Aspiring writers and literature fans are invited to a series of talks and readings at Northern Virginia Community College’s Woodbridge Campus.
Authors Richard Bausch, Randall Kenan, Jill McCorkle and Alan Shapiro will lead “craft talks” on May 19th and 20th from 1:30 to 3 p.m. The two days of presentations will be identical so that attendees may enjoy as many options as possible. McCorkle will discuss “Memory and Fiction”, Shapiro “Technique of Empathy”, Bausch will cover “How to Write in 700 Easy Lessons” and Kenan will address “The So Called Truth”.
Between them, Bausch, Kenan, McCorkle and Shapiro have written over two dozen novels, nine books of poetry, and numerous short stories and essays. Each is the recipient of several awards. In addition to the craft talks, the team will also be presenting selections from their award-winning works on both days at 7 p.m. on the campus.
Reservations or tickets are not required for these free programs. For more information, please contact Robert Bausch at [email protected].
Frederick, Md. –– A three-run third inning propelled the P-Nats to an early lead and a 6-3 win over the Frederick Keys on Wednesday night at Harry Grove Stadium.
J.P. Ramirez and Sandy Leon led off the top of the third with back-to-back walks, setting up the big inning. Ramirez was wiped off the bases by a fielder choice from J.R. Higley. But one batter later, Eury Perez singled home Leon, making the game 2-0 Potomac. The center-fielder continues hit the ball well right now. He’s 12-18, five RBI, and three doubles in the past five games, including 2-4 with an RBI tonight.
The next batter up, Jeff Kobernus, duplicated Perez’s RBI single by lining a pitch into left field to score Higley. Destin Hood rounded out the big inning with the third RBI single.
Hood is just as hot as Hood. The number three hitting went 3-5 with 2 RBI and two doubles tonight. He has 15 hits in the last 11 games.
The P-Nats (15-23) picked up two more runs in the top of the fifth. An RBI infield single from Stephen Souza and a sacrifice fly from J.P. Ramirez made the game 6-2. The RBI from Souza was his 25th of the season, which ties him for 3rd in the Carolina League.
Potomac pitching held the Keys (22-16) in check for most of the night, including a solid start from normal reliever Evan Bronson. Cameron Selik was placed on the disabled list, so Bronson took his place in the rotation. The 24-year-old went three and two thirds of an inning, allowing five hits and two runs. Those two runs came on one swing by Buck Britton. In the bottom of the third inning, the Keys’ DH blasted a two-run home run. It was his 26th and 27th RBI of the year, which put him 1st in the Carolina League.
Out of the bullpen, Rafael Martin, Josh Smoker, and Dean Weaver combined for six and a third innings of one run ball.
The game was delayed in the bottom of the 9thbecause of rain. With a 1-2 count, two outs, and nobody on base for pinch hitter Jacob Julius, it started to pour, causing home plate umpire Rich Gonzalez to wave the players off the field. After the downpour passed, the grounds crew desperately tried to rejuvenate the field. The tarp was pulled and bags of quick dry were dumped on the field. But one hour into the delay, the game was officially called.
Tonight’s win snaps a short two game losing streak and gives the P-Nats a chance to split the four-game series with the Keys. Frederick took the first two. First pitch on Thursday is set for 11 a.m. Danny Rosebaum starts for Potomac, and Ryan O’Shea goes for Frederick.
Stafford County approves growth plan
Stafford County officials have approved a new plan that will govern growth in the county for the next 20 years that includes which areas will see the most growth, Fredericksburg.com reports.
Rare color photos of Depression released
The Library of Congress has released a series of rare color photos that depict what life was like in America in the late 1930s and early 1940s, reports Virginia Virtucon.
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Woodbridge, Va. –– Police want to know who set someone’s front porch ablaze Monday.
Fire and rescue crews at 1:06 a.m. were called to a home in the 1700 block of Averet Street, off Blackburn Road, and found a resident dousing the fire with a garden hose.
Damage to the home is estimated to be at $20,000, and no one was injured, said Prince William fire and rescue spokeswoman Kim Hylander.
The Prince William Fire Marshall is actively investigating this case.
The Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton will be celebrating youth in the arts this Saturday with a free community day.
“Youth in the Arts Day” will feature Workhouse artists and teachers as well as student performing groups from around the community.
Demonstrations and performances are scheduled to include how to create a cone critter, the Saunders Middle School 8th Grade Advanced Choir, Center Stage Dance Company, Spot-LYTE, hula dancers and more.
The Youth in the Arts Day is sponsored in part by Complete Construction Management and requires no tickets or purchase.
