The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) has called for the immediate resignation of Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas, Bristow) for ‘abusing his power as an elected official in Virginia to bully and intimidate law enforcement officers and threaten to cut police budgets.’

This comes in the wake of a video posted on Facebook by Isaiah Knight, the Director-Elect of the Peaks of Otter Soil and Water Conservation District and Chairman of Virginia Families PAC, that appears to depict Delegate Carter saying ‘I’m a member of the general assembly. I write the state police’s budget. They’re gonna f***ing regret it.’

“Delegate Carter has not only dishonored the memory of George Floyd, he has also cheapened any justice that his killer will face. The law enforcement officers in Manassas had nothing to do with the tragedy in Minnesota, and did not deserve to be screamed at and threatened by an elected official in the Virginia House of Delegates,” read a statement from the RPV.

“When an elected official takes that opportunity to berate brave Virginia first responders doing their jobs to protect the innocent from violence, a line must be drawn. Lee Carter must resign today,” read a statement from the RPV.

Potomac Local News cannot independently confirm that the person in the video was Delegate Carter, as it came from an anonymous source, but we can confirm that the delegate was present at the protest where the video was taken.

Delegate Carter announced on Twitter that he was sprayed with CS gas (mace) on Saturday, May 30, by Virignia State Police at a protest on Sudley Road near Manassas.. Carter also tweeted that police tried to hit him with a flashbang as he walked away from them.

“Virginia State Police sprayed CS directly into my left eye after refusing to answer basic questions for 45min…. They tried to flashbang me again while I was walking away. Twice. They missed. I saved the hand thrown container,” tweeted Delegate Carter.

When reached for comment Sunday, Carter said he declined to provide comment for this news outlet.

The Sudley Road protest, which was held in light of the killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, began peacefully about 5 p.m. It later escalated as crowds increased significantly and unidentified individuals began throwing objects at drivers, causing officers from the Prince William County, Manassas City, Fairfax County, Virginia State, and Haymarket Police to arrive at the scene and declare an unlawful assembly.

“During the protests, multiple businesses along the Sudley Rd corridor sustained damage and two small fires were reported to shrubbery and a trash receptacle. Numerous police vehicles were also reportedly damaged throughout the evening,” stated Johnathan Perok, the Public Information Office Supervisor for the Prince William County Police in a press release.

Protestors, of which there were estimated to be 250, were asked to vacate the area by police and ‘given the opportunity to disperse peacefully.’ Many protestors did not follow police orders, and alleged the use of tear gas and rubber bullets against them. The Prince William County Police have confirmed the use of both tactics at an emergency meeting held by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors on May 31.

“Since I was in front of the crowd, I inhaled some of it [tear gas] and ended up running because it was too much to handle. I started coughing and I have to rub my eyes as well. Fortunately, I wasn’t hit by a rubber bullet, but it landed near me,” said Emily Jasmine Reyes, a protestor and Stonewall Jackson High School student.

The protest resulted in five arrests, including a DUI and ‘other offenses for driving through a police perimeter,” the injury of four Prince William County police officers, one of whom was taken to a local hospital, and the calling of an emergency meeting by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

A popular Chick-fil-A location in Fredericksburg has closed down, and not just because it's Sunday.

It has been confirmed, by both Chick-fil-A and numerous Facebook posts from customers, that at least one staff member at the restaurant located at 1698 Carl D. Silver Parkway in Central Park has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus. The restaurant has reportedly closed.

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A peaceful protest escalated into civil unrest Saturday evening, ending in multiple arrests and a Virginia State Delegate in a standoff with police.

Virginia Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas, Bristow) announced on Twitter tonight that he was sprayed with CS gas (tear gas) by a Virginia State Police officer at a protest on Sudley Road. Carter also alleged that police tried to hit him with a flashbang as he walked away from them.

“Virginia State Police sprayed CS directly into my left eye after refusing to answer basic questions for 45min…. They tried to flashbang me again while I was walking away. Twice. They missed. I saved the hand thrown container,” tweeted Delegate Carter.

They tried to flashbang me again while I was walking away. Twice. One hand thrown, one weapon launched. They missed. I saved the hand thrown canister. https://t.co/Jg4NmOlKLc

— Lee ? Carter (@carterforva) May 31, 2020

Police used CS gas on Carter after Facebook Live video showed the delegate in a faceoff with police in riot gear while standing on the corner of Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive, the site of the protest near Manassas.

Virignia State Police told Potomac Local News, “in an effort to safely disperse the violent crowd, state police has utilized non-lethal tactics, such as OC ‘pepper’ spray and powder.”

Prince William police, the first agency on the scene, did not use so-called non-lethal tactics, department spokesman Jonathan Perok told Potomac Local News.

