This Week at a Glance
Two shootings broke out within a few hours of each other Wednesday, one at a Waynesboro elementary school and one in a Staunton shopping center parking lot, and the valley spent Thursday sorting out what happened and who’s still looking for whom. A woman is dead after a stabbing on Orchard Avenue early Sunday morning, and the man police arrested is being held without bond. City Council adopted Staunton’s first Flood Resilience Plan Wednesday night, a decade-in-the-making document that positions the city to chase real money for the Wharf’s failing storm sewers, and also took up an update on the long-running Beverley Street intersection study. A six-man arrest in an online solicitation sting rounds out a heavy week for public safety. On a lighter note, more than 90 artists take over Gypsy Hill Park this weekend for Staunton’s Labor Day arts tradition. Below, you’ll also find gas prices near $3.93, home prices still climbing, and the rest of your weekly roundup.
Lead Stories
Two Shootings, Same Afternoon
Just after 9 a.m. Wednesday, a 19-year-old forced his way into Westwood Hills Elementary in Waynesboro and shot a staff member before turning the gun on himself inside the school library, per WHSV and WDBJ7. Police have identified the suspect as Anthony I. Ignatiadis-Isabelle, 19, of Waynesboro, and confirmed he was never a student in the district. Officers arrived roughly three minutes after the initial call and found him dead in the school library. The injured staff member was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and has since been released.
Waynesboro Public Schools locked the building down immediately, and by 11:54 a.m. the district confirmed every student and staff member was accounted for and safe, with families reunited with their kids at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith’s office placed schools in Stuarts Draft and the Wilson Memorial complex on a precautionary “Secure” status as reports of the shooting spread, a status lifted by late morning once officials determined the Waynesboro incident wasn’t connected to their district. Governor Abigail Spanberger said her heart was with the students, families, and staff, and thanked the responders who reached the school within minutes. Westwood Hills Elementary remains closed Thursday, with increased police presence planned at Waynesboro’s public schools for the rest of the week. Shenandoah Creative Counseling for Children and Adolescents is offering free counseling to affected students and staff, and the district says more resources are coming in the days ahead.
A few hours later and a few miles away, a fight in the parking lot of Staunton’s Orchard Hill Shopping Center turned into gunfire. The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office says two men were fighting around 1:31 p.m. Wednesday when one produced a firearm and shots went off, per Rocktown Now. An initial report described a gunshot wound, but deputies arriving seven minutes later found no one had actually been hit. The shooter ran before officers got there and remained unidentified and at large as of Thursday. Sheriff Smith described a heavy law enforcement presence in the area as deputies work to track him down.
Nothing ties the two shootings together. Coming on the same afternoon, they still gave the valley one of its harder days in recent memory. If you or someone you know is struggling after a week like this, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and available around the clock, by call or text.
A Woman Is Dead After a Sunday Morning Stabbing on Orchard Avenue
Staunton Police say a 911 call with an open line brought officers to the 300 block of Orchard Avenue around 4 a.m. Sunday, August 30, where they found two women who had been stabbed. One was pronounced dead at the scene. The second was taken to the hospital and remains in stable condition, though local outlets differ on which hospital treated her, with WHSV reporting UVA Medical Center and Rocktown Now reporting Augusta Health. Officers arrested 32-year-old Freddi Chigo Mil at the scene without incident. He faces charges of second-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding and is being held without bond at Middle River Regional Jail.
Police haven’t released the identity of the woman who died, and they haven’t said what relationship, if any, connects her, the surviving victim, and Chigo Mil. No court date has been set. The department says the investigation remains active and is asking anyone with information to call 540-332-3842. We’ll update this story as the case moves through the courts.
Staunton Adopts Its First Flood Resilience Plan
City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night, August 27, to adopt Staunton’s first Flood Resilience Plan, a document nearly a year in the making that the city formally announced this week after sign-off from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The plan rests on five principles: lean on current science, protect the most vulnerable residents first, spread the benefits citywide, keep costs reasonable, and favor nature-based fixes, like green infrastructure, over concrete alone. Staff built it on public feedback gathered since last fall through surveys, farmers market tables, Earth Day outreach, and listening sessions at the Staunton Public Library. The vote qualifies the city to apply for the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund and other state and federal grants that would otherwise be out of reach, which matters in a city built on top of converging streams. Residents can review the full plan and sign up for e-Notifications through the city’s flood resilience page.
