Last 50 Rappahannock News articles (rappnews.com) — 50 found

Verizon tries easing copper concerns; customers not convinced

Verizon held court with customers opposed to the company’s proposed copper landline cuts in a Culpeper ballroom Thursday night. The company reiterated its plans to move forward, while customers continued to voice objections.

“I want my landline, quote me on that!” Rixeyville resident Michelle North told the Rappahannock News.

Verizon invited Virginia customers who complained to the Federal Communications Commission about its proposed cuts, but turnout was low given the outpouring of resistance — 10 attendees made the trip to downtown Culpeper, greeted by 20 Verizon employees, some of whom had flown into Dulles International Airport from New Jersey.

The Rappahannock News attended the unstructured event at Verizon’s invitation. Verizon did not comment on how many people were invited.

Representatives showed off the cellular transmitter they would like customers to switch to, a black box with antennas that hooks up to the phone’s receiver. The representatives addressed some concerns from attendees: Frequent power outages? The transmitter runs on three AA batteries. Don’t want a new receiver? Plug your old one into the transmitter. Bad cellular connection? Verizon won’t cut the copper landline.

But customers repeated the argument that a cellular connection simply isn’t reliable enough to justify the landline cuts.

Amissville resident Karen Hunt, an assiduous notetaker, pressed Verizon representatives on everything from its testing of cellular signal strength to seasonal foliage changes, echoing questions Rappahannock County Administrator Garrey Curry raised in an October letter to the Federal Communications Commission , the agency responsible for approving or denying Verizon’s copper cuts. Hunt said she wasn’t satisfied with all of Verizon’s answers.

Amissville resident Karen Hunt looks through notes and questions she compiled as she speaks to a group of Verizon representatives. Hunt said she does not have a cellphone and relies on her copper landline. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum “I got some questions answered, and I really didn’t come away from last night any more assured that this was gonna work out,” Hunt said in a phone interview Friday. She said the local representatives present at the event provided some comfort, however.

Of foliage changes impacting signal strength, Matt Ogburn, a state and local government lobbyist for Verizon, said: “We don’t share that concern.”

“Our technicians do these installs on a daily basis,” he added, and said the company believes technicians can adequately determine whether a customer can or cannot be switched to the cellular service.

Amissville resident Deb Craggs seemed unswayed by Verizon’s arguments.

“I think that they will assure you that you’ll never be without service, but they can’t guarantee it,” she told the Rappahannock News at the event.

Rixeyville resident Michelle North speaks to two Verizon representatives. “I want my copper wire,” she said. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum And North, the Rixeyville resident, recalled that cellular towers had been overwhelmed during crises like 9/11 and the 2011 Virginia earthquake — the copper landlines weren’t, though.

Lauren Peterson, a Verizon spokesperson, said she doesn’t anticipate any movement on copper cuts until “well into next year,” pending FCC approval. Ogburn said Verizon would dismantle copper infrastructure on a “case-by-case” basis, noting that if one customer on a given line keeps the service, then the line can’t be removed.

Diana Alvear, another spokesperson, said the company would likely recycle the copper.

Curry told the Rappahannock News that Ogburn is trying to schedule a meeting with local county administrators and town managers. Curry, who said he has spoken with Ogburn “probably three times,” including this week, previously told the Rappahannock News he would welcome more direct outreach from Verizon so it “could convince people like me, who then can calm the masses.”

The copper cuts were slated to go into effect in September, but the FCC put them on an indefinite hold so it could complete a review. It is unclear when the review will conclude.

Rappahannock students hear from descendant of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington

Kenneth B. Morris Jr., a descendant of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and educator Booker T. Washington spoke to Rappahannock County High School students on Friday about his family’s history and how education can help students shape their own futures, Rappahannock County Public Schools said in a Facebook post.

Morris, the great-great-great-grandson of Douglass and the great-great-grandson of Washington, is co-founder and president of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives. He shared stories of his ancestors’ struggles and perseverance and encouraged students to recognize the value of their own stories and voices, RCPS said.

“He reminded them that education is the pathway to freedom, opening doors to opportunity, independence, and the ability to shape their own futures,” RCPS said on Facebook.

The Scrabble School Preservation Foundation helped make the visit possible. Morris was the keynote speaker at the foundation’s annual MLK Birthday Observance and Scholarship Fundraiser at First Baptist Church in Washington on Saturday.

Kenneth B. Morris Jr., fourth from the right, visited Rappahannock County High School last Friday. Pictured: Executive Director of Administrative Services Robin Bolt, Superintendent Shannon Grimsley, RCHS Principal Mary Jane Boynton, School Board member Rachel Bynum, Morris, and Scrabble School Preservation Foundation President Nan Butler Roberts. John Lillard

Rappahannock will honor veterans Wednesday with ceremonies and a toast

Rappahannock County will join the nation in honoring those who served on Veterans Day this Wednesday. Here’s what is planned in the community.

In the schools

Rappahannock County Elementary School Veterans Day Parade: Line up at 1:30 p.m.; parade at 1:45 p.m.

Rappahannock County High School Veterans Day Assembly: 11 a.m.

Community events

Courthouse lawn ceremony: 2 p.m. Local religious leaders and elected officials will gather at the Rappahannock County Courthouse for an event that will including reading the names of 53 Union soldiers who were born in the county and enlisted in the United States Colored Troops, according to resident and Air Force vet Mike Wenger.

A group of Rappahannock veterans from all services gathered at The Dark Horse Irish Pub in Flint Hill for the annual Veterans Day beer call in 2024. File photo by Luke Christopher The annual Veterans Day Beer Call for Rappahannock County veterans is on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 4-6 p.m. at the Dark Horse Irish Pub in Flint Hill.

All veterans and spouses are welcome. Come have a drink (it doesn’t have to be beer) and share stories with other veterans. For more information, contact Mike Wenger ( mike@wengerandwenger.com ) or Tim Grimes ( tagrimes1@gmail.com ).

The VFW Veterans Monument in the Sperryville Cemetery also offers a quiet place to reflect on all veterans who have served, Wenger added.

Rappahannock Chamber of Commerce invites members, businesses to Tuesday networking event

Join the Rappahannock County Chamber of Commerce for an evening of connection and appreciation at The Marketplace in Sperryville on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 5-7 p.m.

Along with networking opportunities, this gathering will shine a spotlight on the chamber’s Founding Sponsors, “whose vision and generosity have helped establish our Chamber,” according to a news release.

The chamber’s founding sponsors are: Atlantic Union Bank, Walker Jones, PC, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Rappahannock News, Amy’s Ville Bookkeeping Tax Services, Duct-Rite Mechanical, Meridian Financial Partners, Appleton-Campbell, Reinhardt Consulting, Gay Street Gallery, Farm Credit, Jessica McGill, CPA, All Points Broadband, Leonard J. McGill (corporate lawyer), LE Smith Enterprises, Rappahannock County Farm Tour and Fauquier Habitat for Humanity.

Jackson Supervisor Donna Comer, left, and Assistant County Mark Reinhardt, secretary; Kelli Weaver, Virginia Tourism Corporation; Jessica McGill, treasurer; Lauri Smith, chamber president; Amy Frazier, president of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce; and Jason Brady, vice president at the ribbon cutting ceremony at The Black Twig. Luke Christopher The chamber, which officially debuted earlier this year, welcomes new members. “Joining gives you a seat at the table and a powerful voice in shaping Rappahannock’s economic future,” according to the organization, which evolved from the former Businesses of Rappahannock to become the county’s first official chamber of commerce.

Membership is free for 2026. Details here .

Little Red Riding Hood brings Halloween magic

What a beautiful night for tiny princesses and superheroes as well as spooky ghosts and goblins going door to door, trick-or-treating on Halloween Saturday in the Town of Washington. The weather was fantastic. I hope they all had a spooktacular night.

My friend, Nelson E. Colwell, director of business and brand development at The Inn at Little Washington, shared what was going on at the inn and how it was inspired by inn owner and chef Patrick O’Connell:

“Each Halloween, local children — and the young at heart — stop by The Inn for a little old-fashioned trick-or-treating.

“This year, Little Red Riding Hood has taken a small detour on her way to Grandmother’s house, stopping in Little Washington to help hand out the treats. She brought the treats. And someone behind her brought the tricks.

“This year’s Halloween theme, “Little Red Riding Hood,” was inspired by Patrick’s newly released memoir, "Main, Middle & Gay.” Fairy tales held a special place in his childhood imagination, and this beloved story, one of his favorites, figures prominently in the book.”

Fall Art Tour opens this weekend

The 21th Annual Artists of Rappahannock Studio and Gallery Tour , sponsored by the Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community, will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7 and Sunday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Community honors veterans

Don’t forget to head out to the Rappahannock County High School to attend the annual Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., in the library/auditorium. An assembly will be held honoring local veterans and community members who have served their country.

Amissville firehouse fundraiser

Amissville Volunteer Fire and Rescue is having its Ham and Turkey Dinner fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 4-7 p.m.

Load up the family and head over to the fire department for ham, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn or corn pudding and the most delicious cranberry sauce and hot rolls. There will be various desserts.

The cost for adults is $20; children 6 to 12, $10; and children 1-5 can eat free. If you want more to eat, it might be best to pay $25 for all you can eat. Prices sound good to me.

All proceeds benefit the Amissville Fire and Rescue Company. Everyone is welcome.

Hunters wear orange

With the month of November having arrived, many huntsmen are heading to the woods for their favorite sport. So please, please be careful, as no one likes to report any tragic events. Be sure to wear your orange cap or vest so you can be seen by other hunters.

Two birthdays bring cheer

Birthday wishes go out to a special young lady, Parker Critzer, who will celebrate her birthday on Nov. 14 and to a sweet lady, my sister Judy Alther, who celebrates Nov. 18.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Culpeper man fleeing police dead after Halloween wreck on Sperryville Pike

A 22-year-old man is dead after he lost control of his car while fleeing a sheriff’s deputy early last Saturday morning on Route 522 in Culpeper County, about four miles from the Rappahannock line.

A Culpeper County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop a 2012 Dodge Charger for speeding (60 mph in a 35-mph zone along Sperryville Pike), no license plates and a suspicion of driving under the influence, according to a state police news release Wednesday.

When the driver refused to stop and accelerated to speeds of over 100 mph, the deputy began a pursuit — but then lost sight of the car.

Near the intersection with Deer Ridge Road, the fleeing car lost control in a slight curve and went off of the right side of the road. The car then struck a driveway, went airborne and struck a tree about 3:11 a.m.

The driver, Jerry Montiel-Sanchez, 22, of Culpeper, was ejected. Montiel-Sanchez was transported to an area hospital where he died.

The crash remains under investigation by Virginia State Police. The office of the medical examiner is handling the toxicology report.

Warner earns highest U.S. Senate vote share since 2008 (but not in Rappahannock)

(The Center Square) – More than six in 10 votes cast in Virginia’s U.S. Senate race went to the same candidate Tuesday, a level of support no contender had reached in the commonwealth since 2008.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner won a fourth term with 61.2% of the vote against Republican Bert Mizusawa, according to Virginia Department of Elections results reported Thursday morning.

Warner’s vote share was the highest for any U.S. Senate candidate in Virginia since his first victory in 2008, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

(The story was different in Rappahannock County: GOP challenger Bert Mizusawa received 51.4% of the vote compared to Warner’s 48%.)

The Associated Press declared Warner the winner at 7 p.m. Tuesday, as polls closed across Virginia.

The results showed Warner with 2,182,713 votes and Mizusawa with 1,376,556, or 38.6%. Warner led by 806,157 votes. The results are unofficial pending certification.

The showing surpassed Warner’s two previous reelection performances but fell short of the 65% he received against Republican Jim Gilmore in 2008.

His closest U.S. Senate race came in 2014, when he defeated Republican Ed Gillespie by 17,727 votes. Warner received 49.2% that year, compared with Gillespie’s 48.3%. Libertarian Robert Sarvis also ran.

Warner won another term in 2020 with 56% against Republican Daniel Gade.

This year, large advantages in Northern Virginia helped build his statewide lead.

Fairfax County gave Warner a margin of 244,733 votes. He received 75.8% of the county’s vote, compared with Mizusawa’s 23.8%.

Warner also received 84.7% in Arlington County, where he led by 70,994 votes, and 84.8% in Alexandria.

His support extended to the Richmond suburbs and Hampton Roads. In Chesterfield County, Warner received 62.3% and led by 43,376 votes. In Chesapeake, he received 59.3% and finished 18,991 votes ahead.

Some localities were much closer. Warner led by 117 votes in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore, receiving 50.4% to Mizusawa’s 49.5%. His lead in Essex County was 187 votes.

Mizusawa carried several counties by wide margins, including Bedford, where he received 70.6% and led by 16,608 votes. In Augusta County, he received 67.5% and led by 12,161 votes.

The Virginia Public Access Project’s historical comparison includes elections for both of Virginia’s U.S. Senate seats. Warner’s preliminary share exceeded every candidate’s result in those races since his 2008 win.

Reeves seeks Senate investigation, possible expulsion of Sen. Louise Lucas

Republican state Sen. Bryce Reeves of Spotsylvania wants the Virginia Senate to investigate Democratic Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth and consider expelling her after federal prosecutors accused her of using her legislative influence to benefit a cannabis business she co-owns.

Reeves, whose district includes Rappahannock County, prefiled Senate Resolution 173 on Oct. 30 for the 2027 General Assembly session, which is scheduled to begin in January.

The measure would direct the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections to examine allegations behind five federal charges against Lucas , including racketeering, marijuana distribution, money laundering and honest-services fraud conspiracies, and maintaining drug-involved premises.

In an interview with The Mercury Thursday, Reeves said the Senate has a responsibility to investigate possible misconduct independently of the criminal proceedings. He said his proposal was motivated by that obligation and his concerns about financial disclosures, rather than personal animosity toward Lucas.

“She’s innocent until proven guilty, but there is enough circumstantial evidence, I think, that the Senate needs to investigate and figure out what’s going on,” Reeves said. “If we can’t police our own house, what does that say about us as an institution?”

The resolution could set the stage for a separate vote on expulsion, although it acknowledges Lucas’ presumption of innocence and calls for any disciplinary action to be based on committee findings “supported by evidence.”

Lucas, who serves as the Senate’s president pro tempore, did not respond to an inquiry from The Mercury seeking comment.

On Friday, Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, issued a statement calling for Democratic leaders to “discuss the propriety of having Senator Lucas continue to serve as Chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee while the charges are pending.” Unlike Reeves’ proposal, it doesn’t prescribe a specific action beyond addressing the issue.

Under Reeves’ proposal, the committee would seek recordings, transcripts, financial and ownership records, economic interest disclosures and legislative documents. Senators would examine whether the alleged conduct violated Virginia’s marijuana distribution laws or the General Assembly Conflict of Interests Act .

In the interview, Reeves pointed to allegations that Lucas had failed to disclose business interests on required financial filings. He said that her position as the chair of the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, which oversees much of the chamber’s work on taxes and spending, made scrutiny particularly important because of the responsibility its members have for the state budget.

State Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, has filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation into allegations against Democratic Sen. Louise Lucas and consideration of disciplinary action, including possible expulsion. Photo courtesy Bryce Reeves via Va. Mercury The resolution singled out two conversations cited in the indictment.

In one, Lucas allegedly discussed making past marijuana-related conduct legal. In another, prosecutors allege, she discussed disqualifying a prospective marijuana license applicant until money owed to her was repaid.

The resolution calls for reviewing the underlying recordings and other evidence to determine the statements’ authenticity, context and legal significance. It cautions against treating the indictment or statements quoted in it as proof of guilt or a violation of state law.

The committee would hold hearings as needed, provide procedural protections and report its findings and recommendations to the Senate. Any proposed disciplinary action would require another resolution specifying the action.

Options include reprimand, censure or expulsion. The committee could also recommend referring the matter to the attorney general.

Under the Virginia Constitution , expelling a senator requires a two-thirds vote of the chamber’s elected membership — 27 votes in the 40-member Senate.

Reeves said he expected the panel would probably consider the matter in January and acknowledged that its review may not result in expulsion.

“It might not lead to that, maybe she’s not guilty of some of these things. I don’t want to say one way or the other. I’m just saying we need to look at it, that’s our job,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The federal indictment unsealed Oct. 22 charged Lucas and six others, including relatives and business associates. Prosecutors allege she helped operate a marijuana distribution enterprise, laundered proceeds and used her public office for personal financial gain.

One allegation centers on a $750,000 payment Lucas allegedly made in 2022 for an ownership interest in a business tied to another person’s anticipated recreational marijuana license. Prosecutors allege she failed to disclose the interest and used her position in discussions involving the prospective license.

None of the allegations have been proven in court. Reeves’ proposal would allow the Senate to examine possible legislative misconduct while the federal criminal case proceeds.

Lucas has served in the Senate since 1992 and as president pro tempore since 2020. Following her indictment, Lucas accused federal authorities of trying to intimidate her and vowed to not back down.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger defended Lucas’ right to present a defense and questioned the timing of the indictment, which came less than two weeks before the midterm elections. Federal authorities have said the investigation began before President Donald Trump returned to office.

House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, called the allegations serious and said they should be resolved in court.

The investigation became public in May , when federal agents searched Lucas’ Portsmouth legislative office and cannabis businesses. Prosecutors allege the operation involved The Cannabis Outlet and The CBD Shoppe, businesses connected to Lucas and her associates.

The indictment also includes firearms and wire fraud charges against other defendants.

Reeves’ resolution would put the matter before the Senate committee responsible for reviewing potential disciplinary action. Any recommendation would go to the full Senate, where Democrats currently hold 21 seats.

Reaching the 27 votes required for expulsion would take at least eight Democratic votes if all 19 Republicans supported it.

Reeves said he was certain some Democratic colleagues would support action if Lucas were convicted in the criminal case, even if the Senate’s review found no basis for discipline.

“Maybe there’s nothing there,” he said. “And then if the court case drags on and eventually she’s convicted, then that’s a whole other deal, right?”

Virginia Mercury reporter Shannon Heckt contributed to this story.

Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday with a statement from Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg.

Darcy Canton retires after serving Rappahannock seniors for 28 years

Tears mixed with laughter last Thursday as well-wishers crowded into the Rappahannock Senior Center in Castleton to honor and thank Darcy Canton, who retired Oct. 30. For 28 years, she helped create a welcoming sanctuary with programs that engaged, enriched and encouraged the elderly to stay active, connected and happy.

“This was never just a job,” insisted the honoree. “I found this nook, and my seniors became my passion.”

In April 1998, the 35-year-old mother of three became the part-time administrator of what was then just a nutrition site, first in the Trinity Church parish hall and next in a downstairs room at the former Washington School. It was 15 hours and three days a week to start, with about 10 or so seniors coming for lunch and an activity.

She knew she loved working with older folks from helping her mother teach crafts as a nursing home volunteer. And she had a purpose: “I wanted my seniors to feel important and valuable, and I wanted to guide them towards trying new things.”

“I’ve never met anyone so dedicated,” says 84-year-old Shirley Faulk of her friend Darcy Canton. “Darcy never lets you down and she never lets you get down. She has a beautiful spirit.” Courtesy of Janet Dunn Canton met those goals and then some. She’s been a full-time administrator since 2021 and more than 40 elders are now on the roster, with 15 to 30 coming on any given day. Volunteers include upwards of 20 drivers, and another 20 to 30 help with programs, outings, cleanup, special events and the like. Canton has melded them all into a tightly knit community. “Like family” was the consensus.

Darcy Canton hugs a senior at the Rappahannock County Senior Center last Thursday. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum “Everyone gets along. That’s what I love,” said Gloria Switzer, a retired hairdresser who gives free haircuts to her senior cohorts.

And under Canton’s leadership, her seniors are adventuring. After climbing Old Rag — virtually, by counting steps on pedometers as they walked the center’s grounds — they are now hiking the Appalachian Trail through Virginia, tracking progress with markers on a wall map, and already five have covered the state’s 105 miles.

In describing Canton, the same words were chosen repeatedly: Kind, loving, welcoming, giving, thoughtful, generous, inventive, organized, fun and busy — always busy. And Canton’s people did some zipping of their own for Thursday’s open house, secretly organizing a scrumptious potluck featuring the specialties of a host of senior cooks, from pulled pork barbecue, fried chicken and meatballs to a multitude of side dishes and desserts that overflowed to window ledges.

“I thought about what I wanted as I aged and decided I needed a place where I could be a part of things,” said Elaine Griffith. So, when she retired from Encompass seven years ago, she joined the senior center where she’s also a volunteer, helping with lunch, decorations and cleanup. Here, she and member Mary Frances Bywayers (right) pause their catchup conversation for a photo. Courtesy of Janet Dunn Suzie Coffee had a big hug for volunteer Chris “TC” Williams. She’s been a member two years and counting. “I was getting old, lonely and bored, and I prayed to God for help. He brought me to Darcy and the senior center and said ‘Here it is.’” Courtesy of Janet Dunn Thursday’s leave-taking was joyous. But Marty Haun could have been speaking for all when she said: “Darcy going feels like someone took part of my heart away. There’s never going to be another like her.”

And Canton ended the festivities with a last request: “Keep loving each other, keep sharing with each other and stay connected. This is a family.”

