Smithfield, VA man arrested for soliciting underage victims in Front Royal
Argument leads to fatal shooting in Frederick County
School Board member urges County supervisors to allot remaining funds to school division
Motorcyclist lone fatality in 3 vehicle Clarke County accident
Six arrests in forged gaming ticket scam announced by FRPD
After hour delay to achieve a quorum, council quickly approves three CUP requests, two for Short-Term Rentals, before convening to work session
Broadband service expansion timeline, costs presented to supervisors prior to Closed Session, including discussion of ‘abolition’ of a sanitary district and non-annexation agreement with Town
Town to spend nearly $33,000 on new compensation study
McFadden cites Town Code to question legal authority of mayor regarding Town personnel matters – But does it really matter?
McFadden reacts to council move to fill his vacant seat – and considers paths forward
Town Talk: A conversation with Lt. Robbie Seal and Sgt Terry Fritts – Warren County Sheriff’s Office
Town Talk: A conversation with Fern Vazquez, Christy McMillin-Goodwin, and Rick Hewett – CHEO Community Garden
Town Talk: A conversation with Tony Carter, Archivist – Warren Heritage Society
Town Talk: A conversation with Michelle Ross, Michal Ashby and Erin Rooney – Samuels Public Library – September Activities
Town Talk: A conversation with Lorne Fyfe, Rivermont Baptist Church – Fall Festival on September 10, 2022
Hometown Faces: Meet Scott Reid
Hometown Faces: Meet Suzanne Silek
Hometown Faces: Meet John Marlow
Hometown Faces: Meet Harry Bowen – soon to be 100
WATCH: Faces of Our Valley – Selah Theatre Project, Glory Bea!
Local Republican James Bergida enters race for Virginia Senate District 1
Meet the Candidates: Delores R. Oates, Virginia House of Delegates, District 31
Meet the Candidates: Merritt Hale, US Congress, 6th District
Lance Allen announces candidacy for Virginia’s First Senate District
Meet the Candidates: Robert Hupman announces for Virginia Senate seat in new District 1
‘Riopalooza’ celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month & Shenandoah Watershed this Saturday at Elizabeth Furnace Rec Area noon to 6 PM
Save the Date: Third annual Vera Bradley Bag Bingo Fundraiser – Friday, October 7th
Real Estate and Community News (August/September 2022) with Jen Avery, REALTOR
Samuels Library to celebrate the life of long-time employee
Smithfield, VA man arrested for soliciting underage victims in Front Royal
Six arrests in forged gaming ticket scam announced by FRPD
Skeletal remains found in suspicious circumstance identified as Shannon Lee Fox
Ressie Jeffries Elementary School placed in lockdown
Front Royal Police respond to brandishing incident at Royal Plaza
Smithfield, VA man arrested for soliciting underage victims in Front Royal
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 9/12/2022
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 8/29/2022
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 8/22/2022
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 8/15/2022
Legal Notice: Hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection
EDA: Request for Qualifications for the provision of debt collection legal services
EDA: Invitation to bid; roof replacement
Special Commissioners Sale Saturday, October 5, 2019: Two adjoining tracts 42 & 41 acres
Front Royal Town Council accepting resumes for vacant council seat
UPDATE: Paving continues on North Royal Avenue
Town Notice: Road closure – North Commerce Avenue, 6th Street to Royal Avenue; paving continues
Town Notice: Road closure – North Royal Avenue and 6th Street
Town Notice: Paving on North Royal starts July 18
Poe joins EDA civil defendants in motions to nullify civil liability verdicts; Tran counsel granted additional time to file their motion to overturn jury verdict
FR-WC EDA finalizes $5.7-million sale of Baugh Drive warehouse to Shahi Foods
Warren County EDA tackles multi-faceted August meeting Action Agenda
EDA Board Chairman Jeff Browne reacts to July civil litigation results ordering total of over $13.35 million paid to the County Economic Development Authority
Jury awards WC EDA $11.9 million-plus in civil compensatory claims against ITFederal and Truc ‘Curt’ Tran
