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The recent spate of brush fires caused a scare, or at least some anxious moments, for many a Rappahannock County resident Dry leaves and grass, high winds and low humidity combined to leave the county vulnerable. No structures were lost nor were there injuries. There are some things homeowners can do to protect their...
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Crews battling wildfires within Shenandoah National Park since the weekend picked up a welcome assist from the weather as several inches of rain, snow and sleet fell Monday night into Tuesday morning. “Nothing has come off the park. It’s been contained,” said Richie Burke, emergency services manager for Rappahannock County, of the fire stoked...
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Superintendent of Schools Aldridge Boone met with a crowd of about 100 people for close to four hours last Thursday (Feb. 17) to talk about the future of the athletic program in the Rappahannock County Public Schools. Many at the meeting in the high school auditorium said they liked what athletic director Jamie Harris...
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John Fox Sullivan, town of Washington mayor, plans to meet with representatives of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative to talk about the streetlights lining town streets. Sullivan said during a town council meeting on Feb. 16 that the meeting with the utility is planned for March 4. Sullivan and Town Clerk Laura Dodd expect to talk...
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Fewer people were unemployed in Rappahannock County in December than the month before. Decreases were also recorded in Fauquier, Culpeper and Madison counties while there were increases in Page and Warren counties. Among adjacent counties, Rappahannock’s rate was second lowest. The unemployment rate decreased statewide and nationwide. In Rappahannock, there were 208 people unemployed...
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After a setback, the Headwaters Foundation is discussing getting an after-school program started in the Rappahannock public school system this fall. “It will be the same program in spirit, if not for as many students” as originally envisioned, said Toni Egger, Headwaters executive director. That plan took a hit when the county’s board of...
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Though the U.S. Postal Service is considering closing up to 2,000 underutilized post offices nationwide to cut costs, none are in Rappahannock County, according to a USPS spokesperson. Patrick Murphy, communications coordinator for the USPS Northern Virginia District said Monday that a post office in Star Tannery (near Strasburg in Frederick County) is being...
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The position of athletic director would be eliminated in the school division budget for the 2011-12 academic year under a proposal by Superintendent Aldridge Boone. There would be a cost saving by eliminating the position and delegating the duties to assistant high school principal Andy Hipple, Boone said.
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Rappahannock County’s population grew by 390 over the past 10 years, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. A total of 7,373 people now reside in the county, compared to 6,983 in the year 2000. A midyear 2010 U.S. Census Bureau report had shown a population drop from 7,102 on April...
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Needed repairs at Rappahannock County’s elementary and high school will get underway with a decision by the county board of supervisors on Monday to move forward on them. The repairs at the two schools, in addition to a shorter and less expensive list of repairs needed at several county office buildings, are expected to...
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Peter H. Luke has decided not to seek re-election as commonwealth’s attorney in Rappahannock County in November, a post he’s held since 1984. “I’ll be 64 this July. If I ran again I’d be 68 at the end of the term. It’s time for somebody other than me to do the commonwealth’s attorney job,”...
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Rappahannock County School Board members were urged Tuesday to do what they could to improve the educational offerings to students and give raises to teachers.
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Rappahannock citizens concerned about AT&T’s application to erect two more 199-foot cell phone towers in the county attended an “informational” meeting on Monday to voice their concerns and hear their options. The meeting sponsored by the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection (RLEP), the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) and private citizens, came in the waning...
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Rocknoceros, at the Link in Sperryville this Saturday, makes music that’s child play -- and the band’s audiences love them for it.
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A Jan. 25 program at the Link may be an eye-opener for farmers as it will explore holistic management practices. The program has been spearheaded by Cliff Miller, a longtime farmer in Sperryville who raises cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens at his Mount Vernon Farm, where for the past decade he has made concerted...
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Richard Lykes was a giving man — of his time, talent and, ultimately, from his estate after he died. By all accounts he loved Rappahannock County and was beloved by many who came to know him. For his generosity to the county, the Rappahannock News names him the 2010 Citizen of the Year —...
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The first-ever “Last Night Rappahannock” will go on as scheduled on Gay Street on Dec. 31, but without the glow of a fire. The New Year’s Eve event, sponsored by the Rappahannock Historical Society, is set for 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31. For a fee of $25 per family or $10...
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The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors on Monday voted not to contribute funds for an after-school program for the county public school system proposed by the Headwaters Foundation. Supervisor Ronald Frazier’s motion not to supply public funds for the enrichment program also received the vote of Board Chairman Roger Welch. Supervisors Mike Biniek and...
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Commonwealth’s Attorney Peter Luke recently happened upon a cache of Confederate money and a note with an intriguing message. He was seeking real estate records to document property acquired by Rappahannock County for a report he’s compiling when he discovered $150 in Confederate notes in $5 to $50 denominations. They were in a safe-deposit...
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According to those who help run Rappahannock's Food Pantry, Free Clinic and social services, the safety net that helps the poor of Rappahannock County in times of need is feeling the strain of greater need.
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A Boston, Va., woman was killed in a single-car accident on U.S. 522 at 10 a.m. Sunday in Rappahannock County near the border with Culpeper County. Amanda Gayle Kidwell, 24, was northbound on U.S. 522 when she went off the right side of the road, overcorrected, went across the centerline and overturned after going...
