Today's News

    Bob Wandrei just won reelection to Bedford City Council in November, but now he has to do it all over again. That’s because City Council will cease to exist on June 30 and Wandrei wants to be on the new town council that takes on July 1.

    Last fall’s election was contested, but this time there are seven candidates for seven seats. However, there is competition. The top four vote-getters in next week’s election will get full four year terms on the town council. The others get two-year terms.

    Three of the four candidates vying for the Republican nomination for the 19th House of Delegates seat showed up in Bedford last week to speak before a candidate forum held at the Bedford Municipal Building.

    Zachary Hatcher, Zach Martin and Jim McKelvey showed up speak. Terry Austin did not attend. According to Charlene Poole, who spearheaded the effort, Austin, like McKelvey and Martin, had received an invitation to the event three weeks ago. Hatcher got his notice late because he had only recently announced his candidacy.

    Bedford County’s supervisors unanimously approved an $89.17 million budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. This includes a local transfer of $38.04 million to Bedford County Schools, $3.5 million less than the school board had asked for.

    Although all supervisors voted in favor of the budget, some expressed concerns. District 2 Supervisor Curry Martin wanted assurance that the budget did not endanger the 3 percent raises for school employees that the school board’s budget contained.

    Mark Reeter, Bedford County’s new county administrator, feels that his arrival right in the middle of the budget process was perfect. Reeter’s first day was March 4 and the process of developing the county’s budget for the new fiscal year had already passed the mid-point.