I'm the Fredericksburg Regional Editor, covering Stafford and Fredericksburg. If you have tips, story ideas, or news, send me an email!
I'm the Fredericksburg Regional Editor, covering Stafford and Fredericksburg. If you have tips, story ideas, or news, send me an email!
Stafford County Parks, Recreation and Tourism is hosting its annual Candy Cane Hunt on Government Island on December 14. The family-friendly event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and registration is required in order to receive the activities bag, which contains the scavenger hunt information.
Giant candy canes will be hidden in the woods throughout the island. Participants can use a scavenger hunt map provided by Stafford Tourism to mark off their finds.
The Fredericksburg Free Press reports a developer plans to demolish a portion of the Greenbrier Shopping Center and put in mixed-use buildings.
The shopping center was formerly home to Burlington Coat Factory, now in Central Park, and Big Lots, which closed and has not been replaced. Several small businesses, including Taj Indian and Two Times New, still reside there. In March, Taj owner Sandeep Singh said he was not aware of any plans to develop the center that would affect the long-standing restaurant, and as of November 13, he had not been notified of any plans.
Stafford County and Fredericksburg City Fire departments responded to a structure fire on Warrenton Road on December 3.
On December 1st, Stafford deputies pursued and apprehended two suspects connected to an armed robbery in Fredericksburg. A red pickup truck, identified in a BOLO alert, was spotted by Deputy D.S. Jett. The driver refused to stop, leading to a chase through multiple roads until the truck was cornered in a residential area. The driver, Jermaine Koonce, 32, was detained after deputies deployed pepper balls. He admitted to driving under the influence and resisting arrest to smoke a cigarette.
The passenger, Dion Parker, 24, fled on foot but was tracked by K-9 Titan and located using a drone. He was apprehended in nearby woods. Both suspects were confirmed as those suspected to be involved in the robbery. Koonce faces multiple charges, including felony eluding and DUI, while Parker is charged with eluding, property destruction, and public intoxication. Additional robbery charges will be filed in Fredericksburg. Both are held without bond.
The George Washington Foundation’s (GWF) 38th annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit returns to the Visitor Center at Ferry Farm this December, inviting creative confections with the theme “Holidays: Past, Present, & Future”.
GWF Public Programs Manager Allison Ellis said the event began at Historic Kenmore, the foundation’s first historic property, in the 1930s after the Kenmore Association and the Washington-Lewis Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution found Mary Washington’s gingerbread recipe. The pair collaborated with the Dromedary Cake Mix Company to produce mixes based on the original recipe, with a portion of the proceeds returning to the Kenmore Association and its efforts to preserve Historic Kenmore.
Several Spotsylvania County Public Schools (SCPS) bus drivers noticed a regular visitor with a shabby coat. The team saw a fox that seemed to be missing a lot of fur and sent a video to FoxTales Wildlife Rehab. CEO and Founder Elizabeth Negron said the video confirmed the fox was in moderately bad condition, so her team helped set up a trap and coordinated with the transportation crew to make sure the trap was checked regularly.
After weeks of waiting, the Spotsylvania bus team let Negron know the fox was trapped around 7 a.m. on Nov. 18. She had just finished a 12-hour overnight shift as a hospital imaging technician and drove straight to the trap by 9 a.m. Spotsylvania County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment.