Medical marijuana dispensary Beyond / Hello, located outside Manassas, will expand to other Northern Virginia neighborhoods.
The chain, owned by the Florida-based wellness company Jushi, has opened a new location in Sterling and will soon open locations in Woodbridge, Arlington, and Fairfax, according to Jushi's Chief Commercial Director Trent Woloveck.
Since opening its first dispensary at 8100 Albertstone Circle, just off Balls Ford Road outside Manassas, Beyond / Hello's customer base has grown from an initial 5,000 patients to nearly 50,000. The dispensary guidelines set by local authorities and those set by the Center for Disease Control due to the coronavirus.
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Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch has been re-elected chairman of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors.
Elected by her peers on the Board of Supervisors, 2022 marks Vaunch's second term as chairman. She first became chair of the board in 2021, succeeding Falmouth District Supervisor Meg Bohmke.
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The Manassas City Council has approved rezoning and a special use permit to make way for a new Wawa gas station.
Wawa had applied to the city to rezone one and a half acres from business office zoning to general commercial zoning to establish the gas station at Sudley and Digges Road.
The application had been contested due to concerns of traffic as well as the station's close proximity to the University of Virginia's Northern Virginia Health Center.
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[Updated 3 p.m.] Sentara Northern Virignia Medical Center said that the number of incoming coronavirus patients has stretched its staff to their limits.
According to information provided by officials at the hospital in Woodbridge, the Sentara saw a rise in patients with the virus starting after Christmas Day. In October, several area hospitals joined Sentara in requiring all of it staff receive two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.
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Located at the center of the small town in western Prince William County, the new 2,570 square foot building will have 117 rooms. Those rooms, along with the hotel's meeting spaces, can hold 175 people, according to Nicole Warner, Media and Partner Relations Specialist for the Prince William County Office of Tourism.
The new hotel will have 61 employees in different positions throughout the hotel.
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The Dumfries Town Council approved a conditional use permit and rezoning that makes way a senior living center, childcare, and a cultural arts center.
The council held a virtual public hearing on Tuesday, January 4, to discuss the rezoning of about eight acres on the south side of Curtis Drive, west of Route 1. The land was rezoned from a general residential district to a planned mixed-use district, allowing a 125-unit senior living multi-family facility.
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The two new positions within the county government Financial Department -- a Grants Accountant and Grants Coordinator-- will focus on collecting, reporting, and coordinating information regarding the ARPA grants. Both positions will be full-time and will pay $61,000 per year.
A total of $354,500 will be spent on a consultant to help the county identify projects dedicated to attracting tourism. Stafford had been attracting more tourism to the area before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, but that event put a halt on such efforts, officials said.
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The Stafford County Board of Supervisors have approved adjustments to the county's drug-free policy for its employees.
According to the revised policy, county employees are still not permitted to partake in the use of cannabis on or off the clock. An exception has been made however for the medicinal use of cannabis oil as long as they have a valid certificate for its medical use.
However if any county employee is found to be in possession of cannabis or found to be under the influence of the substance that would serve as grounds for their termination. This part of the policy will stand regardless of whether or not they have the valid certificate for medical use.
The county has decided to be a little more lenient when it comes to their employment practices, any applicant who is 21 or older will not be subjected to the drug-free policy. This means that a potential applicant will not be denied employment even if they test positive for THC during the screening process.
The assumption being that the potential applicant may not be aware of the county's policy and also due to the fact that recreational use of cannabis is legal in Virginia.
However, if that employee is hired by the county they will have to retake the test within a period of 8 to 12 weeks from the date of hiring. This portion was previously contested by Rock Hill Supervisor Crystal Vanuch during a public hearing on the matter held in November.
Vanuch had questioned the randomness of the test especially if the applicant knew it was coming and could prepare for it.
Potential hires who are applying for temporary or seasonal positions will be denied employment due to the short term nature of the positions.
Another change to the policy is regarding the pre-employment medical physical which now only positions which are considered necessary such as public safety will have to go through that process.
Stafford County decided to revise their policy after the State of Virginia legalized the recreational use of cannabis for persons aged 21 and over. This was done in July 2021 and signed by Governor Ralph Northam. While Virginia is the first southern state to legalize cannabis for this purpose it is still illegal under federal law.
Including the commonwealth, 18 other states and Washington D.C. have fully legalized the use of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. Only six states remain fully committed to the illegalization of cannabis.
The Lake Mooney Water Treatment plant will get a second centrifuge and sludge thickener.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors has approved a contract to have a new centrifuge constructed for the treatment plant based in the Hartwood District. This will be in addition to the single centrifuge that currently works at the plant.
In addition, the plant will also get a new sludge thickener. WGK Construction LLC will construct and install both, a Chantilly-based company specializing in the water and sewage industries.
