A new partnership between Virginia Tech and Northern Virginia Community College offers students in the Washington, D.C. area a path to a degree in cybersecurity.

Originally launched by Virginia Tech in the fall of 2019, the joint program known as BIT-Cyber is a work-based course of study in cybersecurity and analytics within the university’s Business Information Technology major. The work-based method of teaching allows students to put what they learn in the classroom into practice with real-life experiences.

NVCC has been expanding its footprint in the tech field. The community college announced in March 2022 that a $5.1 million data center lab would be constructed at its Woodbridge campus as part of the school’s Workforce Development Center.

The goal of the program seeks to fill some of the 64,000 openings in the cybersecurity field in the Greater Washington D.C. area, including Northern Virginia.

Because of the program’s online accessibility, many who would not have been able to take such classes without physically attending the university’s Blacksburg campus have benefited from the program.

According to an impact study by Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, 80 percent of those beneficiaries have been born outside of the U.S. The majority of the students, about 95 percent, are citizens of the United States while the remaining students hold green cards.

“It is my privilege to help serve a population that would not normally have an opportunity to access a Virginia Tech undergraduate degree,” said Program Director Svetlana Filiatreau in a comment on the Virginia Tech website. “BIT-Cyber has positioned Virginia Tech to reach a very diverse student population, who are often unable to come to our Blacksburg campus due to their unique circumstances.”

Since the coronavirus pandemic, educational institutions such as Virginia Tech and NVCC have further adapted their online class offerings in order to accommodate students. Many of these offerings have benefited students across the social-economic spectrum giving them access they may not have gotten prior to the pandemic.

Potomac Local News recently reported on Germanna Community College’s College Everywhere program which has shown high success rates among male students, particularly African-American male students. The number of male students graduating from educational institutions like Virginia Tech and Germanna had been on the decline for several decades.

The Fredericksburg City Council is finalizing plans to reduce the speed in the downtown business district from 25 mph to 20 mph.
If passed, this change would affect roads going through the downtown business district which includes Caroline, Sophia, William streets, and Lafayette Boulevard. Those streets are among the most well-traveled in the city and have a high volume of pedestrians.

Before the speed reduction's passage, Ward 2 Councilmember Jonathan Gerlach expressed concerns he'd received from constituents about traffic safety and what other solutions Fredericksburg would be exploring in near future. Gerlach was in favor of the speed reduction and voted for its passage.

City Manager Timothy Baroody responded to Gerlach that regular talks are being held about creating safe environments around Fredericksburg. Possibilities such as reversing one-way traffic into two-way traffic and creating additional bump-out structures to reduce speed not just downtown but throughout the city are on the table.

Baroody also informed the council that the Fredericksburg City Police Department has increased the number of speeding citations, issuing nearly 1,000 since October 2021.

Ward 1 Councilmember Jason Graham also spoke on the issue and offered other potential options that could be used on top of speed reductions that could improve public safety.

"The number of accidents and fatalities are increasing, not just in Fredericksburg but around the country," said Graham. "The citations are good, but they're not enough. I hope we take this as an intermediate step, there are other options we can pursue such as designing the streets for the speed we want. We've got a lot of options that are not just for safety but for economic development."

Economic development and public safety are key concerns of the city council that have intertwined with each other over the years as Fredericksburg continues to grow.

According to police spokeswoman Sarah Morris, the reduction in the speed limit has been a regular conversation over the last several years and was helped along by a grant that was gained by the city's Parks, Recreation, and Events Department which it received in 2018.

The grant was used in part to develop plans and shape policies to better manage public safety in the downtown area as a public venue that is quickly emerging. Morris says that the speed reduction falls in line with plans the city has had to improve safety as events such as the construction of Riverside Park and the rebuilding of the Chatham Bridge have proceeded.

"Fredericksburg's historic Downtown is buzzing with new investment and activity, and the City wishes to proactively maintain safety," says Morris. "This new initiative will be complementary to the study soon to be underway that will evaluate "one way" to "two way" street conversions. The City is also analyzing additional traffic calming measures in efforts to create multimodal harmony with the traveling public."

The Fredericksburg City Council will make its final decision on the matter at their meeting on May 1. If approved, the new ordinance would go into effect on July 1, 2022.

Yesli Vega, a Prince William Board of County Supervisors member, is running for office in the state’s new 7th Congressional District.

Established by the Virginia Supreme Court in December 2021, the district includes eastern Prince William County (east of Hoadly Road), Stafford County, and Fredericksburg.

On Saturday, April 23, Vega (R) held a kickoff party near Manassas for her campaign. Vega, a former officer with the Alexandria Police Department and a reserve deputy with the Prince William County Sheriff’s Office, is one of seven aspiring candidates running on the Republican ticket to challenge Abigail Spanberger (D) for her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Vega said she plans to engage as many people as possible. Vega also invoked her time with the advocacy group Latinos for Youngkin as an example of her ability to spread the message.

“You better believe that we’re going to engage with every person, from every walk of life, and we’re going to talk to them about our unapologetic conservative message,” said Vega. “Because it’s the right message.”

