A Dumfries area man describes himself as the “American Dream” political candidate.
Tito the Builder, as he’s known, now hosts his own talk radio program, “America Eres Tu,” and is an active member of the Prince William Republican Committee, according to his website.
Two weeks ago, Munoz launched a political action committee, Tito PAC, to raise money for a possible run for state office.
Munoz, a contractor, became something of a local celebrity after he was recognized during a campaign rally for 2008 Republican hopeful John McCain, at the Prince William County Government Center.
“2011 is crucial for Virginia”, said Munoz,” I’ll concentrate on Virginia: jobs, regulations of small business, and opportunities for more Americans to develop the economy.”
Munoz also wants to address the number one hot-button issue for Northern Virginia residents: traffic.
“I have firsthand knowledge of what it takes to build a road…how to make it work smoothly” Munoz explained, saying his skills as a contractor gives him advantage over other politicians when it comes to deciding what types and where transportation infrastructure should be built.
Munoz is also concerned with the prices Virginians are paying at the pump, especially the pain felt at the pump for small business owners, and has suggested drilling for oil off of Virginia’s coastline.
On the slumped economy, Munoz small businesses should be empowered and suggests eliminating superfluous paperwork necessary to establish a small business.
Governor Robert F. McDonnell seemed to agree when last year he enhanced the Virginia Business One Stop program, launched in 2009.
In the realm of education, Munoz looks to his Colombian roots for inspiration. “I come from a family of teachers. In Columbia the system is different. I could choose any public school I wanted to attend as long as my grades and conduct were acceptable,” said Munoz.
As political districts lie now, Munoz would have the option of vying for the Republican nomination for the Virginia House of Delegates 52nd District seat, now currently held by Democrat Luke Torian.
Munoz, like other republican’s, has expressed interest in what would be a newly shifted House district that would encompass portions of North Stafford, Quantico and Woodbridge. That district, known as the 2nd District, would be shifted from Southwest Virginia to the Potomac Communities after population declined there over the past 10 years.
Virginia’s redistricting plans are still being finalized in the Senate and House of Delegates, and Gov. McDonnell will have the final approval.
Update 1:30 p.m.
Flames broke out at a home on Telegraph Road about 10:30 a.m.
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Dumfries, Va. –– A familiar face in Dumfries business will make his first run for the General Assembly.
Cleveland Anderson is expected to announce Friday in s press release he’ll seek the republican nomination for Virginia House of Delegate’s 52nd District.
Anderson earlier this month told PotomacLocal.com he was considering a run for what would be a newly shifted political district in the Potomac Communities, the 2nd House District which would include portions of North Stafford, Quantico and Woodbridge.
According to Anderson’s website, the aspiring politician owns Vincent and Vincent Hair Salon on U.S. 1 in Dumfries and has raised his children in Prince William County.
Anderson’s biography states he’s a life-long Virginia resident, as well as a realtor and managing partner of the shopping center that his hair salon is located in.
The man who won the House of Delegates seat in 2009 in the adjacent 51st District, Richard Anderson, says he doesn’t think having another Republican with the same last name running in the next district next to his will be a problem.
“Voters are smart, and they are articulate, and they will easily be able to tell the difference between me and Cleveland. They’ll also know that Cleveland has his own ideas about what’s best for the 51st,” said Anderson.
If another Republican candidate steps forward, Anderson would have to face him or her in a primary election August 23.
Right now, there have been no other Republican’s who have expressed interest in challenging Torian, a popular Democrat and pastor of the First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries.
This story has been corrected. This election season marks the first time Cleveland Anderson has run for political office.
Update 2:30 p.m.
Police say the 56-year-old man from Prince William County who jumped from a bridge onto Interstate 95 this morning has died.
State troopers found the man lying in the roadway, at mile post 152, just after 8 a.m. He was flown to Fairfax Innova Hospital where he later died, said Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.
State police will not release the victim’s name because of the nature of the incident.
Update 9:20 a.m.
Virginia State Police say they found a man lying on the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 this morning.
State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says the man was lying in the southbound lanes north of mile post 152, the exit for Dumfries Road (Va. 234).
All of the southbound lanes of the highway were reopened just before 9 a.m.
Initial reports indicate the man jumped from a bridge that carries Va. 234 traffic over I-95.
Original Post 8:50 a.m.
Dumfries, Va. –– Virginia State Police say they found a man lying on the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 this morning.
State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says the man was lying in the southbound lanes north of mile post 152, the exit for Dumfries Road (Va. 234).
All of the southbound lanes of the highway were reopened just before 9 a.m.
Dumfries, Va. –– Traffic is moving slowly on Interstate 95 in Dumfries right now after someone reportedly jumped off an overpass.
It happened about 8:20 a.m., at the intersection of Dumfries Road (Va. 234) and I-95.
Virginia State Police are on the scene and we’ll bring you more on this as it develops.
By Will Flemming
For PotomacLocal.com
Myrtle Beach, S.C. –– Jose Lozada’s two-out safety squeeze in the seventh inning scored J.P. Ramirez and sealed a comeback 4-3 win that split Wednesday’s doubleheader in Myrtle Beach. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak, including a 6-3 decision in the opener, and gives the Nationals a chance to split their four-game series in Myrtle on Thursday.
