Why Brake Maintenance Matters- Especially in FXBG
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
Few components on your vehicle work harder—or matter more—than your brakes. And if you drive regularly through Fredericksburg and Stafford, your brakes are working overtime. Between I-95 congestion, Route 1 traffic lights, and the daily crawl through Central Park or Southpoint, local drivers put their brake systems through constant stop-and-go cycles that wear pads and rotors far faster than highway-only driving ever would.
Spook-Free Pets: A Vet's Halloween Guide
WRITTEN BY DR. KATRINA SPIES, DVM
Halloween is peak season for festive fun, but it also brings a predictable seasonal surge in pet anxiety, unexpected escapes, toxic ingestions, and costume-related discomfort. With fall in full swing and Halloween right around the corner, the entire community gets swept up in the holiday. Planning around four core safety pillars will keep your pets comfortable, calm, and safe all night long.
Attractive Nuisances: When the Castle Draws Curious Adventurers
WRITTEN BY KIM OZTUNA
An attractive nuisance is something on your property that is likely to attract children and has the potential to cause injury. Even if a child enters your yard without permission, the homeowner may still be held responsible if that child is hurt. Children don’t always understand danger the way adults do, so homeowners are expected to take reasonable steps to secure or protect hazardous features that could entice a child to enter the property.
Kids Corner: Paint Cactus Rock
WRITTEN BY MORA SOAN
This activity is brought to you by the author of the children's book, Jacob in Japan! Jacob is a gnome who lives in New York. He owns a beautiful garden on the rooftop of a skyscraper. He is a picky eater and he only eats ordinary bland food. One windy night, Jacob falls into a magic flower pot. He wakes up in Japan. What will he do next? Will Jacob starve himself or will he find a way to enjoy and experience Japan? With an open mind, he may discover new and delicious foods that he never knew existed.
Lighting the Path: The Knowledge Exchange Builds Confidence, One Learner at a Time
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
When Maija-liisa Penn-Poon founded The Knowledge Exchange (TKE) in 2020, her goal was simple: make academic tutoring more accessible to families. As the pandemic upended classrooms nationwide, that modest mission grew into something larger.
Warm Up Your Home: Flooring Trends for Fall Into the Holidays
WRITTEN BY KARIE OWENS
As the weather cools and the holiday season approaches, homeowners start thinking about how their spaces feel underfoot. Fall and the holidays mean more time indoors, more guests through the front door, and more reasons to want a home that feels warm, welcoming, and put-together. Here is what's trending in flooring this season and how to bring it into your home before the first holiday gathering.
The Samuel Oasis: A Family Rooted in Love, Faith, and Service
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
PHOTO BY KAREN PRESECAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Tucked into The Glens subdivision in Stafford, on a wooded property with its own quiet stream, sits a home the Samuel family has come to call "The Samuel Oasis." It's a fitting name for a place that has become both a gathering spot for family and friends and a launching pad for community impact. For Weaver and Beverly Samuel, married 41 years, and their daughters Alyssa and Lindsay, life centers on two things: devotion to family and a deep commitment to the people around them.
How Did They Land That Internship? Summer 2027 Is Loading—Are You Ready?
WRITTEN BY CHERICE TAYLOR
Ever wonder how local students manage to land those competitive summer internships? It’s rarely by accident. While it is only September—and the school year is just kicking into gear with fall sports and the first grading periods—the time to start thinking about Summer 2027 is already here.
Triple-Step into Swing: Meet Joel Webber of Dance FXBG
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
PHOTO BY KAREN PRESECAN & BLUUBOLTZZ LENZ
Every Saturday night in downtown Fredericksburg, a door in a back alley off George Street opens onto a staircase that most passersby never notice. Climb it, and you'll find yourself in a room with a stone wall on one side, a brick wall on the other, and original oak floorboards worn smooth by decades of footsteps — and, these days, by the shuffle-ball-changes of jitterbugs and Lindy Hoppers. This is Dance FXBG, and the man who built it, Joel Webber, wants you to feel like you've stumbled onto something secret.
Art Cart Kids Enrichment Studio: Where Creativity Builds Confidence
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
Tucked inside a cozy 1957 home in Stafford County, Art Cart Kids Enrichment Studio has become a beloved creative haven for children ages 4–12 throughout Stafford and the greater Fredericksburg area. Founded by Stephanie Cox, the studio offers daytime and after-school art sessions built around imagination, child-choice, and open-ended exploration rather than step-by-step projects.
