From an email from Stafford County Public Schools:
April Burch of Fredericksburg wins the B101.5/Pohanka Nissan Rogue Giveaway...Then declines prize in a terrific gesture of love
FREDERICKSBURG, VA â Centennial Broadcasting, II, LLCâs B101.5 Radio and Pohanka Nissan in Fredericksburg, concluded a month long contest on Saturday, October 14th, with one contestant winning a new Nissan Rogue 3-year lease. In an unexpected twist of events, the winner declined the grand prize.
April Burch of Fredericksburg, Virginia, was one of over 50 qualifiers trying their hand at winning the Nissan Rogue 3-year lease. April survived a reverse drawing that quickly eliminated all but the last 10 qualifiers. She was the 4th out of the 10 to reach into a bag and pull out a key FOB that matched the Rogue, making her the grand prize winner.
Shortly after the contestâs end, April, along with her family, made the decision to opt-out of taking the Nissan Rogue and asked Pohanka Nissanâs Tim Pohanka if she could take the cash value and donate it to the Autism/Developmental Delay program at Conway Elementary.
April Burch explains, âOur amazing PTA (at Conway Elementary) can only stretch the dollar so far. Unfortunately, programs like this have lost their funding this year. The teachers have been scrambling to have fundraisers specifically for the Autism program because as of now the teachers have been digging into their OWN pockets to pay for this program and others like it. Parents have been making small monetary donations as well, but thereâs still a lack in funds at times. After bouncing some ideas off my family, I asked Tim Pohanka, owner of Pohanka Nissan, if it was possible to trade this amazing, brand new Nissan Rogue Lease in for a small donation to my sonâs autism program instead. Tim did not even bat an eye and said, âwhatever we can do to make you happy!â I could not believe it!â
Tim Pohanka, owner of Pohanka Nissan, said, âTheir generosity just shows. Those who work to change the world will. We are so proud to be a part of their gift!â
Laura Sellers is about to finish her first term as Stafford County’s Garrisonville District Supervisor.
When she was elected in 2013, she rode a wave of blue along with Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe. While her margin of victory was less than one percent, turning the map blue in Stafford County is a rarity, and fellow Democrats celebrated the win.
Sellers serves the most developed, most populated portion of the county. And, she want’s to keep her seat.
She’s running against Republican Mark Dudenhefer, who held the seat from 2005 until 2011 when he was elected to serve as a member of the House of Delegates.
Sellers sent us this email telling our readers why they should vote for her:
When I graduated from North Stafford High School in 2003, I thought my life would take me many places but I never imagined it would bring me right back to Stafford. I grew up a military brat â born on Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City (by a Colonial in the USAF) and my dad retired in 2004 after I had left home. I was born and raised a nomad.
Growing up military gave me an appreciation for different cultures. I love to travel and love to try different food but it also gave me a longing to be from somewhere. My parents were both raised by the US Army. My father grew up traveling the world while my mother lived most of her life outside of Fort Hood, Texas after her father died just weeks after returning home from Vietnam. At the time, they called it âlung cancerâ but now we know that it was agent orange. While my family never needed for anything, I always wanted one place to call home. A family house to return to on holidays. Trees that I watched grow over the years. Walls with memories of my childhood â not my childhood and that of hundreds of other families too.
While in high school, I met a man that would change my life forever. We went to college together and then as we grew into adulthood, life took him to the west coast to play professional football. As much as I loved him, I was not interested in living the life of a nomad anymore. I wanted one place to call home so I returned home to Stafford full time and continued my career in intelligence. To this day, he and I remain in contact as we raise our son and I continue working on contract for the Defense Intelligence Agency. Read More
Looking for the spookiest places in Fredericksburg? Halloween is just around the corner and what better time to see the creepiest places in the area? Fredericksburg Economic Development & Tourism recommends you check out these history-rich haunts.
Why? John Frazer, the tavern innkeeper, took ill and died in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Staff that works there will tell you that he has never left. It has been reported that Mr. Frazer enjoys unplugging lights, moving objects, tugging on dresses, and pulling pranks on the tavern guides to let everyone know that he is still around.
Why? A lady in white haunts the church. Her face covered in a veil, kneeling at the altar. She is said to have disappeared into the air once a choir lady called to her.
