(THE CENTER SQUARE) – Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin donated his third quarter salary, about $43,700, to a veteran-run nonprofit that provides services to veterans and students to help them transition to the workforce.
The governor presented the check to G3 Community Services at its Stafford headquarters during a news conference.
The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation broke ground for the expansion of Semper Fidelis Memorial Park.
The Marines will add 22 new memorials to the 23-acre park, located at the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico. Today, 40 memorials and more than a mile of trails overlook the museum.
The Patawomeck Tribe of Virginia sent a cease and desist letter after Stafford County Historical Society members questioned the tribe's authenticity.
Rick and Jerilynn MacGregor sent the letter to the tribe and the Stafford County Board of Supervisors in September 2022, questioning the legitimacy of the tribe, claiming that there is no documentation supporting the Patawomeck as a tribe indigenous to the region.
The letter was titled "Where is the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia Inc. Recognition Does Not Equal Legitimacy September 2022".
The tribe was granted recognition as a state-recognized tribe in 2010 by the Virginia General Assembly.
"The process through which the PITV obtained their state recognition reminds us of the little story of Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody," states the MacGregors in their letter. "Over the last 15 years or so, everybody assumed that somebody had done their "due diligence" to confirm the accuracy of the historical narrative espoused by the IPTV. From all we've seen thus far, nobody did."
The MacGregors also called into question the process in which the tribe received recognition through the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond rather than through the Virginia Council on Indians, which the tribe had applied to the council for recognition twice and was denied both times.
Rick MacGregor serves as the Stafford Historical Society President, while Jerilynn MacGregor serves as its secretary. The group is a non-profit organization dating back to 1965, charged with the historical education and preservation of Stafford County.
"We're upset about this. The tribe has tried to foster goodwill and provide education about the history of the Patawomeck," said Charlie Payne Jr., the tribe's lawyer. "The MacGregors have been invited to discuss the issue with the tribe but have declined the offer, this matter was settled back in 2010 by the General Assembly and we have historians that have looked over the evidence and support the tribe."
The tribe demanded the MacGregors stop the "dissemination of false and misleading information about the tribe" and threatened legal civil action and penalties for failure to comply.
The couple had been invited to talk to the Patawomeck regarding their questions as recently as May 2022 but declined the offer, said Payne. The lawyer also shared letters from historians at both the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg and American University in Washington D.C. that support the tribe's standing of legitimacy and dispute the claims of lack of documentation.
The letters from the college's historians, Danielle Moretti-Langholtz and Buck Woodard, respectively, show that documentation on the tribe exists through recorded interviews with tribe members who gave oral histories as well as reports from neighboring tribes such as the Pamunkey.
The letters also dispute the claims of legitimacy of Virginia tribes, especially under the auspices of the Virginia Council on Indians. Moretti-Langholtz writes in her letter that the council was never mandated to draw up criteria for recognition, to which no such standards were ever agreed upon.
Moretti-Langholtz sat on the council when she was appointed by then Governor Mark Warner in 203 and served until 2006. Moretti-Langholtz also mentioned that the council had been recently reconvened in Richmond to set up such criteria.
In June 2019, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors reached a lease deal with the Patawomeck Tribe to lease a part of Duff Green Park to build a cultural center and museum opened in the Summer 2022. The county also paid for improvements to the area, which included renovations for the Duff House estimated to cost $109,000 and various improvements to paths, roads, and gardens, which, combined with the upgrades, cost $334,000.
"The heritage and lineage of the tribe are well noted and recognized by the commonwealth and professors from noted universities. It's unfortunate that instead of working to unite Stafford in its diversity, some are choosing to be divisive," said George Washington District Supervisor Tom Coen.
According to the tribe, The Patawomeck tribe of Virginia Indians is based in Stafford County, along the Potomac River (Patawomeck is another spelling of Potomac). It is one of Virginia's 11 recognized Native American tribes.
The remnants of Hurricane Ian moving into our area today will bring rain and wind to the region for at least the next three days. Initially, the annual event was slated for tomorrow, Saturday, October 1, 2022, from 10 am to 5 pm.
Jubilee planners said this year’s event includes an assortment of fun for children and adults with over 100 craft and community booths, live music and entertainment, and food.
Increasing tax bills for Manassas residents is one reason Rick Bookwalter is running for City Council.
Bookwalter, a Republican, took issue with the city’s capital improvement plan, which, in recent weeks, has cost more than city leaders expected.
George Mason University was the last school of higher learning in Virginia to announce a tuition freeze after weeks of Younkin pushing schools across the state to leave costs flat amid rising inflation.
George Mason operates its base campus in Fairfax, and a satellite campus in Prince William County, just outside Manassas, focused on science and technology.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors held off on sending a letter to the Board of Local and Regional Jails that would express concerns about an ongoing study into inmate fees.
Under review fees to a telephone, visitation systems, and the cost inmates incur when purchasing items or services from jail commissaries.
According to the Rappahanock Regional Jail, inmates can pay for these goods and services via accounts set up for inmates, where family members and friends can deposit funds.
The Rappahannock Regional Jail Board Authority asked the Stafford County Board of Supervisors to send a letter outlining concerns regarding the study, which is looking into reducing or eliminating fees.
However, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors decided to hold off on sending the letter as some members were concerned about taking a particular position.
Aquia District Supervisor Monica Gary was concerned about its impact on residents with family members under incarceration and the economic effects it would have on them. Gary and Garrisonville District Supervisor Pamela Yueng felt that the letter was unfinished. To Yeung, the letter also seemed as though the Board of Supervisors opposed the study's recommendations.
"I'm not going to blindly send a letter to the board without knowing what the recommendations are," said Yeung.
The jail board authority believes that its general fund would be reduced, and the costs of any potential reductions would have to be made up by member localities of the authority, including Stafford.
Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and King George are the jurisdictions that have a seat on the jail authority.
The work group performing the study is scheduled to report its findings and recommendations to the Chairman of the House Committee on Rehabilitation and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services in the Virginia General Assembly on December 1, 2022.
The jail board esitmates that the cuts in any of these services or programs could result in a reduction of $2,727,525 from its general fund and its commissary purchase revenue by $625,576. The regional jail would also be required to pay for goods and services that would have been covered by inmate purchase revenues which would amount to $801,159.
The Rappahannock Regional Jail currently operates with a $43 million annual budget which comes from funding from its member localities.
The letter will be brought back as unfinished business at the board's next meeting on October 4, along with a summation of possible impacts of the jail.
(FREE LANCE-STAR/METERED PAYWALL) — Stafford County Public Schools this week took steps to strengthen its partnership with local elected officials by holding its first legislative summit.
Crews arrived to find the main business office fully involved in flames and smoke.
No injuries were reported.
