TRIANGLE, Va. – Investigators are looking into a suspicious fire that broke out at a home in Triangle, just off Fuller Heights Road.

Fire crews were called to 19201 Cardinal Heights Road late Saturday morning and found a fire burning in a bedroom of the house, said Prince William fire and rescue Battalion Chief Curtis Brodie. The blaze was doused quickly and no injuries were reported.

Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire but are not ready to release any specific details in the case, said Brodie.

A total of four adults were displaced from the home after the fire. No charges have been filed.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – A 17-year-old male is charged with attempted murder tonight after a fire broke out in Woodbridge.

Here’s the latest from Prince William Fire and Rescue Department:

On Sunday, July 27th at approximately 4:30 a.m., fire and rescue units responded to a reported structure fire located at 13700 block of Marbury Lane in Woodbridge.

Upon arrival, fire and rescue units found a working fire on the first floor of the home. Firefighters entered the home and quickly extinguish the fire. Firefighters checked for extension; no further extension was found.

The occupants, 4 adults, safely evacuated the home without injury and were assisted by the Red Cross.

A juvenile sustained minor injuries; treated and released.

The Prince William County Fire Marshal’s Office quickly determined that the incident was an arson-related fire. In a joint investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office and detectives from Prince William County Police Violent Crimes Bureau a suspect was developed and identified.

A 17 year old male juvenile of Woodbridge was arrested without incident and charged with 4 counts of attempted murder, 1 count of arson of an occupied dwelling and 1 count of manufacturing an explosive device/materials or fire bomb.

He is being held at the Juvenile Detention Center.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – The drive home for some on Old Bridge Road in the Lake Ridge and Occoquan areas will be slow tonight.

Fire and rescue crews were called to the scene of a house fire at the Colonial Port Mobile Home Park at the intersection of Occoquan and Devils Reach Road. Police were also called to the area to help control traffic and, according to initial reports, have some roads in the area blocked off.

The scene of the fire is near Old Bridge and Occoquan road, which serves as a busy commuter route for drivers exiting Interstate 95 making their way back into the Lake Ridge section of Prince William County.

It’s not clear at this time what sparked the blaze or if anyone was injured. We’ll have more as we get it.

DALE CITY, Va. – Police say a customer at a bank in Dale City was robbed this afternoon.

Here’s the latest from Prince William police:

*INCIDENT: Woodbridge | Strong Armed Robbery, 4100 block of Dale Blvd. Customer leaving the Bank of America was robbed of their wallet. No injuries reported. Suspect fled on foot. K-9 is on scene.

Suspect: Light skinned black male, 6’3″, 180lbs wearing tan pans and a white tank-top.

UPDATE: A police helicopter from Fairfax County is now searching for a suspect in what was described as a foot pursuit in the area of the Sharon Baucom Dale City Recreation Center on Minnieville Road.

Police are pursuing a wanted person and the e chase is not related to the mugging at the nearby Bank of America that occurred just moments before the helicopter search began, a police spokesman said.

Officials are focusing their search on an area near a water tower near power lines.

Dale City native Christina Epperson spotted a tornado on the way to work on Sunday.

She was on her way to her emergency room nursing job at a hospital in Johnson City, Tenn. when she spotted the funnel cloud. Epperson says she was driving on Interstate 26 between Gray and Kingsport, Tenn. when she spotted the tornado, and then took shelter underneath a highway overpass.

She shared her experience with us in her own words:

I had a mini heart attack and then decided it would be best to stop under the overpass with all the other cars collecting there. Then when people began evacuating their families out of the vehicles and up the steep concrete to the narrow top under the roadway, I followed them. Figured they are the locals and maybe they know more about this stuff than I do.

After about 5 mins of panicking, I saw cars were still driving and decided to take my chances. Didn’t want to be late to work! A few hundred yards down the road, there were trees snapped in half.

My coworker who lives in the same area apparently was smarter than me and waited until the danger had passed to get on the road to work. She said there was debris and cars turned the wrong way where I had passed through just a few minutes before.

