Manassas Park

A Manassas Park High School art teacher was arrested Monday after a loaded handgun was found in the parking lot at Manassas Park Middle School, WTOP reported.

Manassas Park police identified and took into custody Veronica Gooch-Ray, of Potomac Falls, in connection with the firearm. She was charged with possession of a firearm on school property under Virginia Code § 18.2-308.1. Police said she is employed as an art teacher at Manassas Park High School.


Police Blotter

Prince William County police are investigating a death in Dumfries and arrested a man after he brandished a machete during a road-rage incident in Woodbridge. Officers also charged a man with felony child neglect after a 3-year-old was left in a vehicle and made other arrests. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office released its daily incident report covering fraud, vandalism, DUI and narcotics cases.

On October 25 at 10:14PM, officers responded to the 16900 block of Old Stage Rd in Dumfries (22026) to investigate a report of an unconscious individual. The investigation revealed the individual, identified as a 50-year-old woman, was located unconscious inside her vehicle in the parking lot of a hotel. Medics rendered aid to the individual, who was transported to an area hospital and later pronounced deceased. Preliminarily, there were no signs of foul play concerning the death. More information regarding the investigation will be released if deemed necessary.


Manassas

Two people were killed in a Manassas crash Saturday night after a driver ran a stop sign at Leland Road and Maplewood Drive, Prince William County police said.

Police said a 2024 GMC Sierra traveling at a high rate of speed on Leland Road disregarded a stop sign and collided with a 2004 Honda Civic entering the intersection from Maplewood Drive about 11:56 p.m. Oct. 24. The Honda’s driver and passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The Sierra driver was not injured, and a Sierra passenger had non-life-threatening injuries. Police said the victims’ identities will be released after next-of-kin notification and asked anyone who witnessed the crash to contact them.


Event

High school students from across the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region are invited to participate in Dialogue for Democracy at George Mason University!

Hosted by the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, this event offers high school students an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about democracy, civic engagement, and the importance of understanding different perspectives.


Manassas Park

Manassas Park City Schools closed every school Monday, Oct. 26, after a weapon was found in the secondary parking lot. The division said the closure is out of an abundance of caution and will give the Manassas Park Police Department time to investigate the source of the weapon.

The alert posted on the Manassas Park City Schools website does not name which campus, describe the weapon, say when it was found, or report injuries, arrests, or any ongoing threat. Manassas Park Middle School and Manassas Park High School share the Euclid Avenue campus at 8202 and 8200 Euclid Avenue; the elementary schools are at separate sites.


Manassas

Manassas Airport Director Juan Rivera outlined a draft Air Carrier Incentive Program at the Oct. 19 City Council work session, proposing to waive landing fees for two years on new nonstop service in an effort to draw commercial flights by late 2027.

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Opinion

When much of this infrastructure went into the ground, it was new and backed by armies of technicians who knew it inside and out. Fifty years later, that wire has been patched over many times. Moisture gets in after heavy rain. Replacement parts are harder to find, and the workforce that knows how to repair these systems is retiring faster than it can be replaced. When a copper line goes down today, the fix often takes longer and costs more than it used to, and it may not hold.

That’s why the path forward matters so much, and why I think the Federal Communications Commission got this right. Earlier this year, the FCC unanimously adopted a plan to modernize how carriers decommission copper. Commissioners from both parties voted for it, which is no small thing in today’s Washington. The plan clears away outdated processes that has slowed investment in better networks. Just as important, it keeps the federal government in the loop before a company can fully stop offering a service. The goal is a managed transition. It is not supposed to leave anyone stranded without a working way to call for help.


Quantico

The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation is raising money to restore the Iwo Jima monument outside Marine Corps Base Quantico after vandalism on Oct. 21 left one figure without a head and caused other significant damage.

Prince William County police estimate the damage in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The limestone sculpture by Felix de Weldon depicts the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima on Feb. 23, 1945. It is a smaller version of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, also by de Weldon.


Virginia

A new research collaboration between George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University aims to improve understanding of peripheral neuropathy, a painful side effect experienced by breast cancer survivors, George Mason University said.

The project, funded by a $200,000 grant from the Commonwealth Health Research Board, focuses on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and is led by Nadine Kabbani of George Mason’s Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Imad Damaj of VCU, and Paula Bos of the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.


Prince William

Prince William County Parks & Recreation set the Annual Dale City Holiday Market for Saturday, Dec. 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 14050 Gemini Way in Dale City, the agency said.

The market will feature unique gifts, crafts, specialty items, books, jewelry, leather goods, wreaths, holiday items, crochet items, children’s clothing, and ready-made foods and drinks.