Construction crews are about to remove a sharp curve in Old Bridge Road, a vital link to Interstate 95.

The curve is at Occoquan Road, and it’s one of the sharpest turns on any six-lane street in the region. The $11.5 million project will realign the highway south of Occoquan Road. Transportation officials hope the improvements work to ease traffic congestion that forms in the street’s elbow, which backs up to Route 123 at Interstate 95.

The work will also add a dedicated right turn lane from Old Bridge Road onto southbound Occoquan Road and will install pedestrian crosswalks and ramps at all sides of the intersection. It’ll also add a new traffic signal.

County officials will post a recorded presentation about the project to its website at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24. Afterward, residents can submit their questions about the project to the website, and they will be answered by county transportation staff in the following days.

In 2019, voters approved a transportation road bond that listed multiple projects on Old Bridge Road, including realigning Old Bridge Road at Prince William Parkway and Touchstone Circle, near Chinn Park Regional Library, and building a new flyover ramp from Route 123 and I-95 to Old Bridge Road. Those projects have yet to be funded.

A public meeting about two new water pipelines under the Occoquan River will be held.

Fairfax Water, which is the wholesale provider of drinking water for eastern Prince William County, will install two 42-inch water mains underneath the Occoquan River. The two lines will run parallel to each other and will increase the flow of drinking water to the county, and improve the reliability for utility customers of the Prince William Service Authority.

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Mark your calendars – Keep Prince William Beautiful needs volunteers for their next Community Litter Cleanup on March 27th in Haymarket. Volunteers will meet at Cookies and Cream (14650 Washington Street in Haymarket); the event will run 1pm- 3 pm. Youth volunteers age 5 thru 15 are welcome but must volunteer with an adult.  Please sign up at https://volunteer.kab.org/opportunity/a2a4M00000103EnQAI; email[email protected] for more information.

Non-COVID-19 Opportunities:

• You can give blood and save a life!  American Red Cross will be hosting a Blood Drive on March 25, 10am-4pm.  The location is Manassas Church of the Brethren, 10047 Nokesville Road, Manassas 20110.  Please visithttps://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive to locate this drive and sign up for an appointment.  Please call the church office at 703.368.4783 to learn more.
  
• BEACON for Adult Literacy has an urgent need for Substitute Teachers and Tech Facilitators for their classes for the Spring session which runs March 22 thru June 10.  It’s a minimum 12-week commitment, 3 hours of teaching per week.  Volunteers will provide ESOL teaching and technical support for classes via Zoom.  Training for both teachers and tech facilitators is provided, although basic knowledge on hosting meetings and using Zoom features is preferred.  Please fill out an application ASAP at https://beaconliteracy.org/get-involved/volunteer-application/.  For more information, call 571.422.2242 or email [email protected].
  
• Boxes of Basics is looking for volunteers to help pack a box of clothing for a local child in need.  Volunteer as an individual or bring a group!  Volunteers must be 18 years old or accompanied by a parent/guardian. Children 10 and older are welcome with a parent.  Please apply athttps://www.cognitoforms.com/BoxesOfBasics/BoxesOfBasicsVolunteerApplication. Questions?  Email[email protected] to learn more.
  
• House of Mercy needs volunteers in their Thrift Store, Donation Center and Food Pantry.  Adults must successfully complete a background check.  Youth under 16 are welcome but must volunteer with a parent or guardian.  This is an excellent way for students to fulfill those service hours requirements for school and you’ll feel great as you provide services and goods for the vulnerable residents in our community!  Please visithttps://houseofmercyva.org/volunteer/ to learn how you can get involved.  Please email[email protected] for more information.
  
• Jehovah’s House Thrift Store needs a computer-savvy volunteer age 18+ who can manage the website for their thrift store.  Duties for this virtual opportunity include overall management of the website, upload images and edit.  Please email [email protected] for more information.
  
• Pink Space Theory needs a volunteer age 18+ to be a Social Media Contributor/Video Editor.  Duties include create and post K-12 STEM content on their social media platforms, create and edit videos as needed for social media.  Must have access to a computer and be familiar with the different platforms, how to share content, and have an interest in creating content. Please email [email protected] to learn more.
  
• Prince William Conservation Alliance and OmniRide will be hosting a free virtual discussion via Zoom on public transportation on March 25, 7pm-8:30pm.  Dr. Bob Schneider, Executive Director of OmniRide, will give an overview of the organization, its services, and the challenges the local area faces, especially in the area of mass transit and general public transportation.  Please email Ashely at [email protected] to receive the Zoom link and learn more.
  
• Did You Know:  Prince William Food Rescue Heroes who are “55 and better” can also join the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)!  Along with the benefits of volunteering to do home food deliveries, RSVP members also receive a mileage stipend and insurance coverage while on their volunteer shift.  Just an hour or so of your time helps provide food to local families facing food insecurity!  Please email[email protected] to learn how you can join.
  
• Soroptimist International of Manassas needs a volunteer Website Manager to keep their organization’s website updated and managed on a regular basis, to include adding content.  It’s a great opportunity for a student in need of service hours or a retiree with an IT background.  Volunteers will feel great helping this group maintain an up-to-date website and stay in touch with the community!  Please email [email protected] for more information.
  

