by Bob Hurley | Mar 29, 2026 | Features, People, Top Story
The morning begins in a hush. A thin veil of mist hangs over the rolling fields of Virginia’s Piedmont as riders gather, their horses shifting beneath them in the cold March air. Breath rises in soft clouds. Leather creaks. Hounds stir with anticipation. Then, a horn...
by Bob Hurley | Mar 29, 2026 | Features, People, Sidebar
Each year, as late October settles over the Virginia countryside, members of the Rappahannock Hunt gather with their hounds for a time-honored ritual: the Blessing of the Hounds, a ceremony that marks the opening of the formal hunting season. Steeped in faith and...
by Ireland Hayes | Mar 26, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
Victim: ‘It’s stayed with me’ Defendant: ‘I’m sorry for everything I’ve done’ A Rappahannock County Circuit Court judge last Thursday sentenced a Washington man to 105 years in prison with all but six years suspended on charges related to an inappropriate relationship...
by Ireland Hayes | Mar 25, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
Health issues — ‘wiggy hormones’ — led to arrests, he says Attorney James William “Bill” Fletcher III pleaded guilty last Thursday to two counts of reckless driving over the 2024 Christmas holiday for which he received suspended jail time, fines and a year of...
by Foothills Forum Staff Report | Mar 23, 2026 | Local Government, Sidebar, Top Story
By Emily Freehling A stranger comes to Rappahannock County and starts walking into public offices. “Can I have a copy of the superintendent’s employment contract?” she asks the receptionist at the Rappahannock County Public Schools administration office. “I’d...
