A hit-and-run crash and a series of vehicle break-ins were among the incidents reported by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies are investigating several vehicles that were tampered with and had items stolen on Eustace Road and nearby streets. They are asking the public for camera footage from the early morning hours of Aug. 16 and 17.
A Stafford-based citizen group says Dominion Energy has delayed filing key segments of its proposed high-voltage transmission line and split the project in two, giving opponents more time to organize.
In an email to supporters this month, Towering Concerns said Dominion is postponing its State Corporation Commission application for segments 3 through 7 of what the utility now calls the North Anna to Bristers 500 kV and 230 kV project. The group said Dominion will file the southern portion in the coming weeks and the northern portion — which includes all of Stafford County — within a year.
A high-profile murder trial jury pool, reported ICE detentions after a fatal quinceañera shooting, and renewed plans for multiple data centers in Gainesville lead this roundup of Prince William County and Northern Virginia news, alongside a new parking ticket towing policy and a Youngkin-backed school choice campaign.
“A Prince William County judge ruled that 300 potential jurors – more than four times the usual number – will be summoned for the upcoming trial of Naresh Bhatt, the Manassas Park man accused of killing his wife,” Prince William Times reported. Judge Kimberly A. Irving cited extensive media coverage and the expected seven-week length of the trial, set to begin Oct. 5, as reasons for the larger pool and plans to select four alternate jurors.
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A Prince William County General District Court hearing on Manassas City School Board Member Sara Brescia’s Freedom of Information Act petition has been continued from Tuesday, Aug. 18, to Sept. 24.
Brescia filed the petition for a writ of mandamus on Aug. 11 (Case GV26019633-00), alleging that a majority of the board, facilitated by Chair Jill Spall, held an unlawful electronic or telephonic meeting and vote in violation of Virginia’s FOIA. The vote directed Superintendent Dr. Kevin Newman to open a full investigation, using outside counsel, into allegations first raised by Board Member Diana Brown.
The Fredericksburg City School Board on Monday appointed Dr. Stan Jones to fill the vacant at-large seat, with the longtime educator and nonprofit leader sworn in during a special meeting.Jones, CEO of Action in Community Through Service (ACTS) in Prince William County, will serve as an interim member through the end of 2026. Voters will elect a permanent representative in November to complete the remainder of the term left open by Jarvis Bailey’s resignation, which runs through December 2027.
The appointment followed a competitive process. According to reporting by the Fredericksburg Free Press, Jones was one of five applicants who interviewed with the board. The others were Justin Carter, Beth Flanagan, Jacob Parcell, and Anthony Watkins. The Free Press reported that correspondence sent to board members showed Jones was the only candidate to draw written public support from residents, with 15 people urging his appointment. Read the Free Press report here.
Stafford County deputies reported a DUI crash, a shoplifting stop that turned up narcotics and a concealed weapon, and several other arrests over the weekend.
Here is the latest daily police blotter from local agencies.
“Rep. Eugene Vindman faced a heated confrontation with transgender constituents and local Democrats in King George County over his May vote for Republican-backed H.R. 2616, legislation that would require parental consent before schools change a minor student’s gender markers, pronouns, or accommodations, leading to a profane hallway exchange and his abrupt departure,” The Advocate reported. Attendees challenged the first-term Democrat’s support for the measure, sharing personal accounts of being outed to unsupportive parents, while Vindman defended the vote as rooted in parental rights before later issuing an apology for failing to listen.
The clash occurred during a Tuesday meeting with the King George County Democratic Committee in the solidly Republican locality within Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, where Vindman has held no prior public town hall and where local LGBTQ+ students recently sued over the denial of a gay-straight alliance at the middle school.
The Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation closed its FY 25-26 year with a bank balance of $167,899.05 and reported increased scholarship awards and the return of educator grants during a presentation to the Manassas City School Board.
Executive Director Carol Hartt delivered the update, introduced by Director of Public Communications and Community Relations Almeta Radford. Foundation board president Jimmy Conroy was unable to attend.
