by Ireland Hayes | Aug 29, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar, Top Story
Judge: ‘I think I’m right, but maybe I’m not’ Chester Brown won a round in court Tuesday when a Rappahannock County Circuit Court judge ruled that DNA evidence gathered during the investigation into the murder of Washington resident Doris Critzer could be...
by Ireland Hayes | Aug 28, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
Before Chester Brown made the decision Aug. 12 to represent himself at his upcoming murder trial, his attorney, Paul Fore, filed over 20 motions asking Rappahannock County Circuit Court Judge Robert Smith to grant them on Brown’s behalf. Here’s how the judge ruled:...
by Ireland Hayes | Aug 28, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
A Flint Hill contractor accused of taking more than $450,000 from a Woodville couple for a home renovation he never finished accepted a plea deal last Tuesday, agreeing to pay $250,000 in restitution. Edward “Eddie” Fletcher Jr., owner of E. Fletcher Construction,...
by Ireland Hayes | Aug 27, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
A Washington woman was sentenced last Thursday to five years in jail after pleading guilty to her sixth DWI, a charge stemming from a March crash near Amissville. With three years and 10 months of her sentence suspended in a plea deal, her jail time was reduced to 14...
by Ireland Hayes | Aug 26, 2026 | Sidebar
Maureen Harris, a member of the Rappahannock County Public Library Board of Trustees, acknowledged in a statement Monday that she removed two signs in the Woodville area opposing the library’s potential relocation. She said she felt they posed a safety hazard on the...
by Tim Carrington | Aug 24, 2026 | Features, People, Top Story
Actor, director, lawyer, diplomat, storyteller takes final bow Multiple lives came to rest on Aug. 2 when Peter Hornbostel died two months short of his 90th birthday. The much-admired actor and director of Rappahannock plays was also a diplomat, a writer and teller...
by Ireland Hayes | Aug 20, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
Judge: ‘You’re making a terrible decision’ Chester Brown has yet again fired his attorneys and has chosen to represent himself in his upcoming trial for the murder and strangulation of Doris Critzer three years ago in her Washington home. Brown appeared in...
by Ireland Hayes | Aug 19, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Local servcies, Sidebar
A judge on Monday gave the Rappahannock County Public Library Board of Trustees 10 days to turn over to him lease documents relating to a potential move of the library to Rush River Commons in the Town of Washington. The documents are being sought in a lawsuit...
by Ireland Hayes | Aug 16, 2026 | Education, Sidebar
The Rappahannock County School Board revisited its facilities use regulations Tuesday, continuing a conversation that began after a July concealed carry class hosted by the Rappahannock County Republican Committee raised questions about political groups renting school...
by Ireland Hayes | Aug 15, 2026 | Education, Sidebar
Hopes to promote belonging, morale Updates: capital improvements, new Headwaters director Students at Rappahannock County High School will begin the school year by being sorted into one of four “houses” as part of a new program that administrators hope will promote...
