The Stafford Christmas Parade returns to Pratt Park on Saturday, December 19, at 3 p.m. with the theme “Home for the Holidays – A Country Christmas.”
Presented by the Stafford County Agricultural & Homemaking Fair, the parade starts and finishes at the YMCA gate entrance at 120 River Road. Lineup is behind the baseball field. The judging stage is near the bathrooms at the River Road entrance.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The letter below is from Ken Brevett of Manassas. The views are the writer’s.
Dear Editor,
Prince William County police are investigating a fatal single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Lee Highway and Pageland Lane in Gainesville.
Officers responded about 12:23 a.m. Saturday to the intersection after a 2023 Hyundai Tucson traveling north on Lee Highway at a high rate of speed veered off the roadway and struck a tree. The driver, identified as Assiatou Barry, 39, of Loudoun County, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact police.
Join Cruise Planners Beth Borrego and Rod Rodriguez for the World of Travel Show 2027 on Saturday, February 6, 2027, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in The BlackBox at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown.
Meet representatives from 13 respected travel brands covering family and adults-only cruises, premium and luxury ocean voyages, European river cruises, expedition and Galápagos adventures, small-ship sailing, guided land tours, and customized vacations.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday afternoon, directing departing aircraft at all U.S. airports — including Ronald Reagan Washington National, Washington Dulles International and Richmond International — to remain on the ground until further notice.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X at 4:16 p.m. ET that the stop followed “a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.” The FAA’s official account reposted Duffy’s statement at 4:18 p.m. ET. Duffy said FAA technicians were investigating the issue and that updates would follow.
Prince William County Police reported a vehicle shooting near Manassas that wounded a 19-year-old man and injured a 19-year-old woman, an aggravated assault and armed robbery in Woodbridge, and the arrest of an 18-year-old in a separate Masons Bridge Road shooting. Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office charged a man after a Patriot Highway shooting that injured a woman and killed her dog. Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing 14-year-old.
On November 12 at 10:13 p.m., officers responded to the 10700 block of Sudley Manor Dr near Manassas (20109) to investigate a shots fired call. As officers were investigating the initial call, they were advised of two individuals that had arrived at an area hospital appearing to be connected to the incident. One of the individuals, a 19-year-old man, was suffering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the lower body while the second individual, a 19-year-old woman, sustained injuries from shattered glass. The investigation revealed the two were inside a vehicle when gunfire occurred. This incident does not appear to be random and the investigation is ongoing. No suspect information is available at this time.
The Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority approved principle terms for a $75,000 sports tourism sponsorship of Fred City Soccer Club at its regular meeting on Nov. 9. The deal is not yet a signed agreement. It sets the outline for public support of the club’s first seasons in United Soccer League competition.
Under the principle terms, the authority would put $40,000 toward the club in the first year. That money is described as reimbursement for league entrance fees. Years two and three would each carry $17,500, subject to appropriation. The full three-year total is $75,000. Clawback provisions are included if the club does not meet the conditions of the sponsorship.
The Stafford County School Board appointed Advit Gude and Janice Garcia as the 2027 student representatives during its monthly business meeting on Nov. 10.
Gude is a junior at Colonial Forge High School and a student in the Commonwealth Governor’s School. Garcia is a junior at Brooke Point High School and a participant in the Community Health and Medical Professions (CHAMP) program. Both were introduced and spoke briefly at the meeting. They will assume their roles in January 2027.
Stafford County Public Schools, the Stafford Education Foundation, Amazon, and the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank opened two automated community food kiosks Thursday at North Stafford High School and Shirley C. Heim Middle School. The units operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are funded by a $200,000 Amazon investment that is part of a larger $560,000 partnership announced in May. That partnership also includes $360,000 over three years for teaching grants.
“No student should have to sit in a classroom hungry, and no parent should have to choose between groceries and the electric bill,” organizers said at the ribbon cutting. Amazon Stafford Data Center Area Manager Andrew Trapasco said the company is “proud to put $200,000 behind” the kiosks “in partnership with Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank” because the approach “respects them and preserves their dignity.” School Board Chair Dr. Elizabeth Warner and Superintendent Dr. Daniel Smith said students cannot reach their potential or focus on learning when basic needs go unmet. Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank President and CEO Dan Maher cited a recent statewide study that found 42 percent of Virginia residents reported food insecurity in the past year, including 40 percent in the region and 44 percent among families with children. The kiosks build on an existing unit at Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center that opened in 2023.
James Stuart, 46, of Northwest Washington, was one of six people shot Thursday in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood and the only person killed, police said Friday.
A reader who contacted Potomac Local News said Stuart graduated from Osbourn High School in Manassas in 1999. A James Stuart appears in the Class of 1999 in Osbourn’s 1998 yearbook, The Eyrie.
