Eve Evans, ADVANCE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
The Free Lance-Star
Stafford Supervisors approve permit for solar facility (paywalled)
By Scott Shenk, 08/23/2026
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors approved a conditional-use permit for the Wyatt Lane Solar project, a 3 MWac facility proposed by Charlottesville-based Terraform Power on 25.57 acres near I-95, expected to power roughly 500 homes and generate at least $495,000 in county tax revenue over 30-40 years. The vote passed 5-1, with Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch dissenting after raising concerns about the origin of the solar panels and whether they’d come from Chinese companies on a restricted list; Terraform representatives said they hadn’t yet purchased equipment and couldn’t answer. Other supervisors addressed questions about power distribution to nearby homes and effects on bills. Construction is expected to take eight to ten months.
Spanberger tours Tappahannock as Virginia invests in education, health care (paywalled)
08/22/2026
Gov. Abigail Spanberger visited Tappahannock during the first week of school, touring James H. Cary Intermediate School to highlight Virginia’s new two-year budget, which includes $2 billion in new education funding, 4% raises for teachers and support staff over two years, and $519 million for school construction. She also stopped at VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital to discuss federal healthcare funding cuts, which a state report found put the hospital among those most at risk of closure; the budget sets aside nearly $1 billion to respond, including $350 million for a Medicaid Reserve Fund and $150 million for people losing ACA Marketplace coverage. Spanberger rounded out her visit with stops at local businesses, WRAR-FM, and the Tappahannock-Essex Volunteer Fire Department.
Bonuses approved for some Stafford County employees (paywalled)
By Scott Shenk, 08/22/2026
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors spent much of Tuesday’s meeting debating three possible staff bonus ordinances — for constitutional office employees (sheriff’s office, Commonwealth’s Attorney), Department of Social Services employees, and all county employees — ultimately approving bonuses only for social services staff. That measure, covering 83 employees, will cost the county $33,909 (with the state covering $101,514) and passed 4-2, with Chairman Deuntay Diggs and Supervisor Kecia Evans dissenting. Supervisors were split on the broader question: some argued for an all-or-nothing approach to avoid creating “haves and have-nots,” while others favored targeting the lowest-cost option; a separate motion to limit bonuses to state-identified positions failed 4-2. Approving bonuses for all employees would have cost the county roughly $2.066 million of a $2.359 million total.
Stafford to use $35-million loan for water system work (paywalled)
By Scott Shenk, 08/22/2026
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a loan of up to $35 million to upgrade the Smith Lake water treatment facility, driven by new EPA regulations on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that require public water systems to monitor, report, and treat for the chemicals. The preliminary cost estimate is $30 million, though a hired consultant is still refining the total, and county staff said the loan option carries a lower interest rate than issuing bonds. The loan will come through the Virginia Department of Health’s Financial and Construction Assistance Programs Drinking Water Funding Program, and staff confirmed the project’s cost is already built into water rates approved earlier this year.
Why Virginia keeps drought status despite the rain (paywalled)
By Monique Calello, Staunton News Leader, 08/21/2026
Virginia’s Drought Monitoring Task Force has maintained existing drought advisory statuses despite recent rainfall, which has slowed but not reversed drought conditions, particularly in the Roanoke River region. A drought emergency advisory remains in effect for the Roanoke River area, with drought warning advisories covering the Chowan, Eastern Shore, Middle James, Northern Coastal Plain, Northern Piedmont (including Stafford and Fredericksburg), Northern Virginia, Shenandoah, and Upper James regions, plus watch advisories for several other areas. Governor Spanberger is urging Virginians to conserve water, and the task force cited factors including below-normal streamflows in some watersheds, historically low groundwater levels in northern and south-central Virginia, and below-normal reservoir levels at Smith Mountain Lake and John Kerr Reservoir. The task force will meet again on August 25.
Jury convicts Spotsylvania man of rape, other offenses (paywalled)
By Keith Epps, 08/21/2026
A Spotsylvania jury convicted 21-year-old Amilcar Isasias Xol Cucul of rape and other charges, including two counts each of filming and possessing child pornography, after less than an hour of deliberation Thursday. Prosecutors said Xol Cucul assaulted a 17-year-old neighbor and friend at his home in June 2025; the victim reported the attack after confiding in a friend, and a subsequent medical exam found DNA evidence and signs of trauma. Xol Cucul told police before his arrest that the encounter was consensual, but did not testify at trial. He has been held at Rappahannock Regional Jail since his arrest and faces up to life in prison at sentencing on Nov. 4.
Spotsylvania stabbing suspect pleads guilty to two crimes (paywalled)
By Keith Epps, 08/21/2026
20-year-old Lenox Shelton of Stafford pleaded guilty Friday in Spotsylvania Circuit Court to malicious wounding and unlawful wounding for stabbing two people during a brawl at a “car meet” gathering in a Southpoint Shopping Center parking lot on July 20, 2025. Video footage and victim identification showed Shelton stabbed Dwayne Thurston Jr., who suffered four stab wounds and a collapsed lung, and Zanelle Miller, who suffered a chest wound and hemothorax requiring nearly a week of hospitalization. Shelton fled the scene, discarded the knife, and was found hiding nearby; he has been held at Rappahannock Regional Jail since the incident and is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 9.
The Fredericksburg Free Press
FredNats GM Robbie Perry is leaving after regular season
By Sean Labar, 08/22/2026
Fredericksburg Nationals general manager Robbie Perry, who has run the team’s day-to-day operations since 2023 after previously serving as assistant GM/vice president of creative services, will depart on Sept. 6, the last day of the regular season, to join United Soccer League team Union Omaha in Nebraska. He’ll reunite with former FredNats GM Nick Hall, who left the team in 2023. Perry, a Western Kentucky University and Liberty University graduate who previously worked for the Double-A Jackson Generals, called the move bittersweet, saying Fredericksburg became home during his four years living downtown on Princess Anne Street. He noted that Diamond Baseball Holdings has invested over $300,000 in offseason capital projects and has bigger plans for the franchise’s future.
Del. Josh Cole is ‘almost behind’ a statewide data center moratorium
By Adele Uphaus, 08/22/2026
Del. Josh Cole told about 150 attendees at a Fredericksburg library forum Thursday that he is “almost behind” a statewide moratorium on data centers, a shift from his past position that the issue was for local governments to decide. The forum, hosted by the Fredericksburg Neighborhood Coalition, Climate Action Project, and Rappahannock Group Sierra Club, featured panelists warning about the industry’s strain on groundwater and the power grid; Virginia currently has 666 operational and proposed data centers, more than any other country, with 18 projects each in Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. Cole cited concerns about groundwater constraints, rising electricity bills, and Dominion Energy’s pending $67 billion merger with NextEra Energy, though he noted his support for labor unions that build the facilities gives him pause about opposing the industry outright. He plans to meet with his legislative assistant to develop possible 2027 legislation, including a potential ban on non-disclosure agreements that shield data centers’ energy and water usage from public disclosure, and expects to release his full legislative agenda in September or October.
