent 30 years in the U.S. Army Reserve—serving in Vietnam, Kuwait, and Bosnia—and learned something the bosses back home never taught me: Legitimate authority has limits.
Those limits are written in the Constitution. My oath was to support and defend it—not a president, not a party.
STATE OF THE STATE
VaNews/VIRGINIA PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT
As NextEra wooed Dominion, a mystery bidder emerged
By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
Over the seven months that NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy talked about merging, without mentioning it to any ratepayers, word that the Richmond energy giant might be on the market slipped out far enough to attract another bidder. But after a May 14 meeting with the chief executive of the mystery buyer, Dominion chairman and CEO Bob Blue rejected the bid, which, unlike NextEra’s, didn’t include any bill credits for ratepayers, according to State Corporation Commission staff’s review of the two companies’ due diligence in agreeing to the merger.
SCC staff reviewing proposed NextEra-Dominion merger say bills would jump
By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
The bill credits NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy promise if their merger goes through might be nice enough — but when they expire in four years’ time, Virginia ratepayers would see a sharp jump in monthly bills, regulators warn. State Corporation Commission staff, in a report to the three decision-making commissioners, said NextEra’s $67 billion acquisition of Dominion should be rejected unless the two firms agree to a series of tougher conditions, including limits on the dividends Dominion’s Virginia utility would pay to NextEra.
Racketeering charges raise stakes against Lucas in marijuana conspiracy case
By PETER DUJARDIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
When a federal grand jury indicted state Sen. Louise Lucas, they charged her in part under a statute created more than 50 years ago to go after the Mafia. According to local attorneys, federal prosecutors’ use of that law increases the seriousness of the case — and raises the stakes for Lucas and the others indicted with her. Lucas, 82, and five of her six co-defendants are charged under the “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act,” or RICO, which Congress passed in 1970 as part of the Organized Crime Control Act.
Law enforcement agencies’ use of license plate reader data faces fresh scrutiny
By NATHANIEL CLINE, Virginia Mercury
A Virginia prosecutor’s recent decision not to charge a police officer for sharing license plate reader data with federal authorities without authorization could spur reform efforts in the commonwealth. Automated license plate readers, commonly used to identify vehicles and investigate crimes, have drawn criticism over privacy concerns and alleged misuse, sparked disagreement over how they’re used by authorities, and forced local governments to reconsider contracts.
Va. economy ‘study in contradictions,’ with jobs up, labor force down
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
Understanding Virginia’s job market takes work. The state added 7,800 jobs last month, a second straight monthly gain, and the number of unemployed Virginians declined, as the unemployment rate remained steady at 3.6%. But the number of people in the workforce also reached another record low, as fewer people look for work in an economy they feel has left them behind.
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