I guess I’ve had enough excitement for one day…and I can now confirm to my parents that they were correct in thinking I didn’t know what I was talking about when I said I wanted to be a storm chaser after watching “Twister” 7 times in the movie theater.

I’m probably being super overdramatic about this experience, but it sure felt pretty super dramatic to me. LOL (PS: I still highly enjoyed the beautiful storm clouds and lightning on my way to work…)

TV station WJHL reports a tornado did damage homes in the region. The storms dropped baseball-sized hail in portions of western Tennessee and southwest Virginia, according to the TV station.

Updated: The photo was taken by Epperson’s co-worker who also spotted the same twister.

Dollar Tree will purchase Family Dollar in an effort to diversify it’s product offering and customer base.

The Chesapeake, Va. – based retail chain said the acquisition would produce annual sales of more than $18 billion in more than 13,000 stores across the U.S. The cash and stock transaction is worth $8.5 billion, according to the Associated Press.

Here’s a statement from Dollar Tree CEO Bob Sasser:

“This is a transformational opportunity,” stated Bob Sasser, Dollar Tree’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the acquisition of Family Dollar Stores, Dollar Tree will become a leading discount retailer in North America, with over 13,000 stores in 48 states and five Canadian Provinces, sales of over $18 billion, and more than 145,000 associates on our team. We will continue to operate under the Dollar Tree, Deals, and Dollar Tree Canada brands, and when this transaction is complete, we will operate under the Family Dollar brand as well. Throughout our history, we have strived continuously to evolve and improve our business. This acquisition, which enhances our footprint and diversifies our company, will enable us to build on that progression, and importantly, positions Dollar Tree for accelerated growth. By offering both fixed-price and multi-price point formats and an even broader, more compelling merchandise assortment, we will be able to provide even greater value and choice to a wider array of customers.

Dollar Tree has a long record of consistent, profitable growth, strong financial performance, prudent capital management, and outstanding total shareholder returns. The acquisition of Family Dollar is consistent with our vision to be the leader in value retailing.”

Dollar Tree brands itself as the leading fixed price retailer in the nation, selling everything in its stores for under $1, with its stores in suburban areas targeting middle income residents. Family Dollar sells a mixture of groceries and home goods at various prices, and has stores in lower income areas in urban and rural locations, according to a press release.

The acquisition is expected to be complete early next year. Afterward, the company will have more than 145,000 associates.

The company plans to use cash from the acquisition to pay down debt, grow its presence in existing markets, and expand to new markets.

Dollar Tree has multiple locations in the region. Family  Dollar has four stores in Woodbridge, three in Manassas, and one in North Stafford.

MANASSAS, Va. – City Hall in Manassas now has a new name.

Residents alongside city leaders Sunday night dedicated the government center in honor of former Mayor Marvin Gillum. A new plaque with Gillum’s name was unveiled Sunday night under Harris Pavilion in Downtown Manassas.

Gillum was famous for coning the phrase “community for a lifetime” when describing his hometown. City officials say a formal request for the name change was made back in January and was unanimously approved by the city.

Here’s more background on Gillum as provided by city officials:

Mayor Gillum was born in Manassas and graduated from Osbourn High School in 1940.  He served as Mayor of the City from 1996 to 2004.  Prior to that he served as a school board member for more than 15 years. 

Mayor Gillum was a community leader and served on numerous boards and committees including: the ManassasRotary Club; the Prince William Health System Foundation; the Manassas Historical Commission; the Manassas Education Foundation; Historic Manassas, Inc.; Manassas baseball little league; the American Red cross; SERVE; George Mason University (Prince William Campus) and many others.

We’ve lived in our home for 24 years. We redesigned it, rearranged it, and built an addition on it. We moved the kitchen from a tiny hot room upstairs to a large room downstairs that we created out of the two lower level bedrooms. We extended and widened the driveway, built a garage, replaced the roof, and installed new windows and siding over that span of time.

