Prince William supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to shrink the county data-center overlay and end by-right approvals going forward, Route 1 intersection work begins today in Fredericksburg, and a statewide survey found more than half of Virginia families with children reported food insecurity.

Supervisors end by-right data centers, keep 90-day grace period

According to InsideNoVa, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday voted 8-0 for a zoning text amendment that effectively ends by-right data center development countywide. Future projects outside the rewritten overlay would need a special use permit. The board kept the 90-day grace period first proposed by Brentsville Supervisor Tom Gordy rather than the 120 days recommended by the Planning Commission.

Bisnow and Manassas Patch, citing the Prince William Times, reported the overlay is reduced from about 9,698 acres to about 3,654 acres. A substitute motion by Gainesville Supervisor George Stewart to drop the grace period to zero failed 3-5. Chair Deshundra Jefferson called a roughly 30-minute closed session before the final vote. Planning Director Tanya Washington told the board a residential-and-school setback proposal is aimed at a November Planning Commission hearing and a January board hearing.

Route 1 and Augustine work starts today in Fredericksburg

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, construction on the Route 1 and Augustine Avenue intersection project in the city of Fredericksburg starts Wednesday, Sept. 23, and is scheduled through October 2027. The work covers the stretch between Stafford Avenue and the College Avenue / Eagle Village Drive intersections.

The same Sept. 20–27 Fredericksburg District travel alert keeps weekday lane work on Route 1 in Stafford, with alternating northbound and southbound closures Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. between Corporate Drive and Russell Road, and notes ongoing work on the Route 1 bridge replacement at Chopawamsic Creek near the Prince William line and Quantico.

Fredericksburg League hosts data-center conversation

According to the Fredericksburg Free Press, the League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Area held a community conversation on data centers Monday evening at Curitiba Art Cafe. Speakers included University of Mary Washington sociology professor Eric Bonds, UMW philosophy lecturer Michael Reno, and Cindy Staats of Safeguard Spotsy.

Reno said localities in the city and in Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline and King George adopted a $1.25 tax rate in 2019 for data-center computer equipment, compared with Stafford’s $5.75 rate for computers in other businesses. Bonds said the Stafford Technology Center near Eskimo Hill Road is designed to draw and distribute 1 gigawatt. Staats said Spotsylvania supervisors have approved six data-center developments plus two projects that could be developed as data centers, with 10 more projects in the pipeline.

Spanberger asks Congress for national AI rules

According to the Virginia Mercury, republished by the Fredericksburg Free Press, Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday sent a letter to congressional leaders asking for national artificial-intelligence rules covering safety, jobs, privacy and the resources used by AI infrastructure. Recipients were House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The letter did not propose specific federal legislation or a timetable. Spanberger last week signed Executive Order 22 creating a state AI task force and rolled out a data-center accountability framework. The Mercury noted Virginia hosts the world’s largest concentration of data centers. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday found 73 percent of respondents said AI companies had not done enough to prevent serious societal harm.

Survey: 51 percent of Virginia families with children report food insecurity

According to the Virginia Mercury, a survey commissioned by the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, the Virginia Department of Social Services and No Kid Hungry Virginia found 51 percent of families with children were food insecure. Researchers at the University of Chicago ran the survey with support from Virginia Tech. About 5,600 Virginians participated, using the USDA’s 18-item Household Food Security Survey Module.

Eighty-seven percent of food-insecure respondents said higher grocery prices were causing strain. The Mercury reported more than 100,000 Virginians lost SNAP benefits over the past year. Feed More CEO Dennis Hatchett said pantries in his network saw about a 20 percent increase in people seeking help while donations fell about 11 percent.

Three constitutional amendments stay on the Nov. 3 ballot

According to Cardinal News and the Virginia Department of Elections, voters statewide on Nov. 3 will decide three proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution. Question 1 would add language on prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management and fertility care, and would allow third-trimester limits except when the patient’s health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive.

Question 2 would remove the state’s 2006 same-sex marriage ban and add recognition of marriage between two consenting adults. Question 3 would make restoration of civil rights, including the vote, automatic for people who have completed their sentences. Cardinal News on Sept. 22 published a follow-up answering reader questions about how Virginia writes ballot language and why the state does not use citizen-led initiatives.

Fredericksburg says Mercer statue needs a full restore

According to Fredericksburg Patch, city officials now say the General Hugh Mercer statue at Fauquier Street and Washington Avenue likely needs complete corrosion removal and repatination rather than a limited touch-up. Answers to contractor questions after a Sept. 8 pre-bid conference said a touch-up “is not going to do it.”

The 1906 bronze by Edward V. Valentine honors the Revolutionary War general who practiced medicine in Fredericksburg. Quotes are due at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28. The amended solicitation runs through June 30, 2027. The city said the stone base should get a light-touch repair for active deterioration and moisture, not a rebuild, and that the surrounding curb is not in the project.

Fredericksburg Area Museum names new CEO

According to the Fredericksburg Free Press, the Fredericksburg Area Museum named Svetlana Legetic president and chief executive officer after a national search led by Good Insight. Legetic lives in Fredericksburg. Board chair Jon Gerlach said she brings executive and cultural experience and a commitment to the area.

Legetic most recently led global communications for Sol de Janeiro and its foundation and previously served on the executive team at ARTECHOUSE. She co-founded BYT Media, which operated in Washington and New York from 2006 to 2021. Clarissa Sanders, who served as interim president after Sam McKelvey resigned in September 2025, becomes director of programs and interpretation. The museum is at 907 Princess Anne Street and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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