The following is a list of highway work that may affect traffic in Warren County during the coming weeks. Scheduled work is subject to change due to inclement weather and material supplies. Motorists are advised to watch for slow-moving tractors during mowing operations. When traveling through a work zone, be alert to periodic changes in traffic patterns and lane closures.

*NEW* or *UPDATE* indicates a new or revised entry since last week’s report.

INTERSTATE 66
Mile marker 0 to 8, eastbound and westbound – Right shoulder closures, including westbound exit 6 off-ramp for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through June 28.

*NEW* Mile marker 3 to 4, eastbound – Right shoulder closures for traffic equipment maintenance, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

*UPDATE* Mile marker 7 to 8, eastbound – Right shoulder closures for sign work, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

INTERSTATE 81
Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound and southbound – Overnight mobile left lane and right shoulder closures for mowing operations, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. through the night of June 22.

Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound – Right shoulder closures for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through June 28.

Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound and southbound – Overnight lane closures and traffic-lane shifts as needed, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. through December 2024. Shoulder closures 24/7. Work zone speed limit: 55 miles an hour. Work is related to southbound acceleration ramp extension and bridge widening.

PRIMARY ROADS
*NEW* Route 340/522 (Winchester Road) – Southbound right shoulder closures of on-ramp to westbound I-66 for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. June 12 – June 28.

SECONDARY ROADS
Route 638 (Howellsville Road) – Stop and proceed with traffic control 24/7 just south of Route 685 (Patty Tract Lane) intersection to replace the bridge over Venus Branch. Estimated completion: August 8.

Route 658 (Rockland Road) – Closed to through traffic between Route 340/522 (Winchester Road) and Route 705 (Fishnet Boulevard) for the construction of a bridge over Norfolk Southern Railway. Estimated completion December 2025.

Vegetation management may take place district-wide on various routes. Motorists are reminded to use extreme caution when traveling through work zones.

Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511 or www.511Virginia.org.

At 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 13, at the revitalized Raymond E. Santmyers Student Union and Activity Center at 200 East 8^th Street, an open house was held for businesses in Front Royal and the larger Warren County area to come and see and get a feel for what the youth center is going to be and why it is worthy of their investment, not only financial, but of time, talent, and resources. President of the non-profit Reaching Out Now (RON), Samantha Barber, shared at length RON’s vision for the much beloved building, explaining in detail all the progress that has been made and still needs to be made to make the youth center operative again.

Karen Peer of Sysco (behind the table) facilitates the business open house for the Raymond E. Santmyers Student Union and Activity Center. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

The presence of so many people who play key roles in this community testified to the enduring Santmyers legacy and a good gauge of how eager the community is to see the youth center reopen. In attendance was Councilman Glenn Wood, who had a very positive experience at the youth center when he was young and credits the Santmyers for their legacy of keeping kids out of trouble and giving them a safe place to be productively engaged and thinking about their futures. He also said that he believes the Town can continue making financial contributions to RON like the one made earlier this year for $25,000, and he emphatically hopes they will. Also in attendance was Justin Proctor of the Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), who spoke with Animation about his talks with Barber regarding what ACES can do to reimagine the space outside the youth center. Matthew Welch of Quiet Mind Psychotherapeutic Services, Inc., spoke of his appreciation for what RON plans to do. Robert Adanitsch, CEO of ACOM, pointed to the cameras his people have installed at key points in the building and mentioned the vape sensors installed in the bathrooms.

Justin Proctor (L) and Chris Rademacher (R), both affiliated with the Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), are excited about the role they will play in reimagining the space outside the youth center.

President of Reaching Out Now Samantha Barber stands with her good friend, culinary artist Devin Smith, before the meal he created for Thursday evening’s open house at the youth center.

With a history dating back to 2008 and not only surviving but actively meeting needs during the onset of the pandemic, Reaching Out Now already has a legacy of instilling leadership qualities in the community’s young people, working in close partnership with the school system and developing programs like Safe at Home with softball and baseball games to give our young people the support they need and raise money for scholarships. This revitalized youth center is where children between eighth and twelfth grades will feel seen, heard, and loved. Barber shared that when surveyed, the youth have reported that they want tutoring opportunities above all other things, including food. Here, she emphasized that financial contributions are vital considering the amount of money that still needs to be raised before the center can open, but more important than anything else is the investment of time, talent, and resources through programs designed to convey skill sets to the youth of this community, which will hopefully guide them on a path to a bright future. We cannot do this without you, she told the group.

Matthew Welch (R) stands with two other representatives of Quiet Mind Psychotherapeutic Services, Inc., as they attended the open house supporting the youth center whose values align with their own.

