Legal, Emotional, and Financial Facets of Commitment in the 21st Century.

In a society where romantic relationships come in various forms and flavors, a perennial question seems to be capturing the hearts and minds of long-term couples: Should we tie the knot, or are we good as we are? For those pondering whether to keep their relationship under the common-law umbrella or take the matrimonial plunge, the implications stretch far beyond ceremonial considerations.

While the phrase “what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours” rings as a romantic vow in the matrimonial context, its implications can be a double-edged sword when it comes to the legal division of assets. In many states, marriage signals an equal partnership in the eyes of the law, meaning that in the event of separation or divorce, each party is entitled to a fair share of all accumulated assets. In contrast, common-law partners may discover a starker reality: assets acquired during the relationship are not automatically divided.

Legal experts often come into play when couples want to protect themselves in the event of separation, illness, or the unthinkable loss of a partner. Notaries and attorneys can draft documents like cohabitation agreements or wills to ensure that no one finds themselves in a precarious financial or legal situation.

Beyond the pragmatics of law, a marriage often serves as an expression of love and commitment symbolized through time-honored rituals and the gathering of friends and family. Some argue that this formalization adds a layer of emotional security to a relationship, enhancing the connection between the two parties involved.

Yet, for others, the absence of a marriage certificate does not dilute the love or commitment felt toward their partner. In such cases, alternative celebrations, from commitment ceremonies to lavish vacations, can serve as equally potent expressions of a lifelong pledge to one another.

At the end of the day, whether to marry or continue as common-law partners is a deeply personal decision, affected by myriad factors, including cultural beliefs, financial stability, and mutual life goals. Some couples find that the structure and formal recognition of a marriage align with their long-term visions, while others prefer the flexibility and less cumbersome legal entanglements associated with a common-law partnership.

In the ever-evolving landscape of romantic partnerships, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of marital status. Both paths come with their own sets of advantages and drawbacks, and ultimately, the “right” choice will be as unique as the relationship itself. However, being informed about the legal, financial, and emotional implications of this significant decision can make all the difference in navigating this momentous life milestone.

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The Art and Tradition of Housewarming Across Cultures.

There’s an art to welcoming a family into a new home, and it’s a gesture embedded deep in human history. The exhaustion of moving, unloading boxes, and setting up a new space can be quite overwhelming. At such times, a simple act of kindness, like a warm meal or a thoughtful gift, can resonate deeply and become a cherished memory.

Imagine the scene: a frazzled young mother surrounded by unopened boxes, a weary husband, and hungry children. Just when the chaos seems never-ending, an elderly neighbor comes knocking with a steaming casserole, turning a tiring day into a heartwarming memory. This isn’t just a standalone story; it’s an echo of a practice seen worldwide.

Globally Treasured Traditions:
Housewarming, as the term suggests, is about warming a new house with goodwill, love, and hope. Here’s how the world indulges:

• United States & Beyond: Offering a home-cooked meal to new neighbors has long been a cherished practice. Not just limited to immediate neighbors, it extends to friends moving homes within cities or states. For those who can’t lend a physical hand during the move, gifts like wind chimes, candles, or other decor items can be a beacon of warmth.
• European Tidings: Swedes, Russians, French, and Germans often gift bread, salt, and sometimes sugar to newcomers. These tokens aren’t just random pantry items; they’re wishes for prosperity (bread), longevity (salt), and a sweet life (sugar).
• Jewish Welcomes: The mezuzah stands as a unique housewarming gift in Jewish culture. This small metal container, often adorning the main door, holds religious texts and serves as a spiritual guardian of the home.
• Celtic Candle Magic: Delving into Celtic traditions, one finds candles in a variety of colors, each symbolizing a distinct blessing – green for abundance, rose for peace, red for passion, light blue for healing, and purple to invoke spirituality.<br><br>

At its core, housewarming is more than just a tradition; it’s an act of compassion, a demonstration of community, and a testimony to the shared human experience. The next time you find someone moving into your neighborhood or a friend changing residences, consider reaching out with a gesture – be it a meal, a candle, or simply your time. In a world that often seems too fast-paced, these age-old practices remind us of the enduring power of human connection.

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Candidates Open Up About Their Plans and Backgrounds at Recent Forum.

On September 27, the Warren County Builders Association played host to a riveting forum featuring candidates eyeing a seat on the Front Royal Town Council.

Melissa DeDomenico-Payne: A familiar face in the Front Royal political scene, Melissa has been serving on the Town Council since her appointment in January 2023. A local resident since 1971, she vividly remembers the water pollution issues from Avtex during her younger days. Melissa’s approach to blighted properties leans heavily on beefing up the enforcement of rental rules and town codes. She’s vocal about the need for affordable housing. Melissa’s rich background in public service was a focal point during her closing, and she urged builders to establish better communication channels with the council.

