I'm the Founder and Publisher of Potomac Local News. Raised in Woodbridge, I'm now raising my family in Northern Virginia and care deeply about our community. If you're not getting our FREE email newsletter, you are missing out. Subscribe Now!
We had the chance to catch Guys and Dolls at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg, and it was everything you love about live theater done right.
This production, running through June 28, 2026, serves as a fitting tribute in America’s 250th birthday year — a timeless Broadway tale full of high-energy dancing, unforgettable music, and a story that still feels fresh.
More than a week after a horrific domestic-related shooting and crash claimed the lives of two parents on June 3 in Fredericksburg, the community still knows shockingly little about what happened — and why.
Police responded to reports of shots fired around 5:32 p.m. A man pursued a woman in separate vehicles along Olde William Street and Emancipation Highway, firing multiple rounds at her car. She crashed near College Avenue after being shot several times and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Martin Davis, founder and editor-in-chief of the Fredericksburg Advance, announced his departure from the local Substack publication in a farewell column published today, along with managing editor and reporter Adele Uphaus.
Davis is launching a new statewide news outlet, Virginia Free Press, with a soft launch planned for early July. The publication is unaffiliated with the Fredericksburg Free Press.
Last Tuesday night, May 19, 2026, I sat through a seven-hour Board of Supervisors meeting in Stafford County—the kind of marathon session that reveals exactly how local government really works. The main event was the approval of Virginia’s third Buc-ee’s mega travel center off I-95 at Exit 140. In a 5-2 vote, the board greenlit a project poised to become one of the county’s top taxpayers, bringing in an estimated $2 million annually.
That matters. Stafford just hiked property taxes—adding thousands to the burden on families already squeezed by higher grocery, gas, electric, and data center-driven costs. Commissioner of the Revenue Scott Mayausky noted Buc-ee’s could rank as the fourth-largest taxpayer in a county with a billion-dollar-plus budget. For residents footing the bill in one of Virginia’s fastest-growing counties, this is real relief.
Virginia voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment on April 21, 2026, allowing the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional districts mid-decade. Unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections show the “Yes” vote received 1,574,505 votes (51.45%) to 1,485,657 “No” votes (48.55%) — a margin of roughly 88,848 votes, or about 2.9 percentage points.
The measure now faces significant legal uncertainty. Multiple challenges — primarily originating in Tazewell County Circuit Court — are pending before the Supreme Court of Virginia. These cases argue that the General Assembly violated procedural rules, the single-subject requirement for constitutional amendments, and that the ballot language was materially misleading about the proposal’s scope and duration.
Here’s what’s coming tomorrow:
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🏠 Manassas Park signals water and sewer rate hikes as city leaders and consultants warn that revenues no longer cover rising wholesale costs, debt, and capital needs. For a typical household with a 5/8-inch meter using 3,000 gallons a month, the combined bill already sits in the higher quartile regionally. Officials flag a potential “shock” to families while they review base charges, usage rates, the general-fund transfer, and senior relief options — with recommendations expected in the coming weeks.
🏫 Manassas City Public Schools takes on a new role as host for the Virtual Virginia Academy in its adopted $175.8 million FY2027 budget. The partnership brings $6.8 million in state pass-through funding and serves roughly 800 out-of-district students statewide. It expands tuition-free online learning options for local families needing flexibility due to health, travel, athletics, or other circumstances — without drawing resources from traditional brick-and-mortar schools.
