Landry Hepler has raised about $1,700 since November for a dog park in Spotsylvania County. That's not even 1 percent of the park's estimated cost of $200,000. But Hepler thinks he can raise about $18,000 altogether in a year or two--an accomplishment he hopes will convince the local government to invest in the dog park....

Culpeper town police are seeking the public's help in identifying "a person of interest" who allegedly put his groceries into a vehicle he did not own and drove away from a Walmart parking lot. The incident, one of four car thefts in Culpeper since late December, occurred Feb. 5, according to town public information officer Wally Bunker....

Those colorful boxes of Girl Scout cookies now on sale are more than just an annual sweet treat. They're also giving the girls who sell them some early lessons in business smarts, from learning how to count change to developing marketing plans to setting--and reaching--goals....

Students at the University of Mary Washington are learning about human rights and Islam from a professor well versed in the topic. Leila Asadi, 35, spent years studying the issues. But she also lived them. In fact, it was her work as a women's-rights activist in Iran that brought her to the Fredericksburg university as a scholar-in-residence....

For many area churches, missions are at the core of the faith--as close as the nearest neighborhood, and as distant as far-flung corners of the nation and globe. Africa, Central America, Mexico, Peru, Cambodia, South America, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean are among destinations for congregations in the Fredericksburg area....

The oldest members of the Spotsylvania Sunday School Union will be honored Sunday in a black history celebration. It's part of an annual program put on by the women of Second New Hope Baptist Church in Spotsylvania County....

TAKE A WHIFF! It is the Moon of the Polecat, one of my favorite times of the year. This is the month when skunks get lovesick and begin thinking about mates....

RICHMOND--Sometimes in the General Assembly, regional affiliation trumps party loyalty. That was the case in the House of Delegates on Friday as lawmakers narrowly voted to advance a bill that would change the makeup of the Commonwealth Transportation Board....

RICHMOND--If a measure to end continuing contracts for teachers had become law in the past, Del. Bobby Orrock says, he'd have been fired. Orrock, R-Caroline, was speaking against a bill backed by the governor and currently before the House of Delegates. It was advanced on Friday and will get a vote next week....

The fire that caused extensive damage to a business in downtown Fredericksburg early Thursday was accidental, fire officials said Friday. "After a thorough investigation by the Fire Marshal's Office, the point of origin was determined to be a room in the left rear of the structure. An electric space heater located in that room and placed too close to combustible material was the cause of the fire. The electric space heater was also plugged into an electrical extension cord," according to a news release from Deputy Fire Chief Michael Jones....