COVID-19 Volunteer Opportunities:

Medical Reserve Corps  Support your local health department and your community during a public health emergency!  Volunteers are needed to support several missions, including public health education and outreach, disease investigation, vaccine clinics, and more!  Medical experience is not required; they have roles for everyone!  Bilingual volunteers are especially needed.  Volunteers must be 18 years of age, complete minimum training, and pass a state background check to serve.  Please fill out an application at vamrc.org.  Questions?  Please email Amy at [email protected] for more information.

• American Red Cross needs volunteers to be Shelter Service Associates in the event of a disaster during COVID-19.  Volunteers work in person in a Red Cross shelter before, during and/or after a disaster event, completing tasks necessary for shelter operations and providing assistance for disaster clients. Duties include working in reception, registration, feeding, dormitory, information or other areas within a shelter.  Please email[email protected] for more information.
  
• Prince William Food Rescue (PWFR) needs Food Rescue Heroes as the program is super busy delivering food to both ACTS and SERVE homebound senior citizens.  Volunteers are urgently needed countywide!  Home food deliveries are no contact and follow social distancing guidelines.  PWFR is an app-based program enabling volunteers to pick up viable, close to expiration food from supermarkets, restaurants, food pantries, etc., and then deliver it to a program that can immediately use the food. Just an hour of your time will do much to provide relief for food-insecure families in our community!  More info on PWFR may be found at https://pwfoodrescue.org/.  Please contact Rebecca at [email protected] or call 845.521.0118 for more information.
  

If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call our wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William at 703.369.5292.  You can also visit our website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org.  Thanks so much for all you do in our community.

A restaurant owner who's feeling the heat outside of the kitchen had a former congressman come to his defense today in court.

Matt Strickland, the owner of Gourmeltz, a sandwich shop in Spotsylvania County, appeared in Circuit Court as the Virginia Department of Health is suing to have him shut down.

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Fairfax County officials deferred a vote on new restrictions on how residents and businesses display the U.S. flag.

After five hours of public comment on an expansive proposal to change zoning rules in the county, to include changes to the county's flag ordinance, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to take up the issue once again at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 23.

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An Alexandria-restaurant chain may be given the opportunity to have a presence on one of the busiest main streets in Prince William County.

Tuesday night, The Occoquan Town Council will hold a public hearing on its plan to extend a lease to a business that will occupy the space at a former visitor center located at 200 Mill Street.

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Starting Friday, Maryland restaurants will be able to reopen at full capacity.

On Tuesday, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced the repeal of restrictions he put in place last year to limit capacity inside of restaurants to 50%. Eateries will be able to seat and serve guests at all of their tables without fear of retribution from the state.

A mask mandate will remain in place, Hogan said. And, every guest inside of a restaurant must be seated to be served. Crowding around bars won’t be tolerated, according to the governor’s announcement.

Hogan credits the successful rollout of the coronavirus vaccine is helping him reach his decision to roll back restrictions.

And just in time for spring, indoor and outdoor event venues may begin operating at 50% capacity, Hogan said.

Maryland residents who travel outside the state are still encouraged to get tested for the coronavirus when upon their return.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, restrictions have eased a bit. Still, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) continues to limit restaurant’s ability to serve their guests, allowing them to open at only 50% capacity.

Earlier this month, Northam allowed eateries to stay open later, past 10 p.m. Under his new rules, restaurants must close at midnight.

The later hours have enticed late-night regulars to return to Three Monkeys Pub and Chophouse in Manassas. “Most of our bar patrons don’t come out until after nine o’clock,” said Billy Wiseman, the establishment owner.

The later hours have helped, but capacity restrictions and some of his customers’ reluctance to dine out continue to hamper business, he added.

COVIDsmart, a digital health study designed to examine the many impacts of COVID- 19 on individuals and their communities launched today, with an open call for participation. The study welcomes participants from all walks of life across Virginia to share information on how the pandemic has affected their lives, even if they have not had COVID-19.

The initiative is sponsored by EVMS-Sentara Healthcare Analytics and Delivery Science Institute (HADSI), George Mason University (Mason), and health technology company Vibrent Health who are leading the initiative to gather information to help participants, researchers and public health entities better understand and address the impacts of the pandemic and future health crises.

The study asks participants questions related to the pandemic and its impact on daily life, particularly its impact on financial, mental, and physical well-being such as, “Over the past 30 days, has your consumption of alcohol increased, decreased, or remained the same?” and, “How likely are you to want to receive COVID-19 vaccination?”

“Minimizing the impact of future pandemics on you and your community requires a deeper understanding of how COVID has affected you – even if you or those you know have not had COVID-19. Everyone can make a difference during this pandemic by contributing to research. Sharing important information not just about your health but how you’ve been impacted emotionally, socially, economically, and other ways will help inform decisions that benefit all of us,” said Sunita Dodani, MBBS, PhD, Professor of Internal Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), Director of HADSI and member of the Federation of American Scientists’ COVID-19 Rapid Response Task Force.

COVIDsmart differs from other COVID-19 studies because it will give back aggregate de-identified study data to participants, so they can see how the pandemic has impacted them and their community. The study will also provide participants with resources and information — such as health and safety recommendations from governmental organizations — to help them protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19 infection.

They're fighting to keep the U.S. Flag flying high in Fairfax County.

Ralliers gathered outside the county government center Monday night to oppose a new ordinance that, if approved today by the Board of County Supervisors, would create limits on how high flags can fly, how large they can be, and how many residents may have.

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