Republican candidates for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District faced off Wednesday evening, June 17, 2026, at a candidate forum hosted by the Fredericksburg GOP at VFW 3103 Post in Fredericksburg.
The 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. private, member-rented event drew local party members as the three contenders vying for the GOP nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Rep. Eugene Vindman in November sought to distinguish their platforms.
Prince William County Public Schools News reported that the Battlefield High School baseball team won its first Virginia High School League Class 6 Championship with a 6-3 victory over Independence High School on June 18, 2026. Junior Luke Raflo hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to help secure the title, while strong pitching from Alex Kamprowski and Josh Gunning limited Independence’s offense.
The win marks the second consecutive year a Prince William County Public Schools team has claimed the state title, following Gainesville High School’s victory last year. Head coach Jay Burkhart praised his team’s resilience after an early-season slump, with players highlighting the achievement as a long-awaited milestone for the program and its coach of 16 years.
The Free Lance-Star reported that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued a notice of violation to the City of Fredericksburg in May following persistent wastewater issues, including an overflow of untreated wastewater reported Monday near Lee Drive in the Fredericksburg Battlefield.
Including two recent spillages, the city has seen eight such incidents through mid-June, with details of overflows in February, March, April and May totaling thousands of gallons of untreated sewage, some impacting local waterways like Hazel Run, the Rappahannock River and Deep Run.
7News reported that the Virginia House of Delegates’ proposed budget includes language repealing a law requiring audits of campaign finance reports for statewide candidates and certain elected officials.
The move would halt ongoing audits of Governor Abigail Spanberger, Attorney General Jay Jones, Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, and others selected by the Board of Elections, drawing criticism from reform advocates like Clean Virginia and BigMoneyOutVA who argue it weakens transparency in a state with already lax campaign finance rules.
“The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found that 62% of voters say local governments should be cautious about new data centers while 24% think they should encourage them because they create jobs, tax revenue and support America’s digital economy,” The Center Square reported. The national survey of 2,585 registered voters, conducted June 1-4 by Noble Predictive Insights, showed similar views across party lines, age groups and regions, with a margin of error of +/- 1.93%.
In Northern Virginia, where data centers have rapidly expanded in areas like Prince William, Loudoun and Stafford counties, the results highlight ongoing local debates over electricity demands, water usage, land impacts and rising utility costs for residents.
InsideNoVa reported that three Republicans — Dave Beckwith, Julie Perry, and Anthony Suttles — will compete in the Aug. 4 primary for the GOP nomination to face U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D) in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. A fourth candidate, Sam Wong, has withdrawn despite leading in fundraising.
The district covers all of Loudoun County, Fauquier and Rappahannock counties, Manassas and Manassas Park, western Prince William County, and parts of Fairfax, with the primary decided by plurality vote. Beckwith, a Loudoun resident and Air Force veteran, and Perry, a teacher focused on education spending, debated Wednesday in Ashburn.
Editor’s Note:
This article is part of our ongoing America 250 series, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Our America 250 reporter, Deen Lateef, will take us to several historical sites across Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Woodbridge and introduce us to treasured places that reflect our community’s history.
“Jennifer Sharp was the director of technology with the United States Parachute Association in Fredericksburg,” 12 On Your Side reported. Federal investigators are on scene in Butler, Missouri, where a skydiving plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 12 people on board. A post-crash fire destroyed the aircraft, and the NTSB has not identified a cause.
The incident hits close to home for the Northern Virginia skydiving community, as Sharp held a key role with the national organization based in Fredericksburg. Wreckage recovery is underway, with a preliminary report expected in about a month.