Protestors who spoke with, as well as videos and photos obtained by Potomac Local News, show that rubber bullets and tear gas were fired at what was estimated to be 100-300 protestors, many of whom are young adults and teenagers. It’s unclear who fired the rubber bullets.

“…so it all started when I raised my hands up peacefully and proceeded to walk closer to the officers I got down on one knee and repeatedly said ‘I am unarmed,’ and I heard two shots fired by someone else getting hit with one and one skimming off the side of my fingers which I bled from,” Fizan Ali, a George Mason University Student told Potomac Local News, describing what it was like being hit with a rubber bullet.

Tear gas was also used on the crowd.

“Since I was in front of the crowd, I inhaled some of it [tear gas] and ended up running because it was too much to handle. I started coughing and I have to rub my eyes as well. Fortunately, I wasn’t hit by a rubber bullet, but it landed near me,” said Emily Jasmine Reyes, a protestor and Stonewall Jackson High School student.

“I didn’t get a full dose of it [tear gas], but enough to breathe in. It burned all the way down to my lungs, even as I walked further back. Plenty of people around me were choking and gagging,” said Amber, who asked we only use her first name for this story.

The protest began peacefully with little to no police present, but the atmosphere changed at 8:10 p.m. when an unidentified individual threw an unknown object at a driver.

Police, who were staged at nearby Bull Run Library, issued a Signal 1, prompting officers to swarm the intersection of Sudley Manor and Sudley Road to put down what the Prince William County Police Department called civil unrest.

Hours into the incident, protesters continued to hurl rocks and bottles at police from the parking of a nearby Red Lobster restaurant. Prince William police brought Mulitple paddy wagons from its Eastern District (Garfield) Police Station on Route 1 in Woodbridge to the site of the protest, where several protesters were rounded up at the Manassas Campus of Northern Virginia Community College and were arrested.

It’s unclear how many people were arrested during Saturday evening’s protest.

In the early phase of the civil unrest, police closed portions of Sudley Road, between Sudley Manor Drive and Interstate 66. Virginia State Police were called to shut down the highway interchange to prevent drivers from exiting toward Manassas.

Manassas City police also assisted in controlling the crowd.

Cities across the nation erupted in protest Saturday night in the wake of the death of George Floyd, 46, who was killed on May 25, 2020. Video shows a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, placing his knee on Floyd’s holding him down on the ground during an arrest attempt.

Video captured by onlookers captured Floyd saying “I can’t breathe,” and “please don’t kill me” in the final moments of his life.

Four officers, including Chauvin, were fired from the Minneapolis police force. None have been convicted in Floyd’s death. An FBI investigation is ongoing.

Saturday night’s nationwide protests, unofficially and effectively, marked an end to strict social distancing measures that were voluntarily and widely observed by U.S. citizens after President Donald Trump shut down the country 79 days ago at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Nancy B. Weaver, a retiring second-grade teacher at T. Clay Wood Elementary School, has had a love of reading since she was a young girl, but she never imagined she would have a library named in her honor. 

“I have always loved to read. I have fond memories of my mother reading to me when I was too young to read by myself, and I loved hearing the stories she read to my sister and me,” Weaver said.

On March 20, the Prince William County School Board approved Principal Andrew Buchheit’s request to name the T. Clary Wood Elementary School library after Weaver. The library naming was done as a surprise retirement gift. 

“I was surprised, shocked, and very excited to have the library at T. Clay Wood Elementary named for me. I had no idea that this was happening and never imagined that this would happen. I am so touched by this, and I am truly honored,” Weaver said. 

Weaver wanted to be a teacher since her childhood. She earned degrees in elementary education and library science from James Madison University.

In Prince William County, she started out as a classroom teacher and librarian at Marumsco Hills Elementary. Weaver went on to Lake Ridge Elementary, serving as their librarian, before resuming her career as a classroom teacher at Bristow Run Elementary.

She ended her career at T. Clay Wood Elementary School after 48 years of service to Prince William County Schools.

While at T. Clay Wood Elementary, Weaver promoted reading and literacy with her students, according to Buchheit. She often recited a poem to her students to encourage their love of reading: “The more you read, the more you know, the more you know, the smarter you grow, the smarter you grow, the stronger your voice, when speaking your mind, or making your choice.”

“Since we opened T. Clay Wood Elementary, her class has the highest number of books checked out each month for every month for the past nine years. Mrs. Weaver’s students check out more than double the number of books than the second highest class checks out,” said Buchheit. 

Weaver told Potomac Local News that she wants students to “experience the enjoyment of reading and learning” in her library, and to “be excited about learning new information as they form habits to become lifelong learners.”

Even though Weaver is retiring this year, she plans to volunteer at her library whenever possible, as well as finish a stack of books she has waiting at home. 