EDA Board Chairman Jeff Browne reacts to July civil litigation results ordering total of over $13.35 million paid to the County Economic Development Authority
Jury awards WC EDA $11.9 million-plus in civil compensatory claims against ITFederal and Truc ‘Curt’ Tran
EDA civil liability defendant ‘Curt’ Tran on witness stand for over 4-1/2 hours as trial heads into final day
EDA vs. Tran/ITFederal civil liability and counterclaim trial heads into third day with defense poised to call final series of witnesses
First day of $11-million EDA vs. ‘Curt’ Tran civil liability trial concludes
Chamber welcomes Kells Belles to Front Royal
Chamber welcomes Garcia & Gavino to Front Royal
Local Senior Center reopens with new location and new name
Quality Title moves to a new home in Front Royal
Grand re-opening & ribbon cutting at Royal Cinemas
Warner & Kaine secure nearly $135 million for Virginia in Senate FY2023 budget bills
Warner & Kaine celebrate Inflation Reduction Act becoming law
Warner & Kaine announce more than $2.1 million in funding to address COVID-19 in rural Virginia communities
Kaine, Murkowski, Sinema, and Collins introduce legislation to codify Roe v. Wade
Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline – July 29, 2022
U.S. Senate delays same-sex marriage vote until after midterm elections
Maryland becomes haven for out-of-state abortion seekers, providers
U.S. senators criticize federal health officials for lagging monkeypox response
U.S. Senate Republicans shy away from proposed 15-week national abortion ban
Biden pitches ‘moonshot’ to cut the number of cancer deaths in half
Attorney General Miyares urges President Biden to classify fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction
Youngkin administration overhauls Virginia transgender student policies
A UVA rebate for undergrads and more Va. headlines
After years of effort, Virginia is giving lower-income workers a major tax break
Governor Glenn Youngkin announces unemployment rate at pre-pandemic level, nearly 2,000 fewer Virginians unemployed in the month of August
Playoff Game 2 : Front Royal Cardinals vs Woodstock River Bandits – July 27
Rescheduled: Front Royal Cardinals vs Strasburg Express – Monday, July 25
Front Royal Cardinals vs Purceville Cannons – Thursday, July 21
Front Royal Cardinals vs New Market Rebels – Sunday, July 24
CANCELED: Valley Baseball League: All Star Game at the “Bing” – Sunday, July 17th
WCHS vs Harrisonburg – Girls Volleyball – September 15, 2022
WCHS JV vs Fauquier County – September 14, 2022
WCHS JV Football: Warren County vs Strasburg – September 8
WCHS vs Hedgesville – Varsity Football – September 2
WCHS vs Sherando – Girls Volleyball – August 29
Skyline High School Graduation – Saturday, May 28, 2022
Skyline High School Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony
Baccalaureate service for graduating seniors
Skyline vs Independence High School, February 12, 2021 at 6 PM in the third round of the Region 3B Basketball Tournament
Skyline vs James Monroe High School, February 9, 2021 at 6 PM in the second round of the Region 3B Basketball Tournament
Warren County Middle School vs Skyline Middle School – Girls Basketball, October 4, 2021
Warren County Middle School vs Frederick County Middle School – Girls Basketball, September 27, 2021
Warren County Middle School vs Daniel Morgan Middle School – Girls Basketball, September 23, 2021
Warren County Middle School vs Admiral Richard E. Byrd Middle School – Girls Basketball, September 20th, 2021
Warren County Middle School Academic Honors Ceremony – 8th Grade
Warren County Middle School vs Skyline Middle School – Girls Basketball, October 4, 2021
Skyline Middle School Academic Honors Ceremony – 8th Grade
Skyline Middle School Academic Honors Ceremony – 7th Grade
Skyline Middle School Academic Honors Ceremony – 6th Grade
Skyline Middle School vs Daniel Morgan, June 3rd – Girls Volleyball
Hilda J. Barbour Elementary School – 5th Grade Graduation Event
WATCH: E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School – 5th Grade Graduation Parade
WATCH: Ressie Jeffries Elementary School – 5th Grade Graduation Parade
WATCH: Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School – 5th Grade Graduation Parade
House selling: should you ever disclose the details of a competing offer?
