Virginia

Senators Urge Special Session After Groundwater Report

By Uriah Kiser
Village Place Technology Park in Gainesville, approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2022

Two state senators are asking Gov. Abigail Spanberger to call a special session of the General Assembly after a newly released state report found groundwater supplies in eastern Virginia may not support major new withdrawals under current regulations, The Center Square reported. Sens. Richard Stuart, R-King George, and Russet Perry, D-Loudoun, said the Department of Environmental Quality study shows “virtually no capacity” in the Coastal Plain aquifer for large new uses such as data centers and was released only after the 2026 session had adjourned.

The bipartisan letter notes ongoing strain already appearing in western Loudoun and northern Fauquier counties and urges lawmakers to act on the report’s recommendations for stronger permitting rules, improved monitoring, and tying local development more closely to groundwater availability rather than waiting until the 2027 session.

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Weather

Heavy Thunderstorms Pose Flash Flood Risk This Afternoon

By Uriah Kiser

A frontal boundary will bring another round of showers and thunderstorms to the region this afternoon, with locally heavy rain that could produce flash flooding in urban or poor-drainage areas. Conditions stay warm and muggy, with highs in the mid to upper 80s. The front crosses the area this evening, bringing drier air overnight before a more active pattern returns later in the week.

Today

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Police Blotter

Police Blotter: Brandishing Arrest, Officer Assaulted

By Uriah Kiser

Prince William County police reported two notable arrests stemming from incidents on July 30. The most serious involved a Woodbridge man charged in connection with brandishing a firearm and impersonating a law enforcement officer during encounters reported the previous week.

In a separate case, a juvenile was arrested after allegedly assaulting an officer who responded to a shoplifting at a local grocery store. Both incidents occurred in Woodbridge.

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Stafford

FBI Charges Ex-Stafford Sergeant with Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material

By Uriah Kiser

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday that Justin Forman is no longer employed by the agency and directed all further questions to the FBI after he was arrested on a federal child pornography charge.

Jackson Arnold, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said Forman’s employment was terminated due to personal conduct that violated agency policies. He specified the termination was not related to professional or on-duty conduct.

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Publisher's Post

Stop Pretending Summer Ends When the School Buses Roll

By Uriah Kiser
Photo: Stafford County Public Schools

Stafford County Public Schools is about to open three new schools — Hartwood High, Falls Run Elementary, and Crow’s Nest Elementary. That is real progress for a rapidly growing division. Families have waited years for the seats. The excitement from the school board and administration is understandable.

What is not understandable is the language that comes with it.

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Business

Fredericksburg Veteran’s App Aims to Cut Food Waste

By Mike Salmon
Kevin Barr, who has roots in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania. [Submitted photo]

Believe it or not, the struggle to minimize food waste can begin with an app. Kevin Barr of Fredericksburg has just the app—and the energy—to do something about it when he launches “Health Barr” on August 30, just before Food Waste Prevention Week, September 28–October 4.

This one’s for the people who really care about local news.

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Politics

Virginia Senate Primary: David Williams on Debt & Affordability

By Kelly Sienkowski

David Williams enlisted in the Navy in Norfolk, became a Marine Corps infantry officer with two combat tours in Iraq, served as a State Department diplomat, and rose to CIA Chief of Station. Now the combat veteran and intelligence officer is running in Virginia’s August 4 Republican primary for U.S. Senate, arguing the Commonwealth needs someone who can actually beat longtime incumbent Democrat Mark Warner in November.

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Politics

Can a Blue-Collar Pastor Flip Virginia’s 7th District?

By Kelly Sienkowski

Rick Smithers is not currently a resident of Virginia’s 7th District—but he says he’ll move the day after the primary if voters choose him. In this Potomac Local News interview, the pastor, veteran, construction business owner, and recent public-policy doctoral graduate lays out why he’s running in the Republican primary for the seat that includes Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Prince William and surrounding localities.

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