The Stauntonian: Volume 1, Issue 18 | Maps, Money & Music
The Supreme Court freezes redistricting. City Council raises your utility bills. And Staunton Jams starts tomorrow.
This Week at a Glance
Virginia’s redistricting saga took a sharp new turn this week. The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday, then moved Tuesday to block certification of the referendum results — a decision that leaves the new congressional map in limbo just as the midterm primary filing window opens. Staunton City Council adopted its FY2027 budget last Thursday, holding the tax rate steady but raising utility fees that will hit water and sewer bills in September. Augusta County’s 6th District challenger Pete Barlow is out of the race, outpaced by a remapped political landscape. And an Afton family has turned an unbearable loss into a public billboard on a Charlottesville street.
Lead Stories
Virginia Supreme Court Blocks Redistricting Certification
The redistricting fight that has defined the spring in Virginia just got significantly more complicated. The Supreme Court of Virginia heard oral arguments Monday in a Republican-backed challenge to the April 21 referendum. On Tuesday, the court denied Attorney General Jay Jones’s request to pause a lower court order that had blocked certification of the results, per Cardinal News. The State Board of Elections, which had a certification meeting scheduled for May 1, cannot proceed until the court rules on the merits.
The arguments before the court centered on three questions: whether the 2024 special session was legally active when Democrats first passed the redistricting amendment in October 2025; whether the 45-day early voting period already underway at the time of that first passage counted as an “intervening election” under the state constitution; and whether an older requirement to post the amendment for three months at courthouses still applies today, per Cardinal News. Two of the court’s more conservative justices, Wesley Russell Jr. and Stephen McCullough, pressed Democratic counsel with pointed questions. “The law was very clear: the constitution was not followed,” Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle told reporters after the hearing.
Tuesday’s denial of the stay is not a ruling on the merits. NBC News reports a full ruling is still pending, and three separate legal challenges to the redistricting effort remain active. If the court ultimately upholds the lower court ruling, the maps used in the 2024 elections remain in place for November. If it overturns it, more federal court challenges are expected. With midterm primary filing deadlines bearing down, the stakes for a swift decision are rising by the day. Candidates for U.S. House have until May 26.
Council Passed the Budget. Your Utility Bills Are Going Up in September.
Staunton City Council adopted the FY2027 budget on April 23 in a vote that held the real estate tax rate steady but brought unwelcome news for residents who pay city utility bills.
The total budget stands at $168,670,911, a $4 million increase over the adopted FY2026 plan, with the general fund totaling roughly $83 million. The real estate tax rate remains at $0.91 per $100 of assessed value. What changes in September are water, sewer, and refuse fees. The water user fee rises 5.42%, from $4.06 to $4.28 per hundred cubic feet — an increase of about $2.64 per bi-monthly billing cycle for a household of four. The sewer user fee climbs 7.14%, from $5.60 to $6.00 per hundred cubic feet, covering rising costs at the Middle River Wastewater Treatment Plant and more than $13.5 million in capital needs over the next five years. The environmental user fee, the monthly refuse charge, increases 14.54%, from $24.01 to $27.50, per a News Leader report via Yahoo News. All new rates take effect September 10.
City CFO Jessie Moyers was direct at a March presentation where the increases were first discussed: “I know nobody likes to hear this. We do recognize that citizens, customers, have other financial constraints on them... but it’s just not avoidable at this time.” The city says it is also moving to hire an independent contractor for a rate study, estimated at $35,000–$40,000, to develop a more systematic long-term approach to utility pricing. Mayor Michele Edwards called the adopted budget “a commitment to the core services and infrastructure that define our community’s quality of life.”
Pete Barlow Drops Out. The 6th District Race Looks Nothing Like It Did a Month Ago.
Augusta County Democrat Pete Barlow announced Monday that he is ending his campaign for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District, per the Northern Virginia Daily. The decision came after a Zoom call with more than 50 supporters in which Barlow, a former FEMA emergency manager, helped participants find which of the new congressional districts they now live in. Under the redrawn map, if it survives the court fight, Augusta County is split among three separate districts.
“I am, and always will be, dedicated to restoring our communities, farms, and prosperity in western Virginia,” Barlow said in a statement. He opposed the redistricting referendum before the vote but said he respected the result. Recurring campaign donations will continue through June, with proceeds directed to local issues.