Darcy Canton with her well-deserved retirement cakes last Thursday at the senior center. Courtesy of Janet Dunn

Virginia voters split on 1% sales tax for school construction

On Election Day, out of 47 Virginia localities, including Rappahannock County, about 30% authorized their governments to collect a 1% sales tax to address rising school construction costs, while about 70% did not.

In June, state lawmakers authorized localities, pending voter support, to raise revenue for school construction and modernization with a 1% sales tax. The state estimates over 1000 school buildings are more than 50 years old, and would take $25 billion to rebuild or improve.

House Education Committee Chair Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, and Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, proposed the idea last January. Both measures were ultimately added to the state’s budget.

“School construction is a critical need,” said McPike ahead of the results. “This is a direct question to the voters in the form of a referendum, and it’s up to the voters to decide how they want to fund school construction.”

Tuesday’s results are expected to help 15 localities move the needle on school modernization, while leaving questions about the 32 that rejected the opportunity and what comes next.

Rasoul said the idea was to help address billions in school construction needs in the commonwealth. But citizens have raised concerns about tax increases, a point former Gov. Glenn Youngkin raised in previous years

Mecklenburg, one of the nine localities with state-approved authority, has not put the matter to voters since receiving authorization, largely because it opposed raising taxes, according to Board of Supervisors’ records in 2021.

Mecklenburg estimated it would need about $6 million per year in debt payments to move forward with new school construction, which ultimately dampened interest in adding the option to ballots.

In addition, the county had already invested in newer additions to the three elementary schools.

No action has been taken since former state Sen. Frank Ruff successfully proposed the change in 2020.

In 2019, Halifax County became the first locality to receive authority from the state, which is required since Virginia is a “Dillon’s Rule” state, meaning local governments can only exercise powers granted by the state legislature.

Localities can adjust property tax rates, but they need General Assembly approval to change sales taxes.

With the election’s results, the list has grown from the original nine — city of Danville and the counties of Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick and Pittsylvania — to 24 locations.

Rasoul acknowledged that, while he championed the bill, it is not a long-term solution to the state’s school construction needs. Additional support, particularly at the state level, will be necessary to help struggling school divisions, he said.

“This isn’t going to be able to build all the schools that need to be built,” Rasoul said. “So there’s a lot more that needs to be done … even at the state level to help struggling school divisions.”

McPike said upcoming discussions with his colleagues on the Commission on School Construction and Modernization should focus on analyzing the referendum results once they are available, evaluating long-term funding structures for school construction and reviewing stabilized projections over time.

The commission and all state lawmakers will return to Richmond on Jan. 13, 2027 to discuss future legislation and budget amendments.

Correction : This story was updated to reflect that 15 localities accepted the 1% sales tax increase, not 14.

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Pirates plunder top costume prize, George Washington revisits town, First Baptist celebrates MLK, veterans toast

Pirates plunder the top prize

From our office in the Town of Washington to Main Street in Sperryville, Halloween revelers brought their spooky, silly and imaginative best to the Rappahannock News’ sixth annual costume contest.

Ahoy! Our top honorees

Sperryville residents Emma Dodd-Henze, Aaron and Bo Oyster Luke Christopher Sperryville residents Emma Dodd-Henze, Aaron and Bo Oyster sailed away with this year’s top honors for their pirate costumes.

These honorable mentions also deserve a share of the Halloween loot:

Crikey, what a pair

Taylor Pullen and Cody Marcus Ireland Hayes Taylor Pullen and Cody Marcus of Amissville teamed up as a crocodile and a “crocodile hunter.”

Armed and eerie

Nick Inabinette of Sperryville Luke Christopher Nick Inabinette of Sperryville delivered a haunting portrayal of “Long Legs,” complete with antlers and towering, clawed arms.

A roaring good time

Luciana Zapata (center), Gabriella and Johanna Ruiz-Bailey Luke Christopher Luciana Zapata (center), Gabriella and Johanna Ruiz-Bailey of Rappahannock brought some prehistoric fun as dinosaurs with a dinosaur tamer.

Thank you to everyone who shared their costumes and helped make this year’s contest a treat.

Fall Art Tour showcases local talent this weekend

The annual Fall Art Tour celebrates 21 years the weekend of Nov. 7 and 8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. It is sponsored by the Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community.

The free event features over 80 artists and a self-guided, scenic tour of more than 30 Rappahannock County studios and galleries. Tour maps are available online. For more information, visit fallarttour.org .

First Baptist Church hosts MLK celebration

The Scrabble School Preservation Foundation’s Martin Luther King Jr. birthday observance and scholarship fundraiser will be held at a new venue this year: First Baptist Church in Washington.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. at the church, 687 Main St.

For more information, visit the Scrabble School website , call 540-661-2013 or email nbraka1908@gmail.com.

George Washington revisits town

The Washington Town Council invites the community to a celebration of the town's 230th birthday on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m., at the Town Hall, 485 Gay St.

The guest of honor, George Washington, will deliver his farewell address, which was originally printed in September 1796 — shortly before the founding of the town, according to Town Administrator Barbara Batson.

The presentation will be followed by a reception.

Chamber networking, spotlighting founding sponsors

Join the Rappahannock County Chamber of Commerce for an evening of connection and appreciation at The Marketplace in Sperryville on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 5-7 p.m.

Along with networking opportunities, this gathering will shine a spotlight on the chamber’s Founding Sponsors, “whose vision and generosity have helped establish our Chamber,” according to a news release.

Veterans share a toast

The annual Veterans Day Beer Call for Rappahannock County veterans is on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 4-6 p.m. at the Dark Horse Irish Pub in Flint Hill.

All veterans and spouses are welcome. Come have a drink (it doesn’t have to be beer) and share stories with other veterans. For more information, contact Mike Wenger mike@wengerandwenger.com or Tim Grimes tagrimes1@gmail.com .

Rapp at Home offers activities for older adults

Shenandoah National Park Hike | Friday, Nov. 6, 9:30 a.m., meet at the Rapp at Home office. The van will leave at 9:30 a.m. This month’s hike is on the Pass Mountain Hut Road. The trail is 1.8 miles to the hut and back for a total of 3.6 miles. RSVP to guarantee seating.

Rapp Writers (Group 2) | Monday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m., Dark Horse Irish Pub, Flint Hill | Writing group to share and improve your writing. This activity is now full. Contact Deb at rappwriting@icloud.com for waitlist information.

Questions about Medicare Coverages? | Monday, Nov. 9, 2:30 p.m., Rapp library | Rapp at Home is hosting a presentation covering questions about open enrollment, Medicare Advantage plans and general questions. Kathi Walker is a Support Coordinator and Long-Term Care Ombudsman from Encompass Community Supports. RSVP and indicate if you need hearing accommodations.

French Conversations | Tuesday, Nov. 10, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Rapp library | Speak with friends in French about topics of interest. To RSVP, contact janesmithsperryville@gmail.com.

Walk & Talk | Wednesday, Nov. 11, 9:30 a.m., Park on Mt. Salem Avenue in front of The Washington School| An easy walk around Little Washington. Contact Nancy Studds at nankona@aol.com

Dementia Caregiver Support Group | Thursday, Nov. 12, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Rapp library | Join this group that meets twice monthly. A group leader will provide a safe space for caregivers to connect, share thoughts and gain valuable knowledge. For more information, contact: info@rappathome.org

Grief Support Group | Thursday, Nov. 12, 4-5 p.m., Rapp at home meeting room | Listen and share your thoughts with others who understand loss. RSVP to Grace: harley45@aol.com

RSVP to info@rappathome.org or call 540-937-4663, 1 7 Leggett Lane, Suite 110, Washington . More information is available on the website calendar: RappatHome.org .

Explore art across Rappahannock with the Fall Art Tour this weekend

The annual Fall Art Tour celebrates 21 years the weekend of Nov. 7 and 8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. It is sponsored by the Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community.

The free event features over 80 artists and a self-guided, scenic tour of more than 30 Rappahannock County studios and galleries.

Each year, visitors come to explore the county’s villages and backroads, meet the artists and take in the art — painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, stained glass, woodworking and bookbinding.

The tour's Main Gallery at 567 Mount Salem Ave. in the Town of Washington is a great place to start the tour with a preview of every venue. Tour maps are available online one week prior to the tour. For more information, visit fallarttour.org .

Weaver Summer Alexander Pete Smith Meet the tour's newest artists

Visit with guest artists at studios across the county

LeFay Enchanted Circle celebrates Samhain at annual faerie gathering

The faeries of the LeFay Enchanted Circle held their annual gathering last Thursday to celebrate Samhain, a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.

Sally-Anne Andrew, founder and Faerie Queen of the LeFay Enchanted Circle, shared progress on garden sanctuaries and plans for the coming year. Andrew said the group has established three sanctuaries — in England, Sperryville and Amissville — and has received nine new garden commitments.

Over the last year, the group has crowned 30 children as faeries through SPARK summer camp and CCLC on International Faerie Day. Andrew said future plans include an online interactive garden map, a new garden project with CCLC and a 2027 retreat to Kenya to plant another certified enchanted garden.

Sally-Anne Andrew is the proprietor of the LeFay Enchanted Circle. Camden Littleton Linda Malgrem of Warrenton (center) and Michelle Almond (front) of Rappahannock. Camden Littleton

Rappahannock schools superintendent responds to sales tax referendum approval

Rappahannock County Public Schools Superintendent Shannon Grimsley shared the following open letter with the Rappahannock News on Wednesday after voters approved a 1 percentage point sales tax increase expected to generate $1.2 million annually for school capital projects:

Dear Rappahannock Community,

Today marks an important milestone for Rappahannock County Public Schools and the future of our community. With the approval of the local option sales tax referendum, Rappahannock County voters have authorized a dedicated funding source to support renovation and capital improvement projects for our public schools.

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in this important community decision. Regardless of how you voted, your engagement reflects a shared interest in the future of Rappahannock County and the children we serve. For a small, rural school division like ours, maintaining a safe, functional, and welcoming learning environment presents unique financial challenges. This new funding opportunity offers a meaningful path toward addressing our long-term capital needs while helping to reduce our reliance on traditional borrowing and local property taxes.

This decision also comes with tremendous responsibility. As we move forward, our commitment to transparency, careful planning, fiscal responsibility, and collaboration with county leadership will remain essential and of top priority. Our community deserves nothing less.

Above all, I am grateful for the opportunity to continue building a future in which our students and educators have the facilities and resources they need to thrive. Thank you so very much for helping us stay focused on our vision to “Empower every student to reach their full potential.”

Today, we take an important step toward making that vision a reality. I invite you to please stay engaged with us as we continue to work on our Comprehensive Plan to set the path of RCPS for the next five years. What an amazing community we serve! We are RAPPAHANNOCK!

Shannon Grimsley

RCPS Superintendent

American Battlefield Trust transfers 131 acres to Culpeper Battlefields State Park

The American Battlefield Trust has transferred two properties totaling more than 131 acres to Culpeper Battlefields State Park, expanding the park’s preserved historic battlefield land to more than 570 acres, according to a news release from the organization.

The transfers continue a commitment made two years ago when Virginia established its 43rd state park. Additional property transfers over the next several years are expected to expand the park to more than 2,200 acres.

“These transfers are a major milestone in our decades of work to preserve the battlefields of Culpeper County,” American Battlefield Trust President David Duncan said in the release. “This landscape will forever tell those who come here stories of valor and sacrifice this battlefield witnessed in 1862.”

Before the trust acquired the properties in the early 2020s, both faced potential development, including residential construction and large-scale solar projects. Earlier this year, the organization completed restoration work to remove non-historic structures from the land.

The original acquisitions were supported by contributions from trust members and public funding. The federal American Battlefield Protection Program awarded $686,757, while the Virginia Landscape Conservation Foundation contributed $662,376.

“These transfers reflect what strong preservation partnerships can accomplish,” Nikki Rovner, director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, said in the release. “We are thrilled to work with the American Battlefield Trust to protect this land, which will connect visitors to the rich history of Culpeper Battlefields State Park for generations to come.”

Chuck Laudner, president of Friends of Culpeper Battlefields, said the park offers visitors an opportunity to experience the area's history firsthand.

“Nothing compares to the power of place of a battlefield, and this state park is an incredible historic resource for our community,” Laudner said in the release. “We look forward to welcoming Culpeper residents and visitors from across the country to visit this land and feel that power for themselves.”

Paige Read, director of tourism and town economic development for the Town of Culpeper, said the park's expansion could further encourage tourism in the area.

“Culpeper’s history is a major reason people choose to visit our area, and the growth of Culpeper Battlefields State Park provides yet another incentive to see all Culpeper has to offer,” Read said in the release. “We are grateful to the American Battlefield Trust and Virginia State Parks for helping ensure that our community’s history remains a place people can explore.”

The newly transferred properties preserve portions of the Battle of Cedar Mountain, fought Aug. 9, 1862, in Culpeper County. About 32,000 troops clashed during the battle, in which Confederate forces outnumbered Union troops by about 4-to-1.

Union forces initially gained ground before a Confederate counterattack led by Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill pushed them back. The Confederate victory shifted the focus of fighting in Virginia from the Peninsula to Northern Virginia, giving Gen. Robert E. Lee an advantage.

The transferred land preserves several stages of the battle. Union soldiers crossed portions of the properties while advancing toward the fighting near a wheat field and during their subsequent retreat. Some Union soldiers were captured on the ground. Other sections preserve an artillery position involved in an exchange that lasted about an hour and brought the battle to a close.

Culpeper Battlefields State Park also includes land preserved from three other major Civil War battles fought in Culpeper County: Brandy Station, Kelly's Ford and Rappahannock Station.

The American Battlefield Trust, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, works to preserve historic battlefields and educate the public about their significance. The organization has protected more than 63,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War across 160 sites in 25 states, including more than 600 acres at Cedar Mountain.

More information about the organization and its preservation efforts is available at battlefields.org.

Suhas Subramanyam reelected in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Ashburn, who represents Rappahannock County, cruised to reelection Tuesday, the Associated Press projected , widening his 2024 margin by 19 percentage points.

Subramanyam, whose district also includes a swath of Washington, D.C. suburbs and exurbs, took 60.7% of the vote to Republican opponent Dave Beckwith’s 37.3% with 97% of the vote counted, according to unofficial tallies. In 2024, he won the district 52%-48%.

U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam celebrates after winning reelection on Nov. 3 beside his wife, Miranda, and daughters Maya, 6, and Nina, 4, during an Election Night campaign event at Lost Rhino Brewing Company in Ashburn. Sébastien Kraft In Republican-leaning Rappahannock County — which had an overall voter turnout of 64% — Subramanyam received 46% of the vote, with Beckwith receiving 53%. In 2024, Subramanyam received 40% of the vote to the Republican’s 60%.

“I was really struck by the margin of victory,” Subramanyam told InsideNoVa at his Ashburn election party. “I know we were confident going in, but we were not expecting this much support on election night, and it’s just humbling to me to see so many people come out and vote and make their voice heard.”

He added that he was struck by his support in rural areas.

“I think that’s a sign of what I was seeing, which is when we were standing up for farmers, the administration was hurting them, and when we were standing up for small businesses.”

Subramanyam, a former state legislator who served as a tech adviser in the Obama White House, ran on a promise to hold the Trump administration and its Republican allies accountable for the war in Iran and what Democrats have called corruption. Whether Subramanyam can accomplish his goals is an open question, though Democrats took the House and Senate, making deep inroads in Republican territory.

In an interview with the Rappahannock News before the election, Subramanyam made the case that he was better suited than Beckwith to bring federal funds to the district. Subramanyam already secured a $1 million federal earmark for a new Rappahannock County courthouse, and he suggested more could be on the way if voters give him a second term.

Subramanyam, whose home of Loudoun County has been called the data center capital of the world, has also focused on regulating the controversial structures and the artificial intelligence they power.

“It is important that we make sure everyone has a voice in Congress,” Subramanyam said during a stop in Flint Hill Tuesday morning. He added that he hopes to bring more federal dollars to the district and “push back” against Trump’s tariffs.

The race for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District was never considered competitive by forecasters. Democrats carried the district in 2024 despite strong headwinds against the party, and with a deeply unpopular Republican president in the White House, the nation at war and prices stubbornly high, the 2026 environment was considered ripe for Democratic gains.

Statewide, two-term Sen. Mark Warner easily won reelection , while Democratic-backed constitutional amendments on abortion, same-sex marriage and voting rights passed easily.

Sébastien Kraft contributed to this report.

Rappahannock turnout results are in: Strong but relatively low compared to past

Turnout was strong but relatively low in Rappahannock County Tuesday for the 2026 midterm elections, with at least 63.4% of registered voters casting ballots. Without accounting for provisional and late-arriving ballots, which are counted later in the week, it was the lowest-turnout midterm election in the county since 2014.

Residents cast votes for U.S. Senate and House races, three constitutional amendments and a local sales tax question , and Democratic margins in the county improved markedly from recent elections during a brutal night for Republicans nationwide.

Turnout was highest in the Sperryville-based Piedmont District, with 70% of voters casting ballots, according to unofficial results. The district leans Democratic.

Turnout was similarly high in Republican-leaning Flint Hill, the Washington-based Hampton District and the Castleton-based Stonewall-Hawthorne District, with 64.5%, 64% and 63.8%, respectively.

The deep-red districts of Jackson, anchored by Amissville, and Chester Gap lagged behind the pack with 60.3% and 55.1% of voters casting ballots, respectively.

Voters casting ballots Tuesday said they were doing so because it was their civic duty.

“A song written and unsung is a song never heard,” said Patricia Whorton of Castleton after casting her ballot in Washington.

“They say if things don’t go right and you don’t vote, can’t say nothing,” said Flint Hill voter Howard Frye of Huntly.

Others emphasized their frustration with the Trump administration.

“I have problems with somebody who is leading our country that doesn’t have any type of moral compass or seems to care about beautification projects,” said Brenda Lindsey of Castleton, who brought her Doberman pinscher Raven to the polls.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat running for reelection , stopped by Flint Hill Fire Hall Tuesday morning to greet supporters as part of a swing through the 10th Congressional District.

“We feel like we’ll win, and we can even win big tonight,” said Subramanyam, wearing socks with text from the Constitution. “I would love to win Rappahannock. It may not happen this cycle.”

Subramanyam did win big . While he lost Rappahannock, he improved on his 2024 margin by 13 percentage points.

Rappahannock football makes history with first playoff win

Rappahannock’s football team made school history last Friday, avenging a lopsided loss to Southampton Academy with a 40-6 victory — the Panthers’ first-ever playoff win.

It’s been a fantastic fall for Rapp athletics. All five varsity teams — golf, volleyball, competition cheer, boys cross country and football — reached regional competition, with one team and three individual athletes advancing to states so far. But football takes the headlines again this week.

Football

As Coach Fulmer Burks and his Panthers made the long trip to Southampton, they were mindful of their previous encounter some weeks back, when an injury-hampered Rapp squad mustered fewer than 50 yards of offense. This time, however, several key players had returned, and two straight decisive wins supplied fresh momentum.

That rejuvenated roster paid huge dividends as the Panthers avenged their earlier loss to the Raiders in a big way. Rapp surged to a 34-0 halftime lead behind a solid offensive line performance that set up big plays, while a relentless, smothering defense shut down Southampton’s offense.

Xander Calhoun got the offensive fireworks started on Rapp’s first possession. On defense, Daniel Bayly recovered a fumble and rumbled 51 yards up the field to set up the quarter’s second score.

Other electrifying plays included Kevin Cumberland’s sack for a safety, setting up Harrison King’s 44-yard touchdown run, and King tossing a 62-yard touchdown pass to Wyatt Pullen to end the half. To cement the win, Calhoun broke loose for a 69-yard touchdown run on the second half’s first play.

Calhoun led Rapp with 92 productive rushing yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Cumberland rushed for 72 yards and scored two points on defense with the safety. King had 58 rushing yards, one touchdown and three two-point conversions, plus 68 passing yards, including the strike to Pullen . Jacob Nash added 17 rushing yards, and Nolan Brown punted once for 27 yards.

Brown led the defense with an amazing 13 tackles. Cumberland added six tackles and the sack for a safety. Pullen recorded five tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery, while J.T. Harrison tallied five tackles as well.

Bayly recorded four tackles, two fumble recoveries and a half-sack, with the other half credited to Josiah Losievsky . Bentley Brown and Calhoun notched two tackles apiece, and Calhoun added a pass deflection. Jake Peyton , Nash and King completed the defensive statistics with one tackle each.

Burks noted that the team did a much better job finishing tackles, something the Panthers have worked on diligently for several weeks.

The win puts Rapp in the VISFL Danny Moore Memorial Bowl Game against Chincoteague at noon Saturday at Dinwiddie Sports Complex in Sutherland. Burks and his staff have worked hard with the team all week, and hopes are high that the three-game winning streak will grow by one more.

Cross country

Rappahannock County High School cross country players and brothers Drew (left) and Aidan Robinson both holding their medals and the team's Region 1B Runner-Up trophy. Courtesy photo Coach Wes Mason’s varsity boys made some playoff noise of their own, bringing home the Region 1B runner-up trophy and qualifying for the state championship Nov. 8 in Salem.

Drew Robinson crossed first for Rapp, finishing sixth overall, immediately followed by Aidan Robinson in seventh, then Nick Burfield , Ben King , Mateo Canales and Kai Smith , in that order.

Every individual finish was critical: Just four points separated the second- through fourth-place teams. Rapp’s finishes supplied the score needed to claim the runner-up title and a place at the state championship table.

