After serving in the Navy for 10 years and working in corporate America building data centers, Dan Umpa has launched USA Ninja Challenge Stafford, an indoor obstacle course training program that combines basic skill sets from gymnastics, climbing, cross training, and track and field.
Umpa, who graduated from the Naval Academy, originally planned to open a gym. He had spent ten years working in the corporate world, building data centers, and knew this type of career didn't fit his needs for more time with his family or his active lifestyle.
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No sound, no touch, no light: Elysian Float Spa offers a sensory deprivation spa experience to take away the stress of the holidays. Located in Fredericksburg, Elysian offers 60 minute or 90 minute float therapy sessions. Owner Debbie Elkins said float therapy has three main targets: athletic recovery, chronic pain,, and mental wellness (anxiety, depression, PTSD).
Two couples, Mark and Debbie Elkins from Stafford and Jason and Christy Ostrander met 15 years ago at a small church group. After a float spa experience in Williamsburg, Mark and Debbie told Jason, a career massage therapist, that this type of wellness experience was needed in the Fredericksburg area.Â
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Stafford County Parks, Recreation and Tourism is hosting its annual Candy Cane Hunt on Government Island on December 14. The family-friendly event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and registration is required in order to receive the activities bag, which contains the scavenger hunt information.
Giant candy canes will be hidden in the woods throughout the island. Participants can use a scavenger hunt map provided by Stafford Tourism to mark off their finds.
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We'll be featuring local businesses in our holiday gift-giving series. We've asked local businesses to tell us about their holidays, and to suggest gift ideas for a wide range of people.
Stafford’s Olde Virginia Gourmet recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Open since 2004, owners Sean and Annabelle Tarallo run a gourmet and gift shop that focuses on Virginia products, including wines, beers, and other gourmet specialties.Â
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The Fredericksburg Free Press reports a developer plans to demolish a portion of the Greenbrier Shopping Center and put in mixed-use buildings.
The shopping center was formerly home to Burlington Coat Factory, now in Central Park, and Big Lots, which closed and has not been replaced. Several small businesses, including Taj Indian and Two Times New, still reside there. In March, Taj owner Sandeep Singh said he was not aware of any plans to develop the center that would affect the long-standing restaurant, and as of November 13, he had not been notified of any plans.
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Just before 10 P.M. today SCFR units responded for a structure fire, reported by multiple callers, in the 700 block of Warrenton Road near the intersection with Powell Lane.First arriving units marked on scene approximately 3 minutes later and confirmed smoke coming from the front, and side of a two-story, single family residence, with flames visible inside. Further investigation revealed a fire in the basement, with extension to the floors above.The fire was brought under control in approximately 15 minutes. The residence was not occupied at the time, and there were no reported injuries.The fire is under investigation by the Stafford County Fire Marshal’s Office. Crews were assisted on scene by the Fredericksburg Fire Department.
On December 1st, Stafford deputies pursued and apprehended two suspects connected to an armed robbery in Fredericksburg. A red pickup truck, identified in a BOLO alert, was spotted by Deputy D.S. Jett. The driver refused to stop, leading to a chase through multiple roads until the truck was cornered in a residential area. The driver, Jermaine Koonce, 32, was detained after deputies deployed pepper balls. He admitted to driving under the influence and resisting arrest to smoke a cigarette.
The passenger, Dion Parker, 24, fled on foot but was tracked by K-9 Titan and located using a drone. He was apprehended in nearby woods. Both suspects were confirmed as those suspected to be involved in the robbery. Koonce faces multiple charges, including felony eluding and DUI, while Parker is charged with eluding, property destruction, and public intoxication. Additional robbery charges will be filed in Fredericksburg. Both are held without bond.
Stafford County Sheriff:Â
On December 1st, at approximately 8:08 p.m., Stafford deputies received a be on the lookout report. It was advised an armed robbery just occurred in the City of Fredericksburg and the suspects fled in a red pickup truck. Less than a minute after the BOLO, Deputy D.S. Jett, who was traveling on Morton Road in the area of Forbes Street, observed a red pickup truck coming towards him as it was failing to maintain the lane of travel. Due to the traffic lane violation and potentially being connected to an armed robbery, Deputy Jett turned around and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. When the truck did not stop, a pursuit was initiated.
