Manassas Park officials and community leaders raised the Progressive Pride Flag outside City Hall on Monday evening to mark the start of Pride Month, continuing a tradition the city has observed since 2017 as the first local government entity in Prince William County to officially recognize the month.
City Manager Carl Cole welcomed attendees, including local elected officials and regional community leaders, to the ceremony, emphasizing inclusion, visibility, and community.
Other notable incidents include a machete attack at a Manassas gas station, an armed robbery of a juvenile on a minibike, and a strong-arm robbery at a Woodbridge bus stop. An additional arrest was also made in a February aggravated malicious wounding case.
This daily police blotter compiles the most significant incidents reported across local agencies.
Stafford County Fire and Rescue is celebrating the retirement of two of its members.
“Please join us in congratulating Technician Doug Gress who is retiring from Stafford County Fire and Rescue after more than 10 years, in addition to a full career as a United States Marine,” Stafford County Fire and Rescue announced. “Please join us in congratulating Battalion Chief Charlie Freeman on his retirement from Stafford County Fire and Rescue after more than 25 years of dedicated service!”
“Marine Corps Base Quantico operates 43 live-fire ranges that support training from small arms to explosive demolitions to artillery fire to the delivery of live-aerial munitions,” Marine Corps Base Quantico announced. “Because training on Quantico is continuous, residents can expect to always hear some noise or feel vibrations.”
The base released its schedule for multiple live fire demonstrations from June 5 through June 12, including events with 50-pound non-fragmenting charges, .50 caliber weapons, and extended overnight sessions on several days. Impacts on noise and vibrations in surrounding communities can vary based on location and weather. For real-time updates, the base recommends following its official Facebook page.
“Something along those lines is what we’re envisioning,” Fredericksburg Free Press reported. “Maybe it’s volleyball one weekend, a basketball tournament the next weekend, soccer, indoor field hockey, all sorts of things.”
“The net new taxes generated by the higher density mixed use development can cover the debt service on the city investment required to make them feasible from a developer’s standpoint,” Woodworth said.
“The foundation’s attorneys filed a subsequent response in early May denying the majority of the allegations in the suit, admitting that the parties never signed a final operating agreement or ground lease as the museum plaintiffs alleged but denying the remainder of the allegations in that section,” InsideNoVa reported. “Yet, the Museum persisted in its efforts, continuing to refine site plans, engage with engineers, conduct environmental studies, and expand its fundraising base to support the planned buildout.”
A Prince William County Circuit Court judge denied the Hylton Foundation’s motion in April, and a discovery hearing is expected in June. The National Museum of Americans in Wartime is seeking at least $50 million or restitution after the foundation promised in 2012 to fund development on 67 acres in eastern Prince William County near Dale Boulevard.
“Early this morning, a fire caused catastrophic damage to our building in Culpeper. While the restaurant is a total loss, we are grateful beyond words that no one was injured and that everyone appears to be safe,” Zandra’s owner Miguel Pires said, as the Culpeper Star Exponent reported. “Right now, our focus is on supporting our team members and their families as we work through what comes next. While today is heartbreaking, we are thankful that everyone is safe.”
The second location of Zandra’s Taqueria, a longtime fixture of the downtown Manassas dining scene, was destroyed in the early morning blaze Saturday at 302 E. Davis Street in downtown Culpeper. According to Historic Manassas Inc’s Facebook page, community help is being sought to support the business and its team as they face an uncertain future.
“There is no cause for concern. THIS IS A PRIVATE TRAINING EXERCISE,” Stafford County Sheriff’s Office announced. “The training will not be open to the public.”
The joint training exercise between the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office and Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department will take place today, June 1, as well as June 2, 8 and 9 from approximately 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at and around Gayle Middle School. Since the county’s last day of school was Thursday, May 28, the building is currently empty for summer break. Residents may notice an increased presence of public safety vehicles in the area.
“I am concerned as a commissioner about the desecration of any graveyard in Stafford County, and in addition this particular one,” reports the Fredericksburg Free Press.
The Stafford County Planning Commission voted 5-0 Wednesday night to recommend the Board of Supervisors deny key approvals for the Potomac Creek Campus data center project on 99 acres south of Eskimo Hill Road. The recommendation followed concerns about a historic cemetery on the site that includes Seddon family burials and unmarked graves believed to belong to enslaved individuals. Commissioners noted the location could otherwise suit data center development near the approved Stafford Technology Campus.
The driver of a tour bus involved in a multi-vehicle crash that killed five people on Interstate 95 has been arrested and charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen announced Saturday that his office authorized felony warrants based on evidence showing the bus was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck slowed traffic in a work zone, causing a chain-reaction crash involving at least eight vehicles.
