FREDLINES
Claire Marshall Watkins, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Fredericksburg Free Press
Spotsylvania Sheriff Harris retiring early
By Taft Coghill Jr. 10/27/2026
Last December, Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger Harris announced he would retire after his term expired Dec. 31, 2027.
But according to an email Harris sent to sheriff’s office personnel on Oct. 16, he plans to step away on Jan. 4 of next year, almost a year earlier than anticipated.
‘It’s outrageous’: Spotsylvania schools clamor for more state funding
By Adele Uphaus 10/27/2026
Spotsylvania County Public Schools needs more funding from the state in order to meet the needs of all students.
That was the underlying theme of the preliminary budget presentation given to the school board by Chief Financial Officer Phillip Trayer at a work session on Monday.
The Free Lance-Star
Vote expected on proposed Spotsylvania trash program changes (paywalled)
By Scott Shenk 10/27/2026
The supervisors are set to address the issue again during Tuesday’s meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. at the Holbert building.
Governor joins Vindman to stomp for him in old neighborhood (paywalled)
By Pilar Davis 10/27/2026
Fredericksburg resident Patricia Regan opened her home to Governor Spanberger, Congressman Vindman and several other local elected officials, along with a host of campaign supporters. The group of volunteers gathered on Regan’s front lawn for a round of speeches from the officials before heading off to canvass neighborhoods in support of Vindman’s reelection campaign.
Group seeking donations to repair damaged Iwo Jima monument (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 10/27/2026
The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation (MCHF) recently launched the campaign in response to extensive vandalism to the monument discovered Wednesday night.
The limestone sculpture, created by artist Felix de Weldon, depicts the historic flag raising on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima on Feb. 23, 1945. It is a smaller version of a memorial in Arlington created by the same artist.
Teen sentenced to 38 years for fatal crash after robbery (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 10/27/2026
Dominick Jermaine Hawkins, 19, received the sentence last week in Charles County (MD) Circuit Court, where he was convicted by a jury in August of felony murder, grossly negligent manslaughter, fleeing and eluding resulting in death and second-degree assault.
Woman who allowed child abuse won’t serve more prison time (paywalled)
By Keith Epps 10/27/2026
Jessica Ann Holmes, 37, of Fredericksburg, pleaded guilty to child cruelty Monday in Caroline Circuit Court. She was sentenced to a total of five years in prison, with all of it suspended. Several other charges were dropped.
ADVANCE READS
Stephen J. Farnsworth, Jesse Adams, Phil Huber
Virginia’s Fifth: The Commonwealth’s Unexpected Swing District
Stephen J. Farnsworth, ADVANCE CONTRIBUTOR
One of the biggest surprises of Virginia’s 2026 midterm election cycle has been the unexpectedly tough battle over the Commonwealth’s Fifth Congressional district, a largely rural stretch of land extending from Charlottesville to the North Carolina border.
While political activists and donors expected strong contests and massive campaign spending for Republican-held seats in Virginia Two in Hampton Roads and Virginia One, which includes the Northern Neck and part of the Richmond suburbs, the previously politically sleepy Fifth district in Virginia’s agricultural and evangelical heartland has long seemed a terrible political investment for Democrats. After all, U.S. Rep. John McGuire (R) won the seat by 15 points in 2024, and Donald Trump carried the district by 12 points two years ago.
My Retreat From AI
Jesse Adams, SPECIAL TO THE ADVANCE
I’ve finally had enough. With a career in technology that spans almost 25 years, I’m ready to retreat to a simple lifestyle rooted in nature, magic, creativity, and exploration. I am beyond grateful for where I have landed and what I’ve become; please don’t get me wrong here. Since starting my career automating mundane, manual tasks with Perl scripts alongside my good friend Rick around 2002, I’ve been successful and fortunate. This age of AI, however, has left a bad taste in my mouth. Yes, it is an amazing advancement in the world of technology, but as with anything else, it should be used in moderation. Too much of anything will always lead to undesirable consequences.
