Commentaries reflect the opinion of the writer(s), not the Rapp News. Comment below or by writing a letter to the editor: [email protected]. According to a preelection poll by Ipsos, a global market research firm, there was a direct correlation between voting...
Foothills Forum Staff Report
Articles written by Foothills Forum Staff Report
Rappahannock County High School students build kestrel boxes for area nonprofit
Nov 16, 2024 | Education
Rappahannock County High School students taking the Building Trades and Engineering Technology class have constructed nest boxes for the nonprofit Shenandoah Valley Raptor Study Area (SVRSA) to assist in its efforts to protect kestrels. “I went into the classroom and...
Kestrels revisited: Local landowners provide new homes for the small falcons
Nov 16, 2024 | Agriculture, Business, Education
The new star of Rappahannock County is the kestrel, the colorful, feisty, falcon featured in this newspaper in August last year. The kestrel is North America’s smallest falcon. Its dwindling numbers have scientists mystified and now landowners in Rappahannock and...
Keeping up with kestrels
Nov 16, 2024 |
‘First-of-its-kind’ falcon tracking program took flight in Rappahannock It is fast, fierce and flashy, with a plumage of oranges and slate blues for males; reddish-brown hues for females. Chances are you have seen one perched on a fence post or power line, surveying...
Flint Hill: Fresh ideas, new vision. How residents see the next chapter
Nov 12, 2024 | Agriculture, Art, Business, Health
Over the last decade, Flint Hill has experienced an influx of residents bringing fresh ideas and new energy to the quiet community. Is renewal on the horizon for the village’s long and cherished history? Can residents overcome obstacles like pedestrian safety,...
Town of Washington planners recommend denial for B&B zoning change
Nov 1, 2024 | Art, Business, Education, Health, Local Services, People, Politics
Rush River Commons unveils ‘concept’ for second site The Town of Washington Planning Commission recommended denial of an application from Foster Harris House bed and breakfast to change its zoning, after hearing virtually all negative feedback from residents during...
William Webster: Answering the call of his country
Oct 21, 2024 | Business, Crime and Courts, Education, Health, Politics
A private man in public service, Rappahannock resident celebrates 100 years “I am an old Navy man, and I heard a bosun’s pipe.” In 1978, that was William H. Webster’s reason for leaving a distinguished judicial career and the possibility of a future seat on the United...
Sullivans’ Haitian paintings become a national treasure
Oct 6, 2024 | Art, Health, Politics
National Gallery features works in first-ever Haitian exhibit First-time visitors to Beverly and John Fox Sullivan’s home in Little Washington must absorb the shock of wall-to-wall Haitian artworks, a captivating collection spanning seven decades and dozens of...
Foothills Forum celebrates 10 years
Oct 3, 2024 | Art
About 150 county residents and supporters of quality local news gathered last Friday at Mt. Prospect Barn in Washington to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of nonprofit Foothills Forum. Co-founded by the late Bill Dietel and current board member Bud Meyer, Foothills...
Producers can receive incentives for protecting grassland birds; applications open
Oct 2, 2024 |
Now through Nov. 15, the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) is accepting applications from producers in 16 counties, including Rappahannock, who are interested in financial incentives for protecting nesting grassland birds during the 2025 haying season....
Oak View officially opens new Flint Hill branch with fun and a friendly welcome
Sep 27, 2024 |
1_09102024_OakView_GrandOpening_012.jpgStephanie Bedow cuts the ribbon on the new Oak View National Bank branch in Flint Hill. Hometown banking officially returned to Flint Hill on Tuesday afternoon as Oak View National Bank had a ribbon cutting for its newest...
‘The situation is even worse than it was a year ago’
Sep 24, 2024 | Health
As the pandemic wanes, its impact on addiction and recovery continues The worst of the pandemic would seem to be behind us. Unfortunately, not all of it. In fact, an often-overlooked impact of COVID-19 — an alarming rise in drug and alcohol use — could be one of its...

