Author: Uriah Kiser

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!

Police Blotter

Police Blotter: Brandishing Arrest, Officer Assaulted

By Uriah Kiser

Prince William County police reported two notable arrests stemming from incidents on July 30. The most serious involved a Woodbridge man charged in connection with brandishing a firearm and impersonating a law enforcement officer during encounters reported the previous week.

In a separate case, a juvenile was arrested after allegedly assaulting an officer who responded to a shoplifting at a local grocery store. Both incidents occurred in Woodbridge.

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Stafford

FBI Charges Ex-Stafford Sergeant with Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material

By Uriah Kiser

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday that Justin Forman is no longer employed by the agency and directed all further questions to the FBI after he was arrested on a federal child pornography charge.

Jackson Arnold, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said Forman’s employment was terminated due to personal conduct that violated agency policies. He specified the termination was not related to professional or on-duty conduct.

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Publisher's Post

Stop Pretending Summer Ends When the School Buses Roll

By Uriah Kiser
Photo: Stafford County Public Schools

Stafford County Public Schools is about to open three new schools — Hartwood High, Falls Run Elementary, and Crow’s Nest Elementary. That is real progress for a rapidly growing division. Families have waited years for the seats. The excitement from the school board and administration is understandable.

What is not understandable is the language that comes with it.

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Manassas

Manassas City Schools See Sharp Growth in AP Participation and Success Rates

By Uriah Kiser

Manassas City Public Schools students are taking far more Advanced Placement exams and earning higher scores, according to an update presented to the School Board this week.

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Fredericksburg

UMW Opens Fall 2027 Applications Aug. 1 with Direct Pathway for Virginia Students

By Uriah Kiser

The University of Mary Washington will open its Fall 2027 application on Aug. 1 through its website or the Common App and has joined the Common App Direct Admissions program for eligible Virginia students, the University of Mary Washington reported. Direct admission offers are non-binding, waive the application fee and give students an early indication of acceptance along with details on more than 100 majors, scholarships, the new Piscopo Rodgers Science Fellows program, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and other pathways.

The Fredericksburg-based public liberal arts university said the initiative reduces barriers in the college search process and aligns with its longstanding focus on access and student success for Virginia applicants, who can activate it simply by adding UMW to their Common App list.

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Police Blotter

Police Blotter: Murder Arrest in Woodbridge Shooting

By Uriah Kiser

Prince William County police have arrested a Woodbridge man in the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy last month.

Damon Jamon Atwater, 25, of Woodbridge, faces charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The arrest comes weeks after the July 5 shooting in the 16700 block of Blackjack Oak Lane.

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Manassas

No ChatGPT Ban: Manassas School Board Ditches AI Rules After Detection Fight

By Uriah Kiser
Manassas City School Board

The Manassas City School Board on Tuesday, July 28, approved the 2026-27 Student Code of Conduct on a 6-1 vote, choosing a version with no explicit reference to artificial intelligence. The decision capped two weeks of discussion that began when Board Member Sara Brescia proposed clear language banning unauthorized use of tools such as ChatGPT.

Two options were presented:

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Prince William

Dumfries Native Serves Aboard USS Chosin in RIMPAC 2026

By Uriah Kiser
Medina

“Petty Officer 2nd Class Jose Medina, a native of Dumfries, Virginia, serves aboard USS Chosin, a U.S. Navy warship participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands,” Navy Office of Community Outreach reported. Medina graduated from Potomac Senior High School in 2017, joined the Navy five years ago, and now serves as an information systems technician.

Medina said he enlisted seeking adventure after college did not work out and credited growing up in Dumfries with teaching him respect and the ability to work with diverse people—skills that help him in the Navy. RIMPAC 2026, the world’s largest international maritime exercise involving 31 nations, runs under the theme “Partners: Integrated and Prepared.”

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Features

Prince William County Fair Opens Friday With Nine Days of Rides, Music and Classic Fair Fun

By Uriah Kiser
Courtesy of Visit Prince William via Facebook

The Prince William County Fair opens Friday, July 31, and runs through Saturday, August 8, at the fairgrounds on Dumfries Road in Manassas.

Gates open at 2 p.m. on opening day and most weekends, with weekday hours starting later on several nights. The nine-day event is one of Northern Virginia’s longest-running county fairs and a longtime summer tradition for local families.

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Virginia

Statewide Injunction on Virginia Assault Weapons Ban Remains as Courts Await Supreme Court

By Uriah Kiser
Photo: Virginia Department of Historic Resources

“More than a week after a statewide injunction halted enforcement of Virginia’s new assault weapons ban, parts of the legal fight have entered a holding pattern as state and federal courts await guidance from the U.S. Supreme Court,” The Center Square reported. Washington County Circuit Judge Jeffrey L. Campbell expanded the injunction statewide on July 21 and later paused the case while the high court reviews similar bans in Illinois and Connecticut; the injunction stays in effect until further order or no later than 60 days after those decisions.

The law, which took effect July 1, prohibits future sales and transfers of certain semiautomatic firearms and magazines holding more than 15 rounds while allowing continued possession of those already owned. Most firearms dealers have resumed selling the affected items under the injunction, according to the Virginia Citizens Defense League, though a separate challenge in Lancaster County remains active with a hearing set for Aug. 21.

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