The Trump Name Game
Phil Huber, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
Before voters accept another shipment of Trump promises, perhaps we should inspect the previous delivery. There is no shortage of impressive labels. The question is what is inside the boxes.
Donald Trump understands the power of a nameplate. Put his name on something and, presumably, it becomes taller, shinier and perhaps even solvent. So why limit the branding to buildings and structures? His unfinished promises deserve recognition, too.
STATE OF THE STATE
VaNews/VIRGINIA PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT
Lucas: I won’t resign from state Senate
By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
State Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, said she’s not resigning after a federal grand jury indicted her last week on racketeering, money laundering and drug trafficking charges. “Absolutely not,” she said when asked if she would resign. “Absolutely, I am not guilty,” she said, speaking to reporters Monday after a meeting of the General Assembly’s Joint Subcommittee on Tax Policy.
Now Live: Pre-Election Campaign Finance Reports
The Virginia Public Access Project
VPAP has posted campaign finance disclosures filed by local candidates running for offices on the November ballot and referendum committees seeking to pass or defeat initiatives on the November ballot. These reports offer the last look at finances ahead of Election Day, covering activity through Oct. 21 for referendum committees and Oct. 22 for candidates. We rank each type of committee by the amount raised and cash on hand. Drill down for a sortable list of donors and expenditures reported by individual committees during the filing periods.
2 Virginia congressional races draw $1.1M in election bets
By SABRINA MORENO, Axios
Two Richmond-area congressional races are dominating Virginia’s election betting markets, drawing more than $1.1 million in trading activity ahead of next week’s midterms. The Republican-held 1st and 5th Districts could help decide control of the U.S. House. Bettors see Democrats flipping one of them. The two races have attracted the most trading activity among Virginia’s congressional contests on Kalshi and Polymarket as of Monday afternoon.
Virginia General Assembly remains divided on how to manage data center growth
By MICHAEL MARTZ AND DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
The policy battle over how Virginia taxes the data center industry continues to divide the General Assembly, as the leaders of the assembly’s budget committees made clear at the end of a meeting of a joint subcommittee charged with recommending a path forward in the next legislative session. Senate Finance Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, isn’t satisfied with the subcommittee’s work and remains committed to repealing the 16-year-old tax exemption. House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, advocated a middle way that protects Virginia communities from the adverse effects of data center growth ...
Virginia lawmakers take step toward revamping school funding formula
By ANNA BRYSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
After years of discussions, Virginia is finally beginning the work to possibly change its complex and half-century-old K-12 education funding formula. The vast majority of U.S. states use a student-based funding formula, but Virginia is one of only a handful of states that calculate its education funding based on staffing estimates. At a Monday morning meeting, a legislative panel tasked with studying K-12 education funding voted to approve a request for proposals seeking a consultant to model how a transition to a student-based formula could affect school divisions.
JLARC: We got Richmond’s tax burden wrong
By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
The General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission now says a second look at state tax data shows Richmond eked out $1.01 for every $1 paid in state taxes. JLARC reported two weeks ago that Richmond, though considered a “double-distressed” locality, paid out more than it received. “We made several revisions to the final report and briefing,” JLARC spokeswoman Kimberly Sarte said Monday.
Trump’s arch would cast shadow on Arlington Cemetery
By JARRETT LEY, AARON STECKELBERG AND DAN DIAMOND, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Washington’s monumental core is a study in careful geometry and deliberate sight lines. From the Lincoln Memorial, past a bridge over the Potomac River, Arlington National Cemetery occupies the rising ground in the distance. President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot-tall arch would be a towering new presence in this space. To understand its impact, The Washington Post built a to-scale digital 3D model. ... Over the course of a year, the shadow of the triumphal arch would touch burial sites in Arlington National Cemetery on 284 days, The Post found. It would briefly cover Kennedy’s eternal flame on 18 days, and it would shade the former president’s memorial on 50. It would darken the Military Women’s Memorial on 109 days.
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