Claire Marshall Watkins, ADVANCE CONTRIBUTOR
The Advocate
King George County changed the rules after students tried to establish a GSA. Now it has changed them back, weeks before the dispute was headed to trial.
For nearly a year, LGBTQ+ students in one rural Virginia county watched the adults overseeing their education move the goalposts.
Students at King George Middle School followed the rules to establish a Gay-Straight Alliance. The principal approved it. Seventeen students expressed interest. Then conservative backlash erupted on Facebook, the club was suspended, and the King George County School Board changed its policy so middle school students could no longer form noncurricular organizations.
Now, after being sued in federal court, the board has changed the rules back.
Fredericksburg Free Press
Virginia rolls out more secure EBT cards to curb SNAP benefit theft
By Markus Schmidt (Virginia Mercury) 09/12/2026
Virginia is replacing traditional food-assistance benefit cards with chip-enabled versions designed to make it harder for thieves to steal SNAP benefits from families. About 749,000 state residents receive assistance through the program.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced Thursday that the state has begun mailing new Electronic Benefits Transfer cards equipped with chip-and-tap technology to households enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
With prototype complete, planning for Micah’s Jeremiah Community builds toward home stretch
By Adele Uphaus 09/12/2026
Last weekend, the small parcel of land at 404 Willis Street, across from the Oberle Academy in Fredericksburg, sat vacant.
This weekend, a cozy, red, fully-furnished house is settled on a permanent foundation on the parcel.
It’s a prototype home for Micah Ecumenical Ministries’ Jeremiah Community, a neighborhood of small homes with a community center and wrap-around support services for people experiencing chronic homelessness that will be built off Bragg Road in Fredericksburg.
Free Lance-Star
Eminent domain considered for new Stafford water system
By Scott Shenk 09/13/2026
Stafford County is struggling to acquire right-of-way on two dozen properties for the construction of reclaimed water infrastructure to cool data centers at two approved projects.
In an effort to acquire the property, the county is considering using eminent domain.
The Stafford Board of Supervisors will determine whether to hold a public hearing on the matter during Tuesday evening’s meeting.
Stafford trio among nation’s top 2027 merit semifinalists
By Pilar Davis 09/13/2026
The Stafford County School District is in celebration mode this week as three of its students have been named semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit® Scholarship Program (NMSP).
The program, an academic competition for high school students, is based on students taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) during their junior year in high school. Those who score in the top 1% qualify as semifinalists.
The three students recognized from Stafford Schools as 2027 National Merit Semifinalists are:
Katelyn I. Knauth, Colonial Forge High School
Vildan D. Soguktas, Mountain View High School
Charles H. Hughes, North Stafford High School
Potomac Local News
Where readers said they smelled sulfur Saturday
By PLN News 09/13/2026
Readers across Prince William, Stafford and nearby towns told Potomac Local they smelled a sulfur, sewage or rotten-egg odor Saturday morning. Some said it faded by early afternoon. One Woodbridge reader said it came back Saturday evening.
Prince William Fire and Rescue took 21 “outside gas leak” calls between 7:20 a.m. and 1:18 p.m. Crews smelled sulfur. Four-gas meters read normal. Washington Gas reported no system issue. No source has been identified. No shelter-in-place order was issued.
FredNats season ends after playoff sweep; GM Perry heads to soccer
By PLN News 09/13/2026
The Fredericksburg Nationals’ 2026 season ended Thursday night at Virginia Credit Union Stadium.
Fayetteville completed a two-game sweep of the Carolina League North Division Series with an 8-1 win in Game 2, after taking Game 1 on the road Sept. 8, 4-2. The Woodpeckers advance to the league championship series against Charleston.
The loss closed a year in which the FredNats won the North Division first-half title in June, finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, and made the playoffs again. They swept Wilson in the final regular-season series, including a 24-2 win Sept. 4 that set a franchise high for runs scored since the team moved to Fredericksburg.
This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”