Why? Colonel Fielding Lewis is said to have seen from time to time agonizing over money burdens. His ghost can be seen pouring over his documents. Also claims of doorknobs mysteriously turning themselves and footsteps can be heard as well.
Why? A few different ghosts have made their appearance or the presence known here. Objects broken, doors slammed shut, footsteps heard, empty chairs rocking. One night, a mother went to check on her young sleeping son. She enter his room and was surprised to see two young boys sleeping in his room. She didnât recognize the child, but thought someone must have come to spend the night without her knowing. The next morning she asked her son and he said he slept alone!
Why? Here along the Sunken Road, the Union Army suffered one of its bloodiest defeats during the entire Civil War. There have been reports of people hearing gunfire, images of soldiers, and voices giving commands. Some claim to hear ghosts whispering in the cemetery.
Deputies with the Stafford County Sheriffâs Office have apprehended two suspects in connection with a counterfeit check ring targeting local banks.
On October 2, 2017, a detective with the Stafford County Sheriffâs Office responded to a call regarding two checks that appeared to be fraudulent. One check was written to Shakia Manning in the amount of $2,056.66. The other was written to Christina Easter in the amount of $1,863.22.
One of the checks was cashed at the BB&T on Warrenton Road and the other was cashed at the BB&T on Jefferson Davis Highway.
The Stafford detective discovered that Manning had been arrested by the Fredericksburg Police Department on September 28, 2017 for passing a forged check to the Bank of America in Fredericksburg.
Detectives with the Fredericksburg Police Department advised that Manning, Easter and a third suspect attempted to cash counterfeit checks at several United Bank locations in Fredericksburg and Stafford. The Fredericksburg Police Department is investigating the involvement of the third suspect in the case.
Manning
Stafford deputies arrested Easter on October 5, 2017 and Manning on October 7, 2017 on charges of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretenses, and forgery and uttering. Easter was also charged with conspiring to commit larceny. They were incarcerated at the Rappahannock Regional Jail and later released on bond.
Anyone with information on the incident or who believes they are a victim should contact the Stafford County Sheriffâs Office at 540-658-4400.
“Today, 30 new Virginia State Police troopers reported to their respective Division Headquarters to begin the final phase of their training. The 126th Basic Session celebrated their graduation Friday (Oct. 6, 2017), at the state police Academy in North Chesterfield County. Upon receiving their diplomas, the new troopers finished a rigorous 29-week training session. They received instruction in more than 100 different subjects spanning hundreds of hours. Academy training includes such areas as crime scene investigation, survival Spanish, judicial procedures, self- defense, cultural diversity and firearms.
Two troopers will begin their new assignments in the Culpeper Division today and will spend the next six weeks with a field training officer learning their new patrol areas and day-to-day duties.
Trooper John G. Sullivan, age 26, of Stafford County attended James Madison University prior to joining state police. His first assignment will be in Caroline County.”
We’ve got the first information from Stafford County Fire and Rescue Chief Mark Lockhart on a townhouse fire in the 700 block of Olde Forge Drive in Stafford County on Friday night.
Lockhart emailed us:
Units were dispatched at [5:49 p.m.], arrived at [5:54 p.m.] to find a working basement fire in a middle unit of a townhouse row. Crews worked to extinguish the fire and the fire was marked under control at 1814 hours.
The townhouse suffered severe fire damage to the majority of the basement and significant smoke damage throughout the entire residence. The fire was contained to the one townhome, there was no damage to any of the adjacent units.
The Red Cross responded and is assisting the family displaced by the fire. Fire Marshalâs Office investigation revealed the cause to be an unattended candle in a basement bedroom. The residentâs dog alerted the resident to the fire. Damage is estimated at $35,000.
Stafford Volunteer Fire Company 2’s photo: “Engine 2âs crew during tonightâs fire. E2 arrived, and they conducted fire attack as the secondary attack line, supporting Engine 12âs crew. Once the fire was out, E2 conducted overhaul operations. Great job by all on scene.”
One man was killed in an early-morning crash on Interstate 95 in Stafford County when he drove the wrong way onto the southbound traffic lanes.
From Virginia State Police:
On Thursday October 12, Virginia State Police responded to a fatal motor vehicle crash that occurred at approximately 2:30 am on Interstate 95 Southbound just north of the Centreport Parkway exit at the 136 mile marker in Stafford County.
The crash involved two vehicles. The first vehicle was a 2003 Dodge Van that had entered I95 at the Centreport Parkway exit and was headed northbound in the southbound lanes. Just north of the exit the van struck a southbound 2007 Peterbuilt tractor trailer head on the center lane. Both drivers were transported to Mary Washington Hospital. The driver of the van died as the result of injuries sustained in the identity is pending notification of the family.
The crash closed the southbound lanes and southbound traffic was detoured at the Stafford Exit located at the 140 mile marker. All lane of southbound I95 were open to traffic at 7:15 am. The crash and its causative factors are still under investigation at this time by Trooper K. W. Comer who was assisted by VDOT, the Stafford County Sheriffâs Office and Stafford County Fire and Rescue units.
The crash was cleared about 7 a.m. Prior to that, Virginia Department of Transportation crews worked to clean up a resulting fuel spill while traffic was redirected.
From VDOT:
All I-95 southbound traffic is being detoured to Route 1 southbound at Courthouse Road in Stafford. Traffic can travel Route 1 southbound to Centreport Parkway, where they can re-enter I-95 southbound at the Exit 136 (Centreport Parkway) interchange.
A multi-vehicle crash occurred near Exit 136 on I-95 southbound. Crews are working to clear the scene and contain spilled fuel.
Stafford area travelers should expect significant travel delays during the morning rush hour period on I-95 southbound and Route 1 southbound. Three miles of congestion exists leading up to the incident scene.
Update:
The driver of the van died as the result of injuries sustained in the crash at Mary Washington Hospital at 6:40 am. The driver of the van is identified as Darwin William Hogan, age 21 of Fredericksburg, VA.
The driver of the tractor trailer was treated for minor injuries at Mary Washington Hospital. The driver of the tractor trailer is identified as Jeffery Dewayne Edwards, age 55 of Hillsborough, NC.
A man who was charged in connection with a roadside rape in southern Stafford County last year entered an Alford plea in court on Tuesday.
Roberto Carlos Flores Sibrian, 27, was arrested in North Carolina in November 2016 on charges of rape and aggravated sexual battery. He allegedly sexually assaulteda young woman on the side of the road after their vehicles collided on State Route 3 early on October, 31, 2016.
The victim was dragged from her car and repeatedly assaulted in an attack that lasted at least 90 minutes. The attacker eventually drove away and left his shirt behind, which Flores Sibrian later admitted was his.
Stafford County Commonwealthâs Attorney Eric Olsen described the incident as âone of the worst rape cases in recent memory in Stafford County.â
Flores Sibrianentered an Alford plea in Stafford Circuit Court to two counts of sodomy and one count each of rape, abduction with intent to defile and aggravated sexual battery.
He is scheduled for sentencing on January 5 and faces a maximum penalty of four life sentences plus 20 years in prison.
We have expanded our DTQ Little League. Originally, prior to expansion, our boundary covered north of Garrisonville Rd (in Stafford County), including Aquia Harbour.
The existing schools that are already in our boundary before expansion include:
Kate Walter Barrett E.S.
Moncure E.S.
Widewater E.S.
Heim M.S.
With our expansion southward into Stafford County, we have added the following schools within our new boundary line:
Anthony Burns E.S.
Garrisonville E.S.
Hampton Oaks E.S.
Margaret Brent E.S.
Park Ridge E.S.
Rock Hill E.S.
Stafford E.S.
Winding Creek E.S.
H.H. Poole M.S.
Stafford M.S.
Rodney E. Thompson M.S.
A.G. Wright M.S.
Brooke Point H.S.
Colonial Forge H.S.
Mountain View H.S.
North Stafford H.S.
We expanded our boundary line because most of Stafford County doesn’t have a Little League Charter and our league is the closest if kids want to play Little League. Compared to other Little Leagues in the Northern Virginia area, ours is relatively small.
We will be able to create more teams for increased variety and competition. We’ll have a larger pool of parents to volunteer for various facets of the league such as filling Board positions, increasing ideas, and becoming managers/coaches. We’ll increase our competitiveness in post-season play-All-Stars and Fun Tournament. We’ll increase our revenue to purchase new equipment.
So hopefully there is enough information here to advertise for our league. Our Little League is commonly referred to as “DTQ Little League” The DTQ stands for “Dumfries-Triangle-Quantico”.
