This Week at a Glance
Early voting is open, and Staunton’s ballot carries more than names this fall: a proposed sales tax of up to 1 percent for school construction lands in front of voters the same week new state ratings show the city’s schools near the top of the region, inside buildings with $168 million in unfunded needs. Staunton’s NAACP sat down with the city manager and police chief over the September 22 police shooting that killed Montique Gaston outside the Richmond Avenue Walmart, and the city now says it backs the NAACP’s call for transparency as the Virginia State Police investigation continues. At Fairview Cemetery, the Staunton-Augusta County African-American Research Society invites the public Saturday to see what two and a half years of work did for the Shea House.
Lead Stories
Top Marks, Tired Buildings and a Question on the Ballot
The best-scoring elementary school in Staunton sends its fourth graders to class in trailers.
That detail sits at the center of what Staunton voters are being asked to decide between now and November 3. This week, the governor’s office released the 2026 School Performance and Support Framework, the state’s new accountability system for more than 1,800 Virginia schools, and Staunton came out looking strong. Thomas C. McSwain Elementary posted a framework score of 96.12 and earned the top “Distinguished” rating, according to Augusta Free Press. Arthur R. Ware Elementary (92.57) and Bessie Weller Elementary (91.07) also landed in the Distinguished tier. Shelburne Middle scored 84.33 and Staunton High scored 95.09, and both were rated “Meets Expectations.” The outlet’s write-up doesn’t explain why the high school, with the second-highest score in the division, sits a tier below two elementary schools that scored lower.
Augusta Free Press, which frequently takes an editorial position in its news coverage, built its own regional ranking by assigning points to each rating tier, and by that measure Staunton placed fifth of 20 school systems in Region 5. Augusta County came in 14th. Waynesboro finished 18th, with Waynesboro High and William Perry Elementary both rated “Needs Intensive Support,” the lowest tier on the state’s scale. The ranking is the outlet’s method, not the state’s, but the underlying ratings come straight from the framework.
Now for the buildings.
A building-needs study Staunton City Schools completed this summer found $168 million in unfunded capital needs across the division, Augusta Free Press reported in September. McSwain, the top scorer, carries $22.3 million in required maintenance and four temporary learning cottages that currently house fourth grade because enrollment has outgrown the main building. A full renovation that adds classrooms is projected at $26.4 million, with a security vestibule and parking at the top of the priority list.
Shelburne Middle, built in 1962, needs $15.4 million just to keep up with required maintenance. The study targets it for a $56.8 million overhaul that would add 14 classrooms, a new kitchen, and an auditorium that doubles as a performing arts space. Bessie Weller, built in 1952, carries $13.9 million in required maintenance, with a $32.1 million renovation projected to add classrooms for a growing student body. At A.R. Ware, space isn’t the problem. The HVAC system dates to 2000, and the diesel fire pump and water heater are more than two decades old. The study puts required maintenance there at $15.7 million and a full renovation at $31.6 million, starting with a security vestibule.
Then there’s the Dixon Educational Center, which houses the division’s preschool program, special education, and student services. It has never been renovated. Most of its HVAC dates to 1972, some of its piping is more than 60 years old, and it carries code deficiencies. Required maintenance runs $10 million; a renovation would cost $20.6 million.
Add up the renovation figures for those five buildings and you land at about $167.5 million, nearly the entire unfunded total. That’s the gap the referendum is meant to start closing.
The ballot question asks whether Staunton should add a local sales tax of up to 1 percent, dedicated to school construction and renovation, according to Cardinal News. Staunton is one of several Virginia localities putting the same question to voters this November. A sales tax spreads the cost onto anyone who shops in the city, visitors and Augusta County residents included, rather than placing it on property bills alone. It also lands on every purchase that isn’t exempt, which means lower-income households feel it at the register. Those are the two sides of the question voters will weigh, and neither appears on the ballot itself.
The referendum shares the ballot with a quieter local race. Three seats on Staunton City Council are up this year, and exactly three candidates filed for them: Vice Mayor Brad Arrowood, Council member Alice Woods, and newcomer William L. “Billy” Vaughn, all running as independents, per Cardinal News. Mayor Michele Edwards, whom Council appointed to the post in January 2025 alongside Arrowood as vice mayor, according to WHSV, is not on the ballot. Barring a write-in surprise, Staunton already knows who will fill those three seats in January. The candidates still got a chance to introduce themselves at a recent candidate cookout covered by former News Leader reporter Lyra Bordelon.