The new map’s proposed 6th District is a fundamentally different seat than the one Barlow entered. Former Congressman Tom Perriello and Beth Macy — the Roanoke author best known for Dopesick, her book on the opioid epidemic — have both announced they are running in the new 6th, per the Northern Virginia Daily. Incumbent Republican Congressman Ben Cline has not said publicly which district he would run in if the new maps take effect. The August 4 primary filing deadline is May 26. All of this, of course, hinges on how the Virginia Supreme Court rules.
An Afton Family Put Their Son’s Face on a Billboard
Along East High Street in Charlottesville, a billboard featuring the face of Anthony “Tony” Harvey has been drawing attention from passing drivers this week. For his parents, Pam and Tom Harvey of Afton, it carries everything.
Tony Harvey grew up in Afton, on family land his parents describe as part of his identity. His father remembers him as funny, curious, and devoted to practical jokes. His struggles with addiction began in college, where, his mother said, drugs were easy to find. In August 2024, Tony Harvey died after taking a single pill laced with fentanyl. He was not trying to get high. He took what he believed was a Percocet. “One Percocet killed our son,” Tom Harvey told WHSV. “He didn’t want to die.”
The billboard is their answer to grief. “It’s a big billboard,” Pam Harvey said. “It’s a big way to try to encourage young people to not even start.” The Harveys are speaking publicly — at community events, through media, on the land in Afton where Tony grew up — because they believe his story might reach someone else’s child before fentanyl does. “There’s a lot more to Tony than his addiction,” Tom Harvey said. “It’s sharing what we’ve experienced... so they don’t have to.”
A Dry Spring Is Already Costing Valley Farmers
The drought warning that has been sitting over the Shenandoah region since before Earth Day is no longer an abstraction. WHSV reported Sunday that Valley farmers are taking whatever rain they can get as the dry spring leaves visible marks on crops across the region. Fields that needed steady moisture through April have instead gone weeks without meaningful precipitation, compressing yield potential on produce, grains, and pasture ahead of peak growing season.
The drought warning advisory from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality remains in effect for Staunton and the surrounding Shenandoah Drought Evaluation Region, per the City of Staunton newsroom. Augusta County and Rockingham County farmers have been among those most affected, given the concentration of produce operations, orchards, and dairy farms in the valley floor. The situation follows the late-season cold snap last week that sent farmers scrambling to protect blueberries, peaches, and orchard crops already pushed ahead of schedule by an unusually warm March.
Quick Hits
City paving season starts today. Staunton’s spring paving program gets underway Wednesday, April 30, with work on numerous streets planned over the next couple of months, per the city newsroom. Expect equipment and flagging operations across various neighborhoods. Specific block-by-block schedules are available from the Public Works Department at 540-332-3896.
Staunton is a Tree City USA, again. The Arbor Day Foundation has named Staunton a 2026 Tree City USA, per the City of Staunton, marking 30 consecutive years of recognition. The designation reflects the city’s commitment to planting, maintaining, and managing its urban tree canopy.
Lee Highway and Commerce Road closures continue. Route 11 single lane closures between Spottswood Road and Spitler Circle for paving run through June 26. Shoulder closures on Lee Highway between the Woodrow Wilson Parkway interchange and Second Street, and on Commerce Road between the Woodrow Wilson Parkway and Technology Drive for electrical installation, continue through May 8. Full VDOT weekly advisory here.
Out & About
Staunton Jams opens tomorrow. It is the biggest free music weekend the city puts on, and after a quiet stretch of rain and redistricting news, the timing could not be better.
This Weekend: Staunton Jams, May 1–3
Staunton Jams kicks off its spring festival tomorrow, Friday May 1, running through Sunday, May 3. The free three-day event is co-presented by 106.3 WQSV, Queen City Music Studios, and The Judy Chops, and features a main stage on West Beverly Street alongside performances at satellite venues scattered through downtown, including the Blackfriars Playhouse. The festival draws acts from across the region and has grown into one of the anchor events on Staunton’s spring calendar. Full schedule at stauntonjams.com/schedule. No tickets, no cover.
Tonight: Earth Day Book Talk, Staunton Books & Tea
Earth Day Staunton closes out its April programming tonight with a book talk at Staunton Books & Tea. Details and author information at earthdaystaunton.org.