Drew and Aidan also earned regional medals, joined by their girls teammates, Maria Frelk and Addie Hubble , Rapp’s only varsity female runners. Maria finished fifth overall and Addie 10th, earning individual state invitations alongside their medals.

Volleyball

Coach Courtney Atkins’ varsity team made the long trip to Buffalo Gap on Monday for a Region 1B quarterfinal. Rapp started strong, winning the first set 25-20 before losing the second by just two points.

Another close loss followed in the third set, 25-21, but the Bison had the momentum and claimed a decisive 25-16 fourth-set win to end the Panthers’ season.

Despite the loss, Rapp posted glittering statistics. Brooklyn Smith , Jaeda Switzer and Jayden Whitt served a flawless 100%. Switzer recorded 39 hits with 20 kills; Anna Payne had 20 hits with 12 kills; and Smith contributed 15 hits and five kills.

Credit has to go to Buffalo Gap for taking the win despite the offensive firepower Rapp brought to the game.

Competition cheer

Coach Lauren Vice’s squad appeared at last Wednesday’s combined Division 1 and 2 Region 1B championship at Strasburg. The Panthers were the region’s only Division 1 qualifier, a huge turnaround from last season.

Despite losing their flyer to injury the previous week, the team worked hard in practice and delivered a performance with zero deductions — an exemplary showing, but not enough to advance to states.

They built a strong foundation for next year: doubling the team’s size, placing in the top three at nearly every competition and representing Division 1 at the combined championship. Congrats to Vice, assistants Logan Woodward and Allie Phillips, and their team for a season with plenty to cheer about.

Theater

Coach Sarah Nutt’s troupe competed Saturday in the Region 1B one-act theater competition. Though the team did not advance to states, Annika Purnell placed second for best actor.

RCHS theater student Mori Thomas wrote “The Mystery of Mr. Teddyman’s Demise,” produced by the theater class and directed by Lorelei Critzer .

Rapp’s entry was the competition’s only comedy and received high marks for excellent comedic timing. Cast members included Daniel Bayly , Logan Farnham , Rose Grimsley , Sophia Butler , Purnell and Critzer .

Congrats to the Rapp thespians for an original job well done and to Nutt for shepherding the budding dramatists through their many rehearsals and final performance.

Rappahannock County OKs sales tax hike

State approves abortion, marriage, voting rights questions

Rappahannock County can raise its sales tax rate one percentage point, voters decided Tuesday, sending a projected $1.2 million annually to public school capital projects.

Just under 53.5% of voters opted to raise the county sales tax from 5.3% — the state minimum — to 6.3%, according to unofficial tallies. County officials said revenue would be applied to HVAC upgrades, required updates to school sewer treatment systems and replacing exterior doors.

The tax increase will apply everywhere in the county, including the Town of Washington. Proponents of the tax increase have argued it would largely be paid by tourists.

Groceries, diapers and feminine hygiene products would not be subject to the tax. Online orders shipped to Rappahannock County would be taxed at the new rate.

The tax would expire in 2046, and the county Board of Supervisors could vote to end it sooner.

Statewide, voters approved three ballot questions pushed by Democrats, the Associated Press projected: enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, eliminating a dormant ban on same-sex marriage and extending voting rights to unincarcerated felons. Support for the measures received 61%, 56% and 55% of the vote, respectively.

Rappahannock supported the first two measures and opposed the third; support for the abortion amendment received 51% of the vote in the county, same-sex marriage 50.5% and felon voting rights 45%.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and Rappahannock County’s Democratic U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam also handily won reelection Tuesday, while candidates for Washington mayor, treasurer and council were reelected without competition.

Board of Supervisors to library: Don’t expect more money

Rappahannock County supervisors said Monday that the library should not expect additional funding after its move to Rush River Commons, while raising questions about the county’s stake in the existing building.

Each supervisor weighed in on the Rappahannock County Public Library Board of Trustees’ 7-2 vote last Thursday to relocate the library to Rush River Commons in the Town of Washington, where a new building will be constructed at the expense of local philanthropist and financial backer Chuck Akre through his family’s foundation.

The library will pay no rent at the new building, but will pay a $500 monthly maintenance fee that increases each year. Supervisors said the library can’t count on more county tax dollars to cover a larger, approximately 9,000-square-foot space. The answer would have been the same, they said, if trustees had chosen to renovate and expand the existing building.

“With so many [county] projects that truly are essential, realistically, they can’t expect anything more than level funding — if not cuts,” Jackson Supervisor Donna Comer said. “I hate to say it.”

“This can’t result in a huge change in the tax rates,” Stonewall-Hawthorne Supervisor John Genho said. “This can’t double or triple our expenses that the county is transferring to the library.”

For fiscal year 2027, the county allotted about $440,000 for the library’s personnel and operating costs.

Who has final say?

The county and the library board jointly own the current library building. What’s less clear is how much say the county has over what happens to it once the library moves.

During public comment, Laura Grigsby, Hampton District, asked questions about the current building’s ownership, who would collect rent if that building were leased and who would get the money if it were sold.

“The big issue really comes around who owns that building and who has the right to do what with it, and why hasn’t it been maintained?” Grigsby said.

Part of the uncertainty comes from state law. Hampton Supervisor Keir Whitson said his understanding is that library boards can accept gifts but can’t make real estate decisions. County Administrator Garrey Curry said it was “a little more nuanced than that, but yes.” He said staff would lay out how the two boards’ authorities overlap for the supervisors.

The trustees have said they don’t plan to give up the current building. After last Thursday’s vote, they agreed to ask the General Assembly to change state law so library boards can lease out property — a right not currently outlined in the state law that governs library board powers.

“We’re going to keep getting these questions, and we’re going to be embarrassed if we don’t find the answer to that now,” Settle said.

‘We’re not hiding anything’

Whitson said he told library board President Victoria Fortuna months ago that he “couldn’t get excited” about another new building, but he also pushed back on the sentiment constituents have shared of wanting the supervisors or library board removed from their positions over the decision to move.

“I don’t think it is good government for us to appoint people, and then when we don’t like the decision that might be coming along, reach out and remove them,” Whitson said. “That’s not the way the world should work.”

During public comment at the supervisors’evening session, former Piedmont Supervisor Christine Smith told the board that it would be “well within your authority to dismiss the majority of the library board entirely.

“If the library keeps moving in this current direction, without widespread public support, and with some board members of this board already stating there will be no additional funding from the county, we are heading into a real mess,” she said.

Supervisor Debbie Donehey thanked the library trustees for the “stressful” job they had to undertake. She also rejected claims that the process wasn’t transparent.

“I just think it’s got potential, and it hurt me to see how painful it was for the trustees,” Donehey said. “We’re not hiding anything. We’re trying to do the best we can for the citizens of Rappahannock County.”

Ireland Hayes is a reporter for Foothills Forum, a nonprofit organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County.

A last-minute Rappahannock County election guide

The midterm elections are on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and while the regular voter registration deadline has passed, eligible voters still have options to register and vote in the election.

Voters who miss the registration deadline may register through Nov. 3, under Virginia’s same-day registration law, but must cast a provisional ballot while their eligibility is verified.

Early in-person voting at the Voter Registration Office, 262A Gay St., Washington , ended Oct. 31. Visit the county election website for voting hours and additional information.

Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Find your polling place here ...

... and find the state elections department's Voter Pocket Guide here:

The Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Pocket Guide. Virginia Department of Elections On the ballot

Ballot questions | Virginia voters are weighing in on abortion, same-sex marriage and expanding voting rights for felons and mentally incapacitated people. A fourth ballot question, specific to Rappahannock County, asks residents to consider raising the local sales tax by one percentage point to fund school capital projects.

Read our guide to the ballot questions here .

U.S. House | Suhas Subramanyam vs. Dave Beckwith

Suhas Subramanyam, the Democratic one-term incumbent, is being challenged by Defense Department official Dave Beckwith.

Read our candidate Q&As:
• Subramanyam
• Beckwith

U.S. Senate | Mark Warner vs. Bert Mizusawa

Mark Warner, a longtime Democratic incumbent, is running for what he says is his final Senate term against Republican Bert Mizusawa, a retired Army general.

Learn more from the Virginia Mercury here

Town of Washington elections

The candidates for town mayor, treasurer and council are all running uncontested. Thomas Bruce, a former education professional, is slated to become the newest member of the council after Jean Goodine declined to run for reelection.

Courthouse design plans head to Washington Architectural Review Board

The Town of Washington’s Architectural Review Board will get its first look at the county’s new courthouse project later this month as architectural firm Glavé & Holmes submits an application for approval of preliminary design work.

Architect John Spain told the Board of Supervisors on Monday that they will walk through the schematic design with the ARB on Nov. 23. A cost estimate for the proposed rendering will also be completed by Warrenton-based consulting firm Downey & Scott on Nov. 23, Spain said.

Plans include public entrance screening, secure parking and access for judges and staff, an enlarged vehicle entrance for jail transport vans, two accessible parking spaces on Gay Street, additional rear parking, native landscaping and stormwater management.

The ground level includes a larger courtroom, clerk’s offices, public records access and a jury assembly room accommodating 40 jurors. The lower level includes a smaller courtroom primarily for juvenile and domestic relations cases, clerk’s offices, separate waiting areas and holding facilities.

Supervisors will continue to review the plans and cost estimate at an upcoming meeting before advancing to more detailed design development. Construction documents, bidding, contract award and construction would follow. No firm construction schedule has been provided.

Glavé & Holmes' presentation to the Board of Supervisors on Monday. Glavé & Holmes

Virginia law enforcement agencies’ use of license plate reader data faces fresh scrutiny

Va. Senate majority leader: Those who illegally share data must face consequences

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.

Under state law, law enforcement agencies may share data obtained through ALPR systems under certain circumstances. The statute prohibits sharing or disseminating the data to “any database of any other state, federal, private, or commercial entity.”

The statute does not, however, expressly prohibit sharing or disseminating the data directly to out-of-state or federal law enforcement officers.

Although the recent data-sharing case in Isle of Wight was intended to support an investigation, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said localities should face penalties if they don’t share data the right way.

“I think there needs to be consequences for localities that improperly share data,” Surovell said after last Thursday’s crime commission meeting, adding that some law enforcement agencies have not followed the laws governing ALPR use that took effect July 1, 2025.

Of the 361 law enforcement agencies surveyed, around 70% responded (251) and 44% (159) reported using ALPR technology.

Among those agencies, 20% reported retaining ALPR data for longer than the law’s general 21-day limit. State law allows data to remain if it’s needed for an ongoing investigation, prosecution, or civil action until the investigation concludes.

ALPRs are different from automated speed enforcement and red-light enforcement cameras that capture speeding vehicles or vehicles entering intersections after the traffic signal turns red and issue citations.

Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie Compton announced last month that her department ended its agreement in July with Flock Safety to operate four ALPRs in the county.

ALPRs in practice

One of the most high-profile instances of ALPR use in the state came in 2015, when Virginia law enforcement used the technology to help find the gunman who shot two journalists in Roanoke during a live broadcast and then fled three hours away to Northern Virginia.

Nationally, similar cases show how ALPRs have been used to improve and solve investigations.

But Chris Kaiser, policy director for the ACLU of Virginia, said claims that ALPRs help solve cases are hard to assess because it is often unclear whether the technology actually made a difference.

More importantly, Kaiser warned, Virginia’s ALPR safeguards may not prevent unauthorized out-of-state access, and the cloud-connected system could expose statewide data if one agency fails to comply, raising broader privacy and oversight concerns.

“If one agency or even one officer allows unauthorized access to the system, that means the whole state’s set of data is compromised,” Kaiser said.

He also argued that ALPRs enable broad, warrantless surveillance that threatens privacy and can negatively impact people’s activities, while evidence that they significantly improve crime-solving is weak.

Last year, House Majority Leader Del. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, carried legislation that allowed the use of license plate reader systems, like those operated by Flock, by establishing statewide approval, restricting police use of ALPR technology, requiring documentation and reporting and creating oversight to monitor use and accountability.

The measure was signed into law by Gov. Abigail Spanberger earlier this year.

Under the new law, the system’s uses are limited to investigating suspected criminal violations when there is reasonable suspicion that a crime occurred, investigating missing or endangered persons or people associated with human trafficking, and receiving notifications involving missing or endangered persons, outstanding warrants, human trafficking, stolen vehicles, or stolen license plates.

Data may be shared with other Virginia law enforcement agencies, commonwealth’s attorneys, a criminal defendant or their counsel, or their ALPR vendor.

ALPR data may also be shared if officers receive a court order or court-issued subpoena, or to alert the public to an emergency situation, a missing or endangered person, a person associated with human trafficking, or a person with an outstanding warrant.

What’s next

The Virginia State Crime Commission is expected to submit results of a statewide survey detailing the use of ALPR systems to lawmakers by Nov. 1.

Lawmakers will return to Richmond in January to discuss related legislation. Some lawmakers, including Sens. Lashrecse Aird, D-Henrico, and Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, have publicly expressed interest in banning the readers, signaling bipartisan interest in further action. Others have called for more transparency.

No legislation has yet been filed as of last Thursday afternoon.

Tick-borne illnesses surge in Rappahannock, Virginia Piedmont

• Fall weather keeps ticks active

• ER visits for tick bites highest in Virginia since 2017

John McCaslin was on deadline in the newspaper office, finalizing pages to send to the printer, when he began struggling to breathe.

Earlier that morning, the then-editor of the Rappahannock News had stopped at the Sperryville Corner Store and added cream to his coffee, forgetting that dairy could trigger his newly diagnosed alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne allergy to red meat and many animal products.

“Man, it started hitting me,” he recalled in a recent interview.

John McCaslin was the editor of the Rappahannock News when he was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne allergy to red meat and animal byproducts. Every time he was re-bitten by a tick, his reaction got worse, and he was eventually advised by his doctor to move out of Rappahannock County, so he fled to Montana. “I loved it [in Rappahannock],” he said. “But I'm not checking myself for ticks after I walk through grass or anything anymore. It’s liberating.” Courtesy photo He drove himself to the emergency room in Warrenton, one of several ER visits since a lone star tick bit him in 2016. He also made repeated trips to the University of Virginia, where he gave blood for research by Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, an allergist who discovered alpha-gal syndrome.

“They were using me as a case study,” he said.

After a bad round of chigger bites, McCaslin’s antibody levels spiked higher than Platts-Mills had ever seen. The advice was stark — leave the area.

“I was told, ‘You gotta get somewhere where there’s no ticks, or you’re in the concrete,’” McCaslin said.

In 2021, he left for Montana, where he has lived since.

“I loved it [in Rappahannock],” he said. “But I'm not checking myself for ticks after I walk through grass or anything anymore. It’s liberating.”

Tick threat one of worst

McCaslin may have left his tick worries behind, but in Rappahannock the threat has only grown. Health officials warn 2026 could be one of the worst tick seasons in a decade, and locally, the warnings are largely coming true.

Even though fall brings cooler weather, ticks are still a threat. Peak tick season runs from March to the end of September, but tick activity hits a second peak from late August through November, according to the National Park Service, as cool, damp fall weather sends ticks looking for hosts. Ticks go dormant below freezing but become active again on any day above 40 degrees.

Serious tick-borne infections have more than tripled in the region this year — more people are seeking care for tick bites, and thousands of residents may be living with alpha-gal syndrome without knowing it, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) and interviews with researchers and epidemiologists.

In April, the CDC reported ER visits in the United States for tick bites reached their highest rate since 2017. The Northeast, including Virginia, saw the most cases.

In the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District — which covers Rappahannock, Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison and Orange counties — the biggest change, the district’s senior epidemiologist Daniel Ferrell said, has been that cases of tick-borne bacterial infections — ehrlichiosis, usually spread by lone star ticks, and anaplasmosis, usually spread by black-legged ticks — have more than tripled.

So far this year, about 23 cases have been reported in the region, up from an average of about seven a year.

“I’ve definitely seen an increase,” said Ferrell. “Those are ones that can cause more severe illness, including hospitalization. I haven't seen that in years past.”

Lyme disease is on pace or slightly ahead of a typical year, with 81 cases so far compared to a five-year average of 79. Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which averages about four cases a year, is at five with two months to go. And more people in the district have shown up at urgent care centers and emergency rooms with tick bites over the past two years, Ferrell said.

Rise in tick-borne illness

Gillian Eastwood, an associate professor and tick researcher at Virginia Tech, said the rise in tick-borne illness likely comes from two things: more ticks, and doctors getting better at recognizing the diseases they carry.

“There are maybe more ticks and more spread of ticks, but then probably we’re becoming more cognizant of things that are going on, too,” she said. “Things have changed over the last few decades and tick-borne diseases are increasingly recognized.”

In Rappahannock, tick populations are spread across the county, said Kenner Love, the county’s Virginia Cooperative Extension agent, but they can cluster in what he called “hot spots” — cattle operations such as Eldon Farms in Woodville and areas of Old Hollow. One farm might be overrun while another a mile or two down the road has far fewer.

But wildlife like deer continue to spread them along wildlife corridors, and ticks can survive a long time between meals, which he said lets populations linger and then suddenly explode.

“I think it’s a combination of things,” Love said. “The climate has some impact — longer seasons, the wildlife’s there to support them, and they’re just thriving.”

Understanding alpha-gal symptoms

Alpha-gal is a sugar found in mammals like cows, pigs and lambs, and it can be found in the saliva of lone star ticks — reddish-brown ticks whose females have a large white dot in the middle.

In some people, bites from those ticks can trigger a lasting allergy called alpha-gal syndrome.

Virginia began tracking alpha-gal syndrome last year, asking commercial labs in Virginia to report positive blood tests. Since October 2025, participating labs — about 50% — have reported about 1,200 positive tests in the Rappahannock-Rapidan district and 20,000 statewide.

But a positive test indicates antibodies, not necessarily an active allergy, Ferrell said. To meet the CDC’s definition of a case, a person needs both a positive test and symptoms, such as hives, stomach trouble or anaphylaxis, within hours of eating red meat. A recent CDC study found that more than 20% of Virginia adults have alpha-gal antibodies.

Because diagnosis requires both a blood test and a clinical exam, many people never get tested. In 2023, the CDC estimated that as many as 450,000 Americans may be affected by the allergy.

Virginia health districts are now following up on and studying positive results, and Ferrell expects more reliable numbers next spring. “There’s a lot to learn right now because we’ve just started going through a lot of these labs,” he said.

‘Hunting ticks’

Alpha-gal is not the only thing lone star ticks carry, however. Eastwood’s research focuses on tick-borne viruses, which are rare, she said, but often deadly. Two that can spread to humans — Heartland and Bourbon viruses — are vectored by the lone star tick.

Eastwood said lone star ticks are “hunting ticks,” meaning they seek out a host rather than wait for one to appear, like other common species such as black-legged ticks or dog ticks. Lone stars are also more common in Virginia's Piedmont and Coastal regions, she said.

“That’s a tick that will come at you when it senses you, rather than just hang out on a blade of grass,” she said. “In the Piedmont or Coastal region … it’s a much more predominant tick.”

Surviving with them

The most important thing people can do, Ferrell said, is protect themselves from bites. Tick seasons are running longer, new species are arriving and ticks are surviving cold winters.

“We're going to have to live with these things because even after this past year, with all of that extremely cold weather that we had late into January, into February, we figured out the ticks can survive,” Ferrell said. “So one of the things that we’re going to have to do is figure out a way to survive with them.”

Eastwood emphasized the importance of taking small precautions like checking yourself for ticks.

“The little tiny ones are the ones you’ve got to really look for. So being aware of how small a tick is, and really checking yourself when you come in from a hike, hunting or gardening,” she said, but added that the threat of ticks should not deter people from doing “all these wonderful activities that we can do outside.”

‘Nobody understands it’

After the bite: Residents describe life with tick-borne illnesses

By Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum

Sherry Weakley found a lone star tick on her thigh after attending a farmers’ market in Haymarket. She and her partner joked about it giving her alpha-gal syndrome.

Soon after, she ate a cheeseburger and within hours, she was covered in hives. By the time she reached the Sperryville Rescue Squad, her legs were convulsing and her heart rate had hit 188 beats per minute.

Sherry Weakley in her backyard in Strasburg. Ireland Hayes ER doctors checked her out, then sent her home. But in the coming days the reactions kept coming, and for about two weeks, the rescue squad was at her house almost daily.

“I had to see three doctors before I got an alpha-gal test,” she said. “Nobody understands it.”

The test was positive.

Weakley soon discovered she reacted not only to eating meat and dairy, but even to smells. Once, her partner reheated sausage in the microwave and the smell alone triggered a reaction. She gave up leather shoes, air fresheners and perfumes. In just six months, she said she needed about 18 shots of epinephrine (EpiPen), an emergency medication used to stop allergic reactions.

Weakley, who now lives in Strasburg, said her reactions have eased and her allergy is “in remission” in part thanks to a costly acupuncture treatment.

“Even with acupuncture, it's not a cure,” she said.

Rare diagnosis

It began with a persistent headache.

About 10 years ago, Chris Ubben of Chester Gap felt suddenly ill — light hurt his eyes, his muscles were weak and walking just 15 feet left the sheriff’s deputy drenched in sweat.

“My body felt like it had to fight to keep going,” he said.

