Morning Buzz – June 30, 2010

A daily digest of what’s going on in Fredericksburg, and what news from elsewhere is relevant here. Send suggestions to ebattle@freelancestar.com.

Today is the last day of the 2010 fiscal year. So maybe it’s fitting to look at an issue that will have a big effect on state and local budgets in the years to come. Virginia Statehouse News has a story today about one way state legislators got around making even tougher budget decisions this year–postponing their obligations to fund the state’s pension fund. It’s worth a read to understand what the state and local governments will be up against at some point in the future.

A Hampton City Councilman is trying to start discussions to build a slavery museum at Fort Monroe, the Daily Press reports. Officials in Hampton and in Richmond have argued before that they have sites that would be more fitting than Fredericksburg’s Celebrate Virginia for a slavery museum. The question is–do they even need to lure away Fredericksburg’s proposal? As we reported late last year, there aren’t many signs that the effort to build a museum in Fredericksburg is still alive.

Fireworks - I forgot to mention yesterday that while most of the Heritage Festival stuff is taking place on Saturday, the fireworks will happen on July 4 (Sunday). They’ll be shot from Brooks Park across the river at 9:15 p.m. Pratt Park has been suggested as the best viewing spot, and the city is reminding people that Old Mill Park will close at 8 p.m. and won’t be available for fireworks viewing. Look for more in tomorrow’s weekender.