A suggested $5 donation is requested which will support the Lorton Arts Foundation, which funds the Workhouse Arts Center.
Update 4 p.m.
An Amtrak train that caught fire this afternoon at Quantico is once again on the move.
Train 92 from Miami to New York City made an unscheduled stop when an electrical fire erupted on the train just before 3 p.m.
Amtrak officials say they no one was injured when some rail cars began to fill with smoke, and affected passengers were moved to other cars on the train.
An exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Virginia Railway Express service on the Fredericksburg line does not appear to have been affected.
Original Post 3:10 p.m.
Quantico, Va. –– Virginia Railway Express officials say all rail traffic has been stopped at Quantico.
Fire and rescue crews are working to douse a fire near the town’s train station, were told.
A Quantico spokesman says the base does not have any information at this time about the closure.
VRE says it’s still too early to predict how this might affect the afternoon rush hour on the rails.
Last year, a freight train derailed at Quantico which also halted rail traffic up and down the east coast.
Woodbridge, Va. –– Overall crime in Prince William County fell slightly in the past year, according to newly released crime statistics.
Falling slightly was the number of rapes that were reported, down four from the five-year high in 2009 of 57 reported rapes in Prince William.
Police heralded the capturing the notorious East Coast Rapist that terrorized women for 14 years, and in his most recent suspected attack, raping two of three girls behind in woods behind a shopping center at gunpoint in Dale City on Halloween night 2009.
“This was a case that we put a lot of effort into…this is truly a stranger abduction, rape of the worst kind,” said Prince William Police Chief Charlie T. Deane.
As the county population increased over the past year, the county’s overall crime rate slightly fell from 19.5 to 19.2 percent. That continues a trend of a falling crime rate over the past five years, when it was at a recent high of 21.6 percent in 2006, according to the crime stats report.
The number of murders in the county fell last year by one to nine, and all of which have been solved, said Deane.
There were some categories of crime that rose last year, including larcenies (virtually any type of theft), and cases of aggravated assault.
Of the 224 people charged with aggravated assault last year, at least 20 of them used a firearm, knife or some type of cutting instrument.
Several illegal immigrants were arrested last year, including 274 for not having a driver’s license, six for rape and three for murder.
Prince William began keeping track of illegal immigrants who were arrested after county officials passed an illegal immigration ordinance in 2008.
Prince William County, Va. –– Street signs in Prince William will soon look different.
The letters on the green signposts that mark streets are changing to have both upper and lowercase letters to make them easier to read.
The change is part of a federal mandate that requires the street signs to use both upper and lowercase letters, but the feds are not providing funding for the change, said Prince William County spokeswoman Nicole Brown.
The new signs will have a larger uppercase letter in the first word on the sign so the letters are visible to older drivers. The new signs will also be more reflective, said Brown.
The blue street signs that hang on signal light posts around the county will also be changed to meet the new federal mandates.
Agencies must making changes to signs in January.
Public Agencies are allowed to phase-in their compliance as outlined below:
January 22, 2012
Implement a method to maintain minimum levels of retroreflectivity
January 22, 2015
Replace regulatory, warning, and ground-mounted guide signs
January 22, 2018
Replace overhead guide signs and street name signs
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Woodbridge, Va. –– Leesylvania State Park on Tuesday became a better place to play.
More than 100 volunteers from Dominion Virginia Power donated their time installing new pieces of fitness equipment to create a special exercise hiking trail for seniors, replacing old playground equipment, refurbishing the volleyball area and building new picnic sites.
And if that wasn’t enough, the organization also presented an oversized check for $150,000 to Leesylvania in honor of Virginia State Park’s 75th Anniversary Celebration.
“We have a very simple strategy in our profession, and we understand what customers expect: They want us to keep the lights on when they go out, they expect us to keep up with the growing demand for electricity in the commonwealth so more business can come and prosper, and they expect us to who reinvestment in the communities we serve,” said Dominion Vice President of Distribution Operations Rodney Blevins. “We’re a big company, and we’re a corporate citizen so volunteering is what we do.”
A catered lunch buffet was provided for the volunteers, some eager to replenish the energy spent that morning working on the trails.
“Many citizens and guests from out of state who come to our parks will never know of your contributions, but those that are close to you recognize the significance of your contribution and your unselfish act,” Del. Luke Torian (D-52, Dumfries) told volunteers.
Leesylvania State Park was opened in 1992 and sits along the Potomac River in Woodbridge.
In addition to a boat launch and marina, the park also plays host to a summer concert series held at the park’s Breakwater Store.