Good news for buyers as home prices cool
Should you buy an existing home or build new?
The pros and cons of refinancing your mortgage
Buying a home within your means: what does it mean?
OPEN HOUSE: 159 High Point Court, Front Royal – This Saturday, April 2nd
House for sale: 159 High Point Court, Front Royal
House for sale: 104 Foam Flower, Lake Frederick
Property for sale: 425 N Royal Ave, Front Royal – Watch the tour!
House for sale: 361 Walnut Drive, Front Royal – Watch the tour!
Start your day with a smile
Start your day with a smile
Start your day with a smile
Start your day with a smile
Start your day with a smile
The infamous chorizo tweet and what it teaches
Astronauts lose bone in space
What you need when hunting migratory birds
What to do when a relative asks for money
Steak Night: The Great Beefsteak Raid of 1864
To Censor or not to Censor, that is a Difficult Question
The Cracked Acorn: The Bible
The Cracked Acorn: The Un-Truth
The Cracked Acorn: Time Wings
The Cracked Acorn: 2 or more
Should I Choose Passion or Duty?
Why we should be ‘Babyish’ in Love
The School of Life: How to Stop Playing Games in Love
The School of Life: How You Can Be Too Clever
Looking Back: A Mothers Revenge – Hannah Duston
Ben Franklin and his miraculous lightning rod
The Year Without A Summer : “Eighteen Hundred & Froze To Death”
America’s veterans remembered and honored for their service across the years
How much do you know about Veterans Day?
5 meaningful ways to celebrate Veterans Day
5 ways to celebrate Veterans Day
The 11hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – Veterans Day 2020
Real Estate and Community News (August/September 2022) with Jen Avery, REALTOR
Real Estate and Community News (July/August 2022) with Jen Avery, REALTOR
Donations to aid Kentucky still accepted at Aders Insurance Agency
Rugged Terrain Crossfit takes home the trophy at the Waggin’ for Dragons 2022 race
Community groups and businesses donate almost 500 backpacks
The Rotary Club of the Northern Shenandoah Valley hosting blood drive
Help replenish the blood supply after holiday weekend
Community Blood Drive to be held this Wednesday, March 3rd
Santa Claus is coming to Town, Warren County!
A “COVID Christmas” message from Santa
Warren Heritage Society announces the publication of their newest book, “Coming Together”
Send bracelets to quarantined residents of Commonwealth Assisted Living in Front Royal through WeAreSPACE.org
Warren’s Heritage: Native American History-Part 10
Warren’s Heritage: Native American History-Part 9
Warren’s Heritage: Native American History-Part 8
Breakfast with Barry Lee – Dishing out ample servings of positivity, humor, and community spirit.
Odd jobs: How the mud man makes baseballs fly right
Cloud computing: the environmental impact of the virtual world
How buying local can help your business
Before Amazon, Sears disrupted retail
Canning history: How canned food revolutionized society
Tips for negotiating a salary proposal
Demand for truckers is on the rise
Immigrants: transfer your skills to boost your career
Thorough preparation makes all the difference
How to know if you’re buying local food
Local producers: Barriers to buying local
Apple and salt pork pie satisfies the sweet tooth
How to safely handle and cook poultry
Agriculture: What does it mean to “make the rounds”?
What’s community-supported agriculture (CSA)?