You may be a minority in your home community but in statewide and national elections every vote is very important. — That was one of the messages conveyed by Virginia’s U.S. Senator Tim Kaine during a luncheon gathering on the outdoor deck patio of Vibrissa Beer and Kitchen in Front Royal’s Historic Downtown Business District Tuesday, June 11. Also appearing, and responding to questions along with Senator Kaine, was Democratic candidate Ken Mitchell, who will challenge Republican incumbent Ben Cline in Virginia’s Sixth District Congressional race this year.

The WC Democratic Committee promotional for Senator Tim Kaine and 6th State Congressional District challenger Ken Mitchell’s visit to Historic Downtown Front Royal. And we were informed the promised coffee was provided by Doppio Bunny Coffee – a little more caffeine on the side, please. Graphic courtesy WC Democratic Committee

And while every vote is important, it appears that for local Democrats that vote won’t come until the November general election. For as Warren County Democratic Committee Vice-Chair Jessica Reynolds explained to us, neither Mitchell or Kaine faces primary challenges from within the Democratic Party on June 18. However, five Republicans are vying to challenge Kaine for his U.S. Senate seat. They are: C.L. “Chuck” Smith Jr., Edward “Eddie” C. Garcia Jr., Hung Cao, Jonathan Emord, and Scott Thomas Parkinson.

Kaine stressed the importance of the coming national Presidential and Congressional elections as the very concept of our democratically based Constitutional Republic form of government seems to increasingly be at issue. That appears to be based on acceptance by some Republicans of Donald Trump’s claim that his recent Stormy Daniels hush-money payment, election-interference criminal jury trial and conviction in New York City was a politically manipulated fraud, as opposed to a trial based on legitimate evidence that would have brought any American citizen to trial before a jury of their peers, including an ex-president of the United States.

Describing his experience as a young man in Honduras when there was a non-elective dictatorship in place, Kaine said, “I was naive but at the end of the year I wasn’t naive. I was like, wow, dictators are real, authoritarians are real. You can’t just take for granted that you can vote because in Honduras when I lived there, you couldn’t vote. And people I lived with prayed for the day when they might be able to choose their leader. So, I came back in 1981 feeling like, okay now I’m not naive. I understand what’s out there in the world.

‘But I was still naive’

“But I was still naive, because I never would have thought that I’d see that same authoritarian impulse here in this country. And yet we’re seeing it all around the world, we’re seeing it in Hungary, in El Salvador, in the United States. The battle between democracy and authoritarianism is not like a settled issue. No, it is a live issue. And we are on the verge of celebrating 250 years as a nation in 2026. And the burden and responsiblility and opportunity has been placed on our shoulders to be a generation that revitalizes and then puts the functioning democracy we have at the time in the hands of our kids and grandkids.

Tim Kaine and Ken Mitchell, the latter speaking below, on the primary stump, but pointing for November with no primary challenges for either Democratic candidate on June 18. – Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

“And I believe we’re up to it, Virginians are up to it, I think Americans are up to it, and I think that’s why we’re going to be successful come November,” Kaine told his audience of Democrats and independent voters, drawing applause.

The Democratic candidates also faced some tough questions about the Biden Administration’s apparent support of Israel’s ongoing counter-attack on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip where they have been relocated as a stateless people with no military defense system, only a rogue, minority terrorist organization, Hamas, which claims, questionably many Palestinian might suggest, to act in the interest of Palestinians. Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in 1200 Israelis reported killed and 250 taken hostage. The consquent Israeli military actions, which still continue, are generally being defined internationally as a genocide, with Palestinian casualties estimated at least at 38,000, now approaching 40,000 or more. A woman questioning Kaine on the Israeli/Palestinian situation, cited 14,000 children among those Palestinian casualties.

The ‘situation’ in Gaza

“What you call a ‘situation’ in Gaza is more than 14,000 children killed. I have a 5-year-old. I see my kid in every one of those children,” she began emotionally, adding, “And I’m going to tell you, yes, talking about a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace would help. But I don’t know if that would be enough for me to be able to vote Democratic on the ballot,” she said of the coming November election.

“I am completely conflicted because it’s the lesser of two evils, we are still supporting genocide. And how can you support and be behind people that have not yet put an end to this but have the power to do so?” she asked, apologizing for her nervousness. “But I had to be here to tell you this in person,” she added, pointing to frustration at seeing no result from “calling the White House, sending emails, going to protests.

“It is not enough when you’re seeing children just like my child that just had the privilege to be born in this country versus being born there. There’s nothing different between her and the children of Palestine,” she concluded, drawing applause from much of the audience.

Kaine did not back away from a meaningful exchange with a mother, pictured below, critical of the Biden Administration’s stance on the Israel/Palestinian Gaza situation. It is a ‘situation’ that has resulted in what has been reported at over 14,000 children killed, she said, of approaching 40,000 Palestinian deaths over the 8-month Israeli response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that killed 1200 Israelis, with another 250 kidnapped.

