Virginia State Police Senior Trooper R. Riggs responded to a report of a plane crash in Frederick County. The crash occurred Wednesday, February 24, at 2:22 p.m. near the intersection of Back Mountain Road and Fishel Road.
The preliminary investigation revealed that a Single Engine Cessna Aircraft suffered engine failure shortly after taking off from Winchester Regional Airport. The aircraft attempted to make an emergency landing in a field and impacted the ground which caused it to overturn.
The pilot, Jonathan D. Behnke, 42, of Mount Airy, MD, suffered minor injuries in the crash and was transported to Winchester Medical Center for treatment.
No one on the ground was injured as a result of the crash.
The FAA and NTSB were notified of the crash. The crash remains under investigation.
Death Investigation – On February 23 at 4:52AM, officers responded to the Prince William-Manassas Adult Detention Center (ADC) located at 9320 Lee Ave. in Manassas (20110) to investigate the death of an inmate.
The investigation revealed that an inmate, identified as a 26-year-old man, was located unresponsive by another inmate inside his cell. Medical staff responded and provided first aid until fire and rescue personnel arrived. The inmate was pronounced dead at the ADC.
The deceased was transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. No foul play is suspected at this time. The investigation continues.
The deceased was identified as Mohammad Ekram SHERDIL, 26, of Woodbridge.
Assault and Battery of Emergency Medical Services [EMS] Personnel – On February 21 at 5:01PM, officers responded to the Patient First located at 2199 Old Bridge Rd. in Woodbridge (22192) to investigate an assault.
The investigation revealed that the accused assaulted EMS personnel without provocation while being evaluated. During the encounter, multiple EMS members were kicked or struck prior to police arriving at the location.
Upon arrival, officers were able to secure the accused without further incident. No injuries were reported by EMS personnel. Following the investigation, the accused, identified as John Sungsoo KIM, was arrested.
Arrested on February 21:
John Sungsoo KIM, 35, of 16 Rachel Ter. in Picataway, NJ Charged with 4 counts of assault & battery of EMS Court Date: May 3, 2021 | Bond: Held WITHOUT Bond
Multiple jurisdictions in our region are reopening their local governments to the public.
- Stafford County announced it would lift restrictions that kept residents out of their government buildings.
- Stafford County Government Opening to Public March 1 and DMV Taking Appointments
- Stafford County Government offices will reopen to the public starting Monday, March 1, 2021.
- Visitors will be asked to do a self-temperature check voluntarily.
- Masks and social distancing of six feet are required at all times.
The Board of Supervisors will resume meetings with in-person public comments on Tuesday, March 2, 2021. Those seeking to make public comments at either the 3:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. meeting will be checked at the front door.
- Only 14 members of the public are allowed in the Board Chambers to accommodate social distancing mandated by the state.
- Residents may still provide online comments by visiting www.staffordcountyva.gov/publichearings.
- The deadline for submitting comments for the March 2 meeting is Friday, February 26, 2021.
A county spokeswoman credits lower counts of new coronavirus cases reported in the Fredericksburg region and tighter restrictions put in place by Gov. Ralph Northam set to expire at the end of the month.
In Manassas, the doors to city hall have been open, but the City Council has met virtually for the past month. Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger announced the City Council would resume in-person meetings starting March 8.
- The public will once again be able to address their local government in person.
- Davis-Younger, in late January, ordered a stop to in-person City Council meetings, requiring they instead be held online.
- Residents were encouraged to submit comments to the City Council via email.
- Davis-Younger declined to comment for this story, the latest in a string of comment refusals to this news organization since her Fall 2020 campaign for mayor.
Some councilmembers did share concerns about conducting public business from their homes, especially when discussing items reserved for closed-door sessions permitted under the law, such as financial bargaining positions or personnel matters.
- “I would agree with that,” said Councilman Tom Osina. “As much as I try to seclude myself on a Zoom meeting, whether it’s for a committee meeting or City Council…I could have interruptions because I live with other people.”
- “I would have a concern if the [virtual meeting] were wide open, but with Zoom, we control who can be admitted to a room, and as long as those security precautions can be addressed, I have fewer concerns,” said Councilman Ralph Smith.
It remains unclear why, after meeting in person throughout the pandemic in 2020l and with the number of coronavirus cases in the region declining, Davis-Younger decided to hold virtual-only meetings.
- Many said it would be impossible to know who might be with at a council member’s home, setting off the to the side, listening in.
“Had I been [been mayor] last March, we would have gone all virtual,” Davis-Younger said during a special in-person City Council meeting on February 19.
Some councilmembers did express interest in holding virtual meetings at the height of the pandemic. However, there was not enough interest from the entire council to do so, said City Manager Patrick Pate.
- The City Council held two in-person meetings in January.