Connie Marshner: Branding herself as the “uncandidate,” Connie brings a fresh perspective, free from the binds of political history. She moved to Front Royal in 1995 and recalls a childhood dictated by her Navy family’s frequent relocations. Her take on neglected properties echoes a common sentiment—more hands on deck. She envisions Front Royal as a “lifelong community” with houses everyone can afford. Ending her segment, Connie painted a picture of Front Royal at a crossroads, emphasizing the need to cherish its unique charm and walkable streets.

Glenn Wood: A true Front Royal son, Glenn’s roots trace back to his school days in the local institutions. After dedicating half a century to manufacturing and human resources, he hung up his professional boots, although his heart remains tethered to community service. Glenn expresses deep concern over blighted properties, advocating for prompt actions. On the housing frontier, he’s all for partnerships that benefit those earning under $50k annually. In wrapping up, Glenn put his planning commission experience on display, pledging to ensure the well-being of Front Royal’s residents.

Missing from the forum was the fourth candidate, Skip Rogers, who couldn’t make it to the event. The discussions from that evening painted a clear picture of each candidate’s vision for Front Royal, especially on burning topics like blight and housing affordability. As election day approaches, the residents of Front Royal are undoubtedly better equipped to cast their votes.

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I have been a construction professional for over 30 years, serving in capacities such as sales, building, project management, development, operations, and directorships. I have a bit of professional capital that allows me to comfortably comment on the issue of affordable housing from many sides, including building, developing, and financing.

I am happy to see that affordable housing is part of this year’s election narrative. What discourages me is that this is simply an empty observation with many, if not most, of the candidates, repeating the mantra that “we need affordable housing” without offering meaningful solutions other than changing the zoning code and building smaller houses — the former will have minimal impact, and the latter almost zero.

There is one very simple solution to affordable housing in this region, which the entire slate of candidates has missed or failed to properly communicate. Our community leaders, both current and future, have not, and clearly don’t have a plan to begin constructing the foundation of a meaningful affordable housing program. Without establishing a formal program, the town government has basically surrendered itself to “hope being a strategy” that someone will come in and rescue our community with shiny new apartments at below-market rents.

Let me develop a simple construct for you. Larger communities have a housing agency managed either publicly through Housing Authorities or have established partnerships with non-profits whose primary mission is accumulation, conversion, building, and managing properties, and finally, there are public-private partnership transactions. Front Royal already has most of these tools in place. Leadership needs to redefine and reposition existing governmental and human capital assets so they can be leveraged to begin establishing a fully functioning agency. How is this done, one may ask?

1. Re-evaluate the community proffer model for re-zoning requests. The few proffer models I have seen include impact fees for schools, fire-rescue, public safety, parks and rec, transportation, etc. Why hasn’t the proffered model been adjusted to account for the need for ADUs or MPDUs? (Affordable Dwelling Units and Moderately Priced Dwelling Units). National builders such as NVR and Van Metre are in our backyards; they will be importing labor from outside our region, and they will extract every dollar they can. This is their mission, and I respect that.  However, our community leaders need to consider preventing our residents from being totally displaced, both physically and financially. Re-zoning requests can be tied to include affordable units.
2. Re-define the role of the Front Royal Economic Development Authority. With little fanfare and much controversy, the FREDA is essentially defunct. The entity is all dressed up with no place to go. This is not the fault of the current dedicated members who want to advance local economic development. The council can reposition FREDA’s core mission and include housing as a primary objective. By state code, communities without established Housing Authorities can leverage their EDAs for residential housing purposes. You have the legal structure in place and dedicated members willing to lead it. Just leverage it.
3. Front Royal Town Council should delegate one of their council members to be the Affordable Housing “Ambassador.” This individual should be motivated, willing to learn, and not be scared to take chances by asking tough questions and thinking outside the box. They should be lobbyists to Virginia Housing, Peoples Inc., and the other public and private agencies that have successful track records in housing. This person should become fluent in grants, housing tax credits, and other financial tools leveraged to bring new housing units to Front Royal.

In business, I have been told not to bring up a problem, re-state a problem, or dwell on a problem without offering solutions or ideas to mitigate the issue. Many ideas will fall flat, be ridiculed, or may never reach their intended objective. This is okay. It just takes one idea to make meaningful change. Don’t champion the problem, champion the solution!

Front Royal Town Council Candidates, what are your solutions and ideas for building the foundation of an affordable housing program?

