As the pandemic continues and businesses have begun to reopen to the public, free coronavirus testing will be offered at multiple locations in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park.
Here is where they are stated to be located, according to a press release sent to us by Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin.
“Free COVID-19 Testing available for residents who live and work in Prince William County, the City of Manassas, and the City of Manassas Park. Participants must provide their full name, telephone number, and a home or work address in Prince William County, the City of Manassas, and the City of Manassas Park to obtain COVID testing and receive the results. Here is a list of the upcoming testing sites and locations. All sites can accommodate drive-thru or walk-up testing.
Monday, July 13, 2020
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Woodbridge Senior Center
13850 Church Hill Drive
Woodbridge, VA 22191
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Woodbridge Senior Center
13850 Church Hill Drive
Woodbridge, VA 22191
12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Cloverdale Park
15150 Cloverdale Road
Dale City, VA 22193
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Manassas Senior Center
9320 Mosby Street
Manassas, VA 20109
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Splashdown
7500 Ben Lomond Park Road
Manassas, VA 20109
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Woodbridge Senior Center
13850 Church Hill Drive
Woodbridge, VA 22191
12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Cloverdale Park
15150 Cloverdale Road
Dale City, VA 22193
2:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m.
Manassas Senior Center
9320 Mosby Street
Manassas, VA 20110
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Splashdown
7500 Ben Lomond Park Road
Manassas, VA 20109
Thursday, July 16, 2020
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
West Gate Elementary School
8031 Urbanna Road
Manassas, VA 20109
Log onto pwcgov.org for the latest information on COVID-19 testing sites and locations.
Other locations such as CVS are still open for coronavirus testing but only if a citizen meets the guidelines to be tested such as being an essential worker or experiencing coronavirus like symptoms.
An initiative between Manassas Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis and Old Town Strong, a charitable group formed to aid city businesses in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, has a mission to renovate a foster care visitation room children by collecting donations when customers purchase a pint of cold brew.
More in a press release:
On Saturday, July 4, Old Town Strong and City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis kicked-off a brand new initiative, âThe Safe Haven Project,â with a beer release at Sinistral Brewing Company in Manassas. The Safe Haven Project is raising critical funding and necessary resources to renovate and remodel a visitation room in the City of Manassas.
The visitation room is used as a transitional space for children in foster care. The room is in need of renovation and redecorating.
A contribution of $2 from each four-pack of Sinistralâs newest brew, âOld Town Strong True American Pilsnerâ will directly benefit the project. Katie and Tony Finley, Manassas Asphalt Inc., visited to launch the initiative with a kind contribution for The Safe Haven Project.
Looking for a new way to give back since their last fundraising efforts, Old Town Strong President Greg Cook, reached out to Councilwoman Ellis in search of engagement opportunities in the community.
Ellis said, “After reviewing several needs and projects and budgets together, we came up with the, ‘The Safe Haven Project,’ to directly impact children in a positive way. The goal is to create a safe, and welcoming visitation room for the children in foster care.”
Children can spend hours visiting this space. Funding for The Safe Haven Project will make it possible to create a warm & inviting space, with a fresh look, and upgraded furniture.
There are a number of ways to get involved and help:
¡ Old Town Strong has partnered with Sinistral Brewing Company to release âOld Town Strong True American Pilsner.â Purchase yours here, or visit the brewery directly.
¡ You can also purchase âMercia series apparel through July 12. All proceeds from apparel sales will directly support The Safe Haven Project. Purchase yours here.
¡ Make a direct donation to The Safe Haven Project via PayPal (send to [email protected]) or by check.
Please make checks payable to the Old Town Whiskey Club and note âSafe Havenâ in the memo. Checks can be mailed to: 9319 Stuart Ave, Manassas, VA 20110. Your donations will provide critical resources for the construction & management of this project.
Old Town Strong is excited about this project and is currently looking for donors, community partners, and volunteers. If you, or your business, are interested in lending your skills or talents in any capacity, please contact [email protected] or visit OldTownStrong.com.
After the completion of The Safe Haven Project, Old Town Strong looks to expand partnerships and continue to engage with the local community for future initiatives in the City of Manassas.
It’s unclear how much the charity has raised to date.
