In last week’s Rappahannock News, readers learned that Rapp at Home went to extraordinary lengths to secure a refrigerator for Edward Williams, an elderly widower living in Woodville. 

Rappahannock County High School’s (RCHS) LEO Club is built to help out the community in different ways through acts of community service. Supported by Lions Club International, the club encourages young people to develop leadership qualities by participating in social and community service activities.

Comment articles reflect the opinion of the writer(s), not the Rapp News. Comment below or by writing a letter to the editor: editor@rappnews.com.

Sally was bird-like in stature, but her presence was grand. She leaned her tiny shoulders into everything she did, from rescuing dogs and cats, riding and caring for horses, and expounding on the latest scientific literature about species conservation, to fashioning whimsical floral centerpieces.

When the call came into Rapp at Home that a Woodville resident’s refrigerator had stopped working, his food was spoiling, and he — Mr. Edward Williams — at the age of 90, had virtually nothing to eat, we began a journey that we couldn’t have taken without our Rappahannock community. Nor could we have imagined the outpouring of those wanting to help.

Recently, I was looking through my file of past articles for the Rappahannock News and came across my 17-year-old piece below. It has been slightly shortened, but the wise messages that sprang from Dr. Jack McCue are needed more than ever today.

The Library is thrilled to announce the recent return of its basic computer help services. This important and much appreciated service is generously provided by the Friends of the Rappahannock County Library.

I come to this conclusion based on my experience with the Office of Resolution Management (ORM) of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Congress determined that complaints of discrimination (under Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act) within the VA were not being properly handled by the line organizations.

Currently Rappahannock County has a fairly large proportion of retired people. They are increasingly important in the supporting enormous variety of community organizations which make this county so pleasant.

“What makes a perfect day? A bright blue sky? Quiet Time? River Time? Bubbleheads singing a new verse on the bridge over the Hazel River? Perhaps … or maybe … when you look for something, you can find it.”

Too many of our media pundits would have us believe that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is somehow our fault. If we had just accepted Russia’s “rightful” dominance of its neighbors

The history of boundary changes for the Town of Washington, Virginia, begins with a petition on Nov.10, 1796, by George Calvert, James Jett Jr., and James Wheeler to the General Assembly of Virginia to "establish a town by the name of Washington on land of your said petitioners." The town was to be named for George Washington, who had announced his retirement from the presidency six weeks earlier. The General Assembly responded by passing an act on Dec.14, 1796, establishing the Town of Washington on 25 acres of land of the three petitioners, to be laid off in “lots of half an acre each, with convenient streets.”

As St. Valentine’s Day approaches, we asked library patrons to tell us what they love about their library. Patrons of all ages voluntarily recorded their responses, signed their name if they wanted to do so, and placed them in a special box. 

Rappahannock County Public Schools (RCPS) have recently introduced a new snowboarding and skiing club that is open to elementary and high school students. The new program runs for six weeks with students leaving the school at 3:00 p.m. every Friday afternoon for Bryce Resort in Basye. There, they have the options of skiing, snowboarding or tubing. 

Thank you to the Rappahannock News for the article in the January 20, 2022 edition about  Lillian’s award and the MLK event. However, as president of SSPF, along with our Board  members, we think the emphasis on Lillian as the recipient of the award and the information  about the program was incomplete and lacked balance.

For many, the month of January brings a renewed sense of hope and excitement surrounding the beginning of a new year. For the Headwaters Foundation, the month of January brings an extra dose of excitement, as it is also National Mentoring Month.

Not ours, but some of yours! While we are not happy about some of the circumstances that have led you to the library recently, we are thrilled to see you. In case you slipped in without a welcome, or if you have not made it in yet, I want to let you know that we appreciate your patronage.

Comment articles reflect the opinion of the writer(s), not the Rapp News. Comment below or by writing a letter to the editor: editor@rappnews.com.

Rappahannock County High School (RCHS) ended the 2021 year with many new beginnings. With the stress of finals and end of the semester testing, the school came up with many unique ways of having some fun and stress relief for students. In December, RCHS hosted its first-ever Winter-Wonderland Gala, along with their first Renaissance Day, and had a student vs. faculty volleyball game. 