How to safely handle and cook poultry
Vilsack: America’s voluntary approach to agriculture is better than Europe’s mandates
September is Cholesterol Education Month: Time to check up on LDLs and HDLs
Meat diet draws fire; proponents defend
Astronauts lose bone in space
4 tips for a successful manicure
Overview of the main types of diabetes
4 ways to store your kitchen knives
What to do if a fire breaks out
3 reasons to consider polished concrete for your kitchen
Lovely red vines hold poison
How to choose a smoke alarm
Alcohol consumption as a senior: 3 risk factors
10 ways for seniors to keep busy
5 ideas for a dream retirement vacation
4 symptoms you shouldn’t ignore
Create your own book in 5 steps
Do you know Louis Braille?
5 tips for camping in your backyard
3 ways to have fun with soap bubbles
How well do you know your summer sports?
Shedding in dogs: what you need to know
Preventive care: How to keep cats and dogs healthy
5 tips for driving with your pet this summer
What you need to know about head pressing in pets
Can you teach your dog to speak?
5 ideas for a dream retirement vacation
How to prepare for a solo trip
5 good reasons to book your cruise early
How to inspect your vehicle’s oil in 7 easy steps
5 car noises you should never ignore
Today’s economy dictates a new way of driving
One flaw made Tesla’s autos easy to steal
5 car noises you should never ignore
Demand for truckers is on the rise
How to safely handle and cook poultry
Independence Day quiz: patriotic quotes
Why Independence Day is celebrated on July 4
National Chicken Month is celebrated every September in the United States. Chicken eggs and meat are packed with tasty, nutritional goodness and are a great addition to your family’s meals. However, you must follow certain safety precautions to prevent food poisoning when handling and preparing chicken. Here’s what you need to know.
How to prevent food poisoning Salmonella and Campylobacter are leading causes of bacterial foodborne illness, which frequently contaminate raw poultry. Each year, thousands of people suffer food poisoning because of these pathogens. Although most healthy people may only feel mildly unwell for a day or two, children, seniors, and immunocompromised people may experience severe complications from food poisoning.
Here are a few tips to ensure you and your family don’t get sick from eating chicken:
• Buy your chicken near the end of your shopping trip and store it in your fridge or freezer as soon as you get home. • Avoid buying chicken past its “best if used by” date. • Don’t buy chicken in ripped or leaking packaging. • Don’t rinse your chicken before preparing it. This could spread bacteria elsewhere in your kitchen. • Never eat raw or insufficiently cooked chicken. Make sure a whole bird reaches an internal temperature of 180 F and pieces reach 165 F.
This year, celebrate National Chicken Month by looking for new and delicious ways to prepare poultry.
What’s community-supported agriculture (CSA)?
Don’t chicken out on this poultry pop quiz
3 fascinating facts about American chicken
When you do your daily chores on the farm, you might say you’re “making the rounds.” These tasks often revolve around animal production. However, the duties performed depend on various factors, including the species and season. Here are the most common farm chores.
Checking the health status of animals Whether the farm focuses on dairy or meat production, checking the health status of the animals is very important. Animals that appear to be ill should immediately be examined by a veterinarian.
Milking cows Automatic milking machines now dominate the dairy industry. However, some small farms continue to milk their cows by hand.
Cleaning and maintenance The bedding must be replaced, and the trays that collect chicken and rabbit droppings must be emptied. Moreover, all the milking equipment must be washed and sanitized. This list depends on the number of different animal species and the size of the farm.
Distributing food and water Farmers must bring their livestock new feed and supply them with fresh, clean water.
These chores only glimpse what farmworkers must do to produce high-quality food you can enjoy all year. Supporting local farms is the best way to thank these men and women for their essential work.
The chores must be done once or twice a day depending on the type of farm and the animals raised.
If you want to make buying locally a part of your shopping habits, one of the best ways is to sign up to become part of a community-supported agriculture (CSA) organization. Here’s what you need to know.
What is it? CSA is a growing movement that involves purchasing a share in the season’s harvest in advance. The farmer benefits from a guaranteed income, and the consumer, in return, enjoys fresh and tasty products. Food goes directly from the producer to the consumer rather than being transported through a long and costly distribution chain. Removing the intermediary allows farmers to get a fair price for their products, unlike traditional delivery and sales mechanisms that often pressure their profit margins.
