FALMOUTH, Va. – A Falmouth woman is pushing back against a county order to shut down a small farm stand on her property, saying the structure is part of a broader effort to preserve the agricultural lifestyle that once defined Stafford County.

Stefanie Hughes, a fifth-generation Stafford County resident, erected a 4-by-8-foot shed on her five-acre property on Brooke Road over Memorial Day weekend to sell eggs, herbal tea, compost, sunflowers, seasonal produce, and baked goods like blueberry scones. The makeshift wayside stand, built from leftover lumber, was up for just over a week when a cease-and-desist letter arrived in the mail on May 30.

STAFFORD, Va. – Stafford County is applying for federal funding that would allow it to hire 12 new firefighters to staff one of its three understaffed fire stations.

Fire Chief Joe Cardello on Tuesday asked the Board of Supervisors to approve an application for the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant, a FEMA-administered program aimed at helping local governments expand emergency services. If awarded, the grant would cover most of the cost of hiring a dozen full-time firefighters for three years.