Ryan Fitzmaurice

1 week ago | dnronline.com | Ryan Fitzmaurice

NEW MARKET — When New Market Police Chief Chris Rinker received the 2025 Excellence in Public Service Professional Award from James Madison University this spring, it marked more than a personal milestone. It reflected a department quietly shifting the tone of local policing — placing empathy, mental health awareness, and community connection at the center of its work. Leading that shift are Rinker and his service dog.

1 week ago | nvdaily.com | Ryan Fitzmaurice

Protesters who have gathered each Saturday for nearly three months on the Interstate 81 overpass in Woodstock say their weekly act of resistance is now being reframed — not as free speech, but as loitering. The demonstration, led by ShenCo Indivisible and the Shenandoah County Democratic Committee, began in early March with a few dozen participants and has at times drawn more than a hundred people.

1 week ago | nvdaily.com | Ryan Fitzmaurice

The Shenandoah County School Board has approved a $4.14 million capital improvement proposal to submit to the Board of Supervisors, resolving weeks of division over how to allocate a projected $6.5 million year-end surplus. Vice Chairman Kyle Gutshall made the motion to adopt the plan — a streamlined list of one-time infrastructure projects shaped after board leadership met with county officials on May 21. The motion, seconded by Thomas Streett, passed unanimously, 5–0.

1 week ago | nvdaily.com | Ryan Fitzmaurice

The Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors’ plan to fund 27 new firefighting positions — a move aimed at filling critical service gaps and buying time to establish a long-term staffing solution — will now cost the county more than anticipated following news that FEMA’s SAFER program has been scaled back. "I've had people ask if changes to the federal government is affecting local finances and budgets and the answer has been that I haven't heard of them yet," County Administrator Evan Vass said.

2 weeks ago | nvdaily.com | Ryan Fitzmaurice

Strasburg Police Chief Wayne Sager has been named one of the Top 100 Local Government Influencers in the country by Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL), a national nonprofit that connects, educates, and celebrates public servants working in local government. “Wayne Sager exemplifies the true meaning of a public servant consistently prioritizing the needs of others.,” ELGL’s award write-up reads.