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Thanksgiving will be a little cheerier and tables a little more full for many in Rappahannock County thanks to the efforts of volunteers and donors at the Rappahannock Food Pantry. At the Pantry building on Mt. Salem Avenue in Washington, volunteers loaded turkey, greens, potatoes, pie and other food into a steady stream of...
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Guests attending the Christmas party at town hall this year will be able to imbibe alcoholic beverages. Mayor John Fox Sullivan recommended, and town council approved on Monday, a revision to the policy governing the use of town hall that previously barred the consumption of alcohol at events held there. “I am leading a...
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Ensuring that students have access to healthy food at school is the task of the food service director for the Rappahannock Public Schools. Getting them to want to eat what’s good for them can be a hurdle. Deanna Wayland has been food service director for the school division since Aug. 1. She is also...
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Margaret R. “Peggy” Ralph easily won Tuesday’s election for Rappahannock County Clerk of Court. The incumbent claimed 76.9 percent of the returns with 1,989 of the votes cast, according to unofficial returns reported by the Virginia State Board of Elections. Her next nearest challenger was Paul E. Hagstrom with 12.07 percent, 312 votes, followed...
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Staying after school can be a good thing. At least that’s the belief of those putting together an after-school activities program for elementary school students in Rappahannock County. Apparently, the students think so, too. A survey taken to gauge their interest drew an enthusiastic response from the target audience of younger students and their...
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The county could lose its local Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) office under a restructuring of the state agency that serves as a resource to farmers, ranchers and gardeners. Under the plan, the number of extension offices statewide would be reduced from 106 in local communities to 22 regional offices. The cost-cutting restructuring was put...
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The housing market is showing signs nationally it’s coming back to life and it’s stirring a bit in Rappahannock County, too. “Rappahannock County is definitely a much smaller market. There are not as many properties on the market and they are higher priced,” said Chuck Cornwell, broker at ReMax Regency in Warrenton. Cornwell is...
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A state auditor’s report criticizes Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie C. Smith for holding work release funds in a separate bank account and making purchases with them without an appropriation from the county Board of Supervisors. Smith maintains she has done nothing wrong, and Commonwealth’s Attorney Peter H. Luke said “the code is not clear”...
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An AT&T application to build a 199-foot cell phone tower in Boston holds the promise of better service for wireless customers in Rappahannock County. In addition to AT&T’s service, which includes its exclusive right to sell Apple’s popular iPhone service, the proposed tower off U.S. 522 is designed to accommodate other cell phone service and...
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An anti-bullying program will be developed and put in place in the Rappahannock County public schools by the end of January. It was proposed by Superintendent Aldridge A. Boone, who said the program met with “great success” in the Appomattox school system that he headed before coming to Rappahannock this year. The proposal was...
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Firefighters from five counties and civilian volunteers responded to a blaze that engulfed the Fauquier Livestock Exchange in Marshall Monday night. Their joint efforts saved most of the cattle from perishing but the building where breeders from around the region come to sell their cattle was heavily damaged. There were about 225 head of...
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Springs have dried up, wells are going dry and — until this week, at least, after an unusually dry spring and summer — the weather hasn’t cooperated by providing the kind of drenching rains that lets water seep down to replenish the supply. At its regular monthly meeting Monday, the Rappahannock County Board of...
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Six customers of Allegheny Power have received settlements on their claims of damage caused by a power surge on Aug. 8, 2009. In agreeing to the somewhat surprising settlement, the utility somewhat less surprisingly admitted no wrongdoing. Settlement checks were distributed Tuesday by Allan Robert Rexinger of Washington, an attorney who represented the group...
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Rappahannock County could be designated a drought disaster area by the state, making its farmers eligible for compensation. The county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution at its monthly meeting Sept. 8 at the courthouse requesting a drought designation so that farmers can apply for drought relief. The board received a report from...
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The real estate market continues to struggle nationally, and while Rappahannock County isn’t immune from the forces that have kept that sector of the economy from bouncing back, there are some differences here. “Real estate is local and Rappahannock County is a very special place,” says Denise Chandler, owner of Country Places Realty in...
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The eventual construction of a regional jail to house inmates from Rappahannock County and two other counties moved a step closer with the purchase last week of two parcels of land in Warren County. The Rappahannock Shenandoah Warren (RSW) Regional Jail Authority has purchased 13.7597 acres at 6573 Winchester Road in Front Royal for...
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The sale of a house on Mount Salem Avenue in Washington that was the focus of a request by its owners to rent it out as a tourist home has been negotiated. The tourist home special use application before town council will be withdrawn. Denise Chandler of Country Places Realty reported the home at...
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The earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12 killed hundreds of thousands and devastated the Caribbean island nation. Life was hard in the best of times there but the earthquake has added to their miseries. A group in the town of Washington is trying to help recovery efforts by raising funds to restore a...
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An assessment of waterways throughout the state has found that water quality in Rappahannock County is about the same as it was two years ago. The 2010 draft report released Monday by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) listed a section of the Hughes River as “impaired” for having excessive temperatures in stockable...
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