For us at the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County, it underscores the decline in overall mental wellness we have been seeing in Rappahannock and Fauquier counties since before the pandemic began and is an urgent call to action to bolster programs and resources in our community, not only for youth but for all our residents.

My paternal grandfather, Kazimierz Eitner, after whom I was named, was killed with a single bullet to the head on the night of April 6, 1940 in the city of Tver, Russia, in the basement of the local headquarters of the Soviet Secret Police.

Washington may not be in a time warp — after all we house the world renowned Inn at Little Washington known for it’s agenda-setting culinary innovation — but we do not rush change here

The Board of Supervisors should approve the All Points contract to deliver fiber to the homes that want it. Here’s why: Quality of Life: It seems that everyone supports the idea of broadband access across the county.  The benefits to workers, students and families are obvious.

What we need is leaders, even self-appointed ones like Mr. Jones, to work to bring us together as one community, not constantly try to drive us further apart by stirring up hate and intolerance — because that may not end well.

Regarding broadband for the county, I think we’re in agreement that all should have access. So, when I see personal testimony about the hardships engendered from lack of access — I feel more and more that these folks are pushing at an open door, arguing against some Luddist straw man.

For the first time in 26 years, on Monday, Dec. 13, John Bennett did not serve as lawyer to the Town of Washington. His resignation, reported last week in this paper, surprised and dismayed many of us.

Get your cameras ready! We are very excited to announce the return of a much-anticipated event that we missed last year. A visit from Santa Claus! Santa Claus will be at the library on Wednesday evening, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m.

Read that headline again: “When the Left goes Left and the Right goes Right, the Center disappears.” Do what? Wouldn’t it make more sense that the left going left and the right  going right would create a larger center, a more diverse political ground in the middle  of our body politic? 

Across the United States, a battle for the souls of rural counties is being waged. The battle is fought not in major news outlets, but in local government meetings and the opinion columns of local newspapers. Despite the lack of national coverage, the cumulative outcome of these localized conflicts will change the American landscape for generations to come.

I don’t know what Ben Jones has contributed to the county except for fomenting dissension and moving his Cooter’s business out of the county.

Several years ago, Anne Yeoman had an idea: she wanted to establish an organization that would give students the tools to make sound financial decisions, now and in the future, and allow them to build savings while in high school. 

We are still facing monumental challenges as Thanksgiving approaches next week. Special attention might focus on our own Rappahannock Food Pantry. There’s still time to mail a donation to them at PO Box 55, Sperryville, Virginia 22740.

We are fortunate to be in a community bursting with creative and talented persons willing to share their stories, art, wisdom, skills and interests. The Library’s local author section reflects this, as the section includes works by more than 120 different local authors, many of whom have created multiple works, leaving our collection at over 230 titles and growing. 

Surely the lead story in this past week’s Rappahannock News, headlined “How does the County move forward after a contentious election?” was tongue in cheek satire, right? 

Beautiful weather, eye-catching artworks, and thorough planning converged to make the 16th Annual Fall Art Tour weekend the most popular ever. An estimated 2000-plus art-lovers from near and far turned out to appreciate and, in many cases, purchase diverse works from the county's many fine artists.

Rappahannock County High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) program is growing exponentially and is giving the county hope for future generations of students seeking careers in agriculture.

Why, you may ask, are we now vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 against the COVID-19 virus? You’ve probably heard that serious effects of the virus in young children are rare, and you have heard correctly.  So why vaccinate?

In January, 2020, the Chinese government formally notified the U.S. about a novel virus outbreak in Wuhan. The virus, which causes COVID-19, proceeded to spread rapidly around the globe.

Follow Devin @DevinSherwoodDraws

Have you visited your library recently? If not, you may not be aware of the many opportunities available to you thanks to your library card. Yes, we have books, a lot of books for all ages (and multiple formats!), but did you know you can check out a musical instrument from the library? 

Although Republicans would have you believe that they are the party of economic growth and prosperous businesses, by every measure the opposite is true if you look at historical data. Donald Trump admitted as much in an interview before he ran for president: "It just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans."

Comment articles reflect the opinion of the writer(s), not the Rapp News. Comment below or by writing a letter to the editor: editor@rappnews.com. 

It seems to me that the single most important thing a citizen can do is to make certain that the elected officials not only serve their constituents, but also do so with integrity, humility, decency and respect.