Chris Ubben was a sheriff's deputy in Rappahannock County when he came down with a sudden illness. He was eventually diagnosed with ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne blood infection. “I might wind up with cancer from Deep Woods Off, but I'm not going through ehrlichiosis again,” he said. “It’s frightening.” Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum After many visits to the emergency room and doctors' offices, courses of antibiotics and CT scans, a doctor reviewed test results related to Ubben’s liver function that reminded him of a case of ehrlichiosis — a tick-borne blood infection — he had seen 30 years earlier.

“He said, ‘I’ve only ever seen this one time before,’” Ubben said. “I never did find the tick.”

Six weeks on a different antibiotic finally cleared the infection. Now, Ubben keeps 40% DEET spray in his police car, his truck and his house.

“I might wind up with cancer from Deep Woods Off, but I'm not going through ehrlichiosis again,” he said. “It’s frightening.”

Living with ‘chronic Lyme’

Erica Gore was six when she came home from a family vacation in Maine with a bull’s-eye rash.

Doctors in California, where she grew up, didn’t know what they were looking at, she said. She was misdiagnosed, and the Lyme disease she had contracted went untreated.

When Erica Gore, a farmer in Culpeper, was 6, she developed a bull’s-eye rash after a family vacation to Maine. In California, where she lived at the time, the doctors weren't familiar with Lyme disease, and she went untreated. Now she lives with chronic symptoms. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum Decades later, Gore — now owner of Hock Newberry Farm in Culpeper — lives with chronic, or post-treatment Lyme: joint pain, headaches and days she can barely get out of bed.

“I didn’t know until literally this year that not everyone gets a migraine when they cry,” she said. “That's something people need to be able to do to express themselves. And I can’t do it because I’ll be in bed for hours.”

Gore said she has not yet found a “regular doctor” who will take her seriously. Instead, she manages her symptoms with chiropractic care, physical therapy and a clean diet, much of it raised on her farm.

‘Hit me like a frickin’ Mack truck’

Debbie Capasso has had Lyme disease before, so she knew what a tick-borne illness felt like. Or thought she did.

Capasso, who lives in Castleton, was bitten repeatedly last May — on her back, where she couldn’t reach with bug spray. Over Memorial Day weekend, her illness came on so suddenly she could barely drive herself to urgent care.

Over Memorial Day weekend last year, Debbie Capasso contracted ehrlichiosis after her back was covered in ticks, where she couldn't reach with bug spray. Now, she won't go outside without dousing herself in insecticide. “I’m borderline paranoid,” she said. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum “It hit me like a frickin’ Mack truck,” she said.

She said her blood tests showed that her kidneys were shutting down. She was diagnosed with ehrlichiosis and spent four days in the hospital, then 10 more days on IV antibiotics at home.

More than a year later, she still has joint pain and other chronic symptoms, and she’s cut back her time outdoors. She doesn’t step outside, even for a few minutes to feed her horse, without spraying her boots with insect repellent.

“I’m borderline paranoid,” she said.

‘I was just lucky’

In 2014, while driving down Crest Hill Road, Charlotte Wagner suddenly became so ill she had to pull over, losing feeling in her hands and feet.

“I had trouble coordinating, and I really freaked out,” she said.

At an urgent care in Warrenton, she was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A tick was found at the nape of her neck, buried by a thick cascade of dark hair.

Over a month and two rounds of doxycycline later, aside from side effects from the heavy antibiotics, she was cured.

“We caught it early,” she said. “I was just lucky.”

Once she recovered, she cut her long black hair into a pixie cut.

Urgent care workers found a tick at the nape of Charlotte Wagner's neck, buried under her long, dark hair in 2014, and she was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain spotted fever. She sought medical care immediately after her symptoms started. “We caught it early,” she said. “I was just lucky.” Courtesy | Charlotte Wagner Wagner is a dog trainer and behaviorist and farmer who lives near Bean Hollow along the Shenandoah National Park, and said she practically lives outdoors.

She’s tried several essential-oil-based tick deterrents — primarily around her face and head — and sprays her clothes with permethrin insecticide.

“You’re putting chemicals on your body, but at the end of the day, tick-borne illness can change your quality of life or kill you, too. So, pick your poison,” she said.

‘Don’t be afraid to live your life’

Erin Sherry was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome in 2018, but believes the tick bite that caused it happened in 2014 while she was pregnant with her youngest child. Many of her symptoms were attributed to pregnancy, then postpartum hormonal changes.

“It took four years to get that diagnosis,” she said. “I went to the doctor and would tell them all my symptoms, and they said, ‘You have IBS’ or, ‘We really don't know what's wrong.’”

It took Erin Sherry four years to get an alpha-gal syndrome diagnosis. Her symptoms were originally misdiagnosed as side effects of pregnancy, then hormonal changes. She takes more precautions now, but doesn't let the ticks stop her from doing what she enjoys, like spending time in her garden. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum Sherry, a teacher who lives in Amissville, later wrote a children’s book, “Alpha-gal Gal,” to raise awareness about the syndrome and living with food allergies.

Sherry said she doesn’t let the allergy hold her back, still enjoying time in her garden and finding restaurants that accommodate for alpha-gal.

“Don’t be afraid to live your life,” she said. “But it definitely has upped my level of precaution.”

Three at once

About 15 years ago, Vinnie Lainson sensed something wasn’t right. “My joints hurt and I had a low-grade fever,” she said.

Lainson, who is an Episcopal priest and hospice chaplain and lives in Sperryville, said another priest recommended she start chronicling her symptoms and when they would flare up.

A Lyme disease test showed some signs of infection, but her doctor said the results weren’t conclusive.

“I was like, ‘Well, if I have all the symptoms, what do you mean I don't have it?’" she said.

Vinnie Lainson was diagnosed with Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis 15 years ago, then developed alpha-gal syndrome this spring. “I keep going with my life, and a lot of people with Lyme don’t,” she said. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum She eventually sought out an infectious disease and Lyme specialist in Warrenton, who required months of records before agreeing to see her.

The diagnosis was Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis — a parasitic disease that affects red blood cells — all at once. Then this spring brought another tick-borne diagnosis — alpha-gal syndrome.

“I keep going with my life, and a lot of people with Lyme don’t,” she said. “Lyme is something you don't want to have. The brain fog is significant, and the fatigue and the aches.”

Ireland Hayes is a reporter for Foothills Forum, a nonprofit organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County.

Ticks active in fallen leaves, tall grasses in fall

According to the Shenandoah National Park, a second peak in tick activity occurs from August through November. Ticks live in fallen leaves and leaf litter, and cool, moist fall conditions prompt them to actively search for hosts.

Key prevention tactics recommended by epidemiologists and the Shenandoah National Park include:

• Wearing light-colored clothing to better spot ticks before they bite
• Tucking pant legs into socks
• Wearing gaiters or compression clothing to make it harder for ticks to attach
• Checking for ticks after outdoor activities, as timely removal is the best defense against contracting a tick-borne illness or allergy
• Using permethrin spra y or DEET tick repellents
• Using flea and tick prevention on your cats and dogs. Ferrell recommends oral medications over drops or collars.

PHOTOS: Rappahannock dresses up for Halloween 2026

From our office in the Town of Washington to Main Street in Sperryville, Halloween revelers posed for photos in the Rappahannock News’ sixth annual costume contest.

Thank you to everyone who shared their costumes and helped make this year’s contest a treat. Browse the slideshow to see the creativity on display, and look for the winners in Thursday’s print edition.

Photographers report nearly $30K worth of equipment stolen at Gold Cup

The Fauquier County Sheriff's Office is investigating a nearly $30,000 larceny reported at the press tent at last weekend’s International Gold Cup horse race in The Plains.

According to the sheriff’s office, “approximately $28,000” in camera equipment was stolen from the tent during the Oct. 24 event. Three people reported losses.

“The Virginia Gold Cup Association usually hires staff for security. The Virginia State Police handle traffic control. Sheriff's Office personnel were present at the event to establish a law enforcement presence to deter and address any criminal activity,” sheriff’s office spokesman Jeffrey Long told FauquierNow.

A Gold Cup spokesperson said the investigation is in the hands of law enforcement, adding, “The area was the most secure it has ever been.”

According to a Rappahannock News/Foothills Forum reporter working at the race, “It happened during a race, but there’s someone in the tent at all times so people were saying it had to be a person who looked like they knew what they were doing, or slipped by security to get back there.”

Hosted at Great Meadow on Old Tavern Road, the International Gold Cup is overseen by the Virginia Gold Cup Association.

Chester Brown gets another attorney

Trial for Doris Critzer’s murder rescheduled for March

A new attorney has been appointed to represent Chester Brown, who has been charged with the 2023 murder and strangulation of Doris Critzer in her Washington home. His trial has been rescheduled for the second time to March 29.

Jacob Gordon, an attorney with the Pond Law Group in Front Royal and a former law clerk with the Virginia Court of Appeals, appeared alongside Brown for the first time at a status hearing Tuesday in Rappahannock County Circuit Court.

Brown dismissed two rounds of court-appointed attorneys before deciding in August to represent himself. But a month later he told Judge Robert Smith he “didn’t know really what I was getting myself into” and asked for an attorney to be appointed again.

When Brown tried to interject at Tuesday’s hearing, Smith stopped him.

“You have a lawyer now,” the judge said. “Let him do the talking.”

The trial was postponed after Smith granted Brown’s request to retest DNA on a $1 bill found in his backpack after the murder. If impartial jurors cannot be found in Rappahannock County, a backup trial date was set for the week of April 26 “in case we have to roll into Loudoun [County],” Smith said.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff requested a hearing to discuss chain-of-custody concerns about retesting the DNA evidence on the bill, and establish safeguards for testing at a third-party lab.

Goff asked Tuesday that a representative from Bode Technologies, the lab conducting the new DNA test, appear in court to explain its testing procedures and how it would protect the bill’s chain of custody.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen to that $1 bill once it goes behind that laboratory door,” Goff said. “And we need to know that, so you (Judge) can make an informed decision.”

Gordon did not oppose having a hearing and told the judge that he is “getting up to speed on this case, in more ways than one.”

The hearing was set for Nov. 30. Brown asked to remain at the state prison in Lunenburg County rather than be transported to Rappahannock for the hearing. “He’s going to represent me. I’m not going to have anything to say,” Brown told the judge.

Smith denied the request: “All things considered, I think it’s better that Mr. Brown be here,” he said.

Rappahannock Historical Society highlights year of preservation, community outreach

The mood at the Rappahannock Historical Society’s annual meeting Sunday was encouraging, thanks to an outpouring of dedication from members, staff, volunteers and board members over the past year. About 45 people attended the meeting held at the Washington Town Hall.

Here are some highlights from the meeting:

• President Michael Dennis said the society took a fresh look at how it functions, addressing deferred maintenance, examining its finances and writing policies to guide its work.
• Efforts to improve community relationships helped increase the society’s Facebook followers from 300 to 1,500, while the society-sponsored John Jackson Festival drew a record turnout in 2026.
• The society is surveying its collections and archives, updating its database, improving digital backups and reimagining its website to make digital archives more accessible.
• Treasurer Marie Davis-Roman described the difficulties of gaining access to the society’s finances after the previous account holder died, while Catherine E. Hundley discussed work to protect collections, including tracking humidity and reconfiguring spaces.
• Members elected Missy Sutton to the board; Sutton, whose family was displaced by the creation of Shenandoah National Park, led the effort to build the chimney memorial in Sperryville honoring displaced families.

Upcoming programs include a talk and book signing for John Wrory Ficklin’s “An Unusual Path,” a history of the role general stores played in the county and the revival of the Blue Ridge Heritage Memorials.

Rappahannock’s solar rules ‘gutted’ by new state law

Rappahannock officials are looking toward revising the county’s strict limits on large solar farms after a Piedmont Environmental Council land use staffer told planners last week that new state laws effectively “gutted” the county’s ordinance.

“The state code is now your law until you have something that complies with that,” the staffer Sarah Parmelee told the Rappahannock County Planning Commission. “So you do technically have a solar ordinance right now; it’s just not the one you wrote.”

Parmelee told the Rappahannock News that the county’s requirements for solar project screening, parcel size and setbacks, among other portions of the ordinance, were overruled by two laws signed in April by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger that passed largely along party lines.

The laws, which took effect in July, compel local governments to consider solar projects on a case-by-case basis and limit their ability to reject solar outright. They come amid a time of extraordinary power demand from data centers in Northern Virginia. But planners, both last week and when they adopted the ordinance in 2021, argued large solar projects could negatively impact viewsheds and agriculture in Rappahannock.

“If you look at the Comprehensive Plan, what we talk about is scenic beauty and agriculture’s role in that scenic beauty,” said Stonewall-Hawthorne Supervisor John Genho, who sits on the Planning Commission and also serves as farm manager at Eldon Farms. “I’m not sure that cows standing underneath solar panels enhances the scenic beauty.”

The law allows the county to subject solar projects to a viewshed analysis as part of a permitting process, Parmelee noted.

Hampton Supervisor Keir Whitson expects the Board of Supervisors will push the Planning Commission to solar ordinance revisions in the coming months.

“I’m really happy that the PEC is engaged, and I will be very happy to listen to what they have to say,” said Whitson, who voted against the solar ordinance in 2021 amid concerns it was rushed. “I will be very happy to accept their assistance in making sure that whatever we have on the books is defensible.”

County Administrator Garrey Curry said county staff recommended the ordinance be revised in response to the new laws.

The county does not currently have any applications from a solar farm developer, Zoning Administrator Michelle Somers said.

Developers would be challenged by Rappahannock’s rugged terrain and conservation easements, according to Parmelee. Still, Parmelee suggested planners could update the Comprehensive Plan — the document that guides local ordinances and zoning decisions — in response to the new laws, but added doing so could draw attention from Richmond regulators.

The state is “going to be tracking all decisions about solar permits through the SCC, including when the Comprehensive Plan was last updated,” Parmelee explained, referring to the State Corporation Commission.

The county’s solar rules were adopted in July 2021 at breakneck speed , with planners and supervisors sensing the county was vulnerable to a solar project. Then-Piedmont Supervisor Christine Smith and Planning Commission member Al Henry warned the rules could be unreasonably exclusionary, while County Attorney Art Goff advised supervisors to “take a deep breath and look at this daggone thing just a little bit more,” lest they risk a legal challenge.

The Board of Supervisors narrowly adopted the ordinance against Goff’s advice, and he asked them to repeal it the next month. The rules have not been amended.

Rappahannock News hosts annual costume contest, other Halloween happenings

The Rappahannock News is opening its doors to ghosts, goblins and anyone with a little Halloween spirit Saturday, Oct. 31, for the newspaper’s sixth annual costume contest.

Stop by the office at 309 Jett St. in the Town of Washington from 6-7 p.m. to have your photo taken and enter the running. Winners will be featured in print Nov. 5 and online.

Can’t make it to the office? Residents can also enter by emailing costume photos to editor Julia Shanahan at julia@rappnews.com. All submissions must be received by Monday, Nov. 2.

Last year’s top honors went to brothers Harlan and Teddy Theimer of Front Royal, whose portrayal of The Inn at Little Washington’s chef and beloved Dalmatian rescue dog, Luray, captured Rappahannock’s local spirit.

Teddy and Harlan Theimer of Front Royal, the Rappahannock News' 2025 costume contest winners. Julia Shanahan
Marissa Ennis of Washington won the 2024 contest with a realistic portrayal of Cruella de Vil from the Disney film, "101 Dalmatians." Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum Dance away at Halloween ball

The Black Twig is holding its annual Halloween Costume Ball on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at 12018 Lee Highway, Sperryville. The dance party features a live DJ, costume contest and prizes. The event is for those ages 21 and older. There is a $5 cover charge.

Sperryville transforms into ‘ScaryVille’

Sperryville’s Main Street will be closed from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31 for trick-or-treating and Halloween festivities.

Before & After cafe in Sperryville is festive for Halloween (2023). File photo: Ray Boc Trunk-or-treats at Trinity Episcopal and Flint Hill UMC

Trinity Episcopal Church will host a trunk-or-treat from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 at 379 Gay St. in Washington. The Halloween gathering will include hot dogs, chips, candy, coffee and drinks. Costumes are encouraged for all ages, and everyone is welcome.

Flint Hill United Methodist Church, 651 Zachary Taylor Highway, will host its annual trunk-or-treat starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. C&C Frozen Treats will also be on hand.

UPDATED | Move it: Rappahannock library board approves Rush River lease

Editor's note: This story was updated Friday afternoon with additional comments.

The Rappahannock County Public Library will move to the Town of Washington’s Rush River Commons development, the library’s Board of Trustees decided Thursday night in a 7-2 vote, rebuffing a fierce campaign from some county residents to keep it in place.

The library board and its new landlord, Black Kettle, expect the library to move in 2028, according to the lease agreement , though construction has yet to commence and an exact move-in date has not been set.

“I’ve been working on this for a long time and I know some of you have different opinions than I do about the Black Kettle offer, which is fine,” said board president Victoria Fortuna. She added, referring to Black Kettle backer Chuck Akre: “When I think to the next 50 years, I think that the offer that Mr. Akre is making is extremely generous.”

Akre and spokespeople from Rush River Commons did not immediately return a request for comment from the Rappahannock News on the library board’s decision.

Trustees Fortuna, John Beardsley, Jen Cable, Liz Conley, Michael Chamowitz, Cole Johnson and Patti Peterson voted for the move, while Bonnie Jewell and Kit Johnston dissented.

About 45 people attended the meeting at the library. Opponents of the move repeatedly interrupted the board and supporters, then walked out en masse before the official vote.

“Why are you doing what you all want and not what the citizens want?” Carolyn Brown, a Sperryville resident, called out from the audience as the board began its discussion.

An attendee holds a “Our Library: Improve it. Don’t move it” fan. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum Despite the outcry, the board decided only a new library at Rush River could meet community requests for more space, accessibility and other improvements, and that relocating would be less costly than renovating the existing space. To afford a renovation, the board would need to spend down its approximately $1.5 million unrestricted endowment, giving up $50,000 a year in investment returns.

Beardsley said over 80 years, that money could compound into “many millions of dollars.”

Two trustees, Jewell and Johnson, grew emotional as they explained their votes.

“I have gone back and forth. This is not a foregone conclusion,” said Jewell, assistant county administrator and county representative to the board. She began her remarks introducing herself as “at least a fifth-generation Rappahannock native,” whose professional expertise is in government budget and finance.

“People have said in their comments tonight, and in other comments, something stinks — nothing stinks,” Jewell said. “These folks have done their review and come at it with their angle of expertise and reviewed it to the best extent.

“Rush River works out financially [as] the best option. That said, it is important to me, it’s important to every single person on this board, what the public says, and I have to vote no,” she said, through tears.

Bonnie Jewell, assistant county administrator and county representative to the library board, tears up while addressing the crowd. She eventually voted against the move, along with Kit Johnston. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum “I am going to vote yes because it’s the right decision financially,” Johnson, the board’s newest member, said. “Please don’t hate me.”

The library will be Black Kettle’s tenant for up to 80 years, pay a monthly maintenance fee — starting at $500 a month and increasing each year — and have sole discretion to renew or end the lease every 10 years.

Library director Amanda Weakley, her voice at times shaking, implored the board to keep the public’s opinion in mind as it made its decision. She said well over 100 patrons have told her they wanted the library to stay, and fewer than 10 backed a move.

“This is not purely a business decision. Emotions and nostalgia and connections to the building do matter,” Weakley said. “Our community deserves the very best library and library services wherever it is.”

Trustee Liz Conley listens to librarian Amanda Weakley as she addresses the board and public at Thursday’s meeting. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum Public comment

Over 20 people spoke during public comment before the trustees vote, which ran for more than an hour. Most at the meeting spoke in favor of keeping the library at its current location.

Former Piedmont Supervisor Christine Smith — who led the movement on creating and distributing “Improve it. Don’t Move it” yard signs — kicked off the comments, saying the board’s pursuit of the library move felt “like a fait accompli from the very beginning.” She said a petition against the library move received 485 signatures on paper and online.

Christine Smith addresses the Rappahannock County Library Board of Trustees on Thursday before the board's vote. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum Several speakers called the new site “a swamp” prone to flooding. “Water and books do not mix,” Nancy Freeman, of the Piedmont district, said.

Beardsley later pointed to an engineering assessment that he said shows the library site well above the 100-year flood level.

Castleton resident Deak Deakins, who said he has over 50 years of construction and building experience, disputed the claim that the current site’s rocky terrain is too difficult to work with or renovate.

“What better foundation can you possibly get?” Deakins said. “You do it in phases. You do it in sequences, and nothing’s disrupted. Nothing can’t be fixed in this building.”

Deak Deakins said there is “nothing that can’t be fixed” at the current site and said he opposes the move. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum “I’ve got a lot of things in my life for free, and not one of them’s ever worked out. Never, none of them,” Washington resident George Lee said.

Husband and wife Matthew and Barbara Black spoke separately, both in favor of the move. Barbara Black said that “after reviewing what I know to be the facts,” she now stands “firmly and solidly in favor of a move.”

Barbara Black spoke in favor of the relocation, and called the new building “a generous offer.” Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum The background

Thursday’s vote puts to rest a question that has roiled the county for most of 2026: improve the current library or move it ?

Since March, the library board has pursued an offer from Black Kettle, a company backed by local philanthropist Chuck Akre , to build a $9 million library. But a vocal contingent of county residents argued that the library would put itself at risk by giving up the building on the land it has owned since 1989. To some, the debate recalled the Washington bike path proposal nearly a decade ago.

