Letters to the Editor
A Return to Decorum During Graduation This past Thursday, I attended my son’s graduation ceremony at George Mason University and was disappointed by the behavior displayed both by parents and the students. When the ceremony kicked off with Pomp and Circumstance at EagleBank Arena, I fully expected the audience to take their seats and quiet […]
It’s Drew Time! I Am Not a Robot
Today, Drew turns to AI to write his column. Or does he? The End. (Humorist Drew Gallagher has written for the FXBG Advance for nearly six months and he was wondering if his collected “Drew Times” were enough for AI software to write a “humor” column in his voice and on topics he has mentioned […]
Sunday Books & Culture for May 19
This week’s reviews include Chanel Cleeton’s mystery “The House on Biscayne Bay” and forgotten history in local author Steve Watkins’s “The Mine Wars.” Vanessa Sekinger Edits the Books & Culture Section THE HOUSE ON BISCAYNE BAY by Chanel Cleeton Published by Berkley (April 2, 2024)Paperback $16.18Audiobook $14.99 Reviewed by Penny A Parrish A little more […]
Obituaries: May 3 – May 17, 2024
Tirsa EastmanOviedo, Florida Carolyn Isaly CrainFredericksburg James “Jim” O’DonnellBeaverdam, Virginia Diana L. HueftleFredericksburg Mary Ellen ScangoLake Monticello, Virginia James Whitney BrownResidence Not Listed Maurice FosterFredericksburg Byron David AllenStafford David SlingerlandHaymarket, Virginia Elizabeth SkinnerFredericksburg Colleen EwingFredericksburg Dean SnyderFredericksburg Harry FairbanksStafford Slade MillerFredericksburg Dennis SpringerStafford Catherine DeLanoMcLean, Virginia Martha SlusherKing George Kathryn GinnanFredericksburg Baby Giannis Tharps-Patterson Residence […]
The News That Moved Us This Past Week: May 10 – May 17
The week just past saw Spotsylvania Schools moving into roadwork, family summer grocery budgets catching a break, Glenn Youngkin spurring FOIA requests, tax laws and the failure of school funding, and legal fees run amok. In addition, local public schools model excellence, and Drew is still petitioning to join (potential governor) Spanberger for a job. […]
Pizza Gets Hugh Mercer Students Excited About Recycling
The Fredericksburg Clean and Green Commission and R-Board sponsored a paper recycling contest at the school this month. When the kindergarteners in Ashley Rogers’ class at Hugh Mercer Elementary School learned that they could win a pizza party for recycling the most paper, they knew they were up to the challenge. “They were like, ‘Oh, […]
Mid-Year Raises Extended to Some Stafford County Department Directors
Not all directors got a raise. A handful of Stafford County government department directors and both deputy County Administrators have received raises—one over $10,000—outside of the annual budget cycle. The raises were not extended to all department directors. According to information received by the Advance through a request under the Freedom of Information Act, the […]
James Monroe Chamber Orchestra Makes Music Come Alive for Themselves and the Community
Kayla Gullage, then a junior at James Monroe High School, was watching YouTube videos of chamber music groups one day and thought, why don’t we have one of these? Two years later, Gullage, a violinist, is heading off to the Rochester Institute of Technology on a performing arts scholarship, but the Chamber Orchestra she founded […]
OPINION: Fredericksburg’s Climate Commitment Is Too Important to Miss
City must move on its goal of powering municipal operations with 100% renewable energy by 2035. In 2019, the City of Fredericksburg made a pledge to its residents that it would power all municipal operations—city works, parks and recreation, schools, and (where possible) police and emergency response—with 100% renewable energy by 2035. This goal was […]