The School Board race carries more suspense. Five candidates are running for three at-large seats: incumbents Kristin M. Siegel and Fontella L. Brown-Bundy, plus Barbara A. White, Cecilia H. Carpenter, and Jordan K. Zipser. Whoever wins will help decide how the division spends sales tax money if voters approve it, or how it limps along with aging buildings if they don’t.
Above the local races, Staunton voters will choose between U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and Republican Bert Mizusawa for Senate, and between Rep. Ben Cline and Democrat Beth Macy in the 6th District. Three proposed amendments to the state constitution round out the ballot, covering reproductive freedom, repeal of the 2006 Marshall-Newman Amendment on marriage, and automatic restoration of voting rights after a felony sentence is complete.
Early in-person voting runs through October 31 at the registrar’s office, and the deadline to register without casting a provisional ballot is October 23, per Cardinal News. The Augusta Free Press breakdown of the building study is the most detailed public look at where the money would go, and is a must-read.
Two Weeks Later, the Questions Outlast the Facts
Sixteen days after a Staunton police officer shot and killed Montique Gaston in a Walmart parking lot, the public still knows little more than it did the night it happened.
Here’s what has been confirmed. Around 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, a Staunton Police Department officer answered a 911 call at the Walmart on Richmond Avenue, WDBJ reported. The officer made contact with Gaston, a 39-year-old from Portsmouth, and police say an altercation followed in which the officer fired, striking him. The officer and others on scene gave first aid until paramedics arrived, but Gaston died in the parking lot, according to WHSV. The officer, who was not hurt, was placed on administrative leave.
The officer’s body camera recorded the entire encounter. The department turned that footage over to the Virginia State Police, which is running an independent investigation at Staunton’s request, and Police Chief Jim Williams has said the video will stay unreleased until that investigation closes. When State Police finishes, the case goes to a prosecutor with no ties to Staunton or its police department for review.
Williams addressed the community directly in his September 29 update. He offered condolences to Gaston’s family and friends and acknowledged that the shooting raises concerns about race and fairness for many in Staunton’s African American community. He also asked for patience, saying the investigation “will take some time to complete,” and that the department would not reach conclusions before investigators examine the evidence.
Patience has been a hard sell. A week after the shooting, Makayla Venable told WHSV that many people were shocked and afraid, and she asked that the camera footage be made public if possible, the station reported. Leighashley Harden said families were left waiting in limbo, needing to know what happened and why. Other residents called for immediate transparency. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support Gaston’s family and his children, according to WTKR in Hampton Roads, where he lived.
This week the conversation moved into a room with the people who run the city. The Staunton Branch NAACP had issued a press release about the shooting, and the city manager and Chief Williams met with the branch’s leadership afterward, WHSV reported Wednesday. Branch President Nadia Ware said she could not recall a local police shooting that had ended in a death, and she framed the group’s priority as moving the process forward. “The family and the community deserve answers,” she said.
The city described the meeting as productive and necessary, called Gaston’s death “a deeply painful tragedy,” and said it backs the NAACP’s call for transparency and for preserving all evidence. City leaders also committed to being open about the evidence as State Police releases information. The city can’t publish what it doesn’t control, and right now the State Police controls the footage, the witness interviews, and the timeline. The NAACP says it plans to contact State Police directly as the investigation continues.
Nobody has offered a timeline. The independent prosecutor’s review adds another stage after State Police finishes. What Staunton can measure, for now, is whether the promises made this week hold up once the evidence starts to come out: whether the footage gets released, how quickly, and whether the city’s public account matches what’s on it.
We’ll report what State Police releases, when it releases it, and what the outside prosecutor decides. If you were at the Walmart that evening and have spoken with investigators, or if you have a question about the process you’d like us to chase, fill out the form here to get the ball rolling.
The House at Fairview Gets Its Party
Susie King was at Fairview Cemetery for a historical marker dedication when she noticed how badly the old house on the grounds had fallen apart. “I looked to the right and said, ‘Oh, we can do that project,’” she told Lyra Bordelon. Two and a half years later, the Shea House restoration is in its final stage.
