Chicken tenders a sign of life at The Garrison, police partnership improves safety at Canterbury Village

Punxsutawney Phil saw didn’t see his shadow yesterday, and apparently, so neither did his cousin in Virginia, Arthur, who is friendly with Fredericksburg police. Spring is on the way.

Hello and welcome to the Publisher’s Post for Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. I hope your weekend is off to a great start. It’ll be cold and sunny today. Water’s End Brewery has your weekend forecast and your first look at the start of next week.

Police in Prince William County are searching for a killer after a North Carolina woman was found shot to death inside her car early Friday morning. A dog also inside the car is OK and is now in the care of animal control.

The building where those animal control officers work, a $17 million animal shelter that opened less than a year and a half ago, is under scrutiny after social media outcry prompted county officials to address reports of HVAC issues at the facility.

• The anonymous poster said the ventilation system in the new animal shelter has not functioned properly since the shelter opened, and animals and staff have been suffering unnecessarily.
• The accusation prompted a letter from County Executive Christopher Shorter to elected officials. The county says it’s working on a fix.

A sweeping policy to give Stafford County a one-hour lunch at all county high schools break is under review following a lockdown at Brooke Point High School earlier this week. While the fights that prompted the lockdown and a big police response occurred during the morning hours, a school spokeswoman tells us “Power Hour” is under review.

• The school division stripped power-hour privileges from Colonial Forge High School students last year. Parents told Potomac Local students use the time to sneak into school bathrooms to vape.

Also, Stafford schools’ division plans to introduce a virtual learning option for sixth through twelfth-grade students starting next year. The initiative has sparked varied reactions from parents, some expressing frustration on social media.

• The virtual learning will be offered at no cost to students, and private or homeschooled students can also enroll in their zoned school to access this option.

Thanks to the excellent work of Manassas City and Prince William police, along with federal agents, who nabbed four people they say were aimed at distributing drugs. In all, 66,000 Fentanyl pills are off the streets.

The Stafford County Fire Marshal needs your help identifying who set fire to a work truck parked off Route 17 on Tuesday night.

Something appears to be happening at The Garrison at Stafford, the long-awaited mixed-use development on Garrisonville Road., which promised a mix of apartments, retail, and a 12-screen movie theater. Right now, it looks like the development might start with chicken tenders.

A new coffee shop and housing units are proposed for Woodbridge’s Featherstone Square shopping center on Route 1, one of the oldest in the area (who remembers when the Safeway was located here)? A public meeting is scheduled to talk about the changes. Today, Gabe’s and a McDonald’s call the center home.

And, because it seems we’re stuck on shopping centers today, we have to bring you this good news story Canterbury Village in Manassas, where shop owners have experienced a significant improvement in safety through a collaborative effort involving the Manassas City Police Department, private security firms, and local businesses. Kenny Loveless, the proprietor of Tangs Alterations, praised the proactive response.

Moving on to Local Spotlight member news now, don’t miss live music tonight at the Water’s End Brewery Lake Ridge Taproom (the one that started it all) from 6 to 9 p.m. with John Burton, a native Virginian and accomplished fingerstyle guitarist.

• After a night of fun at the brewery, head over to Dixie Bones BBQ in Woodbridge for an all-you-can-eat buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Special price for kids.

Earlier this week, I promised you a big announcement about Local Spotlight, the affordable, local advertising solution that puts your business in the spotlight. I’m proud to announce we’ve added a full membership to the growing list of benefits for Local Spotlight members, giving them access to 100% of the local news and information on Potomac Local News.

• Purchasing a Local Spotlight membership is now just as simple a one-click process, the same as purchasing our Local’s Only membership. Let me know if you have questions, and let’s grow your business together.

I want to say thank you to our seven new Locals Only members who joined in January — the individuals who help support our reporting. Welcome, Katherine, Howard, Robyn, Kara, Matthew, and the Stafford County Economic Development Department — your Locals Only memberships go a long way to help us tell the stories of heroes in our communities.

Thanks for reading today. Enjoy your weekend.

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