Joe Testa (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth inning in his 2011 Potomac debut and earned the victory in the nightcap, while Pat Lehman notched his fourth save to close out the win. Leury Garcia had singled to open the seventh inning, moved to second on a sacrifice fly and to third on Mike Olt’s fly ball to left, but Lehman stranded him there by striking out Jared Prince.
In the early part of the nightcap, it looked like the Nationals may remember the ballgame as one in which they failed to capitalize on opportunities. In the first and third innings, they loaded the bases. No runs scored in the opening frame, and Potomac mustered just one run in the third on Steven Souza’s single to left that made it 1-0.
Myrtle surged into the lead in their half of the third, led by Ryan Strausborger, who had the best day of his career. The Pelicans leftfielder belted two home runs and drove in five in the opening game, and his third homer of the evening made it 3-1 Pelicans. Andres James had reached on an error to open the inning and scored on Jared Bolden’s triple.
Potomac came right back to tie it in the third, but again left men aboard. A pair of one-out walks to Lozada and Cutter Dykstra ended starter Kennil Gomez’s night. Jeff Kobernus then doubled off Chad Bell to score Lozada. Dykstra crossed the plate and scored on Destin Hood’s groundout.
It would remain tied until the seventh, when manager LeCroy dialed up the squeeze in a 2-1 count for Lozada. It was the second time on the road trip the Nats executed the play to perfection.
Potomac led the opening game for the first four innings behind a solid start from Mitchell Clegg. But with two outs in the fifth, Bolden singled before Strausborger hit his first bomb to left to give Myrtle the lead for good.
He struck again in the sixth, with a blast off Rob Wort with two aboard to put the game out of reach. His first three homers of the season gave him seven RBIs on the day.
The Nationals look to split the series on Thursday, and they turn to righthander Trevor Holder at 7:05 p.m.
Will Flemming is the Director of Broadcasting for the Potomac Nationals.
Stafford County, Va. –– Lightning sparked a fire that injured two firefighters early this morning in the Rockhill district.
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The region has been rocked overnight and into the morning by severe weather. As recently as the 6 a.m. a tornado warning was issued and then expired. Overnight, a Harris Teeter grocery store in Bristow, Va. had ceiling panels blown out, a tree blown into some power lines, and a funnel cloud spotted near the Intersection of Centreville Road (Va. 28) and Prince William County Parkway all at 10:45 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. A tornado was confirmed in Nokesville, Va., in western Prince William County, just three minutes later. Earlier in the evening, funnel clouds were spotted across Stafford County between 6 and 6:15 p.m. One-inch hail and a large tree fell in Dumfries, according to the weather service. A tornado watch continues for the Potomac Communities and the rest of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Region until 3 p.m. While weather conditions are quiet right now, weather service radar shows another line of thunderstorms that bears watching, moving into northeast from Roanoke. When funnel clouds formed over Stafford County, neighbors who live on Wild Rose Drive off Village Center Parkway grabbed their cameras and pointed them to the skies. “The sky turned green and it got really quiet, and then I saw the funnel lower from the cloud. I didn’t touch down but I thought it was going to hit my neighbor’s house,” said Sabrina Mellinger. It didn’t hit anyone’s house, and no one was injured. But neighbors say they were rattled by the menacing skies. “I grabbed my camera when I saw the funnel cloud going the other way, away from our house,” said Cheryl Wood.
Update 7 p.m.
A tornado has been confirmed at Quantico.
A weather spotter has told the National Weather Service a tornado near Triangle, about two miles west of Quantico.
The tornado was spotted at 6:14 p.m.
Residents in Stafford County spotted funnel clouds in the southern portion of the county, off U.S. 17.
Neighbors said the skies turned green overhead as funnel clouds appeared over their houses.
Stay with us for continuing coverage.
Update 6 p.m.
A tornado warning has been issued for Stafford and Prince William counties until 6:15 p.m.
At 5:40 p.m., National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm 10 miles west of Stafford capable of producing a tornado.
The storm was moving northeast at 40 mph.
We’ll bring you more details as we get them.
Please update us with what you are seeing.
Original Post 4:15 p.m.
A tornado watch has been issued for the Potomac Communities until 8 p.m.
Officials at the National Weather Service say 19 Virginia counties are under the watch, including Fairfax, Stafford and Prince William.
Showers and thunderstorms are forecast to move into the region this afternoon and evening, according to the NWS.
Those showers and thunderstorms should continue after midnight.
More showers and thunderstorms are possible tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to the weather service.
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North Stafford, Va. –– Perhaps he was thirsty, or it was because he never got enough calcium as a child, or maybe he had a thing for dressing like a farm animal.
Whatever the reason Stafford sheriff’s authorities say a man donned a cow costume and not walked, but crawled into a Walmart store on Garrisonville Road (Va. 610) in North Stafford at 10:35 p.m. Tuesday.
Authorities say he found a shopping cart and then pushed it to the milk isle.
