On May 30, Supervisor Pete Candland and Rise Up Prince William will take part in the 3rd annual Walk for Prince William.
The walk, according to a release, is a 32-mile walk across the county – beginning in Woodbridge and ending in Haymarket.
The purpose of the walk is to raise funds for several area charities, including the Cooperative Council of Ministries, the Haymarket Food Pantry, BARN, Inc., and the NOVA Veterans Association.
For residents interesting in donating to the event, several groceries stores will have displays on site with collection boxes for donations, over the next few weeks. And on the day of the walk, there will be additional volunteers at local stores, providing lists of needed donations, said a release.
“As Gainesville District Supervisor, I’m always amazed and humbled by the generosity and spirit of community service that exists in Prince William County. We have many folks who give of their time to serve others within the community. I want to take each opportunity to recognize the volunteers and non-profits that enhance the quality of life in our county and help them out in any way I can,” said Candland.
Cutrate Barbershop had its grand opening last weekend in Downtown Manassas.
The unisex shop is located on the corner on Center Street across from Okra’s, in the old Post Office building.
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Seniors at the Westminster at Lake Ridge retirement community hosted their first pickleball tournament last week.
Pickleball – according to the tournament organizer William Spengler – is similar to tennis, but uses paddles and wiffle balls on a badminton sized court.
The tournament was held as part of the community’s initiative to ensure that seniors stay active. There are currently 330 residents living at the facility.
Spengler stated that eight residents and three staff members participated.
The idea for the pickleball court came when Spengler noticed that a tennis court in the community was in disrepair, and was not being used.
“I decided that we could have a pickleball court to be constructed on one end of a old dilapidated tennis court that we had here…it was dilapidated [because] it was built in a little valley and the water pressure…and it caused the tennis court to blister,” said Spengler.
Additionally, Spengler said that a regular group of residents practices together.
“Once the pickleball court was built, we went [to find residents] to play. I would recruit people to play. We have about 6 or 7 people now that are able to play the game,” commented Spengler.
While the staff members beat the residents for bragging rights in this first tournament, there are plans for another tournament this fall.
“It was quite a contest…[the staff] whipped us. We’ll practice and do better next time. We’re determined to win in the fall,” said Spengler.
The Prince William County Police Department has released their annual crime rate statistics for 2014, and found that the crime rate in Prince William has continued to fall – but not for violent crimes.
According to the crime report, the county currently has 14.5 crimes per 1,000 residents – which is down more than 10% from last year.
Despite the overall crime rate decreasing in the county, the report did show that violent crimes had increased by 7.3%. Violent crimes account for 8.4% of all crime in the county, said the report.
The closure rate of cases involving violent crime nationally is 48.1%, as stated in the crime report. The amount of violent crimes has increased, but the county’s closure rate for these cases is 71.5% – far higher than the national average.
From 2013 to 2014 there was no change in the amount of murders or rape cases reported – the amount of murders stayed at 6 individuals, and 58 rape cases.
Cases of robbery, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle were down, according to the report.
One area where the Prince William police saw an increase was in the amount of reported aggravated assaults. From 2013 to 2014, the crime report showed a 36.7% increase, from 188 cases to 257.
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HighGrain Bread Company, a locally owned bakery, is making a presence in Manassas with their “from scratch” philosophy and unique menu.
The store, which just opened about a year ago, is nestled in the Bull Run Shopping Plaza area, off of Sudley Manor Drive.
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A gang member – 26-year old Abdur Rahman Roland – was sentenced today to 156 months in prison and three years of supervised release in federal court.
Roland, an Alexandria resident, was sentenced following his conviction for involvement in multiple armed robberies – including an armed home invastion, said a U.S. Department of Justice release.
A release stated that Roland was a known Bloods gang member.
In court, Roland pled guilty to four felonies, said a release.
As stated in court documents, Roland and other individuals robbed a marijuana dealer in Prince William County, holding the dealer and the car passenger at gunpoint.
After the car robbery, Roland used the keys he obtained from the dealer to commit the home invasion robbery – which took place just hours after the initial robbery. During the home invasion, Roland and other individuals assaulted and restrained victims who were in the home.
A release stated that Roland has been previously convicted of a felony and illegally possessing a firearm in Prince William County.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office has stated that the missing Stafford man – 33-year old Lance Calvin Buckley – was found near Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.
Buckley was found in “good condition” according to Public Information Officer for the sheriff’s office, Bill Kennedy.
Today, the sheriff’s office had released photos that confirmed Buckley had made it to Howard University the morning of his disappearance.
Kennedy also stated that he was found alone, and there are no charges pending at this time.
According to a release, he was found in Frederick County by park rangers and the Brunswick police at the Brunswick Family Campground. He was located using tips given by witnesses that stated they saw a man matching his description in the area.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation, said Kennedy.
“At this point we’re so excited we have him safe and sound…his family is elated – as are we,” Kennedy commented.
Sheriff Charles Jett echoed Kennedy’s sentiments.
“We are truly pleased that Mr. Buckley was found safe and in good condition,” said Jett.
Buckley’s family is en route to see him, said Kennedy.
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More information has been released by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, in relation to the disappearance of 33-year old Howard University student Lance Calvin Buckley.
The information released may help piece together a better timeline of the events leading to Buckley’s disappearance on Tuesday.
Two security camera shots from the Howard University Hospital café show Buckley making an ATM withdrawal at 8:40 a.m. that morning. From what can be seen in the photos, he does not appear to be under duress, and there is no one visible in the shot with him.
Buckley was last seen around 7 a.m. that morning on the Staffordboro Commuter Lot, where he regularly slugged from to Howard University in Washington, D.C.
The last contact that Buckley made with his wife was a text message at 10:16 a.m. – about an hour and a half after the camera showed Buckley at the ATM. Buckley did not make any contact with family after the message, and did not arrive at his scheduled meeting at 12 p.m. that day.
According to a Stafford sheriff’s office release, Buckley was electronically located via a cell phone ping briefly near Blockhouse Point Conservation Park in Montgomery County, Maryland.
When Montgomery County police searched the area, they did not find Buckley. The police conducted a second search on the scene later that day, but had no further success.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the case.
From May 11 to May 29, CSX Transportation will be performing railroad track and switch upgrade on Virginia Railway Express’ (VRE) Fredericksburg Line.
The work will be completed just south of the Fredericksburg station, said a release.
According to a release, the project is being done to improve the speed and reliability of the trains, as well as decreasing current delays when trains are switching between the VRE’s four tracks.
This project is part of a larger initiative to create a new third track that runs from Washington, D.C. to Richmond.
VRE riders could see delays between 10 to 45 minutes during the construction, and it will impact both northbound and southbound trains.
