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The mother of a former student at North Stafford High School has filed a lawsuit against the county school division seeking $15 million in compensatory damages, alleging failure to protect her child.

Court documents reveal that a female student, unnamed in this story due to her status as a minor, began spreading misinformation about the plaintiff’s child in December 2022, accusing her of making racist remarks, which the plaintiff Ashley Cain denies.

In January 2023, one of the two accused students confronted the plaintiff’s child, leading to the implementation of a “mediation resolution contract” by the school. This contract mandated no direct communication between the two and avoidance in various public settings, like hallways and the school cafeteria.

Despite this agreement, on April 24, 2023, the accused student attacked the plaintiff’s child in the school, resulting in injuries. A video of the incident surfaced online, further exacerbating the situation.

Court documents allege the child was again attacked in a gym locker room. Following that incident, on May 16, 2023, the plaintiff withdrew her child from North Stafford High School and relocated to a different county for their safety.

The school’s response to the escalating conflict was criticized in court documents, which allege inadequate separation measures and a lack of intervention despite ongoing threats.

The plaintiff’s attorney, James Frogel, noted that the incidents occurred when the students involved were freshmen in 2023.

The lawsuit seeks $5 million in compensatory damages from the students involved, $5 million from school staff named in the suit, and an additional $5 million from the School Board.

A spokesperson for the school division declined to comment on the matter.

The lawsuit also highlights a broader concern regarding school safety, referencing incidents at other schools within the division, including fights leading to suspensions and a lockdown at Brooke Point High School in January 2024 that led to the suspensions of 19 students.

In the weeks following the lockdown, the school division ended a county-wide program that allowed high school students a daily one-hour lunch and allowed them to walkabout campus. Parents who spoke to Potomac Local blamed the free period on increased fights in county high schools.

Kelly Sienkowski contributed to this story.

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By Sarah Roderick-Fitch

(The Center Square) — Virginia is beginning to experience some of the impacts from the cargo ship crash that brought down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, closing a vital shipping lane leading to one of the eastern seaboard’s busiest ports.

Shortly after, on Thursday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin offered to assist neighboring Maryland. Within hours, the commonwealth’s ports were already preparing to absorb some of the diverted shipping traffic.

In 2023, the Port of Baltimore handled nearly 850,000 automobiles and light trucks, the most in the U.S. The port also ranks second in the nation for exporting coal, and sixth for importing coffee. The port leads the nation for roll-on/roll-off cargo. With most of its ports inaccessible, some ships are being diverted to other eastern ports.

Joe Harris, senior director of media relations for the Port of Virginia, told The Center Square within hours of the accident, one of the terminals at the Virginia International Gateway processed a rerouted container ship, saying they “anticipate these diverted volumes to increase.”

Harris doesn’t anticipate the increased cargo traffic will create any delays, saying the port has plenty of space to take on the extra loads. However, he acknowledged there is still a lot of “unknown” about how many ships they can expect.

“We have ample capacity in terms of container yards and berth space” for container vessels, Harris said. “Right now it’s unclear how many additional vessel calls/corresponding cargo volumes to expect here; one of the primary factors behind this ‘unknown’ is that we do not know how long the Port of Baltimore will remain closed to vessel traffic.”

In addition to the increased volume of cargo traffic, Harris is confident the Port of Virginia will be able to keep up with manpower.

“One thing of which we are certain is that we will maintain our service levels,” Harris said. “This is a modern, 21st-century port that has a significant amount of experience in handling surges of import and export cargo. Workforce size is not an issue.”

The Port of Baltimore is a bustling cargo and host port to two major cruise lines, Carnival and Royal Caribbean. One of Carnival’s cruise ships was scheduled to return to Baltimore on Sunday but will be rerouted to Norfolk.

“While rescue and remediation efforts continue in Baltimore Harbor following the collapse of the Key Bridge, it will temporarily move Carnival Legend’s Baltimore operations to Norfolk, Virginia,” the cruise line released in a statement.

