City of Fredericksburg: With the completion of the major construction sites at Riverfront Park and William Square, final parking signage is planned to be installed by the City of Fredericksburg in these two areas by the end of May 2024.

The Riverfront Park parking lot, located on Sophia Street near Wolfe Street, will be converted to 2-hour parking 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Additionally, the final on-street parking signage around the William Square project (focused on the 600 and 700 blocks of Amelia Street, as well as Douglas, William and Winchester Streets and Washington Avenue) will be implemented by the City in an effort to support the nearby businesses while protecting area neighborhoods.

The William Square project, which was approved in 2021, is nearing completion with the grand opening of the new Publisher Hotel planned for early June 2024.

As long planned, areas of on-street parking on Amelia, William, and Winchester Streets and Washington Avenue will be converted to 2-hour parking 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The north side of Amelia Street, which is lined by residential homes, is designated “Resident Permit” parking.

Both of these changes are consistent with the other parking regulations downtown, encouraging turnover to support businesses while encouraging long stays to utilize parking decks. Please watch for these updated parking signs coming soon.

More information can be found online.

OmniRide: In support of national Take Your Child to Work Day, children aged 17 and younger can ride any OmniRide bus for free on Thursday, April 25.

OmniRide Local and Metro Express are already currently free and will be until at least June. Children can ride any OmniRide Express commuter bus for free on this day, which currently costs $9.00 one way, when accompanied by a paying adult.

This is an opportunity to introduce students, not only to the working world, but also to the many travel alternatives our region has versus driving alone. Riders are encouraged to bring their children along for the ride on an OmniRide Local, Metro Express, or Express commuter bus on April 25 and show them the basics about using public transportation so they can gain confidence as they mature and become independent travelers.

Take Your Child to Work Day, also termed Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, is a national public education program that aims to connect what children learn at school with the actual working world.

For more information on OmniRide services visit OmniRide.com.

Virginia Department of Transportation: Weekend parking can resume at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Park and Ride commuter lot on Staffordboro Boulevard, near the Route 610 (Garrisonville Road) and Mine Road intersection in Stafford County.

The lot will be open for all users on the weekends of April 20-21 and April 27-28.

Crews were able to substantially complete work to repaint most parking space lines and pavement markings during the weekend of April 13-14. Crews will return to finish several spot locations, but the lot can remain open at all times.

Prince William Parks and Recreation sponsors today’s weather forecast.

Summer Job Alert: Parks and Recreation Hiring Seasonal Workers Now! Want to earn some extra cash this summer and enjoy your job at the same time? PWC Parks and Recreation is now hiring for seasonal jobs.. Camp Counselors, Lifeguards, Cooks and more…

According to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service, a cold front is approaching, causing weather changes.

Today, cloudy skies will dominate the region, with temperatures reaching a high near 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A southeast wind of around 7 mph is expected. While there’s a chance of scattered showers, particularly before 2 a.m., residents can anticipate mostly cloudy conditions tonight with a low of around 52 degrees Fahrenheit. Patchy fog may develop between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.

Conditions will continue to fluctuate as the weekend progresses. Saturday will start mostly cloudy but gradually become sunny, with a high near 72 degrees. A northwest wind of around 10 mph will usher in cooler air. Saturday night will bring partly cloudy skies, with a low of about 43 degrees and a north wind of 6 to 9 mph.

On Sunday, expect mostly cloudy conditions once again, with a high near 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The north wind will shift to the west in the afternoon, blowing at 5 to 7 mph.

The forecast suggests that low pressure tracking northward will usher in a cold front, causing showers to move through the area late tonight. While shower chances will increase west of the Blue Ridge throughout the morning, the likelihood of widespread precipitation remains uncertain. However, keep an umbrella handy as scattered showers may persist.

With cooler air gradually entering the region, temperatures are expected to fluctuate, ranging from the lower 40s in higher elevations to the mid-50s in southern and eastern areas.

Rappahannock Education Farm (REF) Manager Rich Larochelle said he and a squad of volunteers prepped a 360-square-foot plot of Fredericksburg farmland to plant hundreds of seeds of produce last week.

Nearly 3,000 people in the Fredericksburg area suffer from food insecurity, according to Stacker, a government data-collection website. Food-insecure households can’t afford regular access to healthy meals. The Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank supplies food to 31,000 people every year.

Larochelle said they’re using land outside of Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank in exchange for supplying fresh vegetables to the bank. Larochelle said the Fredericksburg food bank farm is the first official project on his mission of engaging the community with growing local before work starts on a future expansion.

“We’re taking an area that had been a garden many years ago and we’re preparing it for some new plants,” Larochelle said to Fredericksburg Free Press, “It’ll all go to reducing our food insecurity.”

Larochelle explained that the mini-farm is just the first step. He said the farm currently owns no land but is working to change this with the purchase of nine acres in Stafford. This size plot can hold up to 18,000 crops at one time. Larochelle said price negotiations are pending. According to Zillow, the average price for nine of undeveloped land in Stafford is $50,000.

Larochelle plans to model the new farm after the Fauquier Education Farm, which also grows produce for food banks. “We propose to learn from these successes as we create a similar entity for our community,” said the farm’s website. “[Where people can] come together around the positive activities of growing and harvesting foods.”

The REF Facebook page said the current Fredericksburg mini-farm and future acreage are made possible by grants from the Mary Washington Healthcare Foundation and the Stafford Health Foundation.

Larochelle said the mini-farm in Fredericksburg will grow tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans, and other veggies requested by the food bank.

Larochelle said they needed to make the soil farmable again after years of disuse. He said he and over 30 volunteers removed old plastic netting from previous farmers and tilled the soil. Larochelle said soil samples were tested by Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture to determine the soil’s fertility. After a week, Virginia Tech deemed the soil “adequate on most measures and even better on others.”

REF Master Gardener Jonathan Stevens said the next step is getting topsoil donations from the community.

“We want to teach people how to garden, reduce food insecurity, and have fun in the process,” Larochelle said. “It’s a beautiful day to garden.”

Chas Chappell is a freelance reporter for Potomac Local News.

A note to you, our readers:

This story is free to read, but it costs money to bring it to you. If you rely on us for local news and haven’t already, please support us by becoming a member!

• Join our Locals Only Membership Today!

The following reports are from the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office:

Stafford County Sheriff is asking for public assistance in investigating an April 12 shooting. Deputies reported to Shasta Place at 10:38 p.m. and learned a red vehicle may have been involved. Several vehicles were shot, but no injuries were reported. The police are asking citizens to review any video cameras that may have captured footage of the incident or a suspicious vehicle.

The Sheriff’s office also reported a 19 year-old arrested for DUI after traveling 60 mph in a 45mph zone approaching Interstate 95. A consumed Corona bottle was in the vehicle, and the driver reported he had two beers prior to driving.

Kelly Sienkowski is a freelance reporter for Potomac Local News.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prince William Police: On April 13 at 8:12 p.m., officers responded to the Walmart located at 14000 Worth Avenue in Woodbridge to investigate an unattended child.

The investigation revealed a good Samaritan observed the victim, a two-month-old infant boy, unattended inside a vehicle in the parking lot. Upon arriving at the scene, officers observed the parents with the victim who had been taken out of the vehicle.

Officers determined the father, identified as the accused, and other family members went into the store, leaving the victim inside the vehicle. The victim was unharmed.

Following the investigation, the accused, identified as Mirwais ALIZADA, was arrested. Arrested on April 13: Mirwais ALIZADA, 45, of the 3500 block of Crag Mews in Woodbridge. Charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Court Date: Pending | Bond: $3,000 Unsecured.

Read the full April 17 report here.