The same meeting also included an update and discussion on the Highway Safety Improvement Program study covering the Beverley and Johnson Street intersections downtown, per the city’s meeting agenda. We didn’t find a published summary of what came out of that discussion as of Thursday morning. As of the project’s most recent public status, staff had received 30 percent design plans for the nine HSIP intersections, currently under review by both city staff and VDOT, with a public hearing expected likely in the coming months and construction advertised for summer 2027, after downtown tunnel repairs wrap. We’ll flag any movement here next issue.
Ninety Artists Take Over Gypsy Hill This Weekend
Staunton’s Labor Day weekend arts tradition returns Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6, when more than 90 local and regional artists set up at Gypsy Hill Park for Art in the Park. Saturday runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Expect painting, pottery, jewelry, photography, and fiber art on display, plus food trucks, live demonstrations, an art competition, and activities for kids. Admission and parking are free, and organizers say the festival goes on rain or shine. It’s one of the last big outdoor draws before the calendar turns toward fall, and it falls on the same weekend as Shop and Dine Out downtown, so expect a full park and a busy Beverley Street both days.
Quick Hits
Six men arrested in online solicitation sting. The Staunton Police Department, working with the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, arrested six men on charges tied to online solicitation of minors, announced August 27, per WHSV and Augusta Free Press. Ryan Botkin, 34, of Staunton; Santos Bautista Molina, 40, of Charlottesville; Michael Moats, 63, of Waynesboro; Bayron De Paz-Lopez, 31, of Staunton; Jesse Bush, 58, of Elkton; and Damian Noyes, 50, of Waynesboro face charges ranging from a single count against Botkin to twenty counts against Noyes alone.
Comprehensive Plan hearing draws no public comment. The Staunton Planning Commission held a quiet public hearing August 20 on the Staunton 2045 Comprehensive Plan, the document that will steer zoning and capital spending for the next two decades. Not one resident spoke, though WHSV reported that long-range planner Meggie Taylor chalked that up to a long runway of earlier outreach rather than apathy. The plan now heads to City Council, with no vote date set yet.
“Devout” wraps its run. Sherry Ramsey’s play about two brothers caring for their aging father wrapped its four-performance benefit run at ShenanArts on Sunday, closing out a week that drew a small reunion of “Guiding Light” alumni back to a Staunton stage.
The Tempest continues in repertory. Blackfriars Playhouse’s rotating repertory run continues this weekend, following last week’s preview performances.
Household Hazardous Waste Day is September 12. The event runs Saturday, September 12, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Waynesboro Facilities Shop.
Labor Day brings modified city schedules. City offices and facilities run on a modified schedule Monday, September 7, and fall heavy trash collection starts the next morning. Items need to be at the curb by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 8, with no separate brush collection this season.
Out & About
Thursday, September 3
Jazz in the Park closes out its 2026 summer run tonight at the Gypsy Hill Park Bandstand, 7 to 9 p.m., free and open to the public. Visulite Cinemas runs its usual film slate through the day, and Staunton Clayground holds a beginner pottery wheel class this evening.
Friday, September 4
Shop and Dine Out kicks off downtown with extended hours until 11 p.m., running through Saturday.
Saturday, September 5
Art in the Park opens at Gypsy Hill Park, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gypsy Express runs scenic mini-train rides from 1 to 5 p.m., and the Historic Staunton Foundation leads a free guided walking tour from 10 a.m. to noon.
Sunday, September 6
Art in the Park continues, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Gypsy Express keeps running mini-train rides from 1 to 5 p.m.
Art in the Park
Full details are in the lead story above, and at visitstaunton.com.
Blackfriars Playhouse
The Tempest continues in repertory this weekend; check the American Shakespeare Center calendar for showtimes.
River Watch
The South River near Waynesboro has been running in typical late-summer range this week, though a same-day reading requires checking the live gauge directly. For current stage data at USGS Station 01626000, visit the USGS live dashboard. Anyone planning to wade, fish, or float should check conditions the morning of any outing, since levels can shift quickly after regional rain.