Community-supported agriculture allows consumers to enjoy fresh in-season produce. It also makes them more mindful of their dependence on the ecosystem. For example, they understand that a less fruitful harvest due to poor weather conditions or pest invasions can impact the amount of food they get. This spreads the risk more evenly between farmers and consumers.
You can find a CSA program near you by browsing the internet.
The agriculture industry is indispensable, affecting both food supply and tourism. It presents various interesting job opportunities, some of which are less well-known. Here are four that might surprise you.
1. Mushroom growers are responsible for managing mushroom and compost production. They must also follow quality control procedures. Their schedule is variable and depends on the needs of the crop.
2. Orchard pruners trim apple trees in the summer and winter. They’re seasonal workers and don’t have any specific training. It’s possible to quickly learn the ins and outs of pruning on the job with more experienced workers.
3. Big game and ratite (flightless bird) producers raise animals like bison, wild boar, deer, ostriches, emus, and rheas. They also manage production, administration, and marketing, among several other tasks.
4. Floriculture (flower farming) supervisors coordinate and verify the work done by horticultural workers. They also perform a variety of tasks to produce flowering and ornamental plants.
The wonderful world of agriculture is full of possibilities.
BOONE, Iowa — The more than $1 billion the federal government is devoting to voluntary efforts to reduce agriculture’s adverse effects on the environment is a better long-term strategy than mandating new rules for farmers, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Tuesday.
While state and federal officials in the United States have tended to avoid implementing rules that might force farmers to radically change their long-held practices, the European Union has specific requirements about crop rotations, permanent pastures and the use of buffer strips and other conservation practices that improve soil quality.
Dutch farmers have protested some of their country’s efforts in recent years to limit pollution from agriculture, particularly proposals to significantly reduce the number of livestock raised in the country. The European Union also recently suspended some of its crop rotation requirements to increase production because of global food shortages caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Candidly, our view — and I’ve expressed this to EU officials — our view is that their approach may very well result in reduced production,” Vilsack said at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, in response to a question about whether U.S. farmers might eventually face similar requirements. He added: “I think our approach is better.”
Virginia’s General Assembly has in recent years debated whether certain agricultural practices that reduce runoff from farms should be voluntary or mandatory, particularly as the federal 2025 deadline for cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay looms. During the 2020 session, lawmakers weighed making both streamside fencing and nutrient management plans mandatory but ultimately settled on a voluntary course for the near future. The intensely negotiated final legislation included a clause, however, specifying that the practices will become mandatory if pollution reduction targets haven’t been met by 2025.
When asked to elaborate later about his comments, Vilsack said they pertained to organic farming and were the views of some European farmers. The European Green Deal seeks to increase the amount of farmland that is being managed to produce organic crops to 25% by 2030. The practice is more environmentally friendly but often produces lower yields.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has offered programs to expand organic farming in the United States but hasn’t set goals for converting farmland to organic. Vilsack said Tuesday that demand for U.S. agriculture products will continue to rise.
“The challenge is, how do you do it sustainably?” he said. “How do you increase production but at the same time do it in a climate-smart way?”
He stressed repeatedly that federal initiatives announced in the past two years seek voluntary participation.
Later in the day, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, echoed those sentiments when he was asked about potential provisions of the upcoming farm bill: “We need to make sure we have voluntary conservation practices,” he said. “That is so crucial.”
Vilsack talked at length about the tremendous amount of federal funding available to support agricultural commodities that are produced in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In February, the USDA offered up to $1 billion to support new “climate smart” products.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack tours an Amelia County farm in June 2021 along with Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Henrico. (Sarah Vogelsong / Virginia Mercury)
He said the USDA will announce its first grant recipients in mid-September and hinted that projects proposed by universities in Missouri and South Dakota and by the Iowa Soybean Association will be among them.