Blackfriars Playhouse
The American Shakespeare Center is running three productions in rotating repertory through May, and Staunton Jams adds a new dimension to the weekend: the Blackfriars Playhouse is one of the festival’s satellite venues, meaning live music and live theatre occupy the same block for three days.
Twelfth Night runs through May 3. The Hound of the Baskervilles, the Olivier-nominated three-actor comedy built around Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous mystery, runs through May 17. A Bold Stroke for a Husband, Hannah Cowley’s rediscovered 18th-century comedy of sharp-tongued women outmaneuvering scandal, runs alongside both.
Shakespeare Saturdays pair 11 a.m. Lights ON Blackfriars scholar discussions with afternoon matinees. Shakespeare Uncorked wine and beer tastings are available before select evening performances. This season marks 25 years of the Blackfriars Playhouse as the world’s first re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre. Verify this week’s specific show times at americanshakespearecenter.com/calendar or call 1-877-682-4236.
River Watch
Live gauge readings for the South River at Waynesboro (USGS Station 01626000) are available on the USGS National Water Dashboard. With the drought warning still active across the Shenandoah watershed and dry conditions persisting through April, levels are worth watching heading into May.
The Sneeze Index
IQAir’s Staunton monitor shows an AQI of 43 — Good — with pollen levels at Low. Tree season is winding down, though grass pollen typically picks up through May and June. Check IQAir before extended outdoor time at Staunton Jams this weekend.
The Weekly Pump
Virginia’s statewide average for regular gasoline has climbed back to $4.09 per gallon as of Wednesday, April 29, per WSLS citing AAA, up from $3.896 the week prior. The national average sits at $4.22. The price reversal traces directly to the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran and continued supply disruptions along the Strait of Hormuz, which has kept crude oil prices elevated and volatile. AAA Tidewater spokesperson Holly Dalby recommended using apps like GasBuddy or Upside to compare station-by-station prices before filling up, noting that savings of two to three cents per gallon are realistic without major detours.
Real Estate Watch
Market data sourced from Redfin and Zillow.
Staunton’s spring market continues to move at pace. Redfin’s February 2026 data puts the city median sale price at $286,000, a 10.1% jump over February 2025, with 31 homes sold in the month and an average of 55 days on market. Zillow’s current index places the average home value at $276,602, up 3.4% year-over-year, with homes typically going to pending in around nine days.
The spring budget news is worth noting for buyers tracking affordability. The $0.91 real estate tax rate is unchanged, but September’s utility rate increases will add roughly $50–$70 per year to the average household’s water and sewer bills combined. That’s not a market-mover, but it is a real carrying cost worth factoring in for anyone closing on a city home this summer.
Who’s Hiring
Listings drawn from Indeed, the City of Staunton HR portal, and employer postings. Salaries listed only where explicitly stated.
City of Staunton — Utility Locator Technician: Public Works is recruiting for a Utility Locator Technician to find and mark underground infrastructure using GPS and mapping tools. Starting pay is $21.10–$25.00/hr, with full health insurance and VRS retirement. A Virginia Class A CDL with tanker endorsement is required, or willingness to obtain one. The city will train the right candidate. Apply at the City of Staunton HR page or call 540-332-3914.
Daikin Applied — Line Assembler, 2nd Shift (Verona): Staunton’s largest manufacturing employer is hiring production line assemblers at its Verona facility at 207 Laurel Hill Road. Starting wage is $25.25/hr plus a $0.80/hr shift differential for the 1:50 p.m.–9:50 p.m. shift, Monday through Friday. Benefits include medical, dental and vision coverage starting the first of the month after hire, 401k with company match, 11 paid holidays, and tuition reimbursement. Apply at daikinapplied.com/careers.
Daikin Applied — Human Resources Generalist (Verona): Daikin is also seeking an HR Generalist to handle personnel transactions, policy compliance, and support for the company’s foreign national employee population. The typical annual salary ranges from $73,300 to $117,200 in Virginia depending on experience. Apply at daikinapplied.com/careers.
Staunton City Schools — School Secretary, Dixon Education Center: Staunton City Schools is filling a School Secretary position at Dixon Education Center effective June 1, 2026. The role covers student registration and records, attendance, discipline coordination, and general office duties. Starting wage is $16.54/hr, with paid holidays. Apply through the Staunton City Schools online portal.
The Stauntonian covers news, culture, and civic life in Staunton, Virginia. Tips, corrections, and story ideas: brad@stauntonian.com.