Rural Virginia Grit: How Local Youth Are Filling Gaps in Healthcare
WRITTEN BY CORA SHIELDS
Hi Neighbors! My name is Cora Shields, and I am a senior at Riverbend High School. For ten years, I lived in the Pipe Run neighborhood before my family moved to Fawn Lake. I have come to deeply appreciate my home here in Old Dominion, surrounded by farmland, close-knit communities, and a rich sense of history. Growing up, I was inspired by the stories of great Virginians who came before me—stories that taught me to forge ahead into the unknown, stand firm for what I believe in, and build something meaningful from the ground up.
Kids Corner: Dazzle’s Leaf Rubbing Creatures
WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE COX
September is a wonderful time to look closely at the leaves around you. Every leaf has its own
shape, edges and tiny lines. Today, you’ll use those hidden textures to create creatures that
have never existed before!
Why Fall is the Perfect Time to Aerate Your Lawn
WRITTEN BY AARON JOHNSON
Aeration creates small openings in the soil, allowing water, oxygen, and nutrients to reach grass roots more effectively. While spike and liquid aeration can provide some benefit, core aeration is the most effective method because it removes small soil plugs, relieving compaction and creating ideal conditions for root growth.
Breaking the Mold: Meet Amanda Blalock
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
PHOTO BY KAREN PRESECAN
For Amanda Blalock, home has never been about a perfect mold. It's about showing up. "Families are often expected to fit a certain mold, but in our home, we believe family can take many forms," she says of the household she shares with her fiancé, Roy Person, and her twins, Bebe and Jackson, both 18 and recent graduates of Riverbend High School. "Ours is built on love, loyalty, and showing up for one another every single day."
How My Daughter, Jamie Lyn, Saved 37 Lives
WRITTEN BY JIM HOOVER
Virginia is where our roots run deep. It's where my youngest daughter, Jamie Lyn, was raised and became a proud graduate of Riverbend High School. She grew up on these roads, played soccer on these fields, and built a life here before the world opened up to her. People called her my twin, the girl version of me. She had my stubbornness and my fire. But she was more than that. She made everyone around her better without being asked.
Knee-Deep in Options: What to Do When Your Dog Tears Its CCL
WRITTEN BY DR. KATRINA SPIES, DVM
Summer is winding down, which means a steady stream of dogs limping into the clinic after one too many enthusiastic games of fetch. If your pup suddenly came up lame on a back leg, the culprit is often a torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL), the canine version of our ACL tear.
It’s a leading cause of hind-leg lameness, leaving owners facing a big decision fast: surgery or a conservative path? Here’s what both options involve, and why integrative medicine belongs in either plan.
Building More Than Homes: Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
Mimi officially stepped into the role of Executive Director of Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity on February 1, 2026, after transitioning into the position over the summer of 2025. But her connection to Habitat's mission runs much deeper than her start date. She spent nearly a decade with another Habitat affiliate before coming to Fredericksburg—long enough, she jokes, to catch what she and her colleagues call "Habitat-itis." "Once you have it, it stays with you," she says.
Why DIY Flooring Fails: The Hidden Costs of Skipping Professional Installation
WRITTEN BY KARIE OWENS
That weekend flooring project on YouTube makes it look easy: rip out the old floor, click the new planks into place, done by Sunday night. But flooring is one of the few home projects where the mistakes don’t show up right away; they show up six months later, when boards start cupping, seams separate, or a warranty claim gets denied. Here’s what DIY installation actually risks.
Reducing Food Insecurity Through Sustainable Farming
WRITTEN BY KIRA POHWALA
If you're looking for a meaningful way to give back to the Stafford community this summer while spending time outdoors, volunteer at the Rappahannock Education Farm. This nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization reduces food insecurity by growing fresh produce for local food banks and food pantries. It also teaches sustainable gardening and farming practices, giving volunteers valuable hands-on experience.
Keeping Homes Cool and Efficient
WRITTEN BY DAN BOMAR
As summer temperatures soar, homeowners often notice hot upper floors, rising utility bills, and greater difficulty maintaining comfort. These issues are typically caused by cooled air escaping, hot air entering the home, or overall performance inefficiencies. Because home comfort needs change from season to season, Comfenergy takes a seasonal approach to home performance, helping homeowners stay cool, comfortable, and energy-efficient during the hottest months while minimizing energy waste.