Would you like to know a secret? In high school and early college, I became very intrigued by the stories of the American Civil War. The concept of brother against brother tugged at my teenage heartstrings so strongly that I wrote an entire historical fiction novel based off of a soldier who died in Spotsylvania. Star-crossed lovers, sibling connections, and changing perceptions marked the pages. 

Over the years, my interest in that era morphed into a longing to learn more about Virginia history as a whole. That’s why I’m really excited to share today’s lead story with you (especially during Women’s History Month). It’s about Virginia women who worked as spies during a tumultuous time in our country’s past. Enjoy the read because I’m so glad you’re here. 

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By Michael O’Connor

Virginia lawmakers recently passed legislation to lift a state ban on public sector collective bargaining for about half a million public sector workers. 

The bill would apply to public teachers, firefighters, maintenance workers, and other employees employed by local governments and school boards, along with people who work at state agencies. 

Virginia labor advocates and policy watchers say this is a historic moment given how long the ban was in place and the number of workers it would impact. 

“This is probably one of the most significant pieces of legislation that will advance worker rights, specifically for public sector workers, in a very long time,” said Rodrigo Soto, legislative and campaigns director at The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis.

By Amie Knowles

If you’ve hung around here for a while, you’re probably aware of my love/hate relationship with our 116-year-old home. I adore its character and location, but I absolutely do not love the way it keeps trying to financially ruin us. Enter: the leaking roof.

Our house is basically the architectural version of a group project where no one has communicated. The original structure went up in 1910, someone got ambitious in 1940, and then another round of “sure, why not?” happened sometime in the mid-60s to ‘70s. The result? A Frankensteined together structure that we proudly call “home.” 

Most recently, the shingles over part of the 1940 addition started leaking around an unused satellite dish the previous owners bolted straight into the roof (how very thoughtful of them). We called a roofing company who quoted $3,280 for just that portion, which left us with two options for the upcoming spring showers: Let it leak or try to seal it ourselves. 

I’m no roofing pro, but I do have ADHD—which is basically another way of saying I can come up with creative solutions. So I bought a $5 can of insulating spray foam sealant from Home Depot. My brother came over, and together, we scaled the roof and applied the sealant.

Is it pretty? No. Is that product meant for leaky roofs? Also no. Is it working? Eh, to be determined—we didn’t get as much rain as the weather folks called for the following day, so it’s hard to tell. But, until proven otherwise, our family mantra remains in place: “If it’s stupid but works, it ain’t stupid.”

By Aila Boyd

Born in Sussex in 1967, Tony Massenburg played for the Maryland Terrapins before being drafted into the NBA as a power forward in 1990. 

He played for several teams, but both started and concluded his career with the San Antonio Spurs. 

Massenburg retired after the 2004-05 season after 683 games. His average points per game were 6.2.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Amie Knowles. Amie is a lifelong Virginia resident and mom to a fantastic 8-year-old who loves Pokémon. This edition includes stories from Aila Boyd, and Michael O’Connor. It was edited by Brook Bolen

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