“And that’s true. I’ve spent time with hostage families who’ve had their loved ones kidnapped and brutalized,” Kaine began in response. “And I’ve spent time with Israelis who’ve lost families, and I’ve spent time with a lot of Palestinians. And Americans who’ve been in Palestine like doctors on medical missions who are coming back with heartbreaking accounts. It is just, it is heartbreak, it is absolute heartbreak,” Kaine said, adding the observation, “And the U.S. doesn’t have the complete ability to just change the situation in another part of the world. We have influence, we have leverage, more than most,” he admitted, adding, “And it’s taken too much leverage, frankly, for us to get Israel to up the pace of humanitarian aid …

“But Israel does have actors in the Middle East: Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, who want to wipe it out,” Senator Kaine observed of the multi-faceted Middle Eastern political chess board. However, the senator added, “That doesn’t excuse similar violence against Palestinians on the West Bank. That doesn’t excuse throttling humanitarian aid into Gaza. That doesn’t excuse indiscriminate activity that it might get somebody in Hamas, but also wipes out lots of civilians,” Kaine observed of what a majority of the UN Security Council nations appear to define as genocide of Palestinians in Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attack.

“And so, it’s very hard to figure out how do we stand to defend Israel at the same time leveraging what we hope would be better behavior” by Israel’s leadership, Kaine asked rhetorically of a situation he observed has been evolving problematically since 1948 in the wake of World War II and the West’s response to the Nazi holocaust of European Jews.

Kaine cautiously noted some developments over the past few days that gave him some hope for progress toward resolution of the now one-sided conflict moving into its eighth month of Israel’s reaction to the October 7 Hamas attack. However, in response to a related question from another person, Senator Kaine observed that from his past statements and actions, current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears not to favor the two-state solution that would establish a Palestinian nation that could coexist on equal terms with its neighbors, including Israel.

This reporter is reminded of the comment he read a number of years ago from an Israeli peace activist after the first three or four years of Netanyahu’s leadership and his treatment of Palestinians: “Israel is like the abused child who grows up to be the abuser,” she lamented.

With a world in escalating turmoil, welcome to national election year 2024 in America.

Fawns are being born and people are finding them.

White-tailed deer cannot be rehabilitated in our county as it is part of a Chronic Wasting Disease containment zone. Because of this, we don’t often admit deer or fawns.

Our “treatment” of fawns occurs through our hotline, where we advise finders on when fawns actually need help or, more commonly, how to reunite them with their mothers or adoptive does.

Fawn found alone, without mom around?

Fawns (young deer) are most commonly found when people or pets stumble upon them, spook them, or hear them crying.

No mom? No problem! A doe (female deer) will leave their fawn for upwards of 12-14 hours a day, meaning if you don’t see her, her plan worked!

This helps keep fawns safe from predators, since mom can outrun them but the babies cannot. Staying quiet and hidden keeps them safe.

In most cases, there is no reason to intervene.

As long as they’re curled up like the fawn pictured here—quiet, with their legs tucked up underneath of them—that fawn is fine!

What if the fawn is crying?

Even if a fawn is crying, leaving them be can give mom an opportunity to come get them, or allow an adoptive mom to find them.

Again, even if something has happened to a fawn’s biological mother, does are notorious for accepting orphans and caring for them alongside their own fawns!

Deer herds often have multiple mothers lactating at the same time making adoption the best option if mom passes away.

Please give adoptive mothers every possible chance to give fawns the opportunity to be raised by their own kind.

When to help a fawn.

A fawn needs help when they’re obviously injured or ill, laying on their side with their legs out from underneath them, or if they have fly eggs or maggots on them.

Contrary to popular belief spread on social media, “curled ears” mean nothing in terms of gauging whether or not a fawn needs assistance—please do not consider this a sign of anything.

If a fawn DOES need help, please be aware that there are certain Disease Management Areas, in which fawns cannot be rehabilitated nor can they be transported out of these counties.

These counties include Arlington, Bland, Carroll, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Franklin, Frederick, Loudoun, Madison, Montgomery, Orange, Page, Patrick, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, and Wythe counties.

This is due to Chronic Wasting Disease, a disease that is fatal to deer, being found in or adjacent to these counties.

What is Chronic Wasting Disease?

Once in an area, Chronic Wasting Disease prions can live in the soil for years.

Spread through saliva, urine, and other bodily fluids, this makes transporting fawns around the state especially dangerous to the deer population as it can introduce this disease (and others) to new areas and consequently shut down rehabilitation access to fawns in that area.

If you have ANY questions about a deer, please don’t hesitate to call us or your nearest rehabilitator.