“I got involved with this because I wanted a bike trail for my kids,” Johnson said. “It didn't happen, because it felt like people were telling us what was good for us. It wasn't handled that well.”

Opponents signed petitions, mounted yard signs and packed library board meetings that before this year saw almost no attendance. Tensions rose after then-library trustee Maureen Harris admitted to removing two yard signs from private property for what she called safety concerns. Harris resigned from the board in August , saying during an October meeting her critics had “run me out of town.”

Three members of the Board of Supervisors condemned online vitriol surrounding Harris and the library move during their September meeting, and this newspaper adopted a civility policy partly in response to the discord in its Facebook comments.

Next steps

Alongside printed copies of the meeting agenda, a side-by-side cost analysis — compiled by Jewell and Peterson — compared the costs of updating and expanding the current building to moving to Rush River Commons.

According to the analysis, annual utility and maintenance costs at the new library are estimated to be $47,000, paid by the library. An expanded library would have had annual costs of $35,000, the board estimated.

The board also estimated moving, furniture and equipment costs associated with the new library at $234,000. It would have cost $274,000 to move equipment out of the library if it were renovated, plus $3.3 million in construction costs, according to the cost analysis.

Peterson said the numbers were crunched “under a number of assumptions” and are “not gospel,” and she and Jewell will continue to review and update them. Chamowitz pledged to “do my very best to accommodate your suggestions as to the interior, the programs, whatever it is” at the new building to make it “vibrant and creative and a source of pride for everyone.”

While the library board has OK’d the move, the Town of Washington’s Architectural Review Board still has to approve the new building’s designs and Black Kettle must receive construction permits.

The board indicated that it does not plan to “give up” the current property. After the vote, Chamowitz moved to ask the Virginia General Assembly for an amendment to the state code governing what library boards can and can’t do, allowing library boards to lease a building. Jewell added that any funds earned from rent would have to go to library purposes.

“We’re not giving up this property. That’s a misunderstanding that seems to have permeated the conversation. Just because we choose to move doesn’t mean that we’re bulldozing this building,” Chamowitz said. Fortuna said anonymous parties have shown interest in renting the space, and county officials have indicated that emergency services need additional space.

“Ultimately, we want to do something useful with it,” Fortuna said.

Thursday's meeting did not address the future of the Book Barn, the used bookstore next door, operated by the nonprofit Friends of the Library. Board members have said throughout the negotiation process that they would resolve those questions after closing a deal with Black Kettle, but Friends of the Library president Grace Flores-Hughes said earlier this week the lease’s mention of the nonprofit was too vague for her comfort.

Also unresolved is a lawsuit against the library board by five county residents seeking access to negotiating documents. The residents, including a member of the Friends of the Library, sued the board in August after it refused to hand over a draft of its lease with Black Kettle. A judge tossed the lawsuit later that month, but the residents appealed the decision Oct. 15 to the Virginia Court of Appeals.

Smith said there are still “a lot of shoes to drop,” and the board’s decision Thursday was “just one vote.

“We all sort of knew this was going to happen, didn’t we?” she said.

At the meeting's end, with all but three audience members gone, trustees talked about how they could bring the community together around the new building.

“Good luck,” Beardsley said.

Ireland Hayes is a reporter for Foothills Forum, a nonprofit organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County.

Disclosure : Chuck Akre, through foundations, is the largest donor to the independent, nonpartisan nonprofit Foothills Forum. This reporting complies fully with the nonprofit’s gift acceptance guidelines. No one from the Akre family had any role in the preparation or pre-publication review of this story.

Rapp at Home earns grant for second year to reduce social isolation

Rappahannock County nonprofit Rapp at Home has received a grant to help older adults stay connected and feel less isolated, according to a news release from the Virginia Villages Collective and Washington Area Villages Exchange.

Rapp at Home is among 11 Virginia organizations awarded grants totaling $109,535. Individual awards range from $9,670 to $10,000 for projects running through June 2027. This is the second consecutive year Rapp at Home has received a grant.

Funded activities include social events, group outings, health and wellness programs, volunteer recruitment and training, and outreach to older adults, according to the release.

The recipients are:

• Arlington Neighborhood Village, Arlington County
• At Home in Alexandria, City of Alexandria
• Cville Village, City of Charlottesville
• Fairfax Village in the City, City of Fairfax
• Here to Stay in Wintergreen, Nelson County
• LOWLINC, Orange County
• Mount Vernon at Home, Fairfax County
• Rapp at Home, Rappahannock County
• Springhill Community Village, Fairfax County
• Valley Village, City of Harrisonburg
• Village Neighbors of Chincoteague, Accomack County

The awards are part of the Aging Well with Virginia Villages Program, which supports existing Villages and helps establish new ones in areas without them.

Tiny trout, big adventure at CCLC

Tiny trout, big adventure at CCLC

Children in the Child Care & Learning Center’s School-Age Program are raising trout from eggs to young fish as part of a yearlong Trout in the Classroom project.

Don and Christina Loock generously donated funding for the equipment in memory of Don’s father, Donald Loock Sr., an avid fisherman and member of the local Rapidan Trout Unlimited chapter.

The trout eggs arrived Oct. 13 after children learned about the fish’s life cycle and tested the tank’s water. Throughout the school year they’ll watch the eggs hatch and the young trout grow and develop.

Mike Weaver, the lead School-Age Teacher, will plan additional related activities. The adventure will end with a field trip to release the trout into the Rush River at the Rappahannock Park.

Children in all CCLC classes will also get to observe the trout and explore their life cycle and habitat through the center’s weekly Children in Nature Explorers program.

Town welcomes trick-or-treaters

Halloween is the time for the young (and not so young) to visit homes and businesses for trick-or-treating, so best be ready with candy — and if you’re driving, be on the lookout for those little princesses, witches and goblins.

Little Washington’s annual Halloween festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Trick-or-treaters can stroll around the town and visit homes and businesses.

The Inn at Little Washington will hand out candy at the front door.

Trinity Epsicopal Church will welcome trick-or-treaters from 6-9 p.m. for a spooktacular Trunk or Treat in the church parking lot. Decorate your trunk, dress up and come ready for fun. Church members will be serving free hotdogs, chips, candy, coffee and drinks.

The Quickie Mart on Route 211 will be giving out candy.

Stop by the Rappahannock News to have your child’s photo taken. The newspaper will be giving out candy as well, starting at 6 p.m. Have fun, all of you little goblins.

Pay library fines with food

Rappahannock County Public Library patrons are invited to help the community (and your library account) by donating non-perishable food items to the library in lieu of paying library fines during the month of November.

Please bring one unexpired, unopened and undamaged shelf-stable food item to donate per overdue item fine on your account. Food items will be collected at the library circulation desk, fines will be waived and all food items will be donated to the Rappahannock Food Pantry. Even if you don't have fines, please consider donating to support the food pantry.

Set clocks back

Daylight saving time comes to an end this weekend. You should set your clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday night. The change officially comes at 2 a.m. local time on the first Sunday in November. This is also a reminder to change the batteries in smoke detectors.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Panthers roar into playoffs

Football shuts out Broadwater 56-0 on Senior Night

It was another week of team victories and individual medals for Rappahannock County High School athletics, but varsity football again takes the headline on the heels of its second straight dominant home win last Friday night.

Football

For the first time this season, coach Fulmer Burks’ team took the field against an opponent that did not outnumber them by 2-to-1 or greater, the Panthers dressing 13 players to Broadwater Academy’s 11. The Panthers made the most of their slim numerical advantage, scoring on their opening possession on their way to a 56-0 shutout victory.

The Rappahannock County Panthers storming the field last Friday ahead of its stunning victory against Broadwater Academy. By Holly Jenkins It was Senior Night, with seniors from football, band, cross country, golf and cheer honored before the game, and the football team gave all the seniors, and the ebullient home crowd, a night to remember. With the win, its third of the season, Burks’ team qualified for the Virginia Independent Schools Football League championship tournament, traveling to Southampton Academy on Friday for its fifth consecutive football playoff appearance.

Senior Daniel Bayly gives head coach Fulmer Burks a Gatorade shower after the Panthers' 56-0 defeat of Broadwater Academy last week. By Holly Jenkins The offense was a true team effort, with the offensive line, in Burks’ words, “controlling the trenches all night” and setting the stage for six players to score. Jacob Nash set the tone on Rapp’s first offensive play, dashing 45 yards for a touchdown with just nine seconds elapsed on the clock. He finished the night with a team-leading 104 yards and a 2-point conversion. Kevin Cumberland , just recently returned from an injury absence, was right behind him with 103 yards and a touchdown of his own.

Xander Calhoun scrambled for 65 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Harrison King tallied 56 very productive yards, racking up two touchdowns and six 2-point conversions, along with a 65-yard punt return for another touchdown. The offensive stats were completed by Aiden Cook-Day and Nolan Brown , who had 20 and 16 yards, respectively, each also scoring a touchdown.

On defense, the Panthers allowed only 88 yards on 48 plays, including just 82 yards on an astonishing 35 pass attempts by the Vikings quarterback, and created three turnovers. Nolan Brown led the defensive effort with six tackles, followed by Aiden Cook-Day with four. Daniel Bayly and Harrison King had three tackles apiece, with Harrison also snagging two interceptions.

The Rappahannock County Panthers celebrated their Senior Night last Friday. By Holly Jenkins Jacob Nash , J.T. Harrison and Kevin Cumberland were credited with two takedowns each, with Kevin also recovering a fumble. Josiah Losievsky , Xander Calhoun , Silas Wharton and Wyatt Pullen finished up the stats with one tackle each.

Burks and his staff were thrilled with the team’s performance, particularly from players who had been out with injuries. The coaching staff and team are looking forward to a rematch with Southampton, counting on the momentum from last week’s win and a healthy roster to produce a better result as Rapp football seeks its first postseason win.

Cross country

Coach Wes Mason’s cross country runners competed in the Bull Run District championship last week and came home with a very respectable team finish and some individual medals. The boys team finished fourth overall, beating out the only other Division 1 school in the district along with three Division 2 teams.

Drew and Aidan Robinson were Rapp’s top two finishers, with both receiving All-Bull Run District medals, followed by Nick Burfield , Ben King , Mateo Canales and Kai Smith . On the girls side, Maria Frelk finished first for Rapp, earning a medal for her performance, followed by Addie Hubble .

Our harriers continued their season Wednesday at the Division 1 Region B championship in Altavista, with results to be featured in next week’s Dispatch. Hopes are high that their season will go a little further as they aim for the state championship next week.

Competition cheer

Coach Lauren Vice’s competition cheer squad continued its comeback Cinderella season with a stunning third-place finish in last week’s Bull Run District competition cheer championship. Their solid routine was flawlessly executed and gave them their highest score of the season thus far.

The team finished ahead of the other Division 1 team in the district and two Division 2 squads. That finish made RCHS the only Division 1 cheer squad in Region B to qualify for the combined Division 1 and 2 Region B championship, held Wednesday at Strasburg High School. Results will appear in next week’s Dispatch.

In addition to the team honors, several cheerleaders were recognized for their standout performances. Samantha Carver and Rose Grimsley both received first-team All-Bull Run District medals, with Angie de la Cruz and Olivia Dovell earning second-team honors. Congrats to the cheer squad and best of luck as they seek to extend their season.

Volleyball

Volleyball wrapped up its regular season last week, with varsity ending the season with a win on the road at Page County last Thursday. Last Tuesday was Senior Night, with seniors Lily Farnham , Jaeda Switzer and Cameryn Reder all lauded for their contributions to Rapp’s volleyball program. The seniors were treated to flowers, gifts and heartfelt testimonials from their teammates, who also honored visiting Madison’s seniors with flowers in a nice touch of sportsmanship.

Against Madison, a powerhouse in the district, coach Heather Waddell’s JV team came oh so close to getting the win, taking the Mountaineers to three sets but falling short in the tiebreaking third set. Varsity went down in three sets to Madison, the district’s regular-season champs, but after a shaky first-set start, the team gave the Mountaineers a battle, losing by just two points in the final set.

At Page, coach Courtney Atkins’ varsity squad ended its regular season with a win and spent this week honing its skills for the coming Region 1B playoffs. JV could not overcome the “other Panthers,” but despite the loss, the team celebrated a winning season, its 11 wins nearly matching the total of the last two years combined. Congrats to Waddell for an exemplary first season as head coach, to both teams for seasons well played, and best of luck to varsity in the coming postseason.

It’s Fourth Estate Friday at Before & After, time to fall back and hour, Election Day is Nov. 3

It’s Fourth Estate Friday at Before & After

Join us this Friday, Oct. 30, at 9 a.m. at Before & After cafe in Sperryville for our monthly public story meeting, where we talk with our readers about recent events and the local news. This week, we are inviting feedback on our new artificial intelligence guidelines.

Have something to say about how we cover the news? Meet the people behind the stories, share your thoughts and observations and hear what others have to say. Everybody is welcome.

Coffee is on us.

Set clocks back, change smoke detector batteries

Daylight saving time comes to an end this weekend. Don’t forget to set clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday night. The change officially comes at 2 a.m. local time on the first Sunday in November. Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour earlier on Nov. 1, meaning there will be more daylight in the morning hours. This is also a good time to change the batteries in smoke detectors.

Election Day is Nov. 3

The midterm elections are on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and while the regular voter registration deadline has passed, eligible voters still have options to register and vote in the election.

Voters last year at the Sperryville Volunteer Fire Department. File photo by Ireland Hayes Voters who miss the registration deadline may register through Nov. 3, under Virginia’s same-day registration law, but must cast a provisional ballot while their eligibility is verified.

Early in-person voting continues daily at the Voter Registration Office, 262A Gay St., Washington , through Oct. 31. Visit the county election website, rappahannockcountyva.gov/registrar , for voting hours and additional information.

Ballot questions

Virginia voters are weighing in on abortion, same-sex marriage and expanding voting rights for felons and mentally incapacitated people. A fourth ballot question, specific to Rappahannock County, asks residents to consider raising the local sales tax by one percentage point to fund school capital projects.

Read our guide to the ballot questions: rappnews.link/kl4

U.S. House: Suhas Subramanyam vs. Dave Beckwith

Suhas Subramanyam, the Democratic one-term incumbent, is being challenged by Defense Department official Dave Beckwith.

Read our Q&As with Subramanyam, rappnews.link/pfq , and Beckwith, rappnews.link/fbd .

U.S. Senate: Mark Warner vs. Bert Mizusawa

Mark Warner, a longtime Democratic incumbent, is running for what he says is his final Senate term against Republican Bert Mizusawa, a retired Army general. Learn more: rappnews.link/cad

Town of Washington elections

The candidates for town mayor, treasurer and council are all running uncontested. Thomas Bruce, a former education professional, is slated to become the newest member of the council after Jean Goodine declined to run for reelection.

Support local cat rescue

Magnolia Vineyards is holding its third annual fundraiser for RappCats, a local cat rescue and no-kill shelter, on Saturday, Nov. 14 from noon to 5 p.m., at 200 Viewtown Road, Amissville. There will be a live auction, raffle prizes, wine, live music and the Cousins Maine Lobster food truck. For more information email mvw@magnoliavineyards.com or call 703-785-8190.

RCPS seeks survey feedback

Rappahannock County Public Schools is asking residents to complete a survey to help shape the district’s next five-year comprehensive plan: rappnews.link/54v

The survey builds on feedback from seven Community Listening Tour sessions held across the county this fall and input from Rappahannock County High School students on House Day, according to RCPS. The current plan, known as “Road to Remarkable,” covers 2022 through 2027.

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and is anonymous unless respondents choose to volunteer for a workgroup. Paper copies are available at each school and the central office. The survey closes Friday, Nov. 6.

Survey results will be shared with the School Board and the public in November, and the board is expected to adopt the 2027-2032 plan by June 2027.

MLK observance moves to First Baptist Church

The Scrabble School Preservation Foundation’s Martin Luther King Jr. birthday observance and scholarship fundraiser will be held at a new venue this year: First Baptist Church in Washington.

The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at the church, 687 Main St.

Guest speaker Kenneth B. Morris Jr., an author and speaker, is a descendant of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, according to the foundation. Terry Miller, an author, historian and curator at the Carver 4-County Museum, will serve as guest host, accompanied by author and foundation board member Stephanie Deutsch. The Rev. Evan Newman and the Voices of Victory will provide music.

Tickets, including those for a VIP reception, and sponsorships are available online through Nov. 2: https://rappnews.link/yfp

VIP tickets must be purchased in advance. A limited number of higher-priced tickets may be available at the door, depending on seating capacity; those purchases are cash only.

For more information, visit the Scrabble School website , call 540-661-2013 or email nbraka1908@gmail.com.

George Washington returns

The Washington Town Council invites the community to a celebration of the town's 230th birthday on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m., at the Town Hall, 485 Gay St.

The guest of honor, George Washington, will deliver his farewell address, which was originally printed in September 1796 — shortly before the founding of the town, according to Town Administrator Barbara Batson.

The presentation will be followed by a reception with light refreshments during which President Washington will be happy to take questions.

The presentation will be preceded by a ribbon-cutting to unveil recent restoration and redecoration of the Town Hall.

Rapp at Home offers activities for older adults

Rapp Writers (Group 1 ) | Monday, Nov. 2, 2-4 p.m., Dark Horse Irish Pub, Flint Hill | Writing group to share and improve your writing. Closed to new members. Contact Deb at rappwriting@icloud.com for waitlist info.

Conversation on Aging | Tuesday, Nov. 3, 10:30 a.m., Rapp library | Congenial discussions on topics of group interest. Contact Nancy: nankona@aol.com

Emery’s Life Stories | Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2-3 p.m., via Zoom | Come tell your life story. Open to new participants. Contact Kathy: KQLKQL3737@gmail.com

Spanish Conversation | Tuesday, Nov. 3, 5-6 p.m., Contact Tac at tacman@gmail.com for the location | Chat with neighbors who love the language.

Walk & Talk | Wednesday, Nov. 4, 9:30 a.m., Park on Mt. Salem Avenue in front of The Washington School | Easy walk around Little Washington. Contact Nancy Studds at nankona@aol.com

Story to Skit | Wednesday, Nov. 4, 3 p.m., Rapp at Home office | Listen to your friends and neighbors talk about memorable events in their lives. You can participate if you wish or just enjoy the entertainment.

RSVP to info@rappathome.org or call 540-937-4663, 17 Leggett Lane, Suite 110, Washington . More information is available on the website calendar: RappatHome.org .

Explore art across Rappahannock with the Fall Art Tour

The annual Fall Art Tour celebrates 21 years the weekend of Nov. 7 and 8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. It is sponsored by the Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community.

The free event features over 80 artists and a self-guided, scenic tour of more than 30 Rappahannock County studios and galleries.

Each year, visitors come to explore the county’s villages and backroads, meet the artists and take in the art — painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, stained glass, woodworking and bookbinding.

The tour's Main Gallery at 567 Mount Salem Ave. in the Town of Washington is a great place to start the tour with a preview of every venue. Tour maps are available online one week prior to the tour. For more information, visit fallarttour.org .

Veterans raise a glass at the Dark Horse

The annual Veterans Day Beer Call for Rappahannock County veterans is on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 4-6 p.m. at the Dark Horse Irish Pub in Flint Hill.

All veterans and spouses are welcome. As always, the first round is compliments of the United States Air Force. And perhaps the Army or Navy might pay for the second. Come out, have a drink (it doesn’t have to be beer) and share stories with other veterans. Please help spread the word to other veterans. For more information, contact Mike Wenger mike@wengerandwenger.com or Tim Grimes tagrimes1@gmail.com.

We read the Rappahannock library board’s emails. Here’s what we learned

The Rappahannock Public Library Board of Trustees has received mostly positive feedback on the library’s potential move to Rush River Commons, according to a Rappahannock News analysis of emails sent to the board through mid-October.

Of the 242 emails, 108 provided feedback on the move, with 57 supporting it and 34 opposed. The remainder were either neutral on the matter or sent by trustees.

The findings are the result of a public records request submitted to the board ahead of its Thursday vote on whether to move the library to the development in the Town of Washington . The Rappahannock News reviewed emails between the board and the public from when the move was first proposed in March to Oct. 16, two and a half weeks into a formal public comment period.

The library board has stressed it would consider every comment it receives ahead of the vote, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the library meeting room. If trustees approve the proposed lease agreement , the library would be moved from a location visible from U.S. Route 211 to the Town of Washington’s Rush River Commons development as soon as 2028.

The emails to the trustees, largely cordial, stand in contrast to the sometimes fraught library board meetings held since the summer and the hundreds of signatures on petitions opposing the move . The emails also give insight into what board members are saying outside of public meetings as they prepare for the vote, as well as concerns about the Book Barn.

Positive feedback outside of meetings

Supporters of the move were fairly quiet until a packed hearing on July 23 . Nineteen of the 35 speakers at the hearing opposed the move, but library trustees’ inboxes saw a relative outpouring of support afterward.

“We applaud your efforts and agree wholeheartedly that moving the library to Rush River Commons is a wonderful opportunity for our community,” Sperryville residents Patricia Brennan and Donald Mullan wrote to the board two days after the hearing. “We are sorry for the negative reactions you’ve received, but we encourage you to ignore those whose vision is limited.”

Support again shot up after the library board released its draft lease with Rush River Commons in September. Supporters framed the offer from Chuck Akre, the philanthropist who owns Rush River Commons, as “generous.”

