Hot spots, riots, and doughnuts: The most viewed PLN stories of 2020

For my family, 2020 was an exciting year, one where we welcomed our first child’s birth. It was a life-changing experience bringing her into the world — one for which we had spent much of 2019 preparing.

My wife took maternity leave the last week of January in preparation for our little girl, who was supposed to arrive about Valentine’s Day. When she was born, and at the end of her maternity leave, my wife planned to go back to work. I, too, planned to get back into the swing of things at my job.

But, as it did for so many, the Year 2020 had other things planned for us. As we say goodbye to the year that was, we take a look back at the most-read stories on PLN in 2020 — a year many are excited about leaving in the dust.

1. In June, the CDC declared Manassas a coronavirus hot spot [47,475 views], as the city saw an extremely high number of cases per its relatively small population. About 40,000 people live in the city, whereas a much larger 465,000 live in Prince William County. At the time, the city had lost 89 people to the coronavirus. Today, the city’s death toll stands revised at 29 residents.

 

2. The end of May brought riots to our area — a first for the region, as it’s something normally seen in the more urban areas of Washington, D.C. Two riots occurred back-to-back on the nights of May 30 and 31. On June 1, Manassas City Police Chief Douglass Keen told the City Council that during the riot on May 31, at the intersection of Liberia Avenue and Signal Hill Road, he and his officers were pinned down in the Battery Heights neighborhood [36,027 views], separated from his officers, awaiting rescue from Virginia State Police. Rioters were throwing rocks and bottles at him and his officers, chanting “we’re going to kill you,” changing them into Battery Heights, Keen testified. About a week later, Keen clarified his story, telling PLN he and his men weren’t chased, but rather, they retreated into Battery Heights. “As you know, I spoke with emotion [during the testimony at the City Council meeting], and my briefing may need some clarity,” Keen told me. 

 

3. Riots exploded on the Falmouth Bridge in Fredericksburg, too. Stafford sheriff’s deputies used tear gas to force an unruly mob marching across the bridge, heading into Stafford County, back into Fredericksburg City. Gas was used after a rioter shattered a passing car window, causing the glass to fall on an infant [35,377 views]. That rioter was later identified, arrested, and a video showing the man shattering the car window was posted to social media.

 

4. A Confederate battle flag that, for years, flew 80 feet above Interstate 95 in Stafford County came down [30,683 views]. The flag was a point of contention between those who said the flag was a symbol of Virginia’s Civil War heritage and those who said they were disgusted by the sight of the flag every time they drove near it. The Virginia Department of Transportation ultimately decided it needed the land on which the flag pole stood for its project to widen I-95 at the Rappahannock River.

 

5. When the coronavirus pandemic came, politicians ordered us to stay at home. When summer came, they ordered public swimming pools in the region to remain closed [29,913 views]. While the pools were shuttered, walking trails and fields remained open at area parks, and politicians encouraged people to use them for “socially-distanced” fun and exercise.

 

6. High school graduations normally mean celebrations with friends and family, a walk across a stage o front of your class, and a turning of the tassel. But for the Class of 2020 got little if any pomp and circumstance; all high schools canceled their traditional graduation ceremonies due to the coronavirus. For our very own Susie Webb, who was not only an editor with us here at PLN but also Valedictorian of her class at Stafford High School, 2020 added insult to injury when a free doughnut giveaway at Krispy Kreme in Fredericksburg on May 21 was shut down [29,658 views]. A long line of cars waiting to get doughnuts, backing out onto Carl D. Silver Parkway in the busy Central Park shopping district, was cited as the reason for the shutdown. Afterward, there was fingerprinting between police and Krispy Kreme, who actually ordered an end to the giveaway.

 

7. Minneapolis resident George Floyd’s death, which sparked the riots in our communities and across the nation, prompted calls to defund police departments. Prince William County’s police department is one of the most respected in the nation, and those calls to defund prompted a swift defense of the department from county residents D.J. Jordan and Scott Martin. Instead of getting rid of police departments, which would ultimately hurt communities, the duo called on local officials to work with state legislators to better train officers and for better oversight [29,594 views]. In the fall, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors created a Social Justice Commission that will spend 2021 probing the hiring practices and use-of-force policies within the county police department.

 

8. As I said, traditional high school graduation ceremonies across the region were canceled, as school divisions opted for virtual commencement ceremonies online. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. PLN was first to report that Manassas City Public Schools was planning to hold an in-person graduation ceremony for Osbourn High School [25,731 views]. When our story was posted in mid-April, just weeks into the pandemic lockdown, it sparked a massive debate on whether or not an in-person ceremony would be safe. Stafford County Public Schools also wanted to hold an in-person ceremony for its high school seniors. However, they chose to hold virtual ceremonies instead.

 

9. June 16, 2020, will be remembered as a dark day in Prince William County Government’s halls. That’s when the Board of County Supervisors, just five months into its new term, lost control of the meeting [25,466 views], as a horde of protestors, all identifying themselves with the Black Lives Matter movement, cursed and hurled attacks at each member of the elected body. Afterward, they called for this dismantling of the county’s police department and then called for abolishing the United States of America. Each person was allowed to speak for two minutes, as is standard policy. The scene was a stark contrast to May 19 when At-large Chair Ann Wheeler threatened to have police remove about 20 cheering people standing outside the meeting chambers. That group, comprised largely of conservatives, had hoped to urge supervisors to keep a controversial 287[g] program at the county jail. The program, a partnership with the Federal Government that dated back to 2007, and was ultimately abolished by the county Jail Board in June, helped to identify people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.

 

10. In early June, hopes were high that Prince William County Public Schools students would head back to class for in-person learning in early August [25,426 views]. That didn’t happen as school boards in Prince William County, and others across the state opted to virtually send children back to class. The county used a virtual learning process schools scrambled to create at the onset of the pandemic when schools were abruptly closed in March by Gov. Ralph Northam. While special education students went back for in-person learning, it wasn’t until early December that children in kindergarten, first and second grades returned to in-person learning. The county school division had planned to return all students to in-person learning by February 2021.

 

Finally, it was a busy news year for us and a very busy one for us here at PLN. We gained more than 13,000 new email subscribers this year, an increase of 300%.

A $5,000 grant from Facebook allowed me to bring on a talented team of college and high school students during the spring and summer, all of whom pitched in tremendously to help us cover the pandemic and response to the riots.

I’m grateful for our Reach Partners, like Sentara Healthcare and the UPS Stores in Manassas and Woodbridge, who continue to trust us to deliver their marketing message.

I’m so very thankful for our paid subscribers who support our journalism. Your support shows us were serving a need in our community, and we can’t do it without you. Please become a subscriber today!

Here’s to the best for you and your family, and many more great stories in 2021.