“U.S. 1 Widening in the Town of Dumfries

NVTA allocated $78 million to fully fund construction to widen about two miles of U.S. 1 to three lanes in each direction between Brady’s Hill Road and Va. 234. The project will include a shared-use bicycle and pedestrian path along the southbound side of the new Fraley Boulevard alignment and will include a sidewalk along the northbound side. Roughly 28,000 vehicles per day use that section of road, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation website.

The project, which also includes the widening of the bridge crossing Quantico Creek, will reduce congestion, increase capacity, and improve accessibility and safety for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. Rebuilding and widening the road over Quantico Creek additionally aims to minimize flooding.

Preliminary engineering, rights-of-way, and utility relocation, totaling $52 million, were previously funded primarily by the NVTA, along with some state and federal funding, to bring the total cost of the project to $130 million. Design is ongoing with construction set to start as early as 2023.

Summit School Road and Telegraph Road

The NVTA also awarded $24 million to fully fund the extension of Summit School Road, where it ends at Kinnicutt Drive, to connect with Telegraph Road, north of the Horner Road Park-and-Ride lot entrance. The project also includes widening Telegraph Road between Caton Hill Road and Prince William Parkway. This project will ease traffic and improve flow in the Woodbridge area by relieving commuter congestion in the vicinity of the park-and-ride lot area. The project will also continue a sidewalk and multi-use path along the corridor.

North Woodbridge

Another $8 million from the NVTA is funding North Woodbridge mobility improvements, which will extend Annapolis Way to connect U.S. 1 to Gordon Boulevard (Va. 123). This roadway extension will lay the foundation for the North Woodbridge Small Area Plan internal road network and increase accessibility in this intensive multi-modal area, which includes the Woodbridge VRE Station, I-95, U.S. 1 and the Route 123 Commuter Lot.

According to an NVTA press release, the projects within Prince William County will not only help the county, but the region at large, by improving traffic flow to ease congestion.

The NVTA is a regional body that plans and manages public funds for transportation projects designed to reduce congestion throughout the region.

Through the new funding program, NVTA is investing $539M in regionally significant projects located across Northern Virginia, benefiting Prince William County and the region at large. With the adoption of the FY2020-2025 Six Year Program, and implementation of its four previous funding programs, NVTA is advancing 106 regional multimodal transportation projects, totaling nearly $2.5 billion, for congestion reduction throughout the region.”

“I was mostly in shock but I knew that I needed to remain calm. I needed to be there, in the moment, and present,” said Olivia. “We immediately stopped and while Avery went to the car, I dialed 911.”

“I ran over to the driver’s side of Mrs. Wardlow’s car and spoke with her husband, who said he was ok,” said Amussen.  “On my way to the passenger side, I stopped at the other car and pulled the driver out of the passenger side. I checked on him and he said he was ok, so I went to help Mrs. Wardlow on the passenger side of her car.”

“Avery held my hand and stayed by my side, talking to me, calming me, and staying with me until the ambulance came,” said Wardlow. “He saw that my car was still on and thought to turn off the engine because of the smoke. While holding my hand, he checked on the driver of the other car, made sure he was ok, and told him to make sure his engine was off."

“She was having trouble catching her breath and told her to relax, that my sister was on the phone with emergency services,” said Avery. “We talked to her to keep her mind off the pain and keep her engaged.”

A man who tried to break up a fight at a house party was stabbed in the back.

Police were called on Saturday, August 1 at 10:45 p.m. to a home in the 8000 block of Clifton Street near Manassas, where they found a man suffering from a stab wound in his back.

Police learned the victim was trying to leave the house through the basement exit, an argument started for an unknown reason and escalated. Police say the victim tried to break up the fight and he ended up getting stabbed in the upper body.

Police used K-9 unit to search for a suspect but came up empty.

Yefer Rigoberto Alveraz Garay, 26, of the 100 block of Kent Drive in Manassas Park is wanted in connection to the stabbing. He’s described him as a Hispanic man with black hair and brown eyes, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 165 pounds.

He faces malicious wounding by mob charge. Anyone with information is asked to contact Prince William County Police Department at 703-792-7000 or submit a web tip to pwcgov.org.

Police in Prince William County shared information about some online tools that make it easier for neighbors to work together to keep their homes safe.

The department hosted an online meeting to discuss the benefits of having an estbalished neighborhood watch program, with neighbors on the lookout for suspicious activities.