King’s Staunton-Augusta County African-American Research Society, known as SACAARS, holds a restoration celebration Saturday, October 10, from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at Fairview Cemetery. It’s free and open to everyone, with refreshments, a bake sale, and work from five local artists. The event thanks the donors who paid for the work and shows them where their money went, Augusta Free Press reported.
Fairview, Staunton’s largest African American cemetery, was established in 1869 to serve Augusta Street United Methodist and Mount Zion Baptist, according to WMRA. The two congregations still own the Shea House, which dates to 1871 and housed the cemetery’s caretakers through much of the 20th century. A committee formed in 2023 put the restoration at about $200,000, covering the roof, plumbing, electrical work, and siding, per WHSV. Once finished, the house will help families locate relatives buried at Fairview.
Saturday doubles as a farewell. King plans to retire once the house is done, and the research society’s work will become part of the Augusta County Historical Society, Bordelon reported.
Quick Hits
The Staunton Public Library’s new terrace opens Friday at 10 a.m. with a public ceremony, and storyteller Liza Newell holds a family storytelling session on it Saturday at 10:30 a.m., moving indoors if it rains, according to Augusta Free Press. The Friends of the Staunton Library broke ground in spring 2025 and paid for the project with an estate gift from Julia Kiessling, a longtime Friend and former board member. The space adds tiered seating for programs, hillside seating built into the slope, an accessible path, and a permanent shade structure.
Redbeard Brewing’s concert series has raised more than $30,000 for Staunton City Schools since it launched in 2021, WHSV reported. General manager Amanda Clark, a Staunton City Schools graduate, came home after more than a decade working behind the scenes in Hollywood.
The Talking Book Center at the Staunton Public Library, which provides free audiobooks and library services to people who are blind or have print disabilities, marks 45 years with a celebration tonight from 4 to 6 p.m. at 1 Churchville Avenue, per WQSV.
Out & About
Thursday, October 8
Talking Book Center 45th Anniversary. Light refreshments and a celebration of 45 years of library service at 1 Churchville Avenue, 4 to 6 p.m., per WQSV.
Resin Workshop. Art Hive Collective at 835 Spring Hill Road hosts a hands-on resin session with Tanya Keigley of Fleur de Luna, 5 to 7 p.m., with demolding the next evening.
Pottery Wheel for Beginners. Staunton Clayground runs its intro wheel class, 6 to 8 p.m., per Visit Staunton.
Thursday Trivia. Dexter hosts at Baja Staunton, 7 p.m.
Friday, October 9
Library Terrace Grand Opening. The public is invited to the ribbon on the library’s new terrace at 10 a.m.
Shop and Dine Out. Beverley Street closes to cars between Lewis and Market streets from 4 p.m. Friday until 7:30 a.m. Monday, with the promotion running weekends through early November, per Visit Staunton.
Friday Night Frights. Visulite Cinemas at 12 N. Augusta St. continues its October horror lineup with themed nights and costume contests, per WQSV.
Skank. The band plays Ciders From Mars.
Saturday, October 10
Storytelling on the Terrace. Liza Newell tells stories for families at the library, 10:30 a.m.
Free Guided Walking Tour. The Historic Staunton Foundation leads a volunteer tour through the historic districts, 10 a.m. to noon, per Visit Staunton.
Shea House Restoration Celebration. SACAARS hosts the public at Fairview Cemetery, 12:15 to 1 p.m., with art, refreshments, and a bake sale. Free.
Gypsy Express. Mini-train rides at Gypsy Hill Park, 1 to 5 p.m.
The Reimagined Runway. Shenandoah Green presents wearable art and Halloween costumes built from reclaimed and thrifted materials, plus an artist market, poetry, and performances at 19 S. Market St., 5 to 7 p.m., per WQSV.
The Norms. Live music at Redbeard Brewing.
Sunday, October 11
Zentangle Workshop. Lynn Meldru leads a free, all-levels pattern drawing class at Art Hive Collective, 1 to 2:30 p.m., with registration recommended.
Gypsy Express. The mini-train runs again, 1 to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, October 13
Augusta County Planning Commission. Public hearings on the two solar projects covered in Quick Hits, per the agenda.
Wednesday, October 14
Rally for Healthcare. Local Democrats rally outside the Staunton Health Department at 1414 N. Augusta St., noon to 2 p.m., with stops later that afternoon in Churchville and Buena Vista at former Augusta Health primary care sites, per Augusta Free Press.
