SPORTS: The USA vs. Europe Solheim Cup women’s golf tourney is coming to Gainesville next month. PAGES 8-9. August 14, 2024
Our 207th year | Vol. 207, No. 34 | www.Fauquier.com | $2.00 VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION: BEST SMALL NEWSPAPER IN VIRGINIA 2017-2023
As cats multiply in summer months, Piedmont area shelters struggle to keep up Fauquier County has advantages but still feels like it’s losing the battle By Kate Seltzer
Contributing Writer
It’s impossible to know how many free-roaming cats are in Fauquier County, but you can bet that it’s more than you’d guess. The number is certainly in the thousands. One report estimates Virginia has as many as 2.1 million free-roaming cats, about half of which are unowned, based on a model used by researchers at University of California-Davis. All those cats pose a significant threat to local wildlife and public health, and the problem is worsening. But the situation in Fauqui-
er County could be worse, said Devon Settle, executive director of the Fauquier SPCA. “Even though the cat population is at a crisis level, and it has been for quite a while, even though we are very overpopulated in Fauquier and surrounding counties, we actually have a lot more resources in Fauquier and Loudoun and Fairfax,” she said. “It’s worse the farther south you go because they don’t have the resources that we have to even attempt to deal with the problem.” The Fauquier SPCA, for instance, offers a low-cost spay and neuter program for cat owners who could not otherwise afford it and for homeless animals. It’s an important See CATS, page 4
PHOTO BY FLORENCE SHEN
A volunteer plays with kittens at the Fauquier SPCA earlier this summer. Cat populations surge with the birth of kittens each spring and summer.
School libraries will alert a parent every time a child checks out an item By Meghan Mangrum Deputy Editor
PHOTO COURTESY OF MV+A ARCHITECTS
Town Council could vote Tuesday on Warrenton Village Center housing project The Warrenton Town Council held a public hearing Tuesday for a project that could radically rebuild the Warrenton Village Center as apartments, shops and public spaces. The proposal calls for nearly 400 apartments, townhomes and new commercial space off Broadview Avenue and Oak Springs Drive, with 54 of those housing units earmarked as affordable housing. Some argue the development could meet the growing need for more housing in the town. Others worry it is “too modern” or belongs in Northern Virginia — not in Fauquier County. Council members could vote whether to approve the project on Tuesday or defer the vote a month. Visit fauquier.com for updates from Tuesday’s meeting
All Fauquier County Public Schools parents will be alerted every time their child checks something out from the school library this school year. The move comes as some parents want greater control over what materials their children can access at school — and as educators balance increasing demands and responsibilities. Last school year, parents or caregivers were able to opt-in to be notified each time their student checked out an item. But school officials said the process for notifying parents — which required librarians to check if each student’s parents had opted in and then manually send an alert — was too arduous and time-consuming for educators. “We want to maximize the impact of our librarians,” David Kuzma, instructional supervisor for history and library and media services for the division, said at a June
FILE PHOTO
In recent years, many parents have wanted greater control over the materials their children have access to at school. school board meeting. “There’s a lot of procedure involved (in the process). A lot of mistakes and it takes up a lot of time, too, so eliminating that process will allow our librarians to spend more time assisting our students in research and in curriculum with teachers.” See LIBRARY, page 4
A little hunting can yield big savings at The Open Box, page 5
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