“The opponents have effectively made a lot of noise,” John Fox Sullivan, a former Washington mayor and friend of Akre’s, wrote to board members Oct. 3. “Don’t let the noise overwhelm your good judgement with regard to the merits.”

Flint Hill resident Joyce Wenger, former library board member Janet Davis and Rappahannock County Chamber of Commerce President Laurie Smith also supported the Rush River move in emails to library board members.

“I absolutely agree that the current building can no longer support what our library needs to be to stay relevant and helpful to the community,” Smith wrote to Fortuna Sept. 30. “I share your vision of what is possible through a new location.”

Davis emphasized the Rush River’s proximity to the Town of Washington, calling a new library one “for our future, not the past.” She added, bolded and italicized: “Please, sign the lease immediately.”

Opponents prize current location

The library board received 38 emails opposing the move, including one from a former library director who questioned whether it honored the intent of a major donation.

In an email to board president Victoria Fortuna, former library director David Shaffer pointed to a $1 million bequest to the library from county resident Mary Rudacille, who died in 2016. Rudacille’s gift, in his recollection, was to “improve the existing structure.”

“I would hate to see the library moved when library patrons do not support it,” Shaffer wrote on July 23, hours before the contentious library hearing. “It would also be advisable to see how the library staff feels, as their understanding of public library needs and wishes is clear.”

He hasn’t followed the library debate closely, he added in an email to the Rappahannock News Tuesday.

Opponents of the move emphasized the library’s prominent location off the county’s main thoroughfare.

“I am convinced it is in our current location with ample parking, beautiful views, a quiet ambiance, and a history that deepens the connection that makes Rappahannock so special — not in a rental location in a mixed-use development,” wrote Washington resident Liz Johnson on Oct. 2.

Shane LaGesse | Foothills Forum “As a retired builder/remodeling contractor, I am of the belief that all spaces, including those with underlying rock situations, can be improved upon and expanded,” wrote Yukon’s Treats ice cream truck owner Deak Deakins on Sept. 30. “The Library Board just takes the easy way out by saying ‘it’s too expensive.’”

He signed off with a phrase found on yard signs throughout the county: “IMPROVE IT, DON’T MOVE IT.”

Concerns about Book Barn

During the negotiation process, members of the Friends of the Library, a local nonprofit group that supports the library, privately questioned the status of the Book Barn, a used bookstore run by its members that sits next to the library.

The library lease would ultimately include a clause stating the library board “may permit the Friends of the Library (and any other organization whose purpose is to support Tenant), as its invitee, to occupy or use part of the Premises in connection with its activities in support of Tenant.”

Friends’ president Grace Flores-Hughes, speaking for herself, told the Rappahannock News Tuesday that she is dissatisfied with the clause.

“The language is too vague to help me understand that there will be ample space for such a concept and be an integral part of the library in any meaningful way,” she wrote.

Friends of the Library Treasurer Bill Nenninger asked Fortuna in a June email for more information about the Book Barn after not hearing it mentioned during informational sessions hosted by the library board. Fortuna responded by saying the library board vouched for the Friends during negotiations with Rush River.

“But as I said previously a number of times, we can’t make provisions and plans within the Library until we know that we are moving there with certainty,” Fortuna wrote. “And currently there is not space within the new Library that is the size of the Book Barn. I suggest that if we decide to go to RR2, and you want to follow us, you should contact them. We cannot negotiate for the FOL.”

Nenninger responded to ask for approximately 1,500 square feet of space in the new library and “aggressive support” for the Book Barn, which he said was a library board asset. Fortuna responded the next day that she would take his comments into consideration.

Friends of the Library can’t agree on library move

Flores-Hughes twice noted in emails to Fortuna that the Friends of the Library are “divided” over the potential Rush River move. Still, the nonprofit would support the library “regardless of its location,” she said.

Friends member Sheila Gresinger told Fortuna in a July 21 email that the Rush River move “would be the wisest decision.” Fortuna forwarded the email to her fellow board members, Flores-Hughes and Nenninger: “A nice letter from Sheila. Enjoy!”

Flores-Hughes responded eight days later to stress that Gresinger was speaking only for herself and that the nonprofit did not have an opinion on the move.

Friends member Mary Anthony and four other county residents sued the library board less than a week later, claiming it illegally withheld negotiating documents. A judge tossed the lawsuit in late August , but the plaintiffs are appealing.

Board members: Separate the library from the building

Emails from two library board members to county residents show they are thinking beyond the library’s physical space.

Responding to a supportive email from Washington resident Caroline Anstey , Fortuna wrote on Oct. 2: “Your comment points out something that other residents have noted: the Library is not the building but rather the community space, learning experiences, activities and great materials that a library can offer. The Library Board has an important decision coming up, and will take all of the community’s responses and opinions into account when making our decision.”

Victoria Fortuna, president of the library board, at the board’s August meeting. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum John Beardsley, the board’s vice president, struck a similar tone in a June email to library move opponent Caroline Walker of Flint Hill.

“Either way, bear in mind that the library is not just a building, it is staff, program and events, and those things will not change whether we stay or move,” Beardsley wrote.

Both board members stopped short of endorsing the move outright and stressed they would consider all the comments they receive. Fortuna, when sharing the draft lease with at least 20 members of the public, framed Akre’s offer as “generous.” Beardsley said the move was “shaping up to be an extremely attractive proposition” in the June email.

Correction : A previous version incorrectly stated that Joyce Wenger is the president of Rapp at Home. Wenger stepped away from that position last year.

Trebor Maitin is a reporter for Rappahannock News, aided by Foothills Forum, a nonprofit news organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County.

Residents appeal ruling in library lease documents case

Five Rappahannock residents have appealed an August ruling by a Rappahannock Circuit Court judge who found the Rappahannock County Public Library Board of Trustees could keep its lease-negotiation documents private regarding its potential move to Rush River Commons.

The residents had sued the board to gain access to the records under Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act.

Local attorney David Konick, who represents the five, then filed a motion to reconsider, asking the judge to take a second look at the case, but the judge denied the request.

The appeal, filed on Oct. 15, will be assessed by a three-judge panel, which will review the case record and written arguments from both sides. The appeals court does not hear new testimony.

— Ireland Hayes, Foothills Forum

Rappahannock News, Foothills Forum adopt AI guidelines

Artificial intelligence’s presence in our society may be unavoidable, but replacing human journalists is not.

Foothills Forum and the Rappahannock News maintain a human-first approach to the news we deliver. Although artificial intelligence, or AI, has the potential to improve newsgathering, it also has the potential to harm our credibility and the unique relationship we have with our audience.

That is why we adopted AI guidelines for our newsrooms this week, and we are inviting community feedback.

We believe artificial intelligence is a tool that can assist journalists in the newsgathering process. However, from the moment a story idea is conceived until it is published, artificial intelligence should have a limited role, with strict oversight and fact-checking by journalists.

We allow limited use of AI for certain aspects of the editorial process, including but not limited to transcriptions of interviews, data analysis, brainstorming and routine copy editing tasks. We do not use AI to generate content or consider it a reliable source of information. We are aware that noneditorial content produced by third parties, such as advertisements, may be partially or wholly AI-generated.

We maintain an internal advisory committee to conduct periodic reviews of our AI guidelines.

The creation of these guidelines does not mean we expect every writer or editor to use AI tools in the reporting or editing process. We encourage our journalists to harness the power of AI to make their work better, within our guidelines, where possible.

Our award-winning journalism will never be due to robots — it stems from our reporters and editors who develop subject-matter expertise, regularly speak with community members and leaders and earn the trust of our sources and audience.

We endeavor to follow these guiding principles in our use of AI:

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Please email editor@rappnews.com if you would like to provide feedback, or stop by our monthly Fourth Estate Friday at Before & After on Oct. 30 at 9 a.m.

Studios will welcome guest artists during Rappahannock Fall Art Tour

Artists may work alone but they enjoy good company. During the Nov. 7-8 Fall Art Tour, 10 studios will welcome other guest creators to display their work and talk with visitors about how they turn observations and ideas into art.

The increasingly popular approach turns individual studios into art hubs that mix diverging visions and media.

The multiplier effect will be most dramatic at Michael Dennis’ home and studio in the center of Flint Hill.

Dennis, who binds exquisite handmade books, will bring in four guests: Emily Barker, a Huntly-based artist who works with dried flowers and found objects; KC Bosch, a photographer, woodworker and poet; Darien Reece, a visionary archetypal artist who works with casein, an ancient paint composed of earth and mineral pigments, often employing beeswax and gold leaf; and Michelle Dennis, sister of the bookmaker, who will display quilts, one of which will be raffled off to benefit the Rappahannock Historical Society where her brother serves as president.

The guest arrangement seems to work well for hosts and guests.

“Exhibiting meant a huge amount of prep work … putting out parking signs, providing refreshments, hanging works,” said Reece. “Being a guest artist, all I do is deliver my work.”

For his part, Dennis enjoys the company and the hands-on support of multiple artists. “We can pinch-hit for each other,” he said. “It sort of grew a critical mass over time, and now we make a little party out of it.”

Uphill from the Town of Washington, oil painter Grazyna Hagen, new to the Fall Art Tour, will welcome Nancy Keyser, soon to turn 90, whose nearby studio has been part of the program since its beginning 21 years ago.

“I admired her,” said Hagen, “and [we] are neighbors and friends. I would drive to Costco and bring back a rotisserie chicken for her.”

Because Keyser is a longtime Rappahannock watercolorist, Hagen figures she’ll help attract visitors to her recently completed studio on Grand View Road.

Dennis Barry, a woodworker who produces small tables, bookrests and charcuterie boards, has invited Thomas Spande, a seasoned Rappahannock painter, to join him.

“I'm going to show several new watercolors, including montages of small bright vignettes of the national park and a few graphite drawings of park rivers as well,” Spande said. “All are archivally framed and matted.”

Spande’s paintings will also be on display at the Middle Street Gallery in Little Washington and the Haley Gallery in Sperryville.

Alfred Regnery, a woodworker specializing in American and European furniture reproductions, will show his pieces alongside colorful jewelry created by his wife Audrey.

Other guest-artist pairings include: Polly Scoville at the studio of Jennifer Babcock (Scoville’s daughter), Terrie Koles and Gary Divecchia at the studio of Cheryl Reisler, Kat Habib at Margaret Rogers’ exhibit space, Tina Falkenbury at the studio of Carolyn Roth and Betsy Brantley at Ruthie Windsor-Mann’s studio. Devin Sherwood and Dennis King will display work at River District Potters in Sperryville.

Award-winning photographer Luke Christopher will exhibit at the studio of Tim Carrington.

Tim Carrington serves on the board of the Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community, sponsor of the Fall Art Tour.

Doers’ Profile: Erin Platt and Andy Platt

Background

Erin : Daughter of Andy Platt and Joan Culmer Platt. Rappahannock County High School career coach and member of the Profile of a Graduate team, assisting students with dual-enrollment college classes and career technical education opportunities; formerly taught theater and art at the high school. Former managing partner at Headmaster’s Pub in Sperryville; former real estate agent; chair of Rappahannock Nature Camp; former board member of the Child Care & Learning Center; actor with RAAC Community Theatre where she’s collaborated with her father, Andy; volunteer with Camp Fantastic and the All Rappahannock Variety Show. Attended county elementary and high schools. Age 45; lives in Amissville with her fiancé, Adam Kerr.

Andy : Father of Erin Platt. Retired consultant for the MITRE Corporation and Computer Sciences Corporation, specializing in hazardous waste contamination issues. Former board member and current volunteer with the Rappahannock Food Pantry; former Rappahannock election official; actor and director with RAAC Community Theatre, participating in more than 20 stage productions; former treasurer and vice chair of the Rappahannock County Democratic Committee. Rappahannock resident since 1983. Age 79; lives in Rock Mills.

The Spark

Erin : I’ve always loved building relationships with people. It just feels like it’s in my DNA. That’s what we’re really meant to do, right? What’s the point of life if we’re not making connections, learning something from this person or that person and giving back? It’s not always just about helping people, but elevating them so they can realize their potential.

Andy : My mom had been active in community service. Back in 2009, she noticed the food pantry was advertising for volunteers and called me up and suggested I volunteer. I’ve been doing it ever since. I was drawn into community theater in 2008 through the encouragement of friends, especially Joyce Abell and the late Peter Hornbostel. Little did I know how much I would enjoy it. I think our community really enjoys our productions, and knowing that keeps me engaged.

Proudest Achievement

Erin : I’m more proud of my son, J, than anything. He’s kind and thoughtful and caring and creative. He’s the greatest thing on the planet!

In my professional life, I’m proudest of teaching drama and directing theater productions at the high school. Once the students are up on the stage doing their thing, I just stand in the back of the auditorium and watch, laugh and sometimes cry. I’m so proud of what those kids can accomplish.

Andy : My proudest achievement is helping to raise my daughter to be the person that she is. I couldn’t be prouder of her.

Biggest Challenge

Erin : My biggest challenge is money. Literally, I don’t make enough money to afford being an adult. Since I don’t yet have a college degree — I’m working on that — my salary has been pretty low. I’ve had to take on extra responsibilities to earn stipends and supplement my income. I expect to receive my associate degree from Laurel Ridge Community College this December and plan to enroll at Virginia Commonwealth University next year to pursue a degree in social work. Keeping up a full workload while going to college is a real challenge, but I know the degree will open up new opportunities and help improve my financial situation.

Andy : I graduated with a degree in philosophy and eventually began working as an editorial assistant at a science-driven consulting firm. With no background in science, I eventually rose to become a team manager reviewing and coordinating efforts of about 25 people, including scientists, geologists and toxicologists. I really had no on-paper qualifications for the work I did, but I worked hard and learned from my colleagues. We grew into a successful team. Mutual respect and collaboration were the keys to our success. In theater, collaborating with Mike Mahoney and Beth Plentovich on enigmatic plays like Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame” and “Waiting for Godot" were especially challenging and rewarding.

Why It Matters

Erin : I think it’s important to take every opportunity available to try to make another person’s day a little bit better. Working with students, I want every kid to know that there are people who truly care about them, want to know what is important to them, how they are feeling, and will be available when they need help. Kids need to know there are people who will love them. Maybe it’s not right now, maybe it’s further down the road, but it is possible. It exists. Just hold on.

Andy : The Rappahannock Food Pantry is critical to the lives of so many people here in the county. Whether it’s helping families supplement their groceries or providing Friday food backpacks so kids can have meals over the weekend, I find it immensely rewarding to be part of that community service. The bottom line is somebody has to do it, and it’s satisfying to be someone people can depend on.

Favorite Rappahannock Treasure

Erin : There’s some kind of magic here. I don’t know what it is about Rappahannock, but for me it is a magical, beautiful place. It creates an environment where so many different kinds of people can come together and collaborate. It’s the only place I was ever interested in raising my son. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it anywhere else.

Andy : Many people, including me, live here for the natural beauty — that’s a huge part of the county’s appeal. But what I think is so special is that there are so many different groups and communities in Rappahannock. That provides plenty of opportunities for someone to find a place where they’re comfortable and contribute to the culture of the county.

Rappahannock County Public Schools seek input for five-year plan

Rappahannock County Public Schools is asking residents to complete a survey to help shape the district’s next five-year comprehensive plan.

The survey builds on feedback from seven Community Listening Tour sessions held across the county this fall and input from Rappahannock County High School students on House Day, according to RCPS. The current plan, known as “Road to Remarkable,” covers 2022 through 2027.

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and is anonymous unless respondents choose to volunteer for a workgroup. It is available online , and paper copies are available at each school and the central office. The survey closes Friday, Nov. 6. Paper copies should be returned by that date to Jessica Portillo, executive secretary, at the central office.

Responses will be combined with listening tour notes, student feedback, stakeholder group sessions and a community needs assessment. Survey results will be shared with the School Board and the public in November, and the board is expected to adopt the 2027-2032 plan by June 2027.

From Town of Washington to Firefighter of the Year

Congratulations to Berkeley Gannon, who has been chosen Firefighter of the Year by Chesterfield Fire and EMS. Berkeley is the daughter of the Rev. Jennings “Jenks” W. Hobson III and Molly Hobson of Amissville. Berkeley grew up in the Town of Washington where her father was beloved rector of Trinity Episcopal Church for 42 years until his retirement in 2015.

Berkeley was recognized at the department’s semi-annual awards ceremony on Oct. 6 at Victory Tabernacle Church in Chesterfield County, Virginia according to a Chesterfield County Fire and EMS press release.

Assigned to the Technical Services Unit, Berkeley “routinely exceeds expectations” by providing critical technological, audio-visual and operational support to the department, the release said. In her role, she often responds to last-minute requests outside of normal work hours to support various events and meetings. She is also a founding member of the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Drone Team and helped integrate the technology into emergency operations.

Berkeley was also nominated for the Virginia Governor’s Fire Service Award for Firefighter of the Year.

Church serves up Saturday breakfast

A breakfast will be held Saturday, Oct. 24 at Willis Chapel United Methodist Church, 1840 Zachary Taylor Highway, Huntly, from 8-11 a.m. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Proceeds benefit ongoing church and Reager School maintenance. Everyone is welcome.

‘One-Man Band’ entertains kids

Peter McCory, The One-Man Band, will be at the Rappahannock County Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m. McCory simultaneously strums the guitar, plays harmonica, kazoo, or whistles, and uses his feet to play drums, cymbals, or other percussion instruments. On top of all of this, he sings, yodels and scats. You do not want to miss his lively, upbeat,and interactive renditions of familiar songs, as well as award-winning original music for kids.

Library’s Book Barn holds tent sale

The Book Barn will celebrate its 18th year with a big Tent Sale on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stop by and fill a bag for only $10 with choices of books, CDs, DVDs, puzzles and audiobooks. Browse a collection of gently used books including fiction, history, large print, children’s, art, travel, biographies, sports, gardening and many more topics. Come support the Rappahannock library as all proceeds help with programs and needs.

Garden club gives away daffodils

The Rappahannock County Garden Club is gearing up to celebrate its second annual daffodil giveaway on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m.-noon, at the Rappahannock County Public Library, according to club member Fawn Evenson.

Following its first giveaway last year, where it actually ran out of daffodils due to the great demand, the garden club has ordered a whole lot more this year. It is the perfect time to plant daffodils in Rappahannock. There will be five different varieties like last year.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Another big download: All Points Broadband scores new $171M contract amid slow rollouts

With a track record of just eight homes in Rappahannock County connected to fiber internet after four years and tens of millions of dollars spent, All Points Broadband has landed another significant contract — this one almost twice as big, covering much of the same ground.

The new $171.3 million contract to wire nearly 16,000 more regional locations — including another 1,925 in Rappahannock — was awarded in August through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program which is, in turn, administered by Virginia’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

Click here for part 1 of Slow to Downlaod

The award comes even as the original $97 million Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) project is far from finished in Rappahannock and seven other counties — with just over two months left to meet a Dec. 31 deadline.

When asked how the state grew comfortable giving its biggest internet award to date to a provider barely 600 homes into a 32,238-location project in the eight counties, Chandler Vaughan, the state’s broadband director, pointed not to the eight counties, but to the smaller eastern ones All Points had already finished.

“Under BEAD, we felt comfortable based on the progress we were seeing in the eastern counties,” said Vaughan. “King William, Middlesex, Hanover, the entire Northern Neck of Virginia.”

Chandler Vaughan (right), the state's broadband director, talks with a resident who had an All Points Broadband hookup terminal installed last month along the right-of-way next to his Castleton home. Luke Christopher | Foothills Forum Vaughan did not mention what his own department — the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development — had been advised. In December 2024, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission — the General Assembly’s own watchdog — reviewed Virginia's broadband programs and recommended that DHCD make no awards to projects using internet service providers “with a recent history of underperformance on broadband deployment projects.”

Culpeper terminates All Points contract

Months before DHCD recommended All Points for the largest BEAD award in the state, All Points’ Culpeper contract was terminated for nonperformance in March 2025.

Asked specifically about All Points' performance, Vaughan pointed to changes made to the eight-counties’ contract executed in January 2025.

The changes cut the number of locations to be wired by 14%, from 37,357 to 32,238; shifted most of the construction underground; and, according to Vaughan, required the company to meet specific performance milestones before it could be reimbursed.

Brandon Davis, executive director of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission, signed a six-month extension — giving All Points until Dec. 31 to complete its project of bringing fiber internet service to locations in Rappahannock and seven other counties. Courtesy photo The changes also extended the completion deadline to June 30, 2026. A further six-month extension — approved by DHCD and signed July 17 by Brandon Davis, executive director of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission — gave All Points another reprieve, pushing the deadline to Dec. 31.

“It is a corrective action, right?” Vaughan said. “So yeah, like, they have been put under a corrective action effort from us, but for the sake of the contract language … it is not technically a corrective action plan.” Asked the same yes-or-no question in writing 10 days later, Vaughan wrote that “no providers are currently under a corrective action plan.”

DHCD has proved itself willing to hold internet companies to account for poor performance. It placed RiverStreet Networks on a “corrective action plan” — twice — over its work in Patrick, Henry and Franklin counties in southern Virginia. And by July it had stripped the company of its contracts.

Clarifying All Points’ contracts

DHCD, which distributes the state’s allocation from both programs, clarified the interplay between the two contracts. In the original contract, All Points was allowed to drop about 14% — some 5,119 of the original 37,357 targeted locations — with no proportionate cut in the contract price.