“I am happy to read to students, work with small groups of students, promote books and the love of reading and learning. I want to take time to visit family and friends, and I have stacks of books ready to read,” said Weaver.

The Stafford County School Board has unanimously approved a plan to provide compensation to secondary, or middle school teachers who teach over 150 students or 25 class periods a week. 

This compensation was amended into the Virginia Administrative Code last fiscal year, stating that if a secondary and/or middle school ‘classroom teacher teaches more than 150 students or 25 class periods per week, an appropriate contractual arrangement and compensation shall be provided.’

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In February, Prince William County Schools Superintendent Steve Walts submitted his six-priority budget proposal for the 2020-2021 school year. The proposal, unique in nature, included 2.1 million to support student mental health, 4.8 million to support college/career/military readiness, and a 2.8% raise for teachers and staff. 

The budget, and many of the aforementioned parts of it, has been slashed, as the Prince William Board of Supervisors approved a decrease of $10 million during their meeting on May 19, and the school board adopted it during their meeting on May 20. 

This budget cut comes due to the loss of $35 million in county revenue, and $17 million in state revenue, according to figures provided by Prince William County Schools. The loss of revenue is mainly to blame on the new coronavirus, as it has caused major job losses due to the forced closure of non-essential businesses and stay-at-home orders. 

Prince William County Schools has received $9.3 million from Virginia’s $239 million allocations from the CARES Act coronavirus recovery funding authorized by President Donald Trump on March 27, to make up for those revenue shortfalls.

Walts first proposed these budget cuts during the school board meeting on May 6, as well as the deferral of many school-based projects, such as the adding of artificial turf and lighting to high school sports fields. 

In his proposal, it was announced that funding for economically disadvantaged students and additional guidance counselors would be reduced. The budget maintains 163.5 new school-based positions, including 155 additional teachers, a part-time psychologist, five additional social workers, and three new school counselors.  

“It’s disappointing to be so excited about many of the initiatives… But we want to make absolutely sure we can pay our bills because we have to have a balanced budget and this is our reality,” said Walts. 

These are the newly approved budget cuts:

• Instruction: $904 million (down by $2 million from the initial $906 million)
• Administration, health, and attendance: $88.6 million (reduced by nearly $1 million from $90.5 million)
• Student transportation: $60 million (down by about $5 million from $65.8 million)
• Facilities: $226.4 million (this was reduced by $100,000 dollars from the initial $227 million)

Three years ago the Prince William County Planning Commission approved the location for the unnamed “13th” High School, with plans for it to open in September of 2021.

Now, the new high school is one step closer to gaining a name, as during the May 20 school board meeting ten possible names were put forth. 

The names were selected from the top 10 most frequent suggestions submitted Prince William County residents, of which there were 394. The suggestions were collected by the high school’s naming committee, comprising school board Chairman At-large Babur Lateef, Brentsville District representative Adele Jackson, and Gainesville District representative Jennifer Wall. 

There were no limitations as to what types of names could be considered, but the naming committee showed a preference for identifiable existing geographic locations, historical considerations, and the names of deceased persons who have made contributions to the community and/or nation. 

“Selection preference shall be given to those individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of education, especially within Prince William County,” stated a presentation from the naming committee. 

The suggested names are as follows:

• Ashley Guindon High School, she was the fallen Prince William County police officer who died during her first day on the job in 2016. 
• Gainesville High School, the location of the new school.
• Captain Brian S. Letendre High School, he was a marine corps officer and Prince William County Public Schools alumni who died in Iraq in 2006. 
• Lillian Orlich High School, she is a retired Osbourn Park High School guidance counselor who worked for the county school division for 64 years. 
• Paul Ebert High School, he served as the Commonwealth’s attorney to Prince William County for 52 years, from 1968 until his retirement last year. 
• Hellen Keller High School, she was an activist for the deaf and blind as well as the first deaf-blind American to receive a Bachelor of Arts.
• Piedmont High School, the name of the region of Virginia that encompasses Prince William County. 
• Cardinal High School, the name of the state bird of Virginia. 
• Joyce Russell Terrell High School, she was the first black student to attend Gar-Field High School in 1961 at the age of 13.
• Old Dominion High School, the nickname for Virginia, the name was given to the state by English King Charles ll during the English Civil War. 

The school board is expected to take action in regard to the names during their meeting on June 10. 

“I want to thank everyone who suggested names, there are so many great names on this list, it’s going to be really difficult to pick just one,” said Gainesville District Representative Wall.

Public servants are more important than ever in the current coronavirus pandemic, yet, the Prince William County Police Department is losing its guiding member: Chief Barry Barnard.

