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Update from Stafford fire and rescue

Just after 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 24th, the Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department (SCFR) was dispatched for a reported residential structure fire in the 00 block of Shore Drive in the