April 14, 2021
Our 204th year | Vol. 204, No. 15 | www.Fauquier.com | $1.50
FALCONS RULE IN VOLLEYBALL, Sports, Pages 15-17
‘Even in death, they have to fight for a name’ Family members worry historically Black and Native American cemeteries in Thoroughfare are threatened by development, a claim landowners deny By Cher Muzyk and Jill Palermo
Contributing Writer /Times Staff Writer
Frank Washington says he has visited ancestors buried in family cemeteries in Thoroughfare since he was a child, riding his bike on the road past grave sites that date back to the 1800s. A few weeks ago, on that same road, Washington found a locked gate, a no-trespassing sign, and the dirt road to one of the family plots blocked by a large mound of gravel. The family received no notice of a change in circumstance, and Washington said they were threatened with a lawsuit if they chose to bury anyone else in the cemetery. “There was no respect for us when this road was closed off. There was no consideration of how it felt not being able to continue to work on our gravesites, to pay our respects, and to show pride in those lines that had gone before us,” Washington said. Local landowners, however, dispute those claims, saying the cemeteries have remained accessible to family members and descendants as required by state law. See CEMETERIES, page 8
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/ROBIN EARL
Victoria Price Price said her ancestors include Black and indigenous Americans with ties to Thoroughfare. At the press conference, she handed out copies of the historical marker on Va. Route 55 titled, “Free People of Color at Thoroughfare.”
Council members signal support for draft Warrenton comp plan “I think there’s a general consensus that we’re going to fire up the bulldozers tomorrow and start connecting roads. I don’t think that’s the intent of the plan.” TOWN COUNCILMAN JAMES HARTMAN
By Coy Ferrell
Times Staff Writer
Former Warrenton resident given life sentence for January 2020 murder By Coy Ferrell
Times Staff Writer
The proposed 20-year Warrenton comprehensive plan has garnered fierce opposition from local conservation groups and many members of the public. But at a work session Tuesday afternoon, town council members – aside from Ward 2 Councilman Bill Semple -- expressed little willingness to alter the current draft plan. A public hearing was held Tuesday evening, after press time. Council members cited what they saw as “misconceptions” and “misinformation” about the draft plan in explaining their support. The current draft was recommended by planning commissioners on Feb. 16 on a 5 to 1 vote.
Emily Race, 20, was sentenced to life in prison Monday for her role in the Jan. 8, 2020 armed-robbery-turned-homicide in Warrenton that left Fabian Sosa dead and two others severely injured. A co-defendant in the case, Alexander Golden, 19, was sentenced to 68 years in prison earlier Monday. The two triggermen in the shooting, Jaden Staples, 19, and Antonio Ogburn, 19, were each sentenced in February to life in prison. Fabian Sosa, 27, was shot to death in his sleep about 4 a.m. Jan. 8, 2020. Sosa’s younger brother and another occupant of the apartment were each shot multiple times; the younger Sosa brother
See COMP PLAN, page 6
See LIFE SENTENCE, page 10
Fauquier County Parks & Rec opens a new walking trail. See page 4
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