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Dumfries Town Council meeting recap: Pay raises all around

By Uriah Kiser
Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood

If money was a deterrent, running for a seat on the Dumfries Town Council now just became more lucrative.

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Virginia drops case against restaurant that defied governor’s coronavirus orders

By Rick Horner
Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, and Gourmeltz restaurant owners Maria and Matt Strickland. [Photo: Rick Horner/PLN]

The state dropped its case against a Fredericksburg-area restaurateur that defied orders to comply with Gov. Ralph Northam's coronavirus pandemic protocols.

The move comes after Spotsylvania County Circuit Court Judge Richard Rigual in March ruled in favor of the restaurant after the stated tried to shut it down for defying Northam's Executive order which, among other things, ordered restaurants to operate at 50% capacity, prevent anyone from bellying up to the bar, and to require customers and employees wear masks.

Gourmeltz, the diner known for its oversized grilled cheese sandwiches, defied the governor during the duration of the pandemic. Northam lifted the mask mandate for unvaccinated people on May 15 and all remaining coronavirus restrictions on May 28.

At a press conference held at the Gourmeltz restaurant today, owner Matt Strickland, his wife Maria, and their attorney former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, of Georgia, now the head of Liberty Guard, said the restaurant's health department license would soon be restored.

"I'm glad that things went the way they did," said Strickland," We stood up for our rights against the government, for the rights of other restaurants, for the rights of the community."

Stickland's attorney Bob Barr, whose organization Liberty Guard funded the defense, claimed victory in the case saying that if the Virginia Government decided to go after Strickland again on these matters that they were prepared to fight again. Liberty Guard provided pro-bono legal services to the restaurant, Strickland told PLN. 

Strickland, an Army veteran, refused to comply with the state's orders, calling them unconstitutional. In court, the state described the restaurant as a threat to the community. 

"So, last week, I was a 'substantial and imminent threat to the community,' and this week I'm good to go," said Strickland.

Gourmeltz received regional attention in February when hundreds of people, coming from as far away as Baltimore, lined up to dine at the restaurant, to support Strickland's business. 

Gourmeltz is located at 10013 Jefferson Davis Highway in Spotsylvania County.

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Merger to strengthen effort to build Stafford museum and cultural center

By Press Release

The Stafford County Historical Society is pleased to announce that it has voted to formally merge with the Stafford Museum and Cultural Center.  The merging of Stafford’s two preeminent historical/cultural organizations will strengthen efforts to build a museum and cultural center.

Since 1965 the Historical Society has been working towards building a museum that will showcase Stafford’s rich and abundant history to all county residents and visitors alike.  Whether it’s dinosaur tracks, Civil War encampments, sandstone quarries, colonial-era iron manufacturing, or mechanical flight, Stafford’s story is one that needs to be told, appreciated, and celebrated.

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Rock Hill volunteer fire company second to vanish in recent weeks

By Rick Horner

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors dissolved its relationship with the Rock Hill Volunteer Fire Department  Rescue Squad due to a lack of membership.

The department had provided fire and rescue services in the Rock Hill area since 1976. However, over the last three months, the department has been unable to function due to the "non-participation of at least 20 effective members," according to information provided during a recent Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Today, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors will vote on a plan to lease the old department's building, at 2133 Garrisonville Road, for $1 a year for 1o years. Meanwhile, paid career fire and rescue staff members from the Stafford County Government will fill the space once occupied by volunteers.

Under a lease between the county and the members of the volunteer fire rescue squad corporation, the taxpayers will foot the bill for all insurance and utilities on the building. They'll also be on the hook for $300,000 in needed building repairs.

The Rock Hill Volunteer Rescue Squad Fire Company, located about a mile from the station, is still in operation.

The Rock Hill Volunteer Fire Department is the second volunteer company to be dissolved in recent weeks. Rock Hill rescue joins the Stafford Volunteer Rescue Squad which has been defunct since 2018 but has now been officially shut down.  While the department's volunteers are gone, a crew of paid career staff now occupied the building.

*This post has been corrected. 

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Lessons learned during Occoquan Artisan Market; 2 more markets planned

By Uriah Kiser
Photo: Town of Occoquan – Government Facebook page

You can call it a successful test run.

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New traffic signal at Mine Road, Austin Ridge Drive

By Press Release

A new traffic signal will be activated next week at the intersection of Route 1486 (Austin Ridge Drive), Coastal Avenue, and Route 684 (Mine Road) in Stafford County.

To allow motorists time to adjust to the presence of the new traffic signal, it will be activated in flash mode on Tuesday, June 1, and will continue to flash through Thursday, June 3.

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Move ahead with capitol riot commission, anyway, Connolly urges Biden

By Potomac Local News

Rep. Gerry Connolly says President Joe Biden should push ahead and create his own version of a January 6 commission to investigate a riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“In light of the GOP’s cowardly filibuster of a bipartisan January 6th Commission, I urge President Biden to form and appoint a Presidential Commission to fully investigate the insurrection at the United States Capitol, to identify the individuals and organizations who plotted or were involved in those violent acts, and to make recommendations to prevent such an attack from ever recurring,” Connolly penned in an email.

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Dumfries officials propose third pay hike since 2019

By Uriah Kiser
Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood

Elected officials in Dumfries have voted to give themselves a raise each year for the past three years.

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