We re-built our home a little by little, remodeling by removing walls and ceilings, installing new wiring, plumbing and insulation as we went. Every piece of woodwork is hand stained, as is every door. We learned to garden. We learned as we went sometimes out of necessity like when water seeped into the family room and I (not we!) dug down to the footers. I learned to parge on that project, wedged in a narrow trench between the driveway and the house.

We installed glass block in a bathroom, tiled floors and counter tops. We installed hardwood floors and poured a concrete path in the garden. We cut down willows that buckled the path and then dug out the stumps by hand. Our yard transformed from 1/3 acre with 7 trees to an oasis with a pond, a path, several seating areas, a couple of small bridges and lots of flowers and shrubs.

Along the way I began working to improve my neighborhood. I started with a small project by adding a flower bed to the monument sign. That single neighborhood improvement escalated during the height of the foreclosure crisis, when my husband and I mowed the grass for seven vacant homes, plus two adopted locations and one elderly neighbor.

In 2010, my friends and I masterminded a great project:  We replaced the old tired bushes, overgrown and filled with poison ivy with a rose garden at the Dale City Commuter Lot. For three years I spearheaded a project called “Neighborhood Pride Week” Volunteers spent a week shoveling up sand, edging sidewalks, sweeping, cutting back overgrown bushes and trees, digging grass out of walks and curbs and gutters. We planted a dozen rose bushes at the Dale City Library.

Through all of this, my husband and I invested in tools and equipment to make our work faster and better. At one point, we had four gas powered edging machines! I’m happy to report we’ve only two left…unless you count the stick edger, then we still have three.

We’re slowing down now. We still maintain two Adopt a Spot locations, we still do community maintenance in our neighborhood. We still take care of the roses at the commuter lot and we organize and participate in cleanups, but I’m hoping those days of hoisting 75 pound contractor bags filled with sand and dirt removed from the curbs are over.

Now, I want to know who is stepping up to the plate next.  I’ll be glad to help you organize, plan, staff, and source, but I don’t think I’m up for any more high temperature, dust cloud producing, noisy jobs.

I’ll still work all day…just put me in the shade!

• Good morning Prince William – Coming August 12-14! It is National Health Center Week and the Greater Prince William Community Health Center will hold its 6th annual celebration under the tents at Ridgewood Health Center between 8am and 2pm. Volunteers are needed to help. Please call Richard at 703-680-7950 Ext. 3107.

• The ladies of the Prince William Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated will host their third annual Crab Feast Fundraiser on Saturday, August 16 from 3 to 8 p.m. at the VFW in Dale City. The price is $65 and includes all you can eat crabs and a plentiful buffet with fried flounder, Wing Dings, corn-on-the-cob, Red Bliss potatoes, baked beans, Cole slaw, green salad, dinner rolls and corn bread. Tickets are available on line at www.pwcacdst.org.

• Saved Hands Foundation offers a number of services to homeless individuals in Woodbridge. Volunteers are needed to teach Microsoft Office during traditional business hours. They also need a grant writer to help solicit resources to help their clients and a Human Resources Director to manage resources services, policies, and programs. Learn more by visiting them on the web at www.SavedHandsFoundation.org and click on Volunteer Opportunities. Come be part of this expanding team – please call Pamela at (703) 895-6681 to learn more.

• Hey students, get a jump on those community service hours for school! SERVE in Manassas has a need for volunteers age 16 and up who can help serve dinner to shelter residents on weeknights. Timeframe is 4:30pm to 6:30pm, and training is provided. You will help set-up the serving line, serve the meal, and help with cleanup.

• Another great youth opportunity – make your summer count! The Manassas Department of Family Services has a special request of food donations for homeless individuals. These folks do not have the ability to cook or prepare meals as we do at home so items needed include tuna and chicken in pouches, pop-top fruits, cup of soup where you pour the hot water over and let it sit, trail mixes, hand wipes and other fun things you come across in the grocery store. Please drop off your donations at Family Services- 9324 West Street Manassas during traditional business hours of 8:30-4:30pm.