Thursday, October 15
Irish Sessions. Traditional music at Marino’s Lunch, per WQSV.
On stage all week. The American Shakespeare Center has The Tempest running at the Blackfriars Playhouse through November 13 and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein through November 14, and Ox-Eye Vineyards’ upstairs gallery at 44 Middlebrook Avenue shows Scotland Journey, paintings by John M. Bell, through November 17, per WQSV.
River Watch
A run of sunny days and clear nights has settled over the Valley this week, per Rocktown Now’s forecast, so expect fall conditions rather than a rain-swollen river. Check the USGS live dashboard for Station 01626000 on the morning you plan to wade, fish, or paddle near Waynesboro, since a printed number goes stale fast.
The Sneeze Index
Staunton’s air read Good on Thursday morning, with an AQI of 28 and PM2.5 the main pollutant at 5.1 micrograms per cubic meter, according to IQAir’s live station data. Tree and grass pollen have dropped to nothing, and weed pollen sits at Low. Allergy sufferers should find this weekend’s outdoor events easier going than last month’s.
The Weekly Pump
Virginia’s average for regular gas stood at $4.20 a gallon on Wednesday, according to AAA figures reported by WSLS, up from about $2.95 at this time last year. Premium averaged $5.08 and diesel $6.24. Prices dipped early in the week, and AAA said they “remain the highest they’ve ever been for this time of year,” per WSET. GasBuddy tracks the cheapest pumps around town.
Real Estate Watch
Staunton’s median sale price came in at $314,742 in August, up 7.5 percent from a year earlier, according to Redfin. Homes are taking a median of 11 days to sell, two days longer than last year, and 93 homes sold in August, down from 105 a year ago. Prices are still climbing, but buyers have a little more breathing room than they did this summer.
Specific sales and current listings require a local agent with MLS access; these aggregate figures lag what’s happening street to street.
Who’s Hiring
Who’s Hiring
Brazer | Daikin Applied | Staunton | $27.13 an hour
Manufacturing Operator | Hollister Incorporated | Stuarts Draft | $28.67 an hour
Warehouse Associate II, Day Shift | Virginia Eagle Distributing Co. | Verona | $18 to $24 an hour
Part-Time Cashier/Stocker | ALDI | Waynesboro | $18 to $20 an hour
Ongoing News
The state has approved Northrop Grumman’s air permit for its planned Waynesboro plant. The Department of Environmental Quality’s permit took effect September 30 and caps hazardous air pollutants at 24.9 tons a year, with compliance resting on the company’s own records rather than third-party monitoring; we laid out the full story in our Sunday feature. The Valley Environmental Justice Alliance has started its own water testing at four sites in Coyner Springs Park.
Phase two of the $4.6 million downtown tunnel project is underway. Byers Street has reopened to one-way traffic as a detour, West Johnson Street is closed in front of part of the Johnson Street Parking Garage, and the Johnson Street work is expected to wrap by April 2027, WHSV reported. City communications manager Josh Knight said downtown remains fully accessible.
Augusta County’s finance director post has been empty since Misty Cook left on September 9. The county says she resigned and denies a reader’s account that her exit triggered an audit; the outside auditor’s routine fieldwork is scheduled for the week of October 12, and applications for the job close October 15, per Augusta Free Press.
Sheriff Donald Smith pulled the county’s two Flock license plate cameras on Jefferson Highway from service September 25 after residents raised concerns, WHSV reported. A citizens group now wants local agencies to stop using mobile plate readers as well, per Augusta Free Press.
The suspect in the August 27 shooting at the Orchard Hill Shopping Center remains unidentified as far as we can confirm. We have not seen an announced arrest from the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office.
Staunton remains a finalist for Local Palate’s Best Culinary Town in the South, with the winner due in the December 15 print issue.
From The Stauntonian This Week
DEQ Signs Off on Northrop Grumman’s Waynesboro Air Permit
The state approved the air permit for Northrop Grumman’s Blue Ridge Advanced Manufacturing Center on September 30 and told the public by email two days later. Residents who asked for independent monitoring got company recordkeeping instead. Our Sunday feature walks through what the permit allows, what it leaves to the company, the plant’s proximity to the Coyner Springs water supply, and what residents can do from here.
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