Plan to reopen
popular community meeting facility

Five Town of Orange residents will battle for three town council seats at the May 4 election.

A juvenile and domestic relations court judge has ruled that there is probable cause in the case of a Madison County woman who has been charged in the 2009 shooting death of her estranged husband.

Supervisors tackle proposed 4-cent real estate tax increase

Amid job losses, school staff march on Richmond

Snow days cut into spring break

Despite significant proposed changes to the Town of Orange zoning map that effectively could downzone 200 parcels,, only a handful of land owners spoke at a public comment session Monday night.

County supervisors may reconstitute the Orange County Planning Commission so they can cut the 10-member advisory board in half and each appoint their own commissioner.

Previously, Orange County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bob Grimesey crafted a budget consisting of four levels of reductions aimed at covering a possible $6 million shortfall in the schools’ $46 million budget. In a work session Monday, school board members spent hours fine-tuning budget cuts that may matter little if state or local revenues meet worst-case scenario projections.

An Orange County woman is spearheading a march on Richmond this weekend. Hundreds of Virginia educators and parents are expected to take over the Capitol Square Grounds in Richmond Saturday rallying against proposed state budget reductions to public education.

More than 200 Town of Orange residents may be affected by proposed changes to the town’s zoning map, which classifies every piece of property within town into one of eight zoning districts allowing for different land uses.

Saturday afternoon, 17th District Senator Edd Houck stood in front of hundreds of parents, educators and taxpayers at Orange County High School and shared information about the state budget before hearing from local residents and workers about how the proposed funding cuts will affect them and the county.

It was standing-room-only at the Gordon Building Tuesday night when Orange County Public School Superintendent Dr. Bob Grimesey and finance director Barbara Hill presented the school budget to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

As of Tuesday, Orange County Public School students have missed more than two weeks of classes due to inclement weather, leaving school officials with the task of determining how the time off will need to be made up.

Each year, school divisions receive money from the state for the purchase and replacement of technology. However, in former Governor Tim Kaine’s proposed budget, those funds have been eliminated, leaving school divisions without the ability to fund technology replacements or upgrades.

The Orange County African-American Historical Society (OCAAHS) is hosting a new contest encouraging students to learn about and talk about local African-American History.

Opponents of a Route 3 Walmart will soon find out whether or not their lawsuit against Orange County over a special use permit granted to develop a big box store on a commercially zoned piece of property can proceed.

A powerful snowstorm moved through Orange County over the weekend, toppling power lines, icing roads and blanketing the region with its second major snowstorm this season.

Orange Town Council members met in a day-long retreat Friday, discussing everything from how to pay for the new wastewater treatment plant to a possible strategic long-term work plan.

In an effort to place college-bound students on a level playing field with their peers across the nation, Orange County Public Schools are revising their grading scale.

Sunday morning, Baker Street from Church Street to Faulconer Street in Gordonsville was as clean and clear as Main Street. Normally, that wouldn’t be all that unusual except more than eight inches of snow fell Saturday and that section of road, called “Episcopal Hill” because of the adjacent Christ Episcopal Church, has been the town’s designated sledding hill for more than 60 years. As such, it’s not plowed. At least not until the temperatures warm to the point pavement becomes more prevalent than finely packed sledding tracks.
In what town and Virginia Department of Transportation officials are calling “a misunderstanding,” the town’s sledding hill was scraped early Sunday morning, leaving town residents without their favorite sledding spot.

Faced with a possible $6 million shortfall in a $46 million budget, Orange County Public Schools is examining all of its options for scaling back. Last week, Superintendent Dr. Bob Grimesey presented his recommendations to the school board which included levels of proposed position cuts, program elimination and even cuts to school sports. But, some positions and programs considered for cuts have been spared–at least for the time being.

Although attendance at Orange County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bob Grimesey’s formal budget presentation to the school board Tuesday night may have been tempered somewhat by more winter weather, those there took the opportunity to offer their thoughts on proposed massive school budget reductions.

Buying local is a growing trend, one that the state and many businesses within Orange County are welcoming with open arms.

Orange County Public Schools is one of 132 school divisions across the Commonwealth that are being forced to make drastic cuts due to proposed permanent changes in the way education is funded in Virginia.

The emotion in Orange County Public School Superintendent Dr. Bob Grimesey’s voice as he neared the end of the presentation of his recommended budget to school board members Tuesday told it all; things are bad.

Two weeks after a judge ruled the county could reclaim Booster Park behind the Orange County Airport, supervisors are soliciting proposals to operate and maintain the 17-acre facility.

Faced with cutting an estimated $4.8 million from the schools’ budget, members of the Orange County School Board are considering every option.

In an effort to more closely align assessed and actual values, the Orange County Board of Supervisors agreed to initiate a countywide reassessment.
A year ago, supervisors deferred the decision, opting to save more than $500,000 in the process. But the new board is ready to move forward, even with the anticipated costs.

It may have taken almost 20 years to get it to a vote, but it took less than 20 minutes for Orange Town Council members to approve Carl Owens’ Uptown North Orange rezoning request. The approval comes less than a month after Owens asked the council to delay its ruling on the request pending time to review additional proffer considerations.