The 250th anniversary of the United States of America, dating from the July 4, 1776 formal approval of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress, is almost here. Special events are planned in Gloucester and in Mathews, across Virginia, and throughout the United States, to mark this hallowed semiquincentennial. We may be a nation very much divided on a number of issues, but on the one, single most important subject that unites us, on the blessing of being American, we cannot be separated. We encourage our readers to look beyond the differences and to celebrate what we enjoy together. The excitement is building. This week’s paper and issues to come will keep track of the many, many activities being held locally in celebration of our nation’s milestone. Be a part of the red, white and blue this summer....

Like clockwork, each spring we hear, and often forget, forecasts about the upcoming hurricane season. This is not an academic exercise, or a remote tragedy to be watched on TV. Hurricanes have hit our area hard with tragic consequences many, many times over the centuries. Two agencies with respected track records in hurricane season predictions have analyzed the data with these fearless forecasts. NOAA predicts a below-normal hurricane season for the Atlantic basin this year, with a total of 8-14 named storms when sustained winds are 39mph or higher. Of these, three to six are forecast to become hurricanes of 74 mph or more. The season may produce up to three major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher. “NOAA has a 70% confidence” in this forecast, it said. Colorado State University is also a leading analyst of hurricanes and probability. In a summary for 2026, CSU said, “We anticipate that the 2026 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have somewhat below-normal activity. Current ...

Editor, Gazette-Journal: I contacted Congressman Rob Wittman several months ago about his recent NO vote on House Resolution 1100 (119th Congress), introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on March 4, 2026. It directed the House Ethics Committee to preserve and publicly release (with victim/witness info redacted) records of investigations into sexual harassment, unwelcome advances, or assault by Members of Congress (MOCs) or staff, under House Rules (clauses in the Code of Official Conduct), which I received no reply from his office. I think us voters deserve a response as to why Congressman Wittman chose to protect predators. While I generally support him, his NO vote had me scratching my head. Dr. Seth W. AndersonMoon, Va....

Editor, Gazette-Journal: Congressman Wittman sends me frequent emails telling me how hard he is working on behalf of his constituents, replete with details. I took the trouble of following up on one such letter, the message of May 26 titled “Making home ownership possible.” I selected the handful of bills that he cited and looked them up in the Congressional Record. Housing for the 21st Century Act, HR 6644 introduced 12/11/2025 with 41 co-sponsors. Status: “resolving differences.” The bill has passed both the House and Senate with numerous amendments. This measure has been through 96 steps, an exceptional degree of attention. The remaining differences between the two bills are now being worked out; then it will go to the President to sign. Mr. Wittman did not co-sponsor this major bill, but joined in when the vote was 396-13. His efforts on behalf of other pieces of legislation have been less remarkable. More Homes on the Market Act, HR 1340 introduced 2/13/2025 with 13 co-sponsors an...

Editor, Gazette-Journal: In her June 4 letter, Susanne Alexander criticizes Rep. Rob Wittman for his vote on the Big, Beautiful Bill. However, her letter also leaves out important details. Regarding the subsidies for health insurance. My wife and I each worked over 40 years so we could have a secure retirement. Together, we pay about $900 per month for Medicare and a Medicare supplement. Why should my tax payments be given to others who may pay as little as $70 per month for their subsidized health insurance? Frankly, I’m tired of others who claim that somebody else should fund their insurance premiums. As for cuts to Medicaid. What was cut was entitlement coverage to able-bodied adults who refuse to work. Going forward, these adults will have to work, or volunteer, at least 80 hours per month. That’s equivalent to a part-time job. Get off your butt and get a job. The bill also tightens up loopholes that allowed some states, like California and Oregon, to apply Medicaid funds to medica...

At stage left, the northward-sailing fleet of Virginia’s Royal Governor James Murray, Lord Dunmore, appeared in Hills Bay off Gwynn’s Island and dropped anchor. The date was May 26, 1776. Two hundred fifty years ago, the by-then widely-despised royal governor looked for a comfortable refuge on a tiny piece of Virginia: Gwynn’s Island. Dunmore brought with him a large fleet; in fact, it was a floating town. Peter Wrike, author of “The Governor’s Island,” wrote: “A hundred vessels of all sizes, rigs, and conditions of seaworthiness, loaded to capacity and manned by seamen of widely differing skills” set sail the morning of May 26 from Lynnhaven Bay, abandoning its long-held position off Norfolk, and “safely reached Gwynn’s Island that same day.” One hundred ships! They anchored off the sleepy shorelines of the north-easternmost corner of Kingston Parish, then a division of Gloucester County, and there set up camp. The revolution had arrived in our own front yard. The neighborhood woke up...

Editor, Gazette-Journal: As we move into summer, I want to share what the numbers are telling us about the Middle Peninsula housing market—and what’s driving them. The Chesapeake Bay & Rivers Association of Realtors’ latest quarterly report shows a market that’s cooling from the frenzy of recent years, but in a healthy way. Across our region—Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, and parts of King & Queen and King William—227 homes sold in the first quarter, about 11 percent fewer than a year ago. At the same time, the number of homes for sale grew 25 percent, to 417 active listings. Months of supply rose to 4.2 from 3.4 a year ago, nudging us toward a more balanced market where neither buyers nor sellers hold all the cards. Prices tell a more local story. Gloucester led the region with median prices up nearly 27 percent, and Middlesex rose about 16 percent. Mathews moved the other way, with its median slipping from roughly $383,000 to $318,000—a reminder that just a handful of sales ...

Editor, Gazette-Journal: Rob Wittman has been making claims about how his vote for the Big Beautiful Bill has helped the Virginia economy, but he isn’t giving you all the facts. He stated that tax deductions added $300 to the average family per month. The bill had also cut the subsidies for health insurance, which added hundreds to the average family’s monthly premiums. It also cut the SNAP benefits and enacts substantial cuts to Medicaid, totaling roughly $880 billion to $1 trillion over the next decade, affecting millions of Americans. He didn’t mention that the typical household gains for million-dollar-plus filers are on the order of tens of thousands annually. Unless you are a million-plus American, you are not getting ahead in this economy, and if you need assistance of any kind, Wittman doesn’t care about you. We can’t afford another term for Rob Wittman. Suzanne AlexanderGloucester Point, Va....

Editor, Gazette-Journal: We are all familiar with the phrase, “All politics is local,” which was former House Speaker Tip O’Neill’s way of saying that successful elected officials concentrate on the everyday concerns of their immediate constituents. That’s because voters tend to choose their government representatives with one eye on their paychecks, the cost of groceries (and gas!), the education of their children, health care, and a host of other mundane but vital matters that affect their lives each day. While all this is true, it may be time for us voters, for our own good, to think more broadly than we have in the past. Whatever their political persuasion, sensible people I talk to agree that the Trump presidency is a disaster. He has alienated our allies, started a costly war in Iran, disrupted the world economy, and turned impetuousness into social policy. Overwhelmingly, rankings I’ve found of American presidents place Trump among the worst in history. We have Trump for two and...

A sweet moment of pure joy is coming up for several hundred young people in Gloucester and Mathews: the moment they graduate from high school. Each life is marked by a few clear lines of change: from high school student, to whatever comes next, is one of them. Across the generations of parents, grandparents, and other elders watching proudly, each can identify with the moments ahead. Diplomas are presented along with a handshake. Caps and confetti fly into the air. “Let joy be unconfined” wrote the poet Lord Byron. Graduation is the joyous moment for these young people, who will settle into new roles (jobs, college, service) in a few weeks or months. This is their time. We congratulate them....