Is election fraud a serious threat to our institutions and the way we elect our officials, or is it a canard promoted by 2020 election deniers and conspiracy theorists? And importantly, as we approach elections early next month, can it happen here in Rappahannock County?

On a moonless night in late August a cluster of people moved gingerly in the Rappahannock County Park shadows to take turns peering at the starry sky through amateur astronomers’ telescopes.

The couple says the bulk of their work includes tending to their own cattle and helping regular clients. However, they’ve gained a reputation as cattle wranglers in the area and receive intermittent calls from farmers in need of their specific skill set. They say responding to calls like these comes with a fair share of risks.

When students returned to Rappahannock’s two public schools last week, all indications were that finally things were back to normal. No more masking. No more social distancing. Kids could go to classes, eat lunch together, hang out in the hallways like they did in the days before anyone knew the word COVID.

It is fast, fierce and flashy, with a plumage of oranges and slate blues for males; reddish-brown hues for females. Chances are you have seen one perched on a fence post or power line, surveying open fields for a meal.

Hal Hunter is at it again. He has this thing about trying to make people’s lives a little better. Back in 2009, he was the driving force behind the launch of the Rappahannock Food Pantry and its Backpack Program that sends food home with elementary school kids on weekends. Same with the rollout of Rapp at Home six years later, with its mission of helping seniors in the community stay in their homes.

Fifty years ago, motorists traveled through Amissville on a two-lane road dotted with historic homes, small hardware and grocery stores, restaurants, tourist cabins, garages, and a post office. Today, most travelers on four-lane U.S. Route 211 buzz past the village’s big green welcome signs that read, “Ensuring our Future by Preserving Our Past.”

Give them a chance and Rappahannock County citizens will speak freely about what divides us – and unites us – living in this place we call home.

Lisa Heiser – Career Coach, with Rappahannock County High School (RCHS) Profile of a Graduate (POG) program. Prior to joining RCHS in 2017, sold high school yearbooks for 25 years.

For farmers and food-related businesses, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S inflation, and China’s lockdown of 40-some cities hit by COVID-19, have ignited a tsunami of economic woes. What’s surprising is the speed with which the disruptions have pushed up prices for nearly everything farmers need to stay in business — fertilizer, livestock feed, labor and fuel.

It’s like being struck by lightning. That’s how Lynnie Genho describes how she and her husband John felt last June when they were told their then six-year-old daughter, Anne, had cancer, specifically T-cell acute leukemia.

As Rappahannock County approaches a decision point on participating in an ambitious eight-county high-speed broadband plan, advocates might pause to salute two events that make the milestone project possible.

Imagine: You’re in your mid-70s living alone and recovering from major surgery. Six weeks of physical therapy is required to get back on your feet. You don’t have access to a vehicle or are physically unable to drive.

The worst of the pandemic would seem to be behind us. Unfortunately, not all of it. In fact, an often-overlooked impact of COVID-19 — an alarming rise in drug and alcohol use — could be one of its darker lasting effects. For many, the months and months of isolation, stress and uncertainty proved to be a toxic combination. More than a few of those in recovery have relapsed. 

The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors will explore deepening the proposed cuts in Rappahannock’s tax rates, reflecting a surge in tourist-related income, plus leftover funds from the federal government’s pandemic-relief programs.

Biggest Challenge: Keeping all the balls in the air at one time! Kees is also involved in a number of volunteer activities at Headwaters, The Benevolent Fund, Habitat for Humanity, and Trinity Church, so our schedules can be a bit demanding.

With energy, wisdom and optimism, the county’s next generation collectively offers a more nuanced take on the challenges of living in our aging community

I was raised during the Depression. We didn’t have money, but with a cow, pigs, chickens, and a vegetable garden, we always had enough to eat. My mother shared food with many families and helped out in the community. I can remember delivering groceries on my roller skates to folks who couldn’t get out of the house. Mother used to say, “You give someone in need a quarter and it comes back as a dollar.” During that time, I learned the value of helping others. 

It’s not surprising that Superintendent Shannon Grimsley and her staff at Rappahannock County Public Schools felt pretty good about the start of classes last August. 

Foothills Forum and the Rappahannock News look back at 2021 — and ahead to 2022 — to see where the county stands on...Development, schools

and broadband.

A photographic look back at the major stories in Rappahannock County last year.

For all the adversity it has brought to local families, schools and businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly good to one part of the Rappahannock County community: its real estate market.

Ever wonder how your Rappahannock County neighbor’s property is zoned? Do you live in a floodplain? Worried your property boundary might not be accurately reflected on tax maps? Which fire and rescue company is first due at your address? What’s your voting district?