Five companies are expanding in Stafford, bringing in 112,000 feet of additional office leases and 370 new jobs to the county. 

Among the companies that have helped drive economic growth in Stafford are Dispersive Technologies, MLT Systems, the Bowen Group, IPKeys Technologies, LLC, and SimVentions, according to a county release. 

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On April 11 the non-profit organization, Homes for Our Troops, will begin building a home for Marine Corporal Marcus Dandrea in Haymarket.

The groundbreaking for the home will be held at 14600 Washington Street at 11 a.m. and is open to the public. Residents are being encouraged to attend the ceremony, and show their support.

All of the cost for the home will be covered by Homes for Our Troops, as well as several donors and community partners, including Arlington Construction Management.

Dandrea was severely injured while serving in Afghanistan, according to a town release.

According to a town release, Dandrea lost both of his legs during his second deployment to Afghanistan in February of 2011.

The home will be built with several special features and adaptations to make it more accessible for him to use, including wheelchair access and lowered countertops, said a town release.

“We at Homes for Our Troops do not believe giving a home to a severely injured Veteran is charity. We believe it is a moral obligation of our society. They fought to protect our freedom and independence, and we are now giving them back some freedom and independence by building them a specially adapted home,” said President and CEO of Homes of Our Troops, Tim McHale, in a release.

Ryan Sawyers, a small business owner, has announced his candidacy for Chairman of the Prince William County School Board.

Sawyers, a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College and West Virginia University, will be running against Tim Singstock – the Republican candidate for the seat. The current incumbent, Chairman Milton Johns has decided not to run for re-election this year.

In the community, Sawyers works as president of the Bull Run Little League team, and a volunteer for Miriam’s Kitchen, Glenkirk Elementary School and Autism Speaks. Additionally, he is a Committee of 100 member.

During his candidacy, Sawyers is looking to address more education funding, more focus on classroom spending and a better learning experience for students.

“While watching every dollar, the School Board Chairman should work with the Board of County Supervisors to ensure that the school system is properly funded. Prince William County has fallen drastically behind when it comes to competing with other nearby school districts. Our students will soon be competing with those students for jobs. We need to ensure we are giving PWC students at fair chance at competing for those jobs,” said Sawyers in a release.

Sawyers also stated that money for education needs to be redirected into the classroom, and expressed his concern with continuing to allot funds in the school budget for the Kelly Leadership Center.

“The numbers are clear. Prince William County Schools have been on a steady decline under the current outgoing chairman. More resources need to make their way into the classroom and not into the Kelly Leadership Center,” said Sawyers in a release. 

Sawyers lives in the western end of Prince William County with his wife.

A Confederate battle flag stands tall over Interstate 95 in south Stafford County.

Seen by drivers traveling along the East Coast, it was placed there by “The Virginia Flaggers,” a group that remains proud of its southern heritage.

 The group filed for the permit to fly the flag at a home on Beagle Road, on a property owned by one of the group’s members.

‘Flaggers’ say heritage, not hate

According to group spokesman Barry Isenhour, the group places Confederate flags in locations around the state as a response to people looking to remove the flags.

“The reason we put that [flag] up was to commemorate the Confederate soldiers who actually fought and died in that area, defending the state of Virginia,” Isenhour said.

Throughout the Confederacy between 1861 to 1865, more than three iterations of the flag were used for several different reasons.

The flag placed alongside I-95 was specifically used when Confederate soldiers stepped into battle, known as the battle flag.

The Virginia Flaggers formed 3-years ago, and they pay for all of the flags and flag poles using donations.

“What we’ve seen [are] negative positions on our Confederate ancestors who fought bravely for the state…and they started taking flags off of the Confederate War Memorial Chapel in Richmond. [And our group] said ‘enough is enough’ – these are ancestors of ours, they were honorable men, honorable veterans and there’s no need to start rewriting history in the modern eyes,” commented Isenhour. Read More

On April 15, people can get a free massage from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. by massages therapists at the Massage Envy location in Stafford.

The massages are complimentary, and are being done to help residents and tax preparers relax during ‘tax day’.

Additionally, there are several local tax preparers in the area that have partnered with various Massage Envy locations to provide free massages to clients and staff on-site that day.

Manassas has been honored by the Arbor Day Foundation for their urban forest management program, and named a 2014 Tree City USA.

The Arbor Day Foundation partners with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters in order to designate these awards to localities across the country.

Manassas has received the national designation by the foundation for the past 25 years, according to a City of Manassas release. 

To celebrate this year’s award, there will be a ceremony on April 24 at the Liberia Plantation in Manassas at 10 a.m.

During the ceremony, area students from kindergarten through fifth grade will present their winning entries for the Arbor Day poster contest, according to a release.

In order for a city to earn a Tree City USA designation, they must have a tree board, an ordinance for tree-care, a forestry budget of a minimum of $2 per capita, as well as a proclamation to observe Arbor Day, said a release.

“We not only celebrate our trees on Arbor Day…We celebrate our future – leaving a legacy of clean air, beauty and good stewardship for generations to come,” said City Manager W. Patrick Pate in a release.

The Greater Prince William Community Health Center is partnering with the Virginia Health Care Foundation to offer three homeless dental clinics at the Evergreen Health Center in Manassas. 

The three clinics will take place on April 18, May 16, and June 20.

“Everybody thinks of dental care as a luxury item, but it is essential to good health,” said Health Center Board of Directors President Paul Moessner, in a release. 

In addition to the dental services being provided, local organizations like SERVE will work to help identify the homeless individuals that need services, and help them get transportation to the clinics.

During last year’s free dental clinics, more than 17 patients were seen, and were able to provide cleanings, X-rays, extractions and fillings.

According to a release, these services are valued at more than $12,000.

Weems Elementary School in Manassas has been awarded the 2015 National Excellence in Urban Education award.

According to a release, the criterion for the award includes rigorous curriculum, effective instruction, the ability to relate, and continuous improvement across demographic groups in the school.

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Following the January 25 arrest of London Colvin, an Army reservist and Norfolk State University student, an internal investigation led to the dismissal of four officers.

Colvin was seriously injured by a K-9 dog while being arrested by Norfolk, police officers at a party back in January.

The arrest was deemed an excessive use of force in a statement made by Norfolk Police Chief Michael Goldsmith.

To get a clearer sense of what happened, Goldsmith launched an internal investigation into the arrest, and the officers involved.

In a statement made on April 3, Goldsmith stated that the K-9 officer and three other officers on the scene at the arrest were no longer with the Norfolk police department. Another officer involved was suspended for several days, according to the release.

“Their actions do not represent the values of my department. We have a great police department filled with men and women who work hard in this community every day. We must hold ourselves to high standards and embrace opportunities to strengthen our relationship with the people we serve,” said Goldsmith in a release.

Additionally, Goldsmith stated that there would be revisions made to K-9 usage in the case of arrests.

“Some of my K9 policy revisions include: restricting the use of a K9 in assaults which involve an officer or a citizen, and dispatching a supervising officer to the scene anytime a K9 is used to apprehend a suspect. As I stated early on in my review of Ms. Colvin’s arrest, I am committed to providing this department with the best training, best practices and ensuring the men and women who serve the community are the best people for the job,” said Goldsmith.