The Sneeze Index
Air quality in Staunton read Moderate Thursday morning, with an AQI of 56 and PM2.5 as the main pollutant, per IQAir’s live station data. That’s enough for sensitive groups to consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion, though it isn’t a concern for most healthy adults. Pollen is reading Low, with grass and weed both showing light presence and tree pollen near zero. Conditions can shift through the day, so anyone with respiratory sensitivities should check the live dashboard before heading out for Art in the Park.
The Weekly Pump
Virginia’s average price for regular gas reached $3.93 a gallon on Thursday, per WSLS. That’s up nearly a dollar from $2.99 at this time last year, a jump the report ties to fallout from the ongoing conflict with Iran rippling through fuel markets nationally. Premium is averaging about $4.82, and diesel is running $5.83 statewide. Drivers in Roanoke and Lynchburg are paying a few cents less than the state average, for what that’s worth on your next tank. Use GasBuddy for station-by-station prices near you.
Real Estate Watch
Market data sourced from Redfin.
The most current confirmed sales data puts Staunton’s median home sale price at $324,823 over the three months ending in June, up 12 percent from the same period last year, per Redfin’s live market page. Homes are averaging about 8 days on market, essentially flat from a year ago, a brisk pace for a market this size. That figure runs well ahead of the $286,000 median we cited from Redfin’s February 2026 snapshot a few weeks back; the gap reflects the market moving between those two reporting periods, not a correction. Anyone actively buying or selling should talk with a local agent with direct MLS access, since aggregate figures like these lag what’s happening on the ground week to week.
Who’s Hiring
Listings sourced from Indeed. Salaries listed only where explicitly stated by the employer.
Augusta Health — Patient Access Specialist (Full-Time): Hospital outpatient and urgent care facility in Fishersville is hiring for its registration and check-in team. Pay is $17.24–$23.80/hr. Apply on Indeed.
Summit Square Retirement Community — Clinical Nurse Supervisor: Waynesboro senior living community seeking an RN supervisor for its clinical team. Pay is $70,000–$86,000/yr. Requires a Virginia RN license or transferable license and a valid driver’s license. Apply on Indeed.
Excelsior Defense — Unarmed Security Officer: Full-time security position in Staunton starting from $21/hr. Requires an active Virginia DCJS Unarmed Security Officer Registration at time of application. Apply on Indeed.
City of Staunton Public Works — Custodian Worker (Part-Time): The Public Works Department is hiring part-time custodial staff. Pay is $16.54–$16.78/hr. Prior commercial cleaning experience preferred. Apply through the city and schools’ shared jobs portal.
T.C. McSwain Elementary School — Special Education Instructional Assistant (2026-27 School Year): Staunton City Schools is hiring for the coming school year. Pay is $16.60–$19.15/hr. Full-time. Apply through the city and schools’ shared jobs portal.
Ongoing Threads We’re Watching
Northrop Grumman DEQ air permit. Still no scheduled date for the second public hearing. We’re holding this story for an issue where we can give it the framing it deserves.
I-81 widening. Work remains on pace for northbound lanes to open late this fall, with full completion targeted for summer 2027.
Downtown tunnel repairs. Byers Street has reopened and New Street work is underway. West Johnson Street isn’t expected to reopen until 2027.
Beverley Street and Johnson Street intersection project. The project came up for an update at Wednesday’s council meeting, though we haven’t found a published summary of what was said. Staff had received 30 percent design plans for review by both city staff and VDOT as of the most recent public status, with a hearing likely in the coming months and construction advertised for summer 2027. We’ll confirm details next issue.
Orchard Hill Shopping Center shooting. The suspect remained at large as of Thursday. We’ll update this if the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office announces an arrest.
Virginia Cocktail Games. Three Staunton bartenders are still headed to the finals, live in Richmond on September 12.
Local Palate’s Best Culinary Town in the South. The winner won’t be announced until the December 15 print issue. Staunton remains a finalist.
African American Heritage & Multicultural Festival. The oldest event of its kind in the Shenandoah Valley returns to the Gypsy Hill Park Bandstand September 19 and 20, with Saturday featuring area bands and Sunday including a church service, gospel music, and a cultural fashion show. We’ll have full details as the date gets closer.
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