• The American Red Cross is looking for volunteers to provide administrative support to their leadership councils and special events. Duties include database management, communication with donors and typical administrative tasks. Minimum age is 18 and this position promises to be very helpful to your resume. Please call Pamela at (703) 584-8444 to learn more.

• Give the gift of literacy to Prince William area adults! If you would like to help adults reach their life goals through improved literacy skills, contact Literacy Volunteers of America – they will train you to become a certified adult literacy tutor! The next training workshop is September 20, 2014 (8:45am to 4pm) and October 4, 2014 (9am to noon). Attendance both days is required. Contact them at 703-67-5702 or lvapw@aol.com. To visit them on the web: www.lvapw.org.

• Capital Caring is starting a new program and is need of artists and regular, amazing people with time to share to bring wonder of creating something beautiful to their patients. Contact Rachael at 703-957-1785 or rlyddon@capitalcaring.org.

• BEACON Adult Literacy needs volunteers to work with ESL adult learners. No prior experience is needed as you will be given all the tools needed to make a successful partnership with your student. The next training is August 23rd. Please call Caroline at (703) 368-7491 to learn more.

• Transitional Housing BARN needs adult volunteers to help sort and organize donations for their monthly yard sales. Come join the team that works during the week between 8am-2pm. They also need volunteers the second Saturday of each month to set up from 6am-8:30 am and then take down late morning. This is perfect for all the early birds out there and then you can get your round of golf in. Please call Tammy at (703) 369-1325 for more info.

• If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Coleen can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 207, Shelley can help with any individual or group project and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 201, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 202. Please visit our newly re-vamped website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.

“Lucy”

Rated: R

3 stars out of 5

While my wife was out of town, I went to see “Lucy.” It really was science fiction, as I had to imagine that ScarJo needed a brain to get what she wanted.

Lucy (Scarlett Johansson from “Under The Skin”) is an ordinary party girl living in Taiwan and hooking up with the wrong guys. The last one made her drop off a package to some bad people. So bad, they turned her into a drug mule and surgically implanted their new synthetic compound in her abdomen. When the drug pouch ruptures, a massive overdose enters her system and starts an evolutionary chain reaction in her body.

Lucy gets smart, real smart. She starts to use more and more of her brain, tapping into the uncharted capabilities. The contrived character of Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman from “Oblivion”) spends most of the movie making sure we have a scientific basis for what we are seeing. I felt like there was going to be a test at the end of the movie.

Lucy uses her newfound knowledge and skills to take revenge on the criminals that made her this way, instead of using it for math, or science or the arts. Also, as she becomes a super human, she loses her humanity. She becomes emotionless and the fun party girl is gone.

Writer/Director Luc Besson (“The Family”) has put together themes and characters from his two best movies. Lucy is the magical pinnacle of life, much like Leloo from “The Fifth Element,” and she drives like Frank Marin from “The Transporter.” Besson’s writing is generally great, but his direction… not so much. With “Lucy,” he adds editorial images along with the narrative. He can’t just tell the story, he has to tell you what the story is about and what to think about it using cinematic flashcards.

I am willing to accept the kaleidoscope of imagery as style, but at the end of the 83-minute film I felt cheated. I could see all the plot points as if they were up on the professor’s chalkboard, but the humanity of the story was lost. This makes it more of a pure sci-fi flick, even though you were on non-stop roller coaster ride. I enjoyed the ride, and it was thrilling, but I think there is more to life.

I am not a snob about these things, and I did like this movie. It’s a popcorn movie with an old school Star Trek-style plot, and for that I will give it 3 stars out of 5. Somehow they took the sexy out of Scarlett Johansson, and that’s an evolution I am not looking forward to.

Tom Basham is an indie filmmaker. Here is a link to his movie review site:? bashmovies.wordpress.com