Republican favor to unseat Spanberger matched up last week when the Cook Political Report changed the 7th District from leaning Democrat to a toss-up. Spanberger, a former CIA officer, has held office since 2018. In 2020, she inched out a victory over Virginia Republican Delegate Nicholas Freitas, winning the seat by less than one percentage point.

Vega introduced her family, including her parents, who originally emigrated from El Salvador.

“My parents embody everything that makes America great. They came to this country with nothing, and when we hear people talk about America being oppressive, being racist when they call me a racist, I think about these two individuals who have taught me my love for God, my love for country, my love for fellow man, that if you’re willing to work hard and play by the rules, you can accomplish your American dream in the greatest country known to mankind.”

Vega also briefly discussed her views on security at the U.S. southern border, calling for greater security. She also touted her fight in 2o20 to preserve Prince William County’s 287(g) agreement with the Federal Government, which checks on the immigration status of people arrested by county law enforcement.

New members to the County Jail Board appointed by members of the Board of County Supervisors in 2020 abolished the 287(g) partnership, which dated back to 2007.

Also attending the event was former Virginia Attorney General and former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli, who will serve as chairman for Vega’s campaign.

The Republican who won statewide office in 2009 and served with Gov. Bob McDonnell praised Vega as a candidate who could not only win the election but would be the representative who would hold up Republican values.

“I’ve had the opportunity to see Yesli up close since she first ran. I supported her in that race, and she has lived up to every hope that any of us had for her. Her intelligence and force of personality, attacking problems in Prince William and reaching out to every single possible part of the electorate to share base principles with,” said Cuccinelli. “So it’s an easy step to endorse her and chair her campaign. I think she offers far and away from the best opportunity to take this district from Abigail Spanberger and to make that worthwhile when she gets to Washington.”

Vega will be one of seven Republicans on a Primary Election ballot on Tuesday, June 21. Others on the ballot will include State Senator Bryce Reeves, Crystal Vanuch, who chairs the Stafford County Board of Supervisors and represents the Rock Hill District, Spotsylvania County Supervisor David Ross, Gina Ciarcia, an educator who ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2021, Derrick Anderson, Green Baret from Spotsylvania County.

The Rappahannock Area Office on Youth will receive funding from Stafford County to fund substance abuse treatment programs.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors approved $88,623 to fund the creation of a substance abuse therapist position for one year. The cash infusion allows the youth services program to resume.

The program provided by the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RCSB) was placed on hold back in January 2021 due to staffing shortages.

Provisional data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12 months ending in April 2021, an increase of 28.5% from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the year before.

Before the pandemic, the joint program by the RSCB averaged 68 people per year who were assessed to have substance abuse issues. The program’s participants are local youth referred to the program.

In addition to restarting the substance abuse programs, the funding would go to other necessities, such as a van that would allow small groups of young people to participate in community activities. The grant will also provide computers for use in a smaller classroom which would comply with the recommendations of the CDC.

“The Rappahannock Area Office on Youth is grateful for the support of Stafford County and all contributing localities,” said Davy Fearon Jr., Executive Director for the Rappahannock Office on Youth. “These ARPA funds will allow our agency to resume our substance use treatment program for youth, a service we have been unable to offer due to the challenges of the pandemic. We look forward to continuing our work in providing programs that promote healthy and responsible behavior in youth and young adults.”

The county is pulling the funding from a $2.9 million pot of cash from last year’s American Rescue Plan Act.

Since 1989, the Rappahannock Area Office on Youth has provided programs for local youth regarding court-ordered mandates. These proactive programs seek to support children to keep them out of trouble and address behavioral issues and concerns.

The office receives funding from Stafford County, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, and King George County. Stafford is the first locality to respond to the Community Service Board’s annual funding requests. Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and King George are expected to make their responses in the next few weeks.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors has voted to hikes taxes on hotel stays and  and rates for sewer and water.

The county’s Transient Occupancy Tax, a tax on hotel stays, will increase from five to seven percent on July 1. The increase is expected to provide an additional $766,250 in revenue for the county.

Also approved was a 2.5 percent increase in sewer and water rates. The revenue from the increase is intended to support operations and maintenance of the county’s water and sewer infrastructure and repairs and replacements.

According to documents provided by the county, the amounts are contingent on the type of home owned by the county resident. For townhome owners, their monthly bill would increase by $1.47, owners of single-family homes will see a monthly increase of $2.32, and large house owners will see an increase of $3.77 per month.

Falmouth District Supervisor Meg Bohmke voted to raise the rate but expressed regret at having to do so. Bohmke cited a recent incident involving three water line breaks along Butler Road in Falmouth as a sign of an aging system needing repair.

“I know we have to raise rates to rebuild our antiquated systems. We had three breaks in one week on three different parts of Butler Road,” said Bohmke. We have a lot of infrastructure like that in the county because we’re an old county. Nobody likes rates.”

Aquia District Supervisor Monica Gary also expressed regret at having to raise the rates, echoing Bohmke feelings on the matter.

