Quantico, Va. –– The next two nights will be noisy near Quantico Marine Corps Base.

Between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. today and tomorrow, Marines will be training by exploding large munitions.

On Wednesday night, loud booms could be heard all along the Interstate 95 corridor in the Potomac Communities and prompted questions about what was going on from our followers on Twitter and Facebook.

Fear not as the world as we know it is still intact, but base officials warn overcast conditions could increase the noise and vibrations from the blasts.

It’s a good thing the National Weather Service calls for mostly clear skies on Thursday.

North Stafford, Va. –– Fire and rescue crews this morning were called to a report of a chimney fire in the Widewater area.

The blaze broke out at 7:40 a.m., at 207 Telegraph Road in North Stafford.

When crews arrived they found the fire that had flared up in a chimney spread into the walls and an interior crawl space inside the house, said Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department spokesman Mark Doyle.

Firefighters pulled their hoses into the house and doused the blaze within five minutes, said Doyle.

No one was injured and the Red Cross was not called to the home.

Officials did not say how much damage the fire caused.

Woodbridge, Va. –– Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge has become the place for re-enactors who depict what life was like during the Revolutionary War.

About 40 people attended the state park’s Lee’s of Leesylvania Event, used to highlight the area (on the park grounds) where General Harry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee was born. Lee is the father of the famed confederate general Robert E. Lee.

Among the mix of attendees to the event were college students from Northern Virginia Community College who all watched 12 re-enactors — members of the First Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line — dressed in full Revolutionary War-period attire fire their rifles on park grounds. Read More

By David N. Britt
[email protected]

OK, who’s been praying for more snow? It’s got to be some kid. More importantly it’s got to be someone’s kid. Here’s the deal: Parents, control your children!

If you don’t, society will have the Pedi-Police do it for you. Oh, there’s no such thing as the Pedi-Police you say? Then there sure as heck should be!

Lock the little suckers up ‘til they’re old enough and responsible enough to have kids of their own! That’ll teach ’em. Read More

Lorton, Va. –– What was billed as overnight road work on Interstate 95 on Tuesday night has been postponed until Wednesday.

Crews will close the ramp from I-95 south to U.S. 1 south (at mile post 161 in Lorton) from 10 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday.

The ramp from the from the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to U.S. 1 south will also be closed during those hours, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. Read More

It’s going to rain overnight and into tomorrow morning.

And while there remains a chance for freezing rain to fall, temperatures are slowing expected to rise overnight which would mean a quarter and a half inch of rain could fall over the region, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures will remain in the mid-30s overnight and will rise in the low 50s Wednesday.

At 6:30 p.m., a freezing rain advisory was still in effect for the Potomac Communities and was expected to remain in effect until 4 a.m.

Ice or no ice road crews throughout the region were preparing for another long night of treating roads in advance of Wednesday morning’s rush hour. Read More

Woodbridge, Va. –– Commuters that will be forced from the commuter lot at Potomac Mills mall could soon park at the First Baptist Church of Woodbridge.

The church is considering leasing to Prince William County up to 500 parking spaces in their 700-space lot for commuters to use on weekdays.

The church, with a 1,250-member congregation, sits at Minnieville and Elm Farm roads just off Prince William Parkway and stands to benefit financially from the deal.

“This is a deliberative process for us when we are considering annexing a large amount of spaces for commuter parking, and we also have to think about the impacts of our ministry,” said First Baptist Church of Woodbridge Executive Pastor Frank Johnson. Read More

Virginia Railway Express wants  to change some of its policies, and has invited its riders to comment on the proposed changes.

The commuter railroad would like to eliminate the group fare, which allows passengers who ride in groups of 10 or more a discounted fare. Regular riders have complained about the policy.

VRE also wants to decrease the cost of an Amtrak step-up ticket from $10 to $5 to help ease crowding on VRE trains. The hope would be more riders would opt to ride Amtrak trains, pay a little more than the cost of a regular VRE ticket  and get to their destinations on a less-crowded train. Read More

Triangle, Va. –– Quantico Marine Corps Base had no choice but to prepare for the massive influx of federal workers set to descend upon the area in September, said base commander Col. Daniel J. Choike.

While construction is complete on a $300 million, 700,000 square-foot building on Telegraph Road that will hold several security agencies, looming traffic problems still concern officials and community developers who want more federal workers to relocate to the region after the military’s BRAC transition is complete.

A wider U.S. 1 and better communication with community leaders and residents are all ways officials plan to manage growth near the base. Read More

Update 4 p.m.
The man found dead inside a Mt. Vernon-area apartment on Monday has been identified as 55-year-old Kenneth J. Russell. Investigators delayed releasing his identification until after the victim’s next of kin had been notified.

Russell’s long-time roommate, 47-year-old Calvin John, has been charged in Russell’s death.

Update 11 a.m.
One man faces a murder charge in the death of a unidentified man who lived in Mt. Vernon.

Calvin Johnson, 47, is charged in connection to the victim. Police say they have been roommates for many years.

Johnson called police Monday afternoon and reported the crime, said Fairfax County police spokesman Bud Walker.

When police arrived at the scene, an apartment at 7554 Audubon Avenue #101, they discovered the victim had suffered multiple stab wounds to his upper body.

Police have not offered a motive for the killing, but say they are having problems reaching the victim’s next of kin. When they do, police plan to release the identity of the victim, said Walker. Read More