It comes as the rate of violent crimes in the U.S. has held steady over the years, rising 7% from 2014 to 2016 — from 362 to 387 violent crimes per 100,000 persons– and falling 5% from 2016 to 2018, from 387 to 369 per 100,000 persons. In Prince William County, the crime rate in 2018 dropped 7% between 2017 and 2018, acording to the county police department’s annual report.

Officer Jace Massey, who hosted the meeting, said that frequent meetings of the Neighborhood Watch program are usually in person but, with the pandemic, meetings are being held virtually.

Some of the struggles of a neighborhood watch program is getting people involved.

” Often times what happens is that some other type of event takes place, whether it be a series of burglaries or something else that takes place in the community and everyone gets fired up and wants a neighborhood watch and when the problem goes away, so does the neighborhood watch,” said Massey.

As phone apps become more commonplace, they can make it easier for watch coordinators stay in contact with members when they have changes in their lives, such as getting a new job, or if they move to a new home. While there will be the same amount of training to join a neighborhood watch, watch coordinators’ responsibilities have lessened over the years.

The Nextdoor platform is often used which can keep residents connected to their neighbors, to share on what’s going on around them, and to notify when a crime occurs.

“The idea behind Nextdoor is to kind of address the fears of crime effectively,” said Masley. “We need to have the majority of the neighborhoods on your street actively practicing crime prevention methods.”

Nextdoor is a free social media platform similar to Facebook, but more geographically centered. Depending on where you live, you may not be able to access information of another neighborhood in a certain mileage away, which makes the connection more private.

Police don’t access and monitor individual Nextdoor sites, so if there is a problem in the community, it’s best to contact the police directly if there is a crime.

While the police can’t access your resident website or contact information, they will be able to post on the app about updates on what is going on in the county

Neighborhood Watch program has been around since the 1970s, with over 411 active groups in Prince William County . The Prince William County Police Department joined Nextdoor in 2018 and now has over 73,000 verified residents using the app.

Malsey states that police are asking residents to keep on the lookout in their daily activities, like walking their dogs, such as keeping their heads up and not being distracted by their phones.

Another free app that can be used for the Neighborhood Watch program is Ring Neighbors. With Ring Neighbors, citizens can share images with members of the community and law enforcement of suspicious activity.

Ring Neighbors can also share images with not just smartphones and laptops. Police can join conversations but cannot tap into your device and monitor conversations, it is an opt-in app.

Malsey warns that these apps are not routinely monitored so if there is any active crime taking place, please call the police to receive help. Those who see suspicious activity, such as sounding car alarms going off or someone driving slowly through a neighborhood, are encouraged to call the police.

When 911 operators take calls, they’ll ask for a top-down description of a to include features first like skin color, hair, eyes, weight, and height. They’ll also likely ask about the type of car a person was driving, or if the person had a weapon.

“I always tell people to kind of think about it as if they’re the police officer responding. So give as much information as you can and be specific as possible. To kind of help you, think about the whos, the whats, the wheres, and the weapons.”

The Prince William County Police Department has multiple means of communicating with residents, to include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The department will use these channels to discuss plans for the upcoming National Night Out, which was rescheduled from August 4 to October 6 due to Tropical Storm Isaias.

A Manassas man and another man is in stable condition after a shooting that occurred on Thursday, July 30

Police were called at 10:12 p.m. to the 8600 block of Bruton Parish Court where they found two men were located suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

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Prince William police will observe the 36th-annual National Night Out on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, a month later than planned.

It had originally been planned for this evening.

The postponement was announced on Monday ahead of Tropical Storm Isaias, which brought several inches of rain to our region.

National Night Out is an event meant to bring the police department closer to its citizens and vice versa to show that this relationship is essential to a neighborhood’s quality of life.

While residents will not be able to enter police vehicles compared to other years due to the coronavirus pandemic, police will still host motorcade stops to talk to residents of the communities. These events are coordinated by the Crime Prevention Unit of the police department along with the Crime Prevention Council.

Prince William Police Department urges citizens to lock their doors, turn on outdoor lights, and spend the evening with their neighbors and law enforcement on October 6, 2020. Any questions on this event can be answered by calling the Crime Prevention Unit at 703-792-7270.

Occoquan will try again next year.