“It’s a necessary evil that we have to do, but I don’t like it,” said Gary. “But we’re going to do it.”

Vanuch was the only Supervisor to vote against the increase. Griffis-Widewater District Supervisor Tinesha Allen was absent from the vote.

The proposal to increase the county’s meals tax on food and drinks purchased at restaurants fell flat. Leaders had considered hiking the tax one point to six percent, in addition in addition to sales tax, which would have $2.5 million for county school spending.

The hike was unpopular with Board members. On April 12, Board Chair Crystal Vanuch took an informal straw poll among members on asking whether or not to table the tax hike. Supervisors voiced opposition to the increase, saying restaurateurs were getting back on their feet after coronavirus restrictions and how inflation was negatively affecting business.

The increases came on the same night Supervisors approved a budget for Fiscal Year 2023. The tax and spending plan will fund construction of a $150 high school, one of the most expensive to be built in Virginia.

[Updated] Stafford County Public Schools has received an offer from a solar-power company to install a solar array on a high school.

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Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) visited Fredericksburg as part of a week-long tour of Virginia to talk about a recently passed infrastructure bill. The Commonwealth will receive funds for transit projects.

Warner walked the recently rehabilitated Chatham Bridge to promote a bi-partisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act package, which contains $537 million to repair and replace bridges in Virginia over five years. Virginia will receive $232 million for projects to improve transit from the act’s total $1.2 trillion in funds.

According to Warner,530 bridges in the Commonwealth need repair or replacement.

“We’ve been talking about infrastructure for 40 years. It didn’t matter which party was in control. It would always get punted,” said Warner. “We finally said it was time to sit down and work this out. We worked it out. The sausage-making in Washington is like the sausage-making in Richmond, it always takes too long, but we finally got it done.”

In addition to funding for bridges, Warner touted the act’s budget that is earmarked for other infrastructure aspects such as roads, trails, flood prevention, and rail. Virginia Railway Express is currently working with Amtrak and CSX on expanding commuter rail in between, such as Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Washington, D.C, as part of the $3.7 million Transforming Rail on Virginia project.

Warner praised the work done on the newly reconstructed Chatham Bridge, linking Stafford County and Fredericksburg over the Rappahannock River. The project wrapped up last fall and was not only completed under its $23.4 million budget but also 16 months ahead of schedule. Warner praised VDOT for its work on the bridge. When asked what lessons could be learned from the project for the act:

“Maybe we should take the management team and ship them around the rest of Virginia because we need people like these,” said Warner. “I was a business person before I was a politician, and nothing frustrates me more than when government projects come in over budget.”

President Joseph Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act in November 2019, the investment supported by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va). In addition, Virginia is expected to receive a portion of the $280 million in funding designated to the Washington D.C. Metro area, which includes Northern Virginia alongside Maryland and the nation’s capital.

That funding will be divided between transit agencies and localities in the area.

Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor held recapped his first 100 days on the job.

Taylor began his tenure as county superintendent in December 2021, replacing Dr. Scott Kizner, who served stepped down in September 2021 after four years on the job.

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Stafford County will use money proffered for elementary schools to pay for new turf fields at Colonial Forge and North Stafford high schools.

The county’s Board of Supervisors voted 6-1 to use $3 million to pay for the new fields. Colonial Forge and North Stafford are the only two of five county high schools that don’t have turf fields. The Stafford County School Board of Supervisors has approved a contract with FieldTurf USA, an American-Canadian company specializing in such fields, to install the fields.

The county School Board, typically responsible for funding its operations, has been wrangling a funding source to pay for the field improvements.

The Board of Supervisors was presented with two options for funding. The method chosen was to use funds from proffers that have been written into Capital Improvement Plans for a future elementary school, the county’s 18th primary school. The proffer funds that would go to Whitson Woods and Winding Creek Elementary Schools would be used to fund the turf field at North Stafford.

Winding Woods would provide $411,290, while Winding Creek would provide about $1 million.

The funds for the turf field at Colonial Forge would also come from proffers meant for two other elementary schools, Liberty Knolls West and Westgate. Liberty Knolls would provide $939,827 in funds, while Westgate would provide $506,060 for a combined $1.4 million to pay for the new field.

Carol Leicher and Margaret Lowery have spearheaded the campaign for the turf fields. For months, the pair have based their advocacy on safety issues with the grass fields, parity problems with the high schools that have turf fields, and turf fields have become the standard in high school sports.

“I talked to coaches at other schools, ” said George Washington District Supervisor Tom Coen. “What they’ve told me is that the difference is the speed of the game. On the turf the speed is faster and if they’re not training on turf then they’re at a disadvantage.”

Griffis-Widewater District Supervisor Tinesha Allen expressed disappointment that action for the turf fields were being accelerated over other concerns, such as the issues with the fine arts building at North Stafford, which stands separate from the main building. Allen was the sole dissenting vote.

“I’m not against the fields,” said Allen. “I just think there are other pressing matters with the schools that need to be dealt with. I hope that the Fine Arts building at North Stafford can be solved sooner than later.”

The board hopes to complete the fields before the beginning of the 2022-23 school year in August.