The week’s top stories
-Fired federal workers should apply for private sector jobs in Virginia, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears said at a recent campaign stop in Bowling Green, Taft Coghill Jr. reports. Earle-Sears, a Republican, is expected to face former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the race for governor this year.
-Not to be outdone, Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-7th District) also spoke in Caroline County last week. He said at an NAACP Black History Month celebration that he wants to see his constituents rally to support the federal workforce, which is under fire from the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. Coghill has the story.
-At least two Fredericksburg-area first responders were part of recovery efforts in the aftermath of the fatal Jan. 29 collision of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet. King George County resident Christopher Smith, a lieutenant with the D.C. Fire Department, said it was the worst emergency scene he’s seen in 25 years as a Washington, D.C., firefighter.
-A judge ruled against the plaintiff last week in a lawsuit over the process the Fredericksburg City Council followed recently to appoint a temporary replacement to its Ward 3 seat. Circuit Court Judge Gordon Willis, however, continued another aspect of the petition filed by Guy Gormley, one of 14 candidates for the position vacated by Tim Duffy, Joey LoMonaco reports.
-Stafford County has launched an African American Heritage Trail, a tour of sites around the locality important to Black history. It includes information on familiar historic places as well as stories you may not know.
What they’re saying
“They were mentally tough. Because they were mentally tough, the least we have to do was share that story and tell their story. Because if we don’t tell our own story, who will?” –local historian Keith Strother, speaking on Hidden Histories, a recent Black History Month tour hosted by the Fredericksburg Area Museum. The tour focused on culturally significant landmarks related to African American resilience and creativity downtown.
Go figures (Numbers that made the news)
–35,000+, number of veterans who will be served annually by the new Veterans Affairs’ Health Care Center in Spotsylvania County. The facility off Route 1 will create between 750 and 900 new jobs at full capacity, though the recent federal hiring freeze will impact the timeline of filling all vacancies. Coghill has the details.
News you can use (and eat)
Pressing on (a look at stories in the week ahead)
In what amounts to the Super Bowl of data center discussion in Fredericksburg, the City Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday on four measures related to potentially creating a Technology Overlay District. It’s probably not going to be a short meeting.
Sunday long read
Homelessness is a “complex issue,” according to Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Lt. Katherine Matikonis, and law enforcement officials try to balance aiding the unhoused with protecting businesses and community members. How to address homeless camps was the subject of a Feb. 13 meeting held by the Sheriff’s Office’s Homeless Outreach Response Team and attended by representatives from organizations that serve the unhoused.
