SPORTS: Kettle Run football wins, Fauquier loses, Solheim Cup coverage. PAGES 14, 15, 17 September 18, 2024
Our 207th year | Vol. 207, No. 39 | www.Fauquier.com | $2.00 VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION: BEST SMALL NEWSPAPER IN VIRGINIA 2017-2023
Changes coming to Main Street thanks to new state funds Project has been scaled back due to increased costs
By Cher Muzyk Staff Writer
By Tate Hewitt Staff Writer
Warrenton is scaling back a plan to improve the town’s Main Street, but, at the same time, plans to move ahead soon with a long-stalled project to increase walkability and accessibility in Old Town. Town council members approved the Main Street Improvement Project in August 2019, but funding delays and rising costs have kept the project on hold. Now, with the help of $628,000 from the Virginia Department of Transportation, the project could launch by 2026. The grant money will ultimately pay for two large road projects in Old Town: redesigning Main Street and repaving sections of Falmouth and Main streets and Alexandria Pike. Town Manager Frank Cas-
Judge orders convicted dog breeder jailed until sentencing
— no funding from the town,” Wharton said of one state grant, which provides $628,659 to cover the costs of repaving parts of Falmouth and Main streets and Alexandria Pike.
A judge revoked bond for Fauquier County dog breeder Irina Barrett Thursday and sent her to jail to await sentencing on 60 misdemeanor counts of FILE PHOTO cruelty to animals. Irina Barrett A jury found Barrett guilty of animal abuse last November, but she’d since been out of jail on bond. Barrett’s sentencing had already been delayed once and was set to happen Thursday, Sept. 12. Instead, it was put off until Oct. 10 due to a series of dramatic developments in the case, including a motion from her defense attorney, asking Fauquier County Circuit Court Judge James Plowman Jr. to allow him to withdraw from Barrett’s defense. Plowman granted the move because Barrett sent the judge a letter without her attorney’s knowledge. Though he didn’t read the letter, the judge said, Barrett’s version of events is “completely divorced from reality.”
See MAIN STREET, page 9
See BARRETT, page 8
PHOTO BY PETE SMITH
Warrenton town officials had planned to put off some of its improvement plans for Main Street but a a just-received grant from the state might get some of the work back on track to be completed sooner. sidyand project coordinator Michael Wharton pressed the council at a work session last week on the importance of coordinating the two projects, which would allow the town to double dip on state funds. “This is 100% VDOT funding
Virginia schools monitoring increased threats on social media Schools encourage parents to talk to kids about seriousness of making threats online By Meghan Mangrum Deputy Editor
Several school districts in Virginia have been affected in recent weeks by threats of violence — mostly made on social media. The concerns put schools on high alert following the Sept. 4 shooting at a high school in Georgia that left two students and two teachers dead.
Increased threats
Fauquier County Public Schools notified families on Sept. 11 that the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office was actively monitoring social media posts “circulating across the country concerning potential threats of school violence.” “Please know that the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office is actively monitoring the situation, and we are in constant communication with them to stay informed on any developments,” school officials said in a
Read more about how Fauquier County Public Schools aims to keep students safe at fauquier.com. message sent to families. Culpeper County Public Schools also notified parents that school officials were aware of a threat circulating broadly on social media in several states that was determined not to pose a credible threat to local schools. Nearby Rappahannock County
Public Schools officials were also on high alert on Sept. 10 after they were “made aware of a social media post about a possible school threat regarding buses,” according to a Facebook post. The school division subsequently increased law enforcement presence at its elementary school and high school, though Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie Compton determined the threat was not credible. See SCHOOL, page 9
Strong Towns leads talks on housing and growth, page 5
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