Virginia newspaper removes 'Democrat' from name

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WARRENTON, Va. • A newspaper in Virginia is removing the word "Democrat" from its name because of the nation's increasingly divisive politics.

In an editorial published Wednesday, The Fauquier Times-Democrat announced it would now be known as the Fauquier Times. The editorial said having the word "Democrat" in the newspaper's name in such partisan political times "is no longer a very astute business decision."

The newspaper is located in Warrenton, about 45 miles outside of Washington. It's published twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The newspaper traces its roots back nearly 200 years to the Palladium of Liberty, which began publishing in 1817. In 1905, the newspaper became the Fauquier Democrat. In 1989, it changed its name to the Fauquier Times-Democrat to more closely identify with the Times Community News, the family-owned chain that owned the paper.