The truck would accelerate as it fled on Primmer House Road, Riggs Road, and eventually Birney Court with Deputy Jett closely behind. As the truck entered onto Birney Court it slowed to a stop. Deputy Jett gave commands to both the driver and the passenger. Instead of complying, the passenger fled on foot as the driver threw his vehicle into reverse and accelerated away. Deputy Jett pursued the truck as it fled again with the help of Deputy I.E. Baldi. Nearby units were informed of the passenger fleeing on foot.
Deputy Jett and Deputy Baldi followed the fleeing vehicle as it entered the cul-de-sac of Orange Blossom Court. The fleeing vehicle would jump the curb and drove in-between two residences where its journey ended. Deputies blocked any further fleeing attempts and gave the driver commands to exit the vehicle. When he refused, Sergeant J.T. Forman deployed pepper balls into the vehicle, which had the intended effect. The driver exited the vehicle and was detained. The driver spontaneously admitted to driving under the influence and advised he didn’t want to stop because he “wanted to smoke my cigarette before I went to jail.”
As the driver was detained, additional deputies established a perimeter around the area the passenger fled from. Sergeant B.U. Demirci deployed his K-9 partner, Titan, where the passenger was last seen. Titan displayed strong tracking behaviors all the way to nearby railroad tracks. Throughout the track, deputies located items belonging to the passenger and damages to residential fences during the passengers fleeing attempt.
As Sergeant Demirci conducted his ground search, Detective W.J. McWaters conducted his aerial search using the drone. With it, he was able to locate the suspect hiding in the woods behind the 200 block of Anderson Drive. With Detective McWaters guiding them from the sky, Sergeant Demirci was able to deploy K-9 Titan, where he completed an apprehension. The passenger was detained shortly after the K-9 apprehension.
The Fredericksburg Police Department was able to confirm both detained suspects were the suspects in the armed robbery in their jurisdiction. The driver, Jermaine Koonce, 32, of Callao, was charged with felony eluding, third offense driving under the influence within ten years, revocation of his license after multiple DUI convictions, two counts of reckless driving, driving while revoked, two counts of refusal, and failure to maintain the lane of travel. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. Additional charges related to the robbery will be handled by the City of Fredericksburg. The passenger, Dion Parker, 24, of Burgess, was treated for his K-9 bite and charged with eluding, destruction of property, and public intoxication. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. Additional charges related to the robbery will be handled by the City of Fredericksburg.
The George Washington Foundation’s (GWF) 38th annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit returns to the Visitor Center at Ferry Farm this December, inviting creative confections with the theme “Holidays: Past, Present, & Future”.Â
GWF Public Programs Manager Allison Ellis said the event began at Historic Kenmore, the foundation’s first historic property, in the 1930s after the Kenmore Association and the Washington-Lewis Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution found Mary Washington’s gingerbread recipe. The pair collaborated with the Dromedary Cake Mix Company to produce mixes based on the original recipe, with a portion of the proceeds returning to the Kenmore Association and its efforts to preserve Historic Kenmore.Â
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Several Spotsylvania County Public Schools (SCPS) bus drivers noticed a regular visitor with a shabby coat. The team saw a fox that seemed to be missing a lot of fur and sent a video to FoxTales Wildlife Rehab. CEO and Founder Elizabeth Negron said the video confirmed the fox was in moderately bad condition, so her team helped set up a trap and coordinated with the transportation crew to make sure the trap was checked regularly.Â
After weeks of waiting, the Spotsylvania bus team let Negron know the fox was trapped around 7 a.m. on Nov. 18. She had just finished a 12-hour overnight shift as a hospital imaging technician and drove straight to the trap by 9 a.m. Spotsylvania County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment.