Coates-Ellis is the Republican nominees for mayor in the Nov. 3 General Election. She’s running against Democrat and fellow councilmember Michelle Davis Younger.
As many confederate statues are being taken down in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, a statue of the former slave Jennie Dean will be built to honor her efforts that helped African Americans in the late 1800s.
A small version of a planned bronze statue of Jennie Dean slated to be erected in Manassas. [Photo: Manassas City Government]On July 3, a crew from Kline Memorials arrived on the grounds of the Jennie Dean Memorial, at 9601 Prince William Street in Manassas, the future location of the statue to install a granite base for the statue.
The effort to erect the statue has been a 20-year undertaking. According to the Jeannie Dean Masterplan Update on the Manassas City website, the original plan for completion was supposed by the fall of 2019 if fundraising hit its goal before that date. But as donations are still needed, the completion of the project is further delayed until the donation goal is met. If interested in donating, please visit this link to contribute today to the project.
According to Manassas City article on “Who Was Jennie Dean?”, Jennie Dean was an inspirational woman of color who spent her early days as a slave. After the civil war, she helped train her people’s life skills and helped build churches that provided a safe community for African Americans to learn and thrive.
After raising money for decades, she managed to get Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth chartered and built. The school was eventually taken down, built again with new schools, that was renamed several times before leaving to what we know today as Jennie Dean Elementary School.
The planned statue has been over 20 years in the making. We previously reported in January of this year, that the campaign has reached over 73% of its donation goals as the sculptor, Chris Hill got to work on the bronze statue.
The project has increased its project total from needing $175,000 to now $350,000 as installation and enhanced landscaping charges, including connecting walking paths, adding a kiosk, amphitheater, and signage has been added. We have reported in the past that Manassas Councilwoman Michelle Davis-Younger stated that the city has donated over $125,000 to the campaign.
According to the Manassas City Memorial Campaign page, a generous donation from Corliss Udoema, who is the owner of Contract Solutions Inc., donated $10,000 to support the cause. According to Prince, the total amount of money raised for this project by stated above donors and anonymous community members is $149,000.
A grand jury has handed down indictments have been handed down in the case of a homicide that occurred at a Denny’s restaurant on Sudley Road near Manassas, in the early morning hours of the day after Christmas in 2019.
The Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office announced it has gone over interviews with victims and witnesses of the shooting that took the life of 56-year-old Yusif Ozgur, a delivery driver who was picking up food from the eatery when he was shot and killed.
Attorneys, in a press release, stated the charges for the suspects, Jordan Lee Anderson, 22, of Manassas, and Ryan Thomas Walker, 23, of Chesapeake Beach, Md.
Anderson / Walker
“On Monday, July 6, 2020, the Grand Jury for the County of Prince William and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park returned 170 indictments found to be âTrue Billsâ related to offenses that occurred in the early morning hours of December 26, 2019 at the Dennyâs restaurant located at 8201 Sudley Road in the County of Prince William.
Following an exhaustive review of the evidence and consultation with the victims, their families and the investigators, Amy Ashworth, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, sought the following indictments from the Grand Jury. These indictments supersede the charges previously brought by the Prince William County Police Department in December 2019.
The indictments encompass the acts perpetrated upon the twenty-three people inside of the Dennyâs, one of whom died and one of whom was significantly injured. Ryan Thomas Walker, 23, of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, and Jordan Lee Anderson, 22, of Manassas, Virginia, stand charged with the following:
⢠One count of First-Degree Murder §18.2-32 (First Degree Murder carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
⢠One count of Attempted Capital Murder §§18.2-31;18.2-26 (Attempted Capital Murder carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
⢠Two counts of Aggravated Malicious Wounding §18.2-51.2 (Aggravated Malicious Wounding carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
⢠One count of Armed Statutory Burglary §18.2-90 (Armed Statutory Burglary carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
⢠19 counts of Abduction for Pecuniary Benefit §18.2-48 (Abduction for Pecuniary Benefit carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
⢠12 counts of Robbery §18.2-58 (Robbery carries a potential sentence of 5 years to life in prison)
⢠7 counts of Attempted Robbery §§18.2-58;18.2-26 (Attempted Robbery carries a potential sentence of 2 to 10 years in prison)
⢠42 counts of Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony §18.2-53.1 (Use of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony carries a potential sentence of 3 years in prison for the first offense and 5 years in prison for each subsequent offense)
A storage shed in Manassas Park caught on fire after a lightning strike hit the private property, totaling over $25,000 in damage.
On Monday, July 6 at 11:32 p.m., firefighters arrived to take care of a structure fire call that occurred at the location of 131 Holden Drive, in Manassas Park.
Keith Nguyen, the assistant to the city manager, told PLN that a lightning strike had hit a shed that contained storage for the residents living in the private property and set the structure ablaze.
When discussing damages and whether or not the city will have to be involved, Nguyen stated the following:
“As this was a naturally occurring event on a private property, the typical homeowner insurance claim process between the residents and their insurance company is expected to occur. The city is not involved in that process,” Nguyen said.
According to Nguyen, the damages were determined to be between $25,000 to $30,000 in worth.
No one was inside the structure at the time of the fire, and no one was hurt, according to Nguyen.
A 28-year-old man is facing DUI charges after a traffic stop on Route 1 in Stafford County.
From the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office:
DUI
1700 Block Jefferson Davis Highway 07/06 2:13 a.m. Deputy E. E. West observed a vehicle
travelling northbound on Jefferson Davis Highway that was failing to maintain the lane of travel.
The vehicle was observed swerving off of the pavement twice. Deputy West initiated a traffic
stop on the vehicle and identified the driver as Arthur Castle, 28. Deputy West observed that
Castleâs eyes were bloodshot and glassy, along with his speech being slurred. Field Sobriety
Tests were performed and Castle was arrested for DUI and failure to maintain lane of travel.
Castle was given an unsecured bond.
The sheriff office did not proivde the address of the suspect.
HIT AND RUN
Appalachian Drive 07/06 9:40 a.m. A resident reported that their parked vehicle was struck by an unknown vehicle over the past weekend. The incident is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Deputy McAlister at 540-658-4400.
VANDALISM
Club Drive/Masters Drive 07/06 8:31 a.m. A resident reported that a shed door belonging to the homeownerâs association had been damaged. The incident is under investigation.
Atlantic Builders gives a sum of money to Germanna College in effort to help financially struggling families have better homes and improve education.
Last year, Atlantic Builders had such a great experience working with Germanna Community College, that the Atlantic Team has once again chosen Germanna to be the recipient of its annual Charity House Gift. Itâs the fourth year in a row that Atlantic Builders has completed a home benefitting a local charity.
In these projects, trade partners and suppliers donate materials and labor at a reduced cost, or in many instances, for free. This yearâs charity home will be built in the Avalon Woods community of single-family homes located in Spotsylvania County.
Manassas City School Board approved a new LGBT proclamation condemning racism that will ensure students and staff will be treated equally.
On June 23, the Manassas City School Board presented the LGBT proclamation, which has been reviewed and approved annually since 2017, approving the document in a 7-0 vote.
The affirmation comes in light of recent protests and riots on May 29 and 30 that left businesses in and around the city damaged. School Board Chairman Sanford S. Williams placed the LGBT proclamation as the first item on the agenda. He then turned the spotlight to fellow school board member Lisa A. Stevens who read the proclamation aloud.
A neighbor discovered a family’s house on fire and extinguished the flames.
Here is what Prince William County Police Department stated to us in a press release.
On June 22, fire and rescue units were dispatched to a reported house fire in the 1700 block of Potomac View Avenue in Woodbridge. A neighbor discovered and extinguished the fire while alerting the occupants, who safely evacuated.
Since this was the third fire, at this address, in two months, the occupants immediately notified the Prince William County Fire Marshalâs Office. Due to circumstances surrounding this incident and investigation of the previous two fires, Fire Marshals worked quickly with Prince William County Police to find and detain the suspect, Mr. Christopher Sears, of Dale City.
Upon additional investigation, into this incident, Mr. Sears was arrested. Mr. Sears was subsequently arrested on multiple felony charges related to the arson. The Stafford County Fire Marshalâs K-9 and Handler also contributed to this case.
The investigation continues into this and other related incidents.
According to the county fire marshal, the specific charges the suspect is facing is burning of an occupied dwelling, use of a firebomb, felony vandalism, and threatening by burning. Other charges are currently pending for Christopher Sears, 27, of 12993 Taxi Drive in Dale City.