Of those 5,000+ locations dropped, some 4,000 of them have been folded into the new All Points’ BEAD award. Given that, according to DHCD, 9,551 of the BEAD contract’s 15,822 addresses fall in the eight counties where All Points is already at work under VATI, that works out to about 60% of the new BEAD locations.

According to DHCD, 1,435 Rappahannock addresses were to be served under APB’s original VATI contract. Under the new BEAD deal, it will hook up an additional 1,925 locations in the county, the department said. And it has until 2030 to do so — under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), subgrantees and internet service providers (ISPs) are legally required to begin providing broadband service to customers no later than four years after receiving their subgrant.

Though Rappahannock County has been silent, at least publicly, on whether this means All Points effectively is being paid under BEAD for locations it was already contracted to serve under VATI, Augusta, another of the eight counties, noted on its website that by bumping hard-to-build locations from the VATI contract, All Points had made them eligible for inclusion in a subsequent BEAD contract.

Ron Frazier, a member of the Board of Supervisors when Rappahannock signed with All Points and a longtime critic of the deal, said: “The VATI locations that did not get served under the VATI monies, as they were supposed to, now are supposed to be served under BEAD monies, which sounds like APB is actually being paid twice to serve the same locations.”

While DHCD says an exact number of transferred locations can’t be calculated because VATI and BEAD used different address databases, its own calculations put the figure at about 4,000.

Asked whether the company had received any VATI funding for the locations removed from the eight-county contract, and whether it is now being paid under BEAD to serve any of them, Tom Innes, All Points’ senior vice president for business development, wrote in an email that All Points “has neither sought nor received location remittances for any [locations dropped from the VATI contract], so the answer to both questions is no.”

Despite several follow-up emails, he did not reply when asked if he accepted DHCD’s figure that about 4,000 of those locations are now in the BEAD award.

Dec. 31 deadline looms

According to All Points, only 603 of a targeted 32,238 homes across Rappahannock and the other seven counties had working fiber in early September.

Yet All Points and the regional commission are contractually obligated to finish the eight-county job by Dec. 31. A DHCD spokeswoman says they “are on schedule.”

In terms of construction, the milestones table shows the network is further along than some of the figures suggest. The design work is finished; the trunk line that will eventually feed every branch of the network is 99% built; and about half of the project's 2,150 miles of fiber is in the ground.

All Points’s Innes was upbeat in September, projecting that several hundred locations at a time were to become serviceable through early fall, “with the majority of remaining locations activating in larger batches in October, November, and December.”

Tom Innes, All Points Broadband senior vice president, addressed the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors and Broadband Authority at a joint meeting in January 2025. Luke Christopher In April of this year, DHCD reported the eight counties project to be just 5% completed, with only 1,588 properties actually able to connect to the network, and flagged it as “high risk.” Which is confusing given just two months later, it accepted a milestones assessment for the project — jointly submitted by NSVRC and All Points, based on data provided by the latter — which figured it to be 61% complete.

Though both figures were offered as a measure of progress, in actual fact they measured different things. The 5% was the share of homes that could order service, which the milestone table listed as the project’s ultimate deliverable: 32,238 serviceable homes. The 61% came from a points system in the table that gave each job a share of 100 points, with much of the credit going to work already completed — chiefly the design and the trunk line, which together accounted for more than half of the 61%. Homes able to order service were worth 10 of the 100 points. When the table was filed, only 4,522 of the 32,238 homes, or 14%, had reached that stage.

By the end of August, DHCD put that figure at about 6,800, or 21%.

When asked about the milestones assessment, a DHCD spokeswoman said that it was “the most up-to-date record of what NSVRC and APB are contractually obligated to complete by December 31, 2026.” But in the same email, she added: “NSVRC and APB are on schedule for this milestone timeline …”

As of early September, DHCD put the spend-to-date in the eight counties at just over $45.5 million, about half the $96.9 million grant, up from close to $24 million at the end of January. The department attributed the jump to significant fiber network construction over the summer.

The state pays All Points for locations made serviceable, meaning homes that could subscribe, whether or not anyone does. By All Points’ own figures, 1,795 households had signed up by early September, but only 603 had working service.

‘Projects are behind’

What’s more, the department does not dispute that the work is late.

“Admittedly delayed, right? I’m not trying to get past that,” said Vaughan in July. “These projects are behind.”

He then addressed the level of frustration in Rappahannock, saying: “Yes, we acknowledge we’re 18 months behind, but guys, this is getting done.”

Throughout the All Points’ project, various Rappahannock County officials have had reservations, questioned the original deal, raised concerns about coverage and even considered an exit plan — but the project continued, with more than $45 million spent across eight counties and the Dec. 31 deadline approaching.

Both Innes and Vaughan cite Hanover, a fast-growing county north of Richmond, as proof All Points can deliver locally. Using DHCD’s own figures for Hanover, even their best monthly pace is nowhere near fast enough to complete their work in the eight counties by Dec. 31. To meet that contractual milestone, All Points would have to more than double its best-ever pace in Hanover, in every month until year’s end.

The milestones table sets no interim target for homes able to order service or for last-mile construction: the only date for either is Dec. 31, with nothing before it that either side might be held to. It is a gap DHCD couldn’t explain when asked how it knows the project remains on schedule.

A department spokesperson said the construction pace “is organized between” NSVRC and the company, is discussed on regular check-in calls, and is “iterative and reflects permit approval and construction crew deployments.”

All of which leaves the state reliant on the one party with the answers: All Points, whose own forecast informed the milestones table to begin with.

“Our critical path for permitting approval is what informs the milestone table itself,” All Points’ Innes emailed in an answer to a reporter’s question. “The pace of that work is not entirely within our control.”

If APB can’t deliver in the eight counties by the end of this year, what happens to the remaining, unspent tens of millions from their federal internet allocation?

Vaughan doesn't expect it will come to that. He said the state’s internet contracts provide for "clawing back funds proportional to the amount that wasn’t built, and then finding a new partner to finish the job in those areas."

For now, the eight counties are left to mull contingencies they’d rather not acknowledge. NSVRC executive director Davis called it “a bridge we hope we don’t have to cross.” County Administrator Garrey Curry said Rappahannock would go back to the donors who covered most of its match, to “leverage local philanthropic entities to help us bridge this gap.”

Which raises a question the milestone table doesn’t answer. In June 2025, Washington rewrote the rules governing BEAD. The new rules scrapped a locked-in preference for fiber over satellite and other technologies in favor of a “technology-neutral” approach, directing states toward whichever provider asked for the least money — a shift analysts called a win for satellite providers like Starlink.

Virginia’s BEAD plan was approved in November 2025. Speaking in Bedford County late in August, Vaughan said BEAD would fund connections to 85,000 Virginia homes “via fiber-optic, cable, satellite and wireless systems.”

Rapp’s backup plan?

Does Rappahannock have an alternative if All Points does not finish?

Debbie Donehey, who chairs both the county’s Board of Supervisors and its Broadband Authority, was blunt: “Bottom line, I would say the answer is ‘no.’ There’s nobody else that wants to come into Rappahannock County and do fiber. And Starlink is really the backup, right?”

Meredith Ogilvie-Thompson is a contributing reporter for Foothills Forum, a nonprofit organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County.

Joyce Harman recalls life of wonders

Healing horses, capturing stars

Joyce Harman’s life, like anyone’s, is a mosaic of legacies and choices.

Her parallel passions for integrative veterinary medicine and nature photography were first nurtured in a Washington, D.C. home in the 1950s by a mother who was a chemist and a father who was a physicist. A photographer grandfather, who previously had owned the house, bequeathed a dark room where, as children, Harman and her two brothers explored the alchemy of producing images out of strange chemicals.

“I grew up sitting in a dark room,” she recalled in an interview last week at her home near Flint Hill.

Harman’s life also has been marked by sudden moments of clarity. She mounted her first horse at three, and by five knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. Seeing no women veterinarians, she imagined that she would be the first.

After graduating in 1984 from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, she left for Britain, completing the membership exam at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1985. She treated horses in England and Ireland for several years before accepting a post with a veterinary practice in New Jersey.

Joyce Harman came to Rappahannock County in 1990 and opened Harmany Equine Clinic in Flint Hill, specializing in holistic healing of horses. Courtesy photo In 1989, while driving down a New Jersey road, she was seized by a thought that she still remembers vividly: “I’m not making a difference to the animals.”

She wanted to launch a different type of veterinary practice.

Soon after, another flash came when Harman drove to Rappahannock County to visit a friend: “I got out of the car and realized this is where I needed to be,” she recalled. Again, she trusted her intuition, and in a county where horse lovers and artists proliferated, her two interwoven vocations would flourish.

She established a veterinary practice at a farm cottage in Orleans and immediately embarked on a transition to the holistic treatment of horses and other animals. She eventually established an international reputation, working with clients in multiple locations and publishing dozens of articles in medical journals and textbooks.

Her nature-based photography took root at the same time. Today, her acclaimed images of night skies and approaching storms attract far-flung collectors, helping to kindle a growing fascination with night skies and an enlarged concept of the natural world.

Harmony of two passions

Now 71, Harman lives near Flint Hill in a compact house off Crest Hill Road. It is both a new house and a new way of organizing daily life. Harman attends to the effects of a cancer that returned two years ago after a 20-year remission.

Following a recent surgery, she must use a walker or wheelchair and caretakers help her through each day. Visiting friends and lively conversation fill the space which she shares with Millie, a rescued Australian shepherd, and Calvin, an orange Front Royal street cat. A second orange cat, Mr. B, is shy and scarcely visible.

In two extended interviews last week, Harman recounted the explorations and insights of both her vocations. Two days later, Harman’s health situation worsened, and she became confined to her bed. She said she “will go deeper into hospice.” She added, “My wonderful caregivers are here.”

Recalling her veterinary practice, in the county, Harman said, “I began dabbling in acupuncture” to treat horses’ various ailments and injuries, gaining certification in this specialty in 1990. She expanded into chiropractic therapies, homeopathy and herbal medicine. Although it was sometimes difficult to identify the exact mechanism behind the healing, the results tended to be convincing, and horse owners came to see the benefits of holistic therapies.

Harman has been president of both the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and the Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association, and chaired the alternative medicine committee for the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

Meanwhile, Harman’s vocation in nature photography also gathered momentum. Becoming a certified Virginia Master Naturalist along the way, she began showing her photographs in the Middle Street Gallery in the Town of Washington. She became part of the Old Rag Photography group, which includes Francie Schroeder and Ray Boc. She has served as president of the Manassas Warrenton Camera Club and has taught and coached other photographers working to capture the natural world.

Harman worked with others in the county to gain an International Dark Sky Park designation for the county park across from the Town of Washington. More recently, she has given talks with slides of her Milky Way photographs and other works of art focused on night skies. Rappahannock collectors have acquired Harman’s majestic Milky Way portraits taken under extended exposure from backyards and meadows.

‘Accident waiting to happen’

Reflecting on her work, Harman is modest and matter-of-fact. “A horse is an accident waiting to happen,” she said. But horses’ sensitivity means that even short sessions of acupuncture or chiropractic therapy can have a significant payoff.

“You can do much more in one session with a horse than with a person,” Harman said. “Of course, the horse can also kick and bite and stamp on your feet.”

In one of her many medical journal writings, Harman explained her approach to understanding and healing horses: “The traditional approach is to treat the horses with drugs and hope they improve; however, these horses rarely return to maximal performance and are usually sold at a reduced price. Holistic equine medicine considers the evaluation of the horse in its environment, including the rider, saddle, conformation, shoeing, training, and nutrition.”

It takes time.

“In integrative medicine, you spend time with your clients,” Harman explained. “You spend time listening to the entire history of what’s going on.” The fact that horses don’t communicate verbally presents both challenges and advantages, Harman said. “They can’t make things up and they can’t obsess on the internet,” she said.

The health of the rider influences the health of the horse, a lesson Harman learned after going for a ride following a painful ankle sprain. She was determined to prevent the injury from affecting the way she occupied the saddle and distributed her weight. But at the end of the ride, it was clear that her horse was stiff, sore and worn out by the rider’s injury, and the ways it affected her posture and riding style. People often say “everything connects,” and for Harman, it’s a core belief.

Elizabeth Johns, a longtime Rappahannock equestrian who now lives in Montana with her husband Chris Johns, photographer and former editor of National Geographic, recalls that Harman could “calm an agitated horse with a few expertly placed acupuncture needles or a careful chiropractic adjustment.”

But it was Johns’ beloved Samoyed, Cordie, who most benefited from Harman’s therapies. After the family relocated to Montana, the dog developed a severe digestive disorder that resisted diagnosis or treatment.

“Joyce spent hours on the phone with me going through possible causes, and coming up with safe supplements to treat her problems,” Johns recalled. “The treatments she recommended helped Cordie to heal.”

Years later, Harman came to Cordie’s rescue again. The vet was hiking with Johns and her dog in the Colorado mountains when Cordie was gripped by pains from arthritis in her neck. “Sitting together at the picnic table in our campground, Joyce laid her strong, gentle hands on Cordie, and I saw my anxious dog relax. Joyce gently manipulated her neck, and Cordie stood quietly while the acupuncture needles went in, and her eyes started to close as she loosened up.”

The hike continued without further problems. Johns said that before returning to Virginia, Harman “showed me how to do some stretches with Cordie that have helped her ever since.” Cordie is now 12 years old, Johns added, “still benefiting from Joyce’s wisdom.”

“It takes a lot of time and a lot of listening,” Harman said of her work with animals. “You have to be more perceptive, really listening and taking the time.”

Patience in healing, composing a photograph

The same patience is crucial in Harman’s photography. “It’s about walking up to the subject, then spending time with it,” she said. “You have to get rid of the mess (of unwanted details) and stay within the frame. Then, as with a painting, you have to draw people in and keep them interested.”

“Her composition is always very good,” said Boc, “and she is very deliberate.”

Today, Joyce Harman's acclaimed images of landscapes, night skies and approaching storms attract far-flung collectors. She is a founding member of Old Rag Photography. Portfolios of her landscapes, nightscapes, wildlife and nature can be seen on the Old Rag Photography website: oldragphoto.com. Joyce Harman Joyce Harman Joyce Harman Joyce Harman Joyce Harman Pete Smith, also a photographer, said “Joyce Harman has a rare gift for turning what a camera records into something designed and imagined. Her compositions combine patient planning, technical mastery and a true feeling for light. She often makes familiar subjects glow in ways you rarely see.”

Some of Harman’s most appreciated photographs capture the immensity of the Milky Way stretching into the night sky from a meadow, a barn or a bridge. Slowing is the key ingredient, since the camera lens must be open long enough to take in the filmy light thrown off by the galaxy.

Harman urges people to look at night skies from their own backyards, with or without a camera. “You have to take your glass of wine and sit there,” she said. “The longer you stay out — and 20 minutes is the minimum — the more you see of the quizillion stars, the more you can see the Milky Way clearly.”

Friends and solitude

As easily as she makes friends, Harman also appreciates solitude. Last year, she and Millie set off on a cross-country journey in a camper to capture out-of-the-way images far from Rappahannock’s rolling landscapes. Photographic treks were always part of Harman’s approach. She has followed tornadoes and storm systems through multiple Rocky Mountain states, and traveled to Tennessee and Maine to photograph solar and lunar eclipses.

Now, Harman’s veterinary practice has closed and the storm-chasing photographic trips are over. It is as though the animals, ailing and well, the galaxies, gathering storms, eclipses lunar and solar, have formed a single pursuit, unified by her passionate interest in all of them.

A feast of images resides on her website: “Harmany in Nature Photography” harmanyinnature.com . The pun provides a workable name for a single lifelong job, whose scope encompasses listening and healing, science and art, animals and stars.

As Harman lays out her insights and experiences, she seems to sense invisible resonances running through the different elements of a life so well-lived. If such secret harmonies are there, holding the entire composition together, Joyce Harman has surely heard them.

Early’s Carpet celebrates 60 years 

A basement dream becomes a local fixture

Over the last six decades, Early’s Carpet in Amissville has grown into a Rappahannock County fixture and its second-largest private employer. This month, the family-run flooring and window treatment store marks its 60th anniversary.

But it all started with a leap of faith in the basement of John and Lorraine Early’s home.

“We just did it,” Lorraine Early said. “Everybody said we were crazy.”

A framed 1970s Rappahannock News column by Lorraine and John Early, titled "The Art of Home Decor," that hangs in the hallway of the Early's Carpet office. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum The couple, both born and raised in the area, lived in Amissville, and Lorraine’s late husband, John, worked long hours for a carpet company, traveling all over Northern Virginia. Early said her husband left home at 4 o’clock each morning and didn’t get back until dark most days, leaving no time to spend with their growing family.

So he quit his job. Early said she continued working as a bookkeeper at Lewis Pharmacy in Culpeper as they opened their basement office in 1966.

Early recalled the first few years before the storefront — still in its original location on Route 211 — was built, finding addresses in the phone book to mail flyers and showing carpet and vinyl samples in the basement office.

“There wasn’t anyone out here,” Early said. “We went in to introduce wall-to-wall carpet and vinyl and rug cleaning. Those were the three things we did in the early years.”

The store gradually expanded after it opened in 1969, including the addition of a satellite location in Culpeper in the 1970s. Early said the store got its first warehouse and forklift in 1971, which allowed them to store more carpets and move them more easily.

“We had to lift everything by hand. We had to roll these carpets and vinyls onto these huge racks,” Early said.

A photo of the original storefront and warehouse, next to Route 211, before it was expanded into a four-lane road. Courtesy The business consolidated to one store in Amissville in the 1980s, which has undergone four phases of renovation, most recently expanding the showroom and warehouse by more than 8,200 square feet in 2024 and adding a centrifuge rug-cleaning machine. “Before that, we had to clean all the rugs by hand,” Early said.

Early’s daughter, Sonja Betts, grew up in the store, running errands as a teenager — when she said she thought there was “no way” she’d carry on the family business. Her tune changed in her late 20s, she said, and she moved up to the front of the house, now doing “a little bit of everything,” leading the team and overseeing sales.

Sonja Betts as a baby in a Rappahannock News advertisement. Rappahannock News via Virginia Chronicle Sonja Betts in her bedroom, which her mother, Lorraine Early, designed, in a Rappahannock News advertisement in 1974. Rappahannock News via Virginia Chronicle Several of Early’s other almost 30 employees are family — including Betts’ husband, Solon, and two grandsons.

Early credits the business’ longevity in part to the training and education it provides to employees. “I used to tell everybody when they come to work here, it’s like going to college, except you’re going to go longer,” Early said.

Lorraine Early and Sonja Betts with Betts' son, Dustin, who also works at Early's. File photo by Luke Christopher The other part of the success, Early and Betts agreed, is the personal customer service they provide. That’s what sets them apart from online shopping and big box stores.

“When you have an issue, you want to talk to somebody … You want somebody to help you solve your problem,” Betts said. “If you go to a box store, this person might wait on you today, and then they might not be back. You might have to go through four people just for one process, and still not get it right.”

“[Customers] enjoy one-on-one customer service, and that’s what we give,” Early added.

The store now draws customers from about an hour away in every direction, including many of the children of its first customers. Early said she gets lots of letters, and the occasional phone call, from families thanking the company for its work over the years.

Framed portraits of John and Lorraine Early hanging in the showroom. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum Early, who turns 85 next year, still handles paperwork and some of the store’s newspaper advertising, but she said she is “gradually getting as far into the background as I can.”

Betts said she’s always thinking about what’s next, and how the store can be successful for the next 60 years.

“I think we’re going to continue to grow,” she said, adding that she could envision another satellite store.

Early said the business is in good hands.

“They’re young. They can handle it,” she said. “They got a lot of experience under their belts.”

Sonja Betts and Lorraine Early in the Early's Carpet showroom in Amissville. Ireland Hayes | Foothills Forum Early’s celebrates with sales

In celebration of its 60th anniversary, Early’s Carpet is running several deals and discounts through the end of this month, including:

• $60 9-by-12-foot rugs
• Half-priced carpet and vinyl remnants
• Deals on laminate and vinyl tile flooring
• Deep discounts on area rugs

For more information about the sales, visit the Early’s Carpet, Inc. Facebook page or the showroom at 14574 Lee Highway, Amissville

Volunteers sow wildflowers at Amissville landfill

County Administrator Garrey Curry and Meredith Evans spreading wildflower seeds Saturday. County Administrator Garrey Curry and Meredith Evans spreading wildflower seeds Saturday.Mary Behlke | Foothills Forum

Volunteers braved blustery winds Saturday to plant wildflowers at the Amissville Recycling and Refuse Center. The effort was part of Sustainability Matters’ “Making Trash Bloom” project, an initiative that transforms closed landfills into native wildflower and pollinator habitats and helps slow erosion.

After planting, everyone “danced” on the seeds to help them take root.

Surja Tamang, manager of the Amissville Refuse & Recycling Center, dances on the ground where wildflower seeds were planted Saturday on the closed landfill to help pack the seeds into the soil.

Rappahannock football rallies for 52-38 homecoming win over Kenston Forest

The Panthers rolled into the last full week of the regular season with more wins and playoff accolades, with one championship already earned. But varsity football takes the headlines after a dramatic homecoming victory Friday night.

Football

Coach Fulmer Burks’ team had taken its licks, enduring two lopsided losses while struggling with an injury-depleted roster. Friday looked like more of the same, with Rapp fielding just a dozen uniformed players to Kenston Forest’s 22.