They added that guests will be provided with bus service back to Baltimore, and next week’s scheduled cruise will operate from and return to Norfolk.

The Center Square reached out to Royal Caribbean requesting information on future cruises originating out of the Port of Baltimore but has yet to receive a response before publication.

One thing that remains uncertain is how the extra volume of truck and train traffic will impact the I-95 corridor, which is already one of the busiest and most congested in the nation.

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Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) was in Stafford County on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, to tout her efforts to bring federal dollars to the district.

At a press conference at the county movement center, orchestrated by Spanberger’s office, said a county spokeswoman, Spanberger announced $1.7 million in transportation funding for the region.

Several public officials, including Delegate Josh Cole (D), Treasurer Mike Sienkowski (R), Stafford Supervisors Pamela Yeung, Deuntay Diggs, Supervisor Monica Gary, and BoardChairman Meg Bohmke, as well as Sheriff David Decatur, attended the event.

Spanberger’s office did not invite Potomac Local to the press conference. It is the second press conference held by Spanberger this month that we did not receive an invitation to cover.

The snubs come after Potomac Local pressed the congresswoman at a February 2023 press conference in Woodbridge, used to encourage federal officials to increase the Federal Government’s debt ceiling, when we asked her, as a House Intelligence Committee member and former CIA officer, what she was doing to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens while a Chinese spy balloon floated over the country.

Spanberger responded, saying increasing the Federal Government’s ability to spend money far outweighed the spy balloon concerns.

Spanberger seeks the Democratic Party nomination to run for Virginia Governor in 2025. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is also seeking the party’s nomination.

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Prince William Parks and Recreation sponsors today’s weather forecast.

Summer Job Alert: Parks and Recreation Hiring Seasonal Workers Now! Want to earn some extra cash this summer and enjoy your job at the same time? PWC Parks and Recreation is now hiring for seasonal jobs.. Camp Counselors, Lifeguards, Cooks and more


The region braces for unsettled weather patterns as a cold front sweeps eastward today, according to the National Weather Service. Low-pressure systems are expected to develop off the coast, contributing to continued rainfall across the area, mainly east of the Blue Ridge. The frontal passage will bring occasional light rain, with lingering showers expected into the afternoon along the I-95 corridor. While rainfall amounts may vary, southern Maryland could see totals exceeding an inch, while lighter amounts are forecasted elsewhere.

Behind the front, northwesterly winds are anticipated to pick up, with gusts reaching 20-25 mph and even higher velocities atop ridges. Despite the frontal passage, temperatures are only expected to rise marginally, reaching the lower to mid-50s for most areas, though some locations may experience slightly warmer conditions if breaks in cloud cover permit.

The clearing of clouds is anticipated for this evening, albeit temporarily, as another disturbance is forecasted to move through the region late tonight. This secondary disturbance may usher in a brief period of upslope snow showers, particularly in elevated areas, with accumulations expected to be minor, generally less than one inch. Overnight lows are projected to dip into the 30s across the region.

Looking ahead, high pressure is anticipated to build to the south on Friday, though the weekend and early next week are expected to bring multiple upper-level disturbances, prolonging unsettled weather conditions.

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Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham [Photo: Uriah Kiser]
“Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto of a bill that would have allowed young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to become police officers was met with disappointment from Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham, who pushed for the measure and went to Richmond to support it,” Prince William Times reports.

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Fire and rescue crews were called to a fire at Lake Ridge Orthodontics today, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 5:31 a.m.

Prince William County Fire and Rescue units were dispatched to the 2000 block off of Old Bridge Road in Lake Ridge earlier this morning for a report from a passerby of fire through the roof of an office building.

Crews arrived with heavy fire showing from a two-story office building. Large master streams were utilized to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported, but four businesses have been displaced.

Crews are still on the scene, extinguishing hot spots and conducting overhauls. The Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting the fire cause investigation.

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