Vilsack and the USDA have unveiled a flurry of new programs in the past two years with the goal of transforming aspects of American agriculture, especially to help reverse the consolidation of certain sectors into the hands of a few companies and to increase the number of farmers.
The USDA is also working to provide billions of dollars of debt relief to farmers who have struggled to make payments on farm loans: “The most important piece of this is keeping people on the land,” Vilsack told reporters last week about major legislation to aid agriculture.
The USDA recently announced it will distribute up to $300 million for projects that help farmers who have received limited help from the department in the past. Those groups of people have typically included new farmers and ranchers, those with low incomes and those of racial or ethnic minorities. Eligible projects for the funding would expand their access to land, money and markets, Vilsack has said.
The department is also offering up to $250 million to minority-serving colleges and universities to help educate food and agriculture professionals.
In June, Vilsack announced hundreds of millions of dollars of funding to support smaller, independent meat processors to help diversify that sector of agriculture, which over the years has become dominated by several large companies.
Federal dollars have also been earmarked for organic farmers and to make new products from agriculture waste and the wood remnants from thinning forests to protect against large fires.
This story first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch, a sister publication of The Virginia Mercury within the States Newsroom network.
by Jared Strong, Virginia Mercury
Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sarah Vogelsong for questions: info@virginiamercury.com. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and Twitter.
It goes without saying; that summer – an extremely abundant time – gives agrotourism enormous pride. Colors and flavors bear eloquent witness to the traditions perpetuated by local artisans who, year after year, cultivate with almost jealous care the treasures of the earth which, to the delight of our taste buds, lend themselves wonderfully to a multitude of combinations.
Conducive to an explosion of flavor, summer is when the countryside’s riches blossom under the warm summer sun and then blend and transform themselves to garnish our plates or create a symphony of colour and taste for exquisite country dining. Main courses involve fragrant dishes imbued with delicate nectars, which seduce gourmets and all lovers of good food alike.
Orchards, blueberry farms, cider-houses, vineyards, apiaries (or honey farms), fruit and garden market stalls… How can anyone resist the temptation when faced with such profusion and variety? While you’re there, why not stock up with these delights in order to make preserves as so many of us still do, just like our intrepid grandmothers before us?
Locally produced foods, gastronomic experiences, great gifts that are as unique as they are tasty… in short, a wide open door to the wonders of nature, allowing us the opportunity to taste the flavors of summer and to appreciate its wonderful variety.
What could be better than savoring tasty little treats concocted from the very best products cultivated by the artisans of the land?
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been the topic of many animated discussions. To help you keep things in perspective, here are five myths debunked.
1. “GMOs are harmful to your health.” Many activists decry the genetic manipulation of foods. However, very little data supports their concerns, as many studies confirm they’re safe. However, the long-term effects of the process remain uncertain. Therefore, it’s reasona¬ble to take a cautious approach.
2. “GMOs are comparable to natural selection.” Genetic manipulation is sometimes compared to the evolution organisms undergo in nature. This comparison is dubious because humans force and prolong the cohabitation of genes in laboratories in the case of GMOs. The genes undergoing modification wouldn’t necessarily have crossed paths under natural conditions.
3. “GMOs alter human DNA.” Whether modified in a laboratory or not, the genetic material in foods ends up in the blood plasma during digestion and not in the DNA. Cells have a protective system that prevents genes from interfering with their own genetic material.
4. “Studies supporting GMOs are biased.” Even though studies may be subsidized by corporations that benefit from pro-GMO findings, that isn’t enough to discredit them. From a purely scientific perspective, the value of a study rests on the methodology employed and the credibility of the deductive process. That said, the funding sources for a study do require additional attention since they may affect the objectivity of the results.
5. “The GMO debate is over.” Although most scientific data regarding GMO safety is positive, it’s nonetheless essential to maintain intellectual curiosity and de¬bate around the subject.
Lastly, genetic modification is a relatively new process and still requires vigilance.
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