Gregory A. Harold
Warren County

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the letters published on this page are solely those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Royal Examiner’s editorial team, its affiliates, or advertisers. The Royal Examiner does not endorse or take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or validity of any statements made by the authors. The statements and claims presented in the letters have not been independently verified by the Royal Examiner. Readers are encouraged to exercise their own judgment and critical thinking skills when evaluating the content. Any reliance on the information provided in the letters is at the reader’s own risk.

While the Royal Examiner makes every effort to publish a diverse range of opinions, it does not guarantee the publication of all received letters. The Royal Examiner reserves the right to edit letters for clarity, length, and adherence to editorial guidelines. Moreover, the Royal Examiner does not assume any liability for any loss or damage incurred by readers due to the content of the letters or any subsequent actions taken based on these opinions.

In submitting a letter to the editor, authors grant the newspaper the right to publish, edit, reproduce, or distribute the content in print, online, or in any other form.

We value the engagement of our readers and encourage open and constructive discussions on various topics. However, the Royal Examiner retains the right to reject any letter that contains offensive language, personal attacks, or violates any legal regulations. Thank you for being a part of our vibrant community of readers and contributors, and we look forward to receiving your diverse perspectives on matters of interest and importance.

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An August 7, 2023 letter, “Analyzing Delores Oates’ Hypocrisy,” is worth revisiting before we vote. My perception is different, but your readers can decide from their own perspective.

After withholding budgeted library funding to “protect children”, accusing innocent librarians of unthinkable behavior, and an unsuccessful attempt by some members of the Board of Supervisors to just quietly assume control of a private library without revealing it to taxpayers — or it appears even to all Board members, on Sept. 6 Delores Oates tried to un-ring the bell: “What I’ve noticed is that everyone wants the same thing. Everybody appreciates and loves our library, and the other thing that I want you to know is that everybody wants to protect kids — everybody.”  Oh, Wrong!  Wrong!  And, wrong, Delores!

Let us be absolutely clear because children are watching. We clearly do NOT all want the same thing! Appreciation is NOT expressed by accusations of pornography, grooming, and inappropriate behavior! That is NOT “love”! It is bullying and intimidation, backed by secrecy, dishonesty, and abuse of power, perhaps even misuse of $20,000 for notoriety. This was NOT about “protecting kids”. Delores advertised her disregard for children by proudly posing for photos beside a totally nonsensical “Guns Save Lives” sign posted on Facebook for kids to see. Guns are the leading cause of death in children in America! Military weaponry has NO place on the streets of America.  Children should not be worried about being shot in their classrooms!  And shame on the military veterans sitting silently watching this!

Delores Oates flipped a finger at the Hatch Act, promising in a meeting of the Board of Supervisors that, if elected Delegate, her first priority will be changing some irrelevant exception to obscenity in libraries in VA Code that few have ever seen or heard. Watch that crash head-on into Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which gives federal laws precedence over states, keeping us unified and orderly. What self-serving abuse of elected office for someone claiming such love for the Constitution.

If we want safety for our children, our first priority is to ensure a stable government free of corruption, intimidation, and secrecy. Books don’t leave kids orphaned, frightened, hungry, injured, abused, or dead. Irresponsible voters do.

C.A. Wulf
Warren County

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the letters published on this page are solely those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Royal Examiner’s editorial team, its affiliates, or advertisers. The Royal Examiner does not endorse or take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or validity of any statements made by the authors. The statements and claims presented in the letters have not been independently verified by the Royal Examiner. Readers are encouraged to exercise their own judgment and critical thinking skills when evaluating the content. Any reliance on the information provided in the letters is at the reader’s own risk.

While the Royal Examiner makes every effort to publish a diverse range of opinions, it does not guarantee the publication of all received letters. The Royal Examiner reserves the right to edit letters for clarity, length, and adherence to editorial guidelines. Moreover, the Royal Examiner does not assume any liability for any loss or damage incurred by readers due to the content of the letters or any subsequent actions taken based on these opinions.

In submitting a letter to the editor, authors grant the newspaper the right to publish, edit, reproduce, or distribute the content in print, online, or in any other form.

We value the engagement of our readers and encourage open and constructive discussions on various topics. However, the Royal Examiner retains the right to reject any letter that contains offensive language, personal attacks, or violates any legal regulations. Thank you for being a part of our vibrant community of readers and contributors, and we look forward to receiving your diverse perspectives on matters of interest and importance.

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The White House is warning that a partial government shutdown would mean 1.3 million active-duty armed services members must keep working without receiving paychecks, and hundreds of thousands of Pentagon employees would face furloughs.

by Ashley Murray, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sarah Vogelsong for questions: info@virginiamercury.com. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and Twitter.

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