Good morning, Fredericksburg.

Bill Freehling interviewed ILM Corporation President Jason Cohen as he explained how the company has pivoted over the years to maintain strong business, and next week he will feature Fredericksburg Nationals Director of Production Zancheng Wu.

Stafford County opened three new schools—two elementary and one high school—to welcome students on Transition Day; kindergartners and ninth graders began classes Tuesday while other grades started today.

Central Rappahannock Regional Library has launched a sponsorship program — inviting local partners to help support lifelong learning resources in the community.

The University of Mary Washington awarded scholarships to Virginia and Maryland student leaders, giving two Virginia recipients the Washington Scholarship and three Maryland recipients the Alvey Scholarship, which cover tuition, fees, housing and dining as they study in Fredericksburg (applications open Aug. 1 and deadline is Nov. 15).

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has asked Virginia college and university leaders to review practices and set reforms for free speech, admissions, and academic standards ahead of the new school year.

Universities must display their commitments on their websites by the end of the year to rebuild public trust.

The Virginia DEQ report, released last month, warns that Eastern Virginia’s groundwater is nearing limits as two long-standing paper mills withdraw 43% of the region’s water, urging careful budgeting of water and energy to protect future supplies (the report raises questions for promoting sustainable water use).