Staunton and Waynesboro voters approved a sales tax of up to 1 percent for school construction on Tuesday, and Augusta County voters rejected the same question by nearly two to one, which sends three neighboring school systems down three separate paths toward the same kind of aging buildings. Six weeks after a Staunton police officer fatally shot Montique Gaston in the Richmond Avenue Walmart parking lot, a court filing describes the struggle that came first, the body camera video stays unreleased, and an outside prosecutor has yet to review the case. Staunton’s housing strategy enters the final two months of its 18-month implementation window with a neighborhood survey finished and several promised steps still unreported.
Lead Stories
Staunton and Waynesboro Voted Yes on the School Tax. Augusta County Voted No by Nearly Two to One.
Three neighboring communities answered one question on Tuesday and gave three different answers. Staunton voters approved a sales tax of up to 1 percent for school construction, 57.12 percent to 42.88 percent, per Rocktown Now’s report of state results. The count stood at 6,299 yes votes to 4,728 no on 57 percent turnout, and the figures stay unofficial until the canvass. Waynesboro voted 63.3 percent yes, according to Augusta Free Press. Augusta County voters rejected the tax with 22,659 no votes to 11,694 yes, or 65.96 percent no, Rocktown Now reported. Turnout in the county ran 59 percent.
New Court Filing Describes the Struggle Before the Walmart Shooting in Staunton
Six weeks after a Staunton police officer shot and killed Montique Gaston in the Richmond Avenue Walmart parking lot, a filed affidavit has put new detail into public view. WHSV reported Monday that the document lays out what a witness, store employees and State Police say led to the gunfire.
Staunton’s Housing Strategy Enters Its Final Two Months
On Saturday, October 24, volunteers, Virginia Tech students and instructors walked and drove Staunton neighborhoods and documented what they saw on the outside of homes: roofs, porches, windows and doors. The city ran the survey with the Virginia Tech Center for Housing Research, WHSV reported. Surveyors stayed on public streets and sidewalks, wore vests and name tags and did not enter yards or homes. The city said the survey has no connection to code enforcement or tax assessments and that individual properties will not be identified in public reports.
Quick Hits
Staunton’s three Council seats went to Billy Vaughn, Alice Woods and Vice Mayor Brad Arrowood, in that order of votes, with Vaughn leading at 6,270. Three candidates ran for three seats, so the vote only settled the order. In the School Board race, incumbent Kristin Siegel finished first with 6,084 votes, newcomers Barbara White and Cecilia Carpenter won the other two seats, and incumbent Fontella Brown-Bundy placed fourth, 532 votes behind Carpenter. All figures stay unofficial until the canvass.
Virginia voters approved all three proposed amendments to the state constitution.
Staunton Fire and Rescue has closed Station 1 for interior renovations, with the work expected to last 30 to 45 days and operations scheduled to return by December 13. One piece of apparatus works from the rescue squad building and the ladder truck from Station 10 in front of Walmart, and Jason Ball of Staunton Fire and Rescue said service levels will not drop.
Alumni and neighbors gathered at the former Booker T. Washington High School on October 31 to discuss its preservation, and organizers plan more meetings to shape a preservation and renovation proposal for City Council. The meeting follows the city’s work session on the building’s future that we covered in Issue 37.
Out & About
Thursday, November 5
Mercy Creek Live. The band plays Marino’s Lunch tonight, per WQSV.
On stage and on the walls. The American Shakespeare Center’s The Tempest runs at the Blackfriars Playhouse through November 13 and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein through November 14, and John M. Bell’s Scotland Journey paintings hang at Ox-Eye Vineyards, 44 Middlebrook Avenue, through November 17, per WQSV.
Friday, November 6
Sparkles and Sweets. Downtown shops keep extended hours from 5 to 9 p.m., with complimentary beverages and treats at participating businesses, per WQSV.
CoArt Gallery Opening Reception. Wendy Lam shows acrylic landscapes of Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley at 22 W. Beverley Street, 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit runs through the end of the month, per WQSV.
Saturday, November 7
Cider Festival. Cideries from across the Commonwealth gather at the Frontier Culture Museum, 1290 Richmond Road, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with live music, local food vendors and family activities, WHSV reported. The museum’s event page has ticket information.
Sunday, November 8
Oracle Cards at Art Hive. Private card readings and lessons run from noon to 3:30 p.m. at 835 Spring Hill Road, per WQSV.
Thursday, November 12
Staunton City Council Work Session. Council meets from 5 to 7 p.m., per the city calendar.
Looking ahead. The Frontier Culture Museum’s Holidays by Lantern Light runs Thursdays through Sundays from 5:30 to 8 p.m., starting December 3, and the museum’s event pages show earlier runs sold out.
River Watch
The latest reading relayed from USGS Station 01626000, the South River gauge at Waynesboro, shows 24 cubic feet per second at a gage height of 2.34 feet as of November 5, according to Snoflo, which republishes USGS data. That compares with 170 cubic feet per second at 3.08 feet on October 12, the reading carried in last week’s issue. Snoflo’s forecast expects the river to hold near today’s level through November 9. Anyone planning to wade, fish or paddle should check the live USGS dashboard the morning of the outing.
The Sneeze Index
Staunton’s air read Good at 4 a.m. Thursday, with an AQI of 10 and PM2.5 the main pollutant at 1.9 micrograms per cubic meter, according to IQAir’s live station data. IQAir’s advice for the day is to enjoy outdoor activities. Tree and weed pollen read Low, and grass pollen reads none. IQAir’s daily forecast shows Friday near 35 and Saturday near 29, though hourly readings brush the mid-50s overnight, so festival-goers should expect clean air at Saturday’s cider tasting.
The Weekly Pump
Virginia’s average for regular gas stood at $3.95 a gallon on November 3, according to AAA figures compiled by Gasolytics, down 8 cents in a week and 18 cents in a month, and below the $4.10 reported in this space on October 22. Premium averaged $4.84 and diesel $6.22. The Staunton-Waynesboro metro area ran below the state average, at $3.70 for regular and $6.01 for diesel. The national average stood at $4.15, against $3.08 a year ago, per AAA.
AAA’s October 29 release said crude oil prices above $100 a barrel are limiting further declines at the pump, and the association has tied this year’s swings to instability around the Strait of Hormuz. GasBuddy tracks the cheapest pumps around town.
Real Estate Watch
Redfin’s most recent figures put Staunton’s median sale price at $301,431, up 0.7 percent from a year earlier, according to Redfin. Homes sold in a median of 12 days, two days faster than last year, and 101 homes sold in September, down from 106 a year ago. Zillow, which tracks typical home values and not sale prices, put Staunton at $316,193 through August 31, up 4.8 percent over the year.
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
Production Operator | The Hershey Company | Stuarts Draft | $26.88 an hour
Each listing links to the employer’s own posting, and pay appears only where the employer states it. For more openings, see the city and Staunton City Schools jobs portal and jobs.virginia.gov.
Developing Stories
The third northbound lane of I-81 near Staunton is expected to open fully on Monday, November 9, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced, WHSV reported. The northbound lane runs from exit 222 to exit 225, and the southbound side runs farther, down to the I-64 interchange. Active work zones stay in place, and the widening project, which began in fall 2023, is expected to finish in summer 2027.
From The Stauntonian This Week
A New Water Main Takes Shape Under West Johnson Street
Crews are setting valves at Central Avenue as the city’s $4.6 million downtown tunnel project moves through its second phase, with the Johnson Street work expected to wrap by April 2027.
How did the election shake out?
Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro residents voted on November 3, and Lyra Bordelon walks through how the local races and questions came out.
Note from the Editor
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