- Pate had plexiglass installed to separate the councilmembers during sessions.
As soon as the City Council gets back together in person, it will again be looking for a new temporary home to host meetings.
- City Hall will soon close to the public for renovations for about a year.
- In the meantime, the city could explore the possibility of using event halls or schools to host government meetings.
- Pate said he would allocate about $100,000 in the coming year’s budget to hire a professional video crew to broadcast six to eight government meetings per month.
Facebook’s efforts to police online ads for vaccine misinformation are unintentionally blocking messages from cities, health care providers and community and faith-based groups promoting Covid shots.
The Virginia State Police Wytheville Division Headquarters has received roughly 50 phone calls today (Feb. 20) from individuals living in Northern Virginia and neighboring states inquiring about a phone call from a VSP “trooper.”
The scammer has “spoofed” a legitimate VSP phone number with a 276 area code so he can appear credible.
The caller identifies himself/herself as a representative of the Virginia State Police and says the individual has a warrant out for his/her arrest, must turn him/herself in and then demands payment be made in order to avoid arrest. The caller may request credit card information, bank account information or payment in the form of a gift card.
The Virginia State Police never calls individuals to notify one of an arrest warrant. The Virginia State Police never requests payment for any service, debt, etc. over the phone. These scammers can get very aggressive and be very convincing in their demands, and are also using legitimate Virginia State Police phone numbers to call from – known as “spoofing.” Virginians are advised to simply hang up on the scammer and to never give out any personal information.
 Again, Virginia State Police will never solicit funds from the public in any manner and do not give any personal information to someone alleging to be doing so. If you feel you have been a victim of any scam, report it to your local law enforcement agency.
Let's face it, sometimes stuff piles up in the house, shed, or garage.
Before you know it, a film crew taping an episode of "Hoarders" could come knocking at your door.
That's where Junk Luggers comes in. For years, customers have called on the company to clean their homes. Now it's found a way to repurpose stuff from customers' homes, lovingly referred to as junk, at the Remix Market.
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Rosie's is thinking bigger. Much bigger.
Rosies Gaming Emporium, a 19,000-square-foot gaming center opened on January 8 with 95 video slots in the Triangle Shopping Center in Dumfries, proposes building a massive $389 million casino resort on the grounds of Potomac Landfill, a debris junkyard on the edge of town.
"The Rose" would be a first for Virginia and include 50,000 square feet of gaming space, a 250-seat sports bar, seven other bars and restaurants, 200 hotel rooms, a 1,500-seat theater, and 7,000 square feet of meeting space.
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Manassas will host its annual restaurant week from Feb. 14 to 18, marking the first time since the start of the pandemic the city has held the event.
Restrictions put in place by Gov. Ralph Northam limiting the number of people who can be inside restaurants are still in place, to include requiring partons to remain six feet apart, wear facemasks when not eating, and put down their alcoholic drinks by 10 p.m.
A total of eight restaurants will participate in the event. The city provides more information about the restaurant week in a press release.
Diners can enjoy two courses for $25 or three courses for $35 at several City of Manassas restaurants, including:
- Crossroads Tabletop Tavern, 9412 Main Street, 571.364.8885
- Mariachis Tequileria, 9428 Battle Street, 703.369.6022
- Monza, 9405 Battle Street, 703.434.3621
- Okra’s Louisiana Bistro, 9110 Center Street, 703.330.2728
- Public House Kitchen and Brewery, 9406 Battle Street, 571.292.1427
- Rangoli, 10223 Nokesville Road, 703.957.4900
- Siam Classic Thai Restaurant, 9403 East Street, 703.368.5647
- Suyo Wild Chicken, 10169 Hastings Drive, 571.379.4853
“We look forward to supporting our local restaurants after a tough year through this annual event,” said Debbie Haight, Executive Director. “Even if Restaurant Week 2021 looks a little different than it has in years past, we hope area residents will get out and enjoy the great food Manassas City has to offer.”
Restaurants will be open for indoor dining with tables spaced at least 6 feet apart, but take-out is also encouraged. As a reminder, onsite alcohol consumption is currently prohibited after 10 p.m. and all restaurants must close between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m.
For a full list of restaurants participating in Restaurant Week 2021 and to learn more about Historic Manassas, Inc., visit visitmanassas.org.
It's like stepping back in time--all the way to 2019.
A line snaked out the door Saturday night at Gourmetlz, a restaurant just off Route 1 in Spotsylvania County, specializing in mammoth grilled cheese sandwiches, wings, and craft beer.
Established as a food truck in 2016, the restaurant is the brainchild of Matt Strickland--an Amry medic who later worked private security details in Iraq and Afganistan and later as a security analyst in Charlottesville--is the first of its kind in the area.
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