Kenston was driving after the opening kickoff when nearby lightning suspended play for almost an hour. When play resumed, Kenston scored, but Rapp answered. The seesaw battle continued through halftime, with Rapp trailing 26-20.

Rappahannock County Panther Marching Band and colorguard at the Homecoming football game last Friday. Photo by John Lillard As the teams headed to the locker rooms, the opponents’ coaches could be heard telling their players, “They’re tired, we’ll wear them out in the second half.” Tired the Panthers may have been, but they returned determined to fight through the fatigue and stop the losing streak.

Quarterback Harrison King immediately exemplified that resolve, returning the second-half kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to electrify the crowd and his teammates. His score set the tone for 32 second-half points to the Kavaliers’ 12, earning Rapp an exhilarating 52-38 win.

The Panthers gained 465 yards, all rushing. King masterfully executed Rapp’s option package, with Burks noting that even the refs admitted afterward they were fooled on several handoffs, along with Kenston’s defense and likely every fan.

Rapp’s offensive line — Daniel Bayly at center, with Jake Peyton , Nolan Brown , Wyatt Pullen , J.T. Harrison , Silas Wharton , Josiah Losievsky and Aiden Cook-Day at tight end or guard — opened gaping holes. Strong blocking and skillful feinting on handoffs helped produce 17 plays gaining 10 or more yards.

Xander Calhoun , who Burks said “was a workhorse who gained some tough yardage,” led with 159 yards, averaging over seven per carry. King followed with 149 yards, averaging over 10 per rush, two rushing touchdowns, the kickoff return touchdown and a 2-point conversion.

Jacob Nash gained 128 yards, averaging over 10 per carry, and scored a touchdown and two 2-point conversions. Brown rushed for “just” 27 yards, but they produced three touchdowns and two 2-point conversions. Cook-Day added two yards, and Brown punted just once, for 34 yards.

Coaches noted that wrapping up tackles remains a work in progress, with stronger tackling likely to have prevented several Kenston scores. But Rapp’s defense delivered when it counted, allowing just one score in each of the final two quarters after surrendering four in the first half.

Brown led on D with eight tackles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked extra-point attempt. Pullen added six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.

Bayly , Wharton and Losievsky had four tackles apiece; J.T. Harrison and Calhoun , three each; and King and Peyton , two each. Nash , Cook-Day and Brantley Harrison added one apiece.

Rapp hosts Broadwater Academy for its regular-season finale Friday at 7 p.m., with seniors honored before kickoff. The small but mighty Panther marching band will provide pep and a halftime show, and cheerleaders will lead the crowd. A win would put Rapp in playoff contention, and the team hopes the community will fill the stands and provide that invaluable “ninth man.”

Cross country

Coach Wes Mason’s varsity teams had an off week, preparing for yesterday’s Bull Run District Championship. Results will appear in next week’s Dispatch.

Coach Heather Mason’s Junior Panther teams competed in the district’s middle school championship last Thursday, with the boys bringing home their fourth consecutive championship trophy.

Ryan Robinson finished first for Rapp and third overall, followed by Eli Stolar (fifth), Jasper Wangsgard (13th), Seth Grimsley (14th) and Luke Pitts (15th). They combined for Rapp’s winning low score of 50, 19 points ahead of the runner-up.

Congrats to those runners and teammates Matthias Christian , Barrett Jenkins , Christian Canales , Kolbe Frelk , Parker Weinberg , Dilan Valle , Cody Roop and Oliver Lang , who also competed and helped the team succeed all season.

Coach Heather’s girls did not win but were thrilled to run as a team for the first time in years. Cannon Sharp finished first for Rapp, followed by Paige Robinson , Katie Dietzen , Aspen Barton , Grace Burfield and Emma Smith .

Volleyball

Volleyball had a tough week against Central at home and Luray on the road, with coach Heather Waddel’s JV team posting the lone win Tuesday at home over Central.

The teams played their final regular-season home games this past Tuesday against Madison, with results coming in next week’s Dispatch. Varsity will look to compete in the Region 1B tournament, with the date and location also featured next week.

Golf

Last but not least, congrats to Rapp varsity golfer Reed Morey , who competed in the VHSL Division 1 State Tournament last week. Reed shot an 82, placing him in the top third of golfers in the state tourney. Congrats to Reed and coach Kevin Alther’s team for their tremendous improvement over last season.

Deck the floats! It’s beginning to look a lot like … a parade

With Rappahannock's big Christmas parade and daylong holiday festival 45 days away, volunteers are busy preparing for the 21st annual celebration of Christmas in Little Washington on Sunday, Dec. 6.

This year's theme is "A Storybook Christmas," and local businesses, families, community groups, schools and nonprofits are signing up to participate in a parade that will look like it is straight out of a storybook.

"We love to have all manner of decorated floats, costumed walking groups, horses, dogs, llamas, goats, geese and antique cars," said Caroline Anstey, parade co-director.

"We especially want to encourage music on the floats and in the parade," Anstey said, noting this is the first year for a judging category for Most Imaginative Musical entry.

Parade participants can compete for awards in the following four categories:

Best Interpretation of the Theme (A Storybook Christmas)

Most Imaginative Musical entry

Most Creative entry

Cutest entry

Anstey said the closing date for entries in the parade is Nov. 15.

The parade lineup begins at noon, with the parade stepping off at 1 p.m. Winners will be announced at 3 p.m. at Avon Hall on the day of the parade.

Those interested in taking part in the parade can reach out to Anstey or co-director Chris Doxzen at Rappcilw@gmail.com to obtain an application form.

More details about the day’s festivities, including the popular artisans' market and food court, will follow as organizers put the finishing touches on the celebration.

Mary Ann Kuhn is also a volunteer with the Christmas in Little Washington committee.

Candidate Q&A: Subramanyam wants to bring home the bacon. Can he do it?

Rappahannock County doesn’t have a stoplight. Loudoun County is the data center capital of the world. Suhas Subramanyam’s pitch to voters: he can represent both.

“You can walk and chew gum at the same time,” the Democratic first-term representative said. Seated in his nondescript Ashburn campaign office, above an optometrist and surrounded by data centers, Subramanyam made the case in a wide-ranging interview last week that he, more than Republican opponent Dave Beckwith, is best suited to bring federal funds to the 10th Congressional District and push back against an administration he views as corrupt.

As is usually the case with federal lawmakers in the minority, most of Subramanyam’s legislation hasn’t reached the House floor, let alone become law, over the past two years. If reelected, the tech policy wonk may face an uphill battle getting proposed data center and artificial intelligence regulations across the finish line with a White House that has aggressively pushed data center construction and artificial intelligence development.

In addition to technology, the Rappahannock News asked Subramanyam about the social safety net, housing costs, investigating the Trump administration, funding for local projects and the feasibility of his ideas in a polarized political environment.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Read FauquierNow’s interview with Dave Beckwith.

You recently called yourself “a student of our community.” What have you learned about the district, and Rappahannock in particular, over your two years representing it?

I think I’m always learning from our constituents. It’s great that we have people that are so engaged with our office, Rappahannock especially. It’s great to go out there so often, and every time I do, I learn something new or pick up a new priority.

One example: I went to Rappahannock for a small business roundtable during the shutdown , and a lot of the small business owners there had some great ideas. We actually introduced a bill based on the roundtable to make sure that small businesses could get emergency loans during shutdowns, and so that was the direct result of someone’s idea at that roundtable. I think this is the best way to legislate: work with the community rather than go to Washington, forget about the community, and then try to sell them on stuff that maybe they didn’t even want.

How do you balance serving denser, more urban areas of Northern Virginia with rural, sparser communities like Rappahannock and Fauquier?

We were able to do both. So in suburban Ashburn, we worked a lot on trying to protect people from data center growth and power lines. But then at the same time, we were pushing an agritourism caucus to help folks in Rappahannock and Fauquier. We also did a lot on telehealth and telemedicine to try to extend some of those programs that are helping people access healthcare in those areas.

You can walk and chew gum at the same time, and the best way to do that is to listen to your constituents to make sure that they have a voice in your office. And I always try to just call people up randomly and just ask them how things are going, how I’m doing, whether I’m missing something.

In a 2024 interview with Ashburn Magazine , you touted your ability as a state lawmaker to pass bills in the Republican-controlled General Assembly with a Republican governor. Most of your legislation has stalled in this Republican-controlled Congress. How do you foresee things going differently if you’re reelected?

I’ve actually passed eight bills in the House. Four of them have been signed into law. That’s pretty good, I think. And it’s the result of me trying to work across the aisle, even in a very tumultuous time, even when I take great issue with some of the things my Republican colleagues are doing, especially to federal workers and contractors in my community. But we’re pushing through that because there’s still work that needs to be done.

And then we also were very successful in the appropriations process. We were able to get tens of millions of dollars back to the district, including money for the Rappahannock courthouse, which I’m so glad our local Rappahannock Board of Supervisors ended up approving .

You have criticized cuts to the social safety net under this Congress. Even if Democrats win the House, Republicans will still have filibuster power in the Senate and control the White House for the next two years. How, if at all, do you foresee those cuts being reversed in the next Congress?

It’s so important to protect programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and SNAP, which provides food assistance to millions of Americans, including kids. Kids should not go hungry. We’re the richest country in the world, and especially when it’s hard for college grads to get a job and people are getting displaced by AI and layoffs post-COVID, you need a strong social safety net.

I’m bewildered that the Republicans would actually cut these programs that are helping everyday Americans and give that money to the very richest corporations and Americans. It makes no sense, and we deserve better as a community.

How do you restore the cuts?

We have to put those bills on the president’s desk. I’m talking about a repeal of the Big Ugly Bill, including repealing the Medicaid cuts and the cuts to SNAP. We also have to protect Medicare and Social Security. We’ve had a lot of issues with the Social Security offices locally, and we need to make sure we shore up those programs.

And then you’re talking about the healthcare tax credits that the Republicans let expire. That ended up raising people’s premiums by anywhere from 20% to, I’ve heard, 800% in one instance. And so, if we want to make healthcare affordable, we need to continue those tax credits.

I support universal healthcare. I want to make sure that every single American has access to affordable care. But until then, we need to make sure that some of these programs that have kept healthcare somewhat affordable continue, and so we need to put all those bills on the president’s desk. If he wants to veto them, then we’ll have to wait a couple years. But what people want to see is both parties, especially Democrats, actually do things and get things done. We cannot sit back and say, “Well, this isn’t going to pass.” If it’s a priority to the American people, then we need to put it on the president’s desk.

Do you think that you can work with Republicans to get those bills onto the president’s desk?

I’m going to try, but I’m not going to speak for them. What they’ve shown me is that they follow whatever the president wants to do. We as Democrats, if we are in the majority, need to take the lead.

You’re a cosponsor of the FRONTIER Act, an OpenAI-backed bill that would force top AI companies to let in independent monitors and give some oversight authority to the Department of Commerce and state attorneys general. Critics of the bill contend it could preempt, or override, stronger state-level AI regulations. How do you square those preemption concerns?

The preemption in this bill is pretty narrow. It was very broad in previous versions of the bill. This bill only deals with frontier models from big companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. We need to get a bill that can actually pass Congress and get signed into law. And part of that means compromising.

I’m a cosponsor because I want to be part of the conversation in making sure this bill is better, and we’re still adding things to the bill and taking things out. But my goal is to actually get a bill passed by the end of the year because we cannot keep waiting when it comes to AI safety.

There’s a lot of other things we need to do on AI, like the impact on the workforce, like data centers. I’ve introduced legislation on that. But to me, we need to start with safety when it comes to these models that are already being shown to do a lot of damage, and the companies themselves are telling us they can’t even control them.

All the companies are telling us we do need standards. The reason they want us to do it is if they do voluntary standards, but their competition doesn’t, then they’re slower than their competition. So they want every company to be held to the same standard.

Do you think that the FRONTIER Act is a workable vehicle for these regulations to get through by the end of the year?

The FRONTIER Act is the only vehicle that could possibly pass in this Congress. Every other bill that I’ve seen on AI — some of them I like better than the FRONTIER Act — they have no chance of passing. The president needs to sign anything into law, and if he’s out here saying, “Don’t even call it AI anymore, call it SI ,” or superintelligence, and “We don’t need any regulations. I’m the only regulation you need ,” then we need to at least have a very strong bipartisan coalition around any bill, so that we could potentially override a veto. I think the FRONTIER Act has the ability to build that consensus that we need to at least force the president into a corner where he might even sign it.

You proposed a data center plan that would regulate data centers, but not necessarily prevent them. What can Congress do for communities like Rappahannock that might never see a data center but may contend with side effects like higher utility costs or disruptions to viewsheds?

I think Congress needs to have a bigger role because, right now, the way we’re approaching data centers is piecemeal, county by county, state by state. Loudoun County, for instance, is making decisions about building more data centers, but that impacts the people of Rappahannock County. They see their utility bills go up because of the decisions made by Loudoun County. They sometimes see power lines go through their community because of decisions made by Loudoun County. It’s not as big an issue in Rappahannock , but other counties are seeing that, and it could come to Rappahannock at some point.

What we need to do is make sure that there’s a national plan when it comes to choosing sites for data centers, when it comes to who’s paying for the power. It needs to be the data centers, at least, paying a big share of the power. I’m trying to get states to do large load tariffs on these big consumers of power.

We also need to make sure communities know the impact of a data center before it comes in. A lot of communities signed up to approve a data center, and then they didn’t realize that the data centers consume so much power. The way we measure it right now is not entirely accurate when it comes to actual power needed.

I don’t support a nationwide ban because, if you want to support the cloud and support the development of AI, you’re going to need to build some more data centers. But where we put them is so key. We can do this in a way where you put them in places where it’s not going to hurt communities, it’s not going to hurt the environment and where there’s power already. I don’t think some of these plans, like putting data centers in space, are realistic in the near future. We need to find a better way forward that’s actually realistic.

Do you think these regulations address the issue of power lines?

That’s very much a big focus of these regulations. I’m talking about undergrounding when you possibly can. Here, where I live in Ashburn, we’re starting to see above-ground power lines going right next to homes. Kids are saying, “We can hear it if you put it right here. I’m going to be able to hear it from my bedroom.”

They’re not underground because the data centers won’t pay for the infrastructure, and the regulators are saying, “We don’t want to increase your utility costs even more.” There are already places that have power infrastructure ready. You can just plop a data center right there. Sometimes it’s a brownfield, or previously developed land that has been abandoned, and if you do that across the country, you have a better outcome for the community.

If we don’t do this, I think most states and localities will end up putting a moratorium on data centers themselves. You’ll get to a place where there is almost a soft ban on data centers. So I think the industry needs to come to the table and work with me.

During your debate with Beckwith, you promoted bills to address high housing costs: one, which cleared the House, that would remove some regulations on home construction , among other things, and another bill you sponsored that would create a housing savings account . The latter bill hasn’t progressed. What can Congress do for communities like Rappahannock, where homes are not only expensive, but housing stock is low and starter homes are scarce?

Part of this is because of the policies coming out of Washington. I’m talking about tariffs, for instance. The cost of actually building a house has increased.

What we tried to do in the first bill was at least get rid of some of the duplicative regulations that get in the way of building a home. Streamlining some of these regulations is going to help lower the cost.

We also wanted to get rid of the practice of private equity buying up entire housing stocks in a region and then raising the prices on renters or buyers. We wanted to make sure there were fair markets in some of these localities.

In the end, the decision is with the local government about whether they want to build more housing. So, if they want to make housing more affordable, they need to find a place to build housing. But I’ve supported localities that decided they wanted to build more housing in their region. Loudoun wants to build more workforce housing now because a lot of their workforce has to move to West Virginia and drive in every day, and so we actually got federal funding for workforce housing in Loudoun County. I’d be willing to do the same thing for Rappahannock.

Should the federal government preempt local regulations that restrict housing growth?

It’s hard to say that.

A lot of people, for instance, move to Rappahannock because they don’t want a lot of people around them. They like the beauty and the scenery of Rappahannock County, and so I want to leave that decision to the people.

One theme of your campaign has been accountability for the Trump administration and Republicans generally. What does that look like in practice?

Two things. First of all, this Congress and Republicans and leadership, especially, have said repeatedly that they work for the president. That is not how Congress is supposed to work. It’s supposed to be a coequal branch of government that holds the administration accountable, not tells them they work for them or rubber stamp everything they say and do.

Many Republicans in Congress, for instance, oppose some of these tariffs privately, but then vote for them publicly when the vote comes to the floor. Sometimes they hold out, but then the president will call them, and then they flip their vote magically. To me, they are afraid of the president.

We need a Congress that is not afraid of the president, but will stand up to him. And so that means on policy, we need to make sure we’re passing policies that put the American people first, not the president first.

The second thing is the blatant and open corruption in this administration. I’ve never seen corruption like this. Basically, the president has used the White House to enrich himself, his family, the administration officials — we’ve got over a thousand instances of lawbreaking and self-dealing in this administration.

We need to make sure that people can trust their government and that the White House is not a piggy bank. And to me, that means Congress, on the Oversight Committee where I serve, needs to investigate what’s happening in the White House and what’s happening in the administration, and hold people accountable. The Republicans have done a little bit of it, but they’ve been afraid to stand up to the president because they’re worried that he’ll endorse against them in their primaries during election season.

The would-be chair of the Oversight Committee if Democrats retake the House, Robert Garcia, has called for investigations not only into alleged corruption but also the administration’s handling of the Epstein files, immigration enforcement and vaccines. Would you support the latter three investigative efforts?

Yeah, we need to investigate everything that’s happening in this administration if it’s unlawful. I look at the immigration issue as an example. We had a hearing on just the killing of American citizens by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Why are we having that hearing? And there’s been no accountability for any of the ICE officers who shot and killed American citizens who were not doing anything wrong in those instances.

There is no accountability, and people do not trust immigration enforcement anymore because of it, and so we need to make sure that there’s accountability across the board, not just for President Trump and what he’s doing, but also for the fact that there are people at these agencies who are there because they passed loyalty tests, or they’re there because they couldn’t hire anyone else, and they’re doing things that are illegal.

But the administration is protecting them because of their loyalty to the president or to their cause. To me, we need to make sure that we enforce the law in this administration.

What, if anything else, would you push the Oversight Committee to investigate? And are there any impeachment proceedings that you would support?

The Oversight Committee has done very little when it comes to investigating the firing of federal workers and contractors. That really hit our region hard. I would like to make sure that all the stories I heard from federal workers in our district — and contractors too — about self-dealing, about freezing contracts illegally, about diverting money from programs Congress authorized to programs it didn’t — I want to corroborate those. I want to investigate those. And if that happened, then the people affected need to take them to court.

Part of the issue is this administration has not respected Congress’ power of the purse because Congress isn’t asserting it in any way. But if there’s a Democratic majority, we have to protect federal workers and contractors. We have to make sure we assert that a lot of the things happening were illegal and that there need to be consequences if they’re not following the law.

And impeachment?

We’ll see. I mean, if there’s an impeachable offense that’s very obvious and there’s clear and convincing evidence, then we have to investigate it. Not because it’s good politics — it’s not. Actually, impeachment is bad politics. But to me, it’s important that we at least set a precedent that we are not going to allow the president to break the law openly and hurt the American people with his actions as a result of that.

If we’re going to impeach, we need to make sure we have a full investigation. The other two impeachments, those were impeachable offenses, and the president went to the Senate. The Senate — it’s a political proceeding in the end — and the Senate decided not to convict. I think that’s going to happen again.

But if there’s something that is egregious enough to warrant another investigation for impeachment, even if it’s not popular, we would have to do it because otherwise we’re just allowing future administrations to do the same thing, and we’re allowing the American people to lose trust in our institutions.

Has any action of the administration risen to impeachment level for you?

I want to know more about this crypto fund as well as the selling of our foreign policy to enrich the Trump family. To me, if they are openly giving the Trump family money, and in return we are changing our foreign policy and using taxpayer dollars on a certain region because of the deals they are striking. To me that is a big conflict of interest, and that is against the law, too.

It’s a hard thing to prove with crypto especially, but we can use our subpoena power to interview people who we believe gave the president money in return for favors when it came to our foreign policy.

You brought up the $1 million Rappahannock courthouse earmark. You mentioned during a July campaign event that more funding could be on the way if you’re reelected. What does future courthouse funding look like during your second term, and are there any other county projects that you would support throwing federal dollars at?

Now that the Board of Supervisors accepted the money, it gives me the opportunity to go get more money for the project. Part of what I want to do is be on the Appropriations Committee in Congress. If you’re on the Appropriations Committee in the majority, you have a huge say in how dollars are appropriated, and I want to bring some of that money to Rappahannock County, not just the courthouse.

The Sperryville water treatment facility is old and needs some upgrades , so we’d be excited to try to make sure we get some funding to help upgrade that. And if there are other projects that the county wants, you know, we’re always trying to make sure that Rappahannock has the funding it needs from the federal government.

You’ve been talking about your Appropriations Committee aspirations since you first ran for the House in 2024. Do you think you actually have a shot this time around?

Appropriations Committee membership is based on region, and we have three appropriators from our region on the Democratic side. Two of them are retiring, and no one else in the region wants it. So I think I have a pretty good shot at this point. The region seems to be behind me, and especially if we’re in the majority, there’s going to be a lot of open seats on Appropriations. So I feel like this is the moment for me to get on.

Anything you care to add?

No, pretty good.