The town has canceled its Riverfest and Craft Show that was set to take place on September 27 and 28 due to the concerns over the coronavirus. is canceled this year. The Riverfest event was slated to replace the town’s annual spring craft show, which in recent years had seen a drop in attendance.

Back in April, town officials said they were pushing back the end of summer event to fall and combining Riverfest with the annual fall craft show due to health and safety reasons the pandemic has caused. Now, with social distancing orders still in place, officials at Occoquan have decided to postpone the Riverfest event until Summer 2021.

“As we head into a new season together, we resolve to keep Occoquan thriving…we continue to provide opportunities to visit and enjoy Occoquan safely,” states town activities coordinator Julie Little.

Little encouraged customers to call ahead to their favorite shops in town to pick up orders in lieu of the annual craft show. Traditionally, the spring and fall craft shows bring in the majority of funding the town uses for its annual operating budget.

The town of Occoquan is located just off Interstate 95 exit 160, on the Occoquan River.

While the craft show is canceled, farmer’s markets in Dale City and Manassas are open and urge customers to visit to practice social distancing along with wearing masks while visiting.

The nearby Dale City market is open Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and has temporarily been relocated to the Richard G. Pfitzner Stadium, behind the Prince Willaim County Government Center in Woodbridge.

In Manassas, farmer’s markets are held Thursday and Saturday. The Thursday market is located at the Harris Pavilion in Downtown Manassas and the Saturday market is located at the Prince William Commuter Lot across from the Baldwin Elementary School.

Both locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Prince William Education Association has chosen Maggie Hansford as its next president.

Hansford will begin in her new role after working for 10 years as a speech language pathologist at T. Clay Wood Elementary School in Nokesville. She replaces former president Riley O’Casey.

Hansford in recent months has campaigned to reopen schools virtually for the 2020-21 school year, due the coronavirus pandemic.

“I appreciate the support from teachers throughout our county and am humbled by their confidence in me to lead our education association. I am excited to start working to ensure our educators are supported, safe, and secure as they prepare to educate our children during these most difficult times. I also look forward to making history next year by enacting collective bargaining that will put educators at the table when contracts are negotiated,” says Hansford in a press release.

Last fall, Hansford made an unsuccessful bid to become the next Brentsville District Supervisor on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. Hansford has been a member of Prince William Education Association for

10 years and is an outspoken advocate for local educators. On numerous occasions, she has organized and led advocacy efforts for LGTBQ+ students, racial and socio-economic equity, and students with special needs, according to a press release from the education association.

Hansford holds a Masters Degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Central Missouri. She currently lives in Bristow, Virginia with her husband and three sons.

Her oldest son is a rising freshman at Brentsville District High School, and her younger two sons attend T. Clay Wood.

Hansford also serves on the board of directors of the local nonprofit Settle the Debt and as Commissioner on the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission.

Police are looking for a man they say pulled out a box cutter and used it during a fight on board an OmniRide bus.

Police were were called July 31, at 8:22 a.m to Prince William Parkway and Worth Avenue in Woodbridge to investigate a report of a fight on a bus. A 33-year-old victim told police that he and another man got into a fight, and then the the suspect used the box cutter to slice the victim’s leg before he ran off the bus.

Police said the victim was treated at the scene for his minor injuries. Police were able to obtain arrest warrants, but attempts to locate the suspect has so far been unsuccessful.

Donald Clifton Lockett, 39, of the 1900 block of Partree Court in Woodbridge is charged with malicious wounding. He’s described as black, with black hair, and brown eyes, 180 pounds, 5 feet 11 inches tall.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Prince William County Police Department at 703-792-7000 or submit a webtip at pwcgov.org.

The day before in an unrelated incident, police were called at 2:52 p.m. at a home in the 3100 block of Rivanna Court in Lake Ridge. When police arrived, a 67 year old woman, told police she had seen an unknown man on her front lawn and when attempting to speak to the man, she noticed her antique statue and front light post have been broken.

When the victim dialed 911 to report the incident, police say the man walked over to a neighbor’s house next door and entered a garage.

A man living inside the house confronted him, and the suspect threw a drill at the homeowner’s leg which caused a minor injury, according to police.

Police say the suspect fled the home in a vehicle. On Friday, July 31, police arrested the suspect and took him to Fairfax County jail where also being held there on unrelated charges.

Hassan Benadada, 28, of 12795 Sidney Way in Woodbridge is charged with burglary with intent to assault, assault and battery, and destruction of property on this incident, police said.