News

The Stafford County School Board held a special meeting on Wednesday, November 10 to introduce its new superintendent, Dr. Thomas Taylor.

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Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) took a tour of the Walker-Grant Center in Downtown Fredericksburg, where pre-school age children learn, to promote the education and workforce portion of the White House’s “Build Back Better” plan.

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Good weather and a bald eagle flying overhead helped to make a pleasant experience for large crowds that gathered to watch the 12th Annual Northern Virginia Veterans Day Parade held in Downtown Manassas.

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Business

When Bill Edwards was about to leave the U.S. Army after a 12-year-career he never would have guessed that it would lead to operating a business where he'd chase geese away.

A former infantryman with a degree in Human Environmental Science, Edwards had many options that would allow him a good livelihood once he entered into civilian life. One option that caught his eye was entrepreneurship, a word that Edwards himself says he'd never heard until that moment.

As he looked into that option, Edwards learned that one path would be to open a franchise. This was a path that Edwards balked at since, to his knowledge, franchise equaled fast food which was a market which he had no interest in. But when he learned of the wider world that word encompassed Edwards found one franchise that caught his eye.

Geese Chasers has a simple business, to get rid of geese that are being a nuisance in a particular area. First opened in 1999, Geese Chasers has opened locations across the country in states like Alabama, Georgia, and New Jersey to name a few. The company has also been profiled on various national news media as well as shows like Animal Planet.

The method used by Geese Chasers is to use trained dogs, specifically border collies, to chase the geese away from beaches, lakes, and various public areas when they become a nuisance. According to Edwards, border collies are preferred because they can mimic the pattern of natural predators which the geese's natural sense of danger is attuned to. Border Collies are also herding dogs so they'll just chase the geese instead of hunting them down.

This method of dispersing the geese is considered safe and humane because they don't hunt the birds down to eliminate them, in spite of the fact of the potential issues they can cause.

Edwards has found enjoyment in his line of work after the military, he enjoys taking Anna-Liz, his three-year-old border collie, out to chase the geese The company purchased from a dog breeder and paired her with Edwards. Geese Chasers trained Anna-Liz and took to commands well. She's also a strong swimmer and is battle-tested, indicated by a small scar on her bottom lip.

Edwards takes the opportunity to engage with the public and explains the value of a company like his, especially when it comes to public health.

"Imagine that the geese are in the parking lot of a food processing plant, they mess up the area and people walk into work despite all that mess and now there's a potentially national health concern that's happening. We go in there and chase the geese off and make sure that won't happen."

Edwards and Anna-Liz currently cover the Northern Virginia area and can be hired to get rid of geese wherever they may be a nuisance. In addition to getting rid of the geese, Geese Chasers will also remove eggs from the area.

"When geese find a place that they haven't been shooed away from, they tend to nest in those areas," says Edwards. "Once we chase the geese out we find the eggs and remove them from the area so they don't come back."

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Business

An institution in furniture delivery in Prince William County today celebrated its expansion by opening a new building.

Fidelitone, a national supply chain management firm, will open a new building near Gainesville to expand its abilities as a last-mile hub. The company specializes in delivering everything from beds to ottomans.

The company has had a presence in the city since it first opened the original last mile hub in 1999. Currently, the hub's workforce consists of over 40 percent of residents from the area.

According to a press release by the Prince William Chamber of Commerce, the new hub will have 80 percent more space and delivery capacity to fulfill customer needs. Fidelitone is a third-party company that transports furniture and mattresses from retailers to their customer's homes.

While plans to move the operation had been in the works for some time, according to Chief Marketing Officer Joe Giglio, it wasn't until September 2020 that a suitable facility was found to already be under construction less than four miles from its old location at 7898 Notes Drive.

"We expect to continue to grow with local furniture and mattress retailers as well as national retailers looking to deliver to customers in the Northern VA and [Washington, D.C.] area," says Giglio.

Fidelitone first opened operations in 1928. The company's services include inbound logistics, order fulfillment, and their last-mile delivery service, which first began in 1979 and included delivery to Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. Fidelitone currently has over 40 locations across the United States which include locations in Richmond and Baltimore.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 11:30 a.m. at the last mile hub's new location at 8511 Virginia Meadows Drive.

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News

Residents of the Hartwood and Garrisonville districts of Stafford County came out in the rain to make their choices at the ballot.

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A plan to build 25 new homes in Hartwood did not get the blessing of the Stafford County Planning Commission.

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News

The Fredericksburg Police Department is considering a political sign getting spray-painted with a swastika an act of vandalism, says a spokesman for Tara Durant for Delegate.

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Originals

Enrollment in Stafford County Schools has recovered after a loss of students due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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