FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) — A business owner in Virginia is seeking an emergency temporary restraining order to prevent a slave auction block from being removed from downtown Fredericksburg.The Free Lance-Star reported that a motion was filed Wednesday on the behalf of E.D. Cole Building LLC. It owns a commercial building across the street.The building owner and the owner of a nearby restaurant have argued that they’ll lose business from tourist traffic if the auction block is removed. A judge ruled this month that city officials have the authority to approve the removal of a 176-year-old auction block.The city has plans to move the auction block to a museum and to place a kiosk with information where it once stood.An appeal is being made to the Virginia Supreme Court. But the emergency motion was filed after the city placed traffic cones and informed nearby businesses that it would soon be removed.The traffic cones were then removed. A Fredericksburg Circuit Court judge has scheduled a hearing for Monday afternoon to consider the requested restraining order.
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