SUMMER GETAWAY: Physics, History, and Fun Combine at Shot Tower
A unique tower, outdoor adventures, lessons in physics, and the founder of Texas can all be found in Southwest Virginia. Travel south down I77, and amid the rolling foothills of the Appalachians rises a more-than-200-year-old, 75-foot tower that bears testament to the area’s place in American history. Named “Shot Tower,” is rises in Austinville, which […]
ENVIRONMENTAL CENTS: How Does the Carbon Footprint of Electric Cars Compare to Gasoline-Powered Cars?
How long does it take for an electric vehicle (EV) to have a smaller carbon footprint than a gasoline-powered vehicle? As with most complex issues, the answer is: It depends. Currently, the energy to produce the battery causes the average initial EV carbon footprint to be twice that of a gasoline vehicle. (The actual difference […]
The Summit Academy Seeks Special Use Permit to Open Private School in Spotsylvania County
Neighbors in area of Browns Farm Road are concerned about increased traffic in the rural area. The Summit Academy, a private Catholic secondary school, is seeking to open a permanent location at the corner of Gordon and Browns Farm roads in Spotsylvania County — but nearby homeowners fear the surrounding infrastructure can’t handle the potential […]
Stafford School Board Selects Superintendent Search Firm
Board is seeking a replacement for Thomas Taylor, who is leaving the division to lead Montgomery County schools. The Stafford School Board on Tuesday approved a $40,000 contract with the firm JG Consulting to lead the search for a new division leader. “Selection of the best Superintendent candidate for their school division is the single […]
Remembering Glenn Trimmer, One of Two Men Responsible for Stafford’s Civil War Park
Trimmer died June 14. More than 100 people gathered in the sweltering heat on June 24 at the Stafford Civil War Park to remember one of the two men most responsible for the preservation of that site—Glenn Trimmer. Trimmer, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, died June 14 […]
A Look at New Spotsylvania Superintendent’s Contract
Clint Mitchell steps into the job August 1. Incoming Spotsylvania school division superintendent Clint Mitchell will be paid $245,000 per year, according to his contract with the School Board, which went into effect June 24. The salary is the same as that made by his predecessor, Mark Taylor, who was fired in March. Mitchell’s contract […]
National HIV Testing Day
On June 27, people can walk-in between 1:00 and 3:30 pm at the Fredericksburg Health Department for STI testing. There is encouraging news about HIV infections in the United States. Between 2017 and 2021, estimated new HIV infections nationwide have fallen by 12%, from 36,000 in 2017 to 32,000 in 2021. National numbers, however, fail […]
Clint Mitchell Wants to Work “Side by Side” with Staff and Community
Mitchell comes from Colonial Beach Public Schools, where he has served as superintendent since January 2022. Email Adele Clint Mitchell collected 55 pages of typed, single-spaced notes during the process of getting to know the Colonial Beach community early in his tenure as superintendent there. “I wanted to learn and see what people’s hopes and […]
COMMENTARY – Winners and Losers: 2024 Primary Edition
Endorsements matter in low turnout elections. Whether Virginia joins the GOP column in 2024 depends on whether black and Hispanic voters come home. Editor’s Note: Shaun Kenney’s column this week originally appeared in The Republican Standard. First things first, let’s peel back some national level numbers. Writ large, former president Donald J. Trump’s re-election campaign […]