Barnard, who has served Prince William County police for 44 years, with four of those years as chief, announced his retirement on May 13. He is the fourth chief of police to lead the department since its creation 50 years ago.

Barnard replaced outgoing chief Stephan Hudson who retired in June 2016.  His final day as chief will be July 1, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the police force. Then, the department contained merely 42 people, now it contains hundreds of employees, including 673 officers. 

His replacement has not yet been selected, but Deputy Chief Jarad Phelps will serve in the position until a new chief is found, according to a press release from the Prince William County Government. 

Barnard, a Miami native who came to Virginia after receiving a degree in criminology from Florida State University, began his policing career in Alexandria. He then ventured to Prince William County for its opportunities, beginning what would be forty-four years of community service in 1976.

“[I became a police officer] to make a positive difference in the community,” said Barnard. 

He was named Assistant Chief of Police in 2000 and then appointed Deputy Chief of Police in 2009 under former Chief Charlie T. Deane. Before formally becoming chief, Barnard led the department as acting chief of police in 2012 and 2016 after the retirements of former chiefs Deane and Hudson, respectively. 

Once becoming chief, Barnard worked to increase diversity in the police department. Under his guidance, the department increased efforts to recruit from historically black colleges and universities.

During a community forum he hosted in 2016, Barnard acknowledged that ‘having a police department that mirrors the community is important’ as it improves cultural understanding. 

His tenure, along with the tenures of many other police chiefs around the country, was confronted with a tougher challenge than increasing diversity: the tragic deaths of police officers. During his first year as chief, officer Ashley Guindon was shot and killed during her first day on the job after being called to a domestic situation in Dale City. 

“Losing officers has a tremendous impact of course on the officer’s family, department, and community. It is a very sober time for any police department,” said Barnard. 

Now at the end of his policing career, Barnard reflected on his time with the department.  He described the thing he will miss most.

“[I will miss] the people and our mission: working to help and make some sort of contribution, using teamwork to keep the community safe, managing resources, working with people, and just meeting the challenges,” said Barnard.

Barnard has no plan to leave Prince William on his last day as chief, instead, he plans to spend time with his family. 

“I want to thank PWC and the community for the opportunities that have been provided to me and my family. We are very grateful to live here and work at the department for many years. I give my heartfelt thanks to anyone who has supported the police department,” said Barnard.

Hundreds lined up to be tested for the coronavirus.

Residents on Tuesday flooded a testing site located on the grounds of Stonewall Jackson High School outside Manassas. It reached capacity at 11 a.m., just an hour after the site opened.

It was the same story the day before at the Hylton Memorial Chapel in Dale City. That testing site reached capacity by 2:20 p.m. Officials had originally planned to close it by at 6 o’clock that evening.

The county government organized the events to provide free testing to anyone in the community who wanted one. Normally, patients must have an appointment and show symptoms of the coronavirus before they can be tested for the disease.

As the testing sites filled up with people, many vented on social media.

“Turned away from Hylton yesterday. Midday. In line today at Stonewall well before 10am opening. Waited only to get a sticker to come back at 2pm (forced to exit by PWC Police) but no info on a special line for appointment stickers. Will we get tested?” read a tweet directed at the Prince William County Government and commented under one of their posts. 

County officials helped to explain the situation.

“They are not out of tests. They are at capacity in terms of people and timing,” said Sherrie Johnson, the Director of Communications for the Prince William County Government, in reference to the testing at the Hylton Memorial Chapel. 

Each site was equipped with 1,500 tests from the Virginia Department of Health and 150 people were being tested an hour, according to Johnson. The number of tests made available pales in comparison to the U.S. Census-estimated population of Prince William County: 470,355 residents. 

More testing events have been planned by the county to accommodate those who were unable to get tested. There will be free tests offered May 20 through 22 at GMU Map Clinic, at 99 Tremont St, Manassas Park, at the Manassas City Public Safety Location, at 9600 Block Grant Avenue in Manassas, and Kilby Elementary School, at 1800 Horner Road in Woodbridge. 

Both drive-through and walk-up testing will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is reserved for the first 75 individuals per location. No appointments will be needed to receive a test. 

Unlike the previous free testing event, these events are reserved for those who are under-insured/uninsured and symptomatic, according to the Prince William Health District.

“We recognize and understand that there is a lot of frustration and confusion regarding COVID-19 testing. Unfortunately, there is a limited supply of testing supplies available throughout the region and the country,” reads a statement on the Prince William County Government website. 

For questions regarding testing, call the Prince William Health District Call Center at (703) 872-7759. 

Additional free testing is being offered for those with symptoms by the City of Manassas and the Virginia Department of Health from May 20-22. The testing is being conducted at 9608 Grant Ave, drive-thru or walk-up, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The tests will be conducted rain or shine.