Spotsylvania supervisors spent Tuesday night answering for social-media posts and appointment paperwork, Fredericksburg is moving toward monthly utility bills as soon as November, and Caroline County approved a large industrial rezoning on U.S. 1.
Spotsylvania supervisors face questions over posts and filings
According to the Fredericksburg Free Press, two Spotsylvania supervisors came under fire Tuesday even though the board agenda had no public hearings. Courtland District Supervisor Drew Mullins apologized for posts on X, and residents challenged recently appointed Chancellor District Supervisor Tim McLaughlin over the address on his application, a late Statement of Economic Interests, and a confrontation at early voting.
Virginia law requires new supervisors to file that conflict-of-interest statement as a condition of taking office. McLaughlin was sworn in Sept. 10 after the board appointed him Sept. 8 to the seat vacated by Gerald Childress; Dawn Shelley, who also sought the appointment, obtained the form through a FOIA request and said it was completed this past Monday. Mullins called his X account a “parody account,” said he has since “found Jesus Christ,” and told the board he would “do better from now on.” Residents asked the full board to review whether the posts and the appointment paperwork violate the county code of conduct.
Fredericksburg utility bills may switch to monthly in November
According to the Fredericksburg Free Press, city residents could begin receiving water, sewer, trash and recycling bills monthly as soon as November. Those utilities are now billed every two months. Several City Council members signaled support at a Tuesday work session, and Finance Director Amanda Six said smaller monthly statements could make bills easier to manage and reduce delinquent accounts.
Assistant City Manager Mark Whitley said the city has about 8,600 utility accounts; 2,300 are on autopay and another 1,500 pay online. Six said the city disconnected 106 accounts in August, with some months as low as 40, and that state law bars water shutoffs when the temperature is above 90 degrees. Council is expected to vote next month on an ordinance. Customers would then move onto the monthly cycle in two groups starting in November.
Caroline approves Carmel industrial park on a 4-2 vote
According to the Fredericksburg Free Press, the Caroline Board of Supervisors voted 4-2 Tuesday to rezone 916 acres from Rural Preservation to Industrial for Luck Stone’s Carmel Technology and Enterprise Center in the Reedy Church District, between Jericho Road and U.S. Route 1 and along Zion and Oxford roads. Chair Clay Forehand and Supervisors Nancy Long, Floyd Thomas and Reginald Underwood voted yes. Jeff Black and Jeff Sili voted no.
The Planning Commission had recommended denial, in part because no end user is named. Attorney Charlie Payne has described a logistics, warehouse, manufacturing and research campus of about 5.6 million square feet by 2031. Supporters cited 1,800 jobs, about $15 million a year in projected county revenue, a church community center, park money and a walking trail. Black said a traffic study showed daily trips on Route 1 rising from 5,500 to 14,778. Del. Nicole Cole, D-Spotsylvania, spoke in favor at the hearing.
Manassas man charged in Philadelphia cartel cocaine case
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against 10 people in what they called the Jones-Basley drug trafficking organization. Eduard Amador, 38, of Manassas, is among eight co-defendants charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The accused leaders, Gregory Jones, 48, and Edward Basley, 47, also face possession-with-intent counts; Basley is charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
PhillyVoice and Philadelphia Patch reported that U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said the group coordinated with a Mexican cartel and moved $5 million to $10 million worth of cocaine onto Philadelphia streets each month. Investigators said they seized more than $8 million worth of cocaine and firearms locally and more than $17 million over the full investigation. All 10 defendants have been arrested, those reports said. The case is in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, not a local police blotter.
Manassas brothers charged after Warrenton woman’s death
According to InsideNoVa, Jerome Cochuran-Daniels, 23, of Manassas, and his brother Jalil Cochuran-Daniels, 21, of Williamsburg, have been charged in Fauquier County in connection with the Sept. 19 death of Donnette Yvette Gunn in Warrenton. Court records cited in the report show Jerome charged with concealing or moving a dead body, obstructing an investigation and assaulting a police officer. Jalil is charged with concealing or moving a dead body. Neither is charged with murder in that filing.
Warrenton Police Chief Timothy Carter said the men are persons of interest and that the investigation remains active. An affidavit described Gunn found unconscious in the bed of a pickup behind Tippy’s Taco House at 147 W. Shirley Ave. with stab wounds; she was later pronounced dead. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 4. The charges were filed by Fauquier authorities, not by Prince William, Manassas, Stafford or Fredericksburg police.
Manassas man sentenced in $3.5 million e-commerce fraud
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexander A. Olave, 35, of Manassas, was sentenced Sept. 11 to two years and nine months in prison for a multi-year fraud that prosecutors said cost about 100 victims more than $3.5 million. Olave operated AO Elite, which advertised a “done-for-you” e-commerce model and claimed the company had built hundreds of online stores that generated $112 million for clients.
Prosecutors said victims never received the storefronts they paid for and that Olave used customer money for his salary and for luxury homes and vehicles. After AO Elite shut down, the office said he opened two more companies on the same model. Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga imposed the sentence in Alexandria. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos and FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Tyler announced the result.
2027 ProStart cooking contest booked at Kalahari in Spotsylvania
According to the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association, the 2027 Virginia ProStart Invitational is set for Feb. 24–25 at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Spotsylvania County. The association said Kalahari is returning as presenting sponsor. A Gmail Newslinks advisory to [email protected] on Thursday said judge and volunteer registration is open.
ProStart is a high-school hospitality and culinary program. The two-day invitational is a statewide student competition, not a ticketed concert. The site is the indoor waterpark and convention campus off I-95 in Spotsylvania, a regular regional draw for large events.
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