[ngg_images gallery_ids="398" display_type="ds-nextgen_royalslider"]
The Ornery Beer Company is another brewery that will be opening in Prince William in July – but they plan to stand out for their offering of beer and food.
“We will be the first brewpub in Prince William County – meaning it is a restaurant with a brewery. The others ones that are in the county that are under construction – they’ll bring in food trucks…but they don’t have on-site restaurant services,” said Randy Barnette, the owner of the brewery.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
11:23 p.m.
Construction crews are still on the scene at the intersection, working on the water main break. Traffic is still moving very slowly down Dale Boulevard, and only one lane is available to move traffic. There has been no official update on when roadway use will return to normal.
2:39 p.m.
According to Samantha Villegas, External Affairs Consultant for Virginia American Water – the organization responsible for that area – a construction contractor bored though the 24″ water main at the intersection.
“The 24″ water main that was damaged is on the Fairfax intake side, so the pressure is low. We are in the process of shutting the water off. There will be no one without water at this time. The tanks are being filled and crew is on site for repairs,” said Villegas.
2 p.m.
According to Prince William police, both westbound lanes of Dale Blvd between Ashdale Plz and Gideon Dr will be closed for water main repairs. Unknown expected completion time. Officers are on scene, follow police direction and use caution.
Original post
The intersection of Dale Boulevard and Gideon Drive is currently under water.
Cars driving through the intersection today passed through several inches of running water that was flowing out from under the sidewalk in front of the Sunoco gas station.
“We have just sent out someone in that area to take a look at that,” said Keenan Howell, spokesman for the Prince William Service Authority.
Howell stated that there needs to be a determination as to who is responsible for fixing the issue, as the Prince William Service Authority territory and American Water’s territory are divided in that area.
Potomac Local will bring you the latest on the incident.
Virginia’s Attorney General Mark Herring and other state groups have made comments about the upcoming meeting of the state Board of Health to review rules on abortion clinics in Virginia.
The Attorney General’s thoughts on new clinic regulations
This week, Herring made a statement reversing an opinion of his predecessor, Republican Ken Cuccinelli.
According to Herring, the new construction standards should apply only to new abortion and women’s health clinics being built – not retroactively on existing clinics.
“Despite what the previous attorney general claimed, nothing in the law requires or even authorizes the Board to apply these design and construction standards retroactively. Without [Cuccinelli’s] interference, the Board would have done what it has always done which is apply these standards to new facilities, not preexisting ones. This opinion corrects the previous administration’s incorrect advice and helps restore the integrity of the regulatory process, which should be used to ensure the health and safety of Virginians, not as cover to pursue ideological agendas,” said Herring in a statement.
Herring has no oversight over the Board of Health, but his opinion could have some sway on members of the board, who will be meeting on June 4.
The change in abortion clinic regulations were passed under former Governor Bob McDonnell.
The regulations, as written, would mandate that the 18 abortion clinics located in Virginia overhaul their buildings – widening hallways, adding parking spaces and other renovations that could be very expensive for the clinics.
Changes already seen in the City of Manassas
While the council stated it was largely a zoning issue, women’s clinics in the area, such as the Amethyst Health Center for Women in Manassas, were concerned about the special permissions and the impact that the state regulations could have on their clinic.
“We never believed that these medically unnecessary architectural regulations should be applied to existing clinics like Amethyst in Manassas. As Attorney General Herring noted today, laws are not applied retroactively unless the legislature explicitly says to do so, which the General Assembly did not do for these regulations,” said Vicki Saporta, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation.
Saporta stated that she hoped the Board of Health will consider Herring’s statement, when going forward to make decisions on the regulations in June.
“Anti-choice politicians repeatedly ignored scientific evidence and testimony from medical experts, health care providers, and even the Virginia Health Commissioner, who later resigned over the passage of these unwarranted regulations. We urge the Commissioner and the Board of Health to follow Herring’s opinion and use evidence to guide future regulatory decisions about existing and new women’s health care providers in Virginia,” Saporta commented.
[ngg_images gallery_ids=”396″ display_type=”ds-nextgen_royalslider”]
When Project Mend-A-House (PMAH), a nonprofit organization based out of Manassas, learned that a disabled resident in the area was in need, they partnered with Twin Air to help.
The resident is a quadriplegic living in Woodbridge, who had been living in a home without a working heating and air-conditioning system, said a release.
PMAH provides repairs and home care services to residents in the area.
To get the system fixed, the organization reached out to Twin Air, who donates two free service calls a month to Project Mend-A-House clients.
They were able to replace the resident’s system, so that she can live more comfortably in her home.
”Providing this system is simply a way for us to impact the quality of her life and those that care for her. We’re excited about our partnerships with PMAH, Tin Man, and Lennox as a way to continue making a positive difference here in Prince William County,” said Aaron Tolson, Operations Manager with Twin Air, in a release.
According to Jennifer Schock-Bolles, Executive Director for Project Mend-A-House, it is essential for their organization to partner with local business in order to help their clients.
“Without the generous support of Twin Air, Lennox Parts Plus and Tin Man, Ms. Parker would still be without a functioning HVAC system. We would not have been able to help her without their intervention. It is the support of companies like these that allows PMAH to help more people and have a bigger impact in our community,” said Shock-Bolles.
Pollo Campero, a Latin chicken restaurant chain, will be celebrating Mother’s Day this Sunday by giving mothers a free dessert and flowers.
Any mothers that stop by one of the Pollo Campero locations on Sunday will get a free flan dessert and a fresh flower, said a release.
According to a release, Campero’s flan is a vanilla custard topped with caramelized sugar.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
On June 9, a Democratic primary election will be held for Virginia’s 29th Senate district in the City of Manassas.
The incumbent, Senator Chuck Colgan, will not be seeking reelection.
There are three candidates running in the primary for the Democratic nomination – Atif Qarni, Jeremy McPike and Delegate Michael Futrell.
According to a city release, the polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
In order to vote in person, or file an absentee ballot, voters must bring a valid Virginia driver’s license, a DMV issued photo ID card, a valid United States passport, a valid employee photo ID card, a government-issued photo ID card, or a valid Virginia college or university student photo ID card, said a city release.
The city stated that if a voter does not have any form of photo ID, they should go to the Voter Registration office to obtain a free photo ID card.
Absentee voting began on April 24. The last day to register to vote in the primary is May 18.
June 2 is the deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot, and June 6 is the last day to vote absentee in-person.
The Prince William Public Library Foundation, an area non-profit, has awarded the Prince William library system more then $14,000 to fund two new programs.
The first program, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, is a national early literacy program. The program provides books and ways to incorporate reading into a family routine. With the Library Foundation’s full funding of the program, around 2,000 preschoolers will be able to participate within the first year, said a release.
The second program coming to the Prince William public library system is the introduction of Apple iPads for use with electronic reading apps. All of the county’s libraries, including the upcoming Haymarket Gainesville and Montclair Community libraries, will be equipped with the iPads.
In addition to the reading apps, librarians will be able to instruct residents on how to use the device, and use them as tools during other program activities at the libraries, said a release.
“We are overjoyed with the Foundation’s leadership in funding two indispensable programs such as early literacy and electronic assistance. I can’t thank Bryanna [Altman, Foundation Board President] and the rest of the Board enough for their continued support,” commented Connie Gilman, the Prince William Public Library System director.
[ngg_images gallery_ids=”394″ display_type=”ds-nextgen_royalslider”]
In the next few months, a brewery and a distillery will open their doors in Prince William County.
Growling Bear Brewery
The microbrewery, Growling Bear Brewery, will be located at 14051 Crown Court in Woodbridge. The owners plan to open in the beginning of July.
According to the brewery owner, Mike Blivens, the idea to open the brewery came from his own experience with brewing at home.
“I’ve been a home brewer since 1998. I kind of got sick of my corporate job and figured I was going to go into something where I would enjoy going into work that I have a passion for,” said Blivens.
Growling Bear will offer 12 craft beers that are made on site, using equipment shipped over from Germany.
Blivens said that they plan to offer 4 core beers that they carry year round, 4 seasonal beers and 4 experimental beers.
“We are going to specialize in dark beers, and try to have at least four dark beers on tap all year long. A lot of breweries don’t do that for some reason – people stay away from dark beers until wintertime. But we tend to see that a little differently,” commented Blivens.
The brewery will offer a small menu, and they will be looking to have different food trucks come to the site during the weekends for customers looking to have some food with their beverages.
MurLarkey Distilled Spirits
On 7961 Gainsford Court in Bristow, co-owner Tom Murray is opening MurLarkey Distilled Spirits that will open its doors this month.
The distillery is located in the former Ferguson Electric building just off Wellington Road.
For Murray, the thought of opening up a local distillery was one that he had for a long time.
“I’m a former technology executive. My cousin and I founded the company [for the distillery] in 2013…it’s something that we’ve always been interested in…and it’s something we’ve been considering for a while,” said Murray.
At the distillery, they will be making hand-crafted vodka, as well as three varieties of infused whiskeys.
“We are using some traditional recipes that our grandparents brought over from Ireland,” Murray said.
Murray stated that while there is currently no ability to serve food, they would be working to do so in the future. There will also be a tasting area and special events on site.
More on the way
Growling Bear Brewery will encompass 2,150 square feet of space inside the Prince William Commons business park near BJs wholesale club.
Mularkey Distilled Spirits will have 4,322 square feet of space when it opens.
In Woodbridge, county records show a Hard Times Café located in the Potomac Festival shopping center across from Potomac Mills mall applied for county permits to become Ornery Beer Company Public House. That’s a change from its usual fare of chili macs and billiards.
The new breweries and distilleries join similar businesses in Manassas that opened their doors for the first time or expanded their operation. BadWolf Brewery chose to expand in Manassas after Prince William County officials halted a possible expansion at the Tackett’s Mill Center in Lake Ridge due to rules on still on the books last fall.
County officials later changed their rules to allow craft breweries and distilleries to open in popular shopping centers.
KO Distillery in Manassas held its ribbon cutting this past winter, and several new breweries opened in Stafford County, too.
To kick off the evening’s Cinco de Mayo festivities, there are several restaurants in the area with food and drink specials.
Prince William
El Charro – 2893 Dale Blvd, Woodbridge, VA
El Charro is offering any two of their bottled beers for $5.