Despite our inability to rehabilitate fawns, we can still advise you the next best steps given your unique situations, or reassure you that the fawn is in fact fine and healthy and safe to leave.

If you do find a severely injured fawn in a Disease Management Area, or a severely injured adult in any county, it is best to call the local police as they may be able to send an officer out to dispatch that animal to limit suffering.

This is typically the most humane option as it does not require handling nor transport of an injured animal—both of which can be extremely stressful. If police are unable to assist, some rehabilitators (including our center) may be able to offer humane euthanasia so that the fawn does not need to suffer further.

It is always better to call and ask for advice than leave an animal to suffer!

On Wednesday, June 12, at 12:13 p.m., units were dispatched to the 400 block of Acton Street in Front Royal for a reported dwelling fire. Firefighters arrived swiftly, reaching the scene within four minutes, to find a two-story, single-family home with flames visible on one side.

Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini unless otherwise noted.

Firefighters immediately started battling the blaze inside the house and quickly confirmed that the occupants were safely out. A second alarm was issued, bringing in two more fire engines to assist. The fire was declared under control by 1:05 p.m.

Two firefighters suffered heat-related illnesses and were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Fortunately, no other injuries were reported. The American Red Cross assisted two adults who lived in the home. Even though the residents were not at home when the fire broke out, smoke alarms were functioning, which was crucial in preventing injuries.

Emergency crews remained on the scene for about two and a half hours, ensuring the fire was extinguished and investigating the cause. The Warren County Fire Marshal’s Office is currently investigating the fire. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Fire Marshal’s Office at (540) 636-3830.

The following units responded to the fire: Engine 1 (Front Royal), Rescue Engine 2 (Rivermont), Engine 10 (North Warren), Truck 1 (Front Royal), Medic 8 (Fortsmouth), EM 1, FM 3, FM 4, Battalion Chief 1, Chief 101, and Chief 100. Additional units from the second alarm included Rescue Engine 3 (South Warren), Rescue Engine 9 (Chester Gap), and Medic 12 (Middletown).

Below Photo Courtesy WC Fire & Rescue

WCFR’s quick response and teamwork were vital in managing the fire efficiently and ensuring everyone’s safety.

(From a post on the WC Fire & Rescue social media page)

Front Royal’s Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES) and Warren County Parks & Rec have successfully collaborated to install a new outdoor fitness station at Burrell Brooks Park on Criser Road. This initiative, aimed at enhancing access to outdoor recreational opportunities for the community, was made possible by a $24,000 grant from the Virginia Outdoor Foundation’s Get Outdoors Fund.

The new fitness station includes 10 workout stations, including monkey bars, side planks, sit-ups, pull-ups, dips, and vertical climbing.

The grant covered the cost of the fitness station, delivery, and installation. At the same time, Warren County Parks & Rec and the Public Works Departments invested significant time and effort in preparing the site and overseeing the project. From start to finish, this project took a year to complete, showcasing the dedication and teamwork of everyone involved.

ACES member Justin Proctor expressed his excitement: “We strongly believe that our town and county have the potential to become an exemplary community in terms of healthy living, recreational opportunities, and connectivity with the great outdoors. Building more engaging and diverse infrastructure to promote this type of active, healthy living is one of our strategies for achieving these goals.”

The new fitness station is a robust structure designed for adults and youth, accommodating up to 14 users. It features 10 workout stations, including monkey bars, side planks, sit-ups, pull-ups, dips, and vertical climbing.

Community Collaboration

This project was a true community effort, with many partners contributing to its success:

• Front Royal’s Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES)
• Parks and Recreation Department: Dan Lenz & Dana Winner
• Public Works Department: Travis Jones, Lee Cockrell, Kody Showers, and Anthony Corathers
• Finance Department: Kimberly Henry
• Architect: Fred Andreae
• Engineer: Richard Ruckman
• Virginia Outdoors Foundation: Emma L. Weaver
• KOMPAN Direct Sales Representatives: Jim Konecny & Dwayne Craft
• Triple J Construction
• Warren County Building Inspections Department
• Town of Front Royal Planning Department

Explore other recent additions while visiting Burrell Brooks Park to try out the new fitness station. Check out the wilderness-themed mural painted inside the shelter by RMA’s ARTATAK club and enjoy the shade and beauty provided by the trees planted by the Front Royal/Warren County Tree Stewards over the past decade.

Future Plans

Given the positive impact of parks on the community, ACES is considering adding more playground features to local public spaces. If donors, local businesses, or organizations are interested in collaborating on future projects, they are encouraged to contact ACES member Justin Proctor at c.justin.proctor@gmail.com.

With the new outdoor fitness station and ongoing enhancements, Burrell Brooks Park is set to become an even more vibrant hub for healthy living and outdoor activities in Front Royal.