SPORTS: Football schedules, Kettle Run girls soccer, baseball reports. PAGES 17, 18. May 8, 2024
Our 207th year | Vol. 207, No. 19 | www.Fauquier.com | $2.00 VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION: BEST SMALL NEWSPAPER IN VIRGINIA 2017-2023
Campaign contributions reveal Fauquier’s north-south divide By Hunter Savery Staff Writer
New campaign finance data reveals that Fauquier County is divided when it comes to financial support for presidential candidates. In the first quarter of 2024, Fauquier County residents donated more than $50,000 to President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, while giving about $39,000 to former president Donald Trump, according to new data from the Virginia Public Access Project. Those donations split largely along a northsouth axis, with the northern reaches of the county backing Biden and the south supporting Trump, and illustrate a surprisingly, at least for some, blue segment of the community. “Increasingly, it may make sense to think of
Fauquier as a county with a much redder south and a more purple north,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington. The overall number of donations tells a somewhat different story, though. So far, the Trump campaign has had more success with small-dollar donations than the Biden campaign has. Between January and March, 85 Fauquier residents donated to the Trump campaign, compared to 53 Biden donors — bucking the national trend that sees Biden leading even in small-donor fundraising, per the Wall Street Journal. In northern Fauquier, though, Biden is beating Trump in number of donations and in overall dollars. “While donations are not votes, the contribution patterns so far suggest northern Fauquier is starting to seem more like Loudoun, while southern Fauquier continues to be more like Culpeper, politically speaking,” Farnsworth said. In 2020, Trump won Fauquier County by more than 7,500 votes — a sizable margin, but fewer than the 9,100 votes he won by in 2016.
Fauquier contributions in the 2024 presidential race
Trump Donors: 85 Total amount: $39,295.43
MAP BY VINCENT SALES, COPYRIGHT OPENSTREETMAP.ORG
Red areas indicate where Trump’s donations exceeded Biden’s, while blue areas indicate where Biden’s beat Trump’s. Amounts reflect fundraising from Jan. 1 through March 31. Source: Virginia Public Access Project
Biden Donors: 53 Total amount: $50,976.01
See CONTRIBUTIONS, page 5
Fauquier Hospital earns an ‘A’ for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group By Meghan Mangrum Deputy Editor
her 8-month-old son on her hip as she kicked a soccer ball around Rady Park with three other moms, each also with a baby or toddler in tow. “My goal was to start a pickup league,” said Gollem, who has been playing soccer since she was a child. “I had lived in Amman, Jordan, where I was part of a women’s
A national nonprofit watchdog group gave Fauquier Hospital an “A” grade in its latest round of patient safety ratings, marking a big turnaround for the hospital after three years of lower scores. The distinction builds on the efforts to improve the score — and the hospital’s reputation. Fauquier Hospital earned it a C this time last year. It received three D grades in a row in 2021 and 2022 despite Virginia hospitals ranking among the best in the nation overall. It also comes not quite two years since Rebecca Segal took over as CEO and vowed to change course and improve the Warrenton hospital.
See SOCCER, page 2
See HOSPITAL, page 4
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Warrenton area moms play pickup soccer at Rady Park as part of an informal gathering that has grown into a weekly event.
Pickup soccer for moms catches fire Warrenton group started small but expanded fast By Ashley Simpson Contributing Writer
Less than two years ago, Tara Gollem organized the first-ever gathering of a Warrenton women’s pickup soccer group. It was a sunny afternoon in September 2022, and Gollem had
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Fauquier Hospital in Warrenton is a 97-bed acute care hospital, owned by the for-profit LifePoint Health. The hospital offers surgical services, a 24-hour emergency department, extensive medical imaging capabilities and a intensive care unit and a family birthing center and Intermediate Care Nursery.
Schoodic wins 2nd Gold Cup Page 7
connecting You to
Real savings.
6 MONTH CD %
5.00
APY *
*APY = Annual Percentage Yield. Minimum balance to open and earn the APY is $1,000; penalty may apply for early withdrawal of principal. The APY is accurate as of 4/18/2024. All rates subject to change daily without notice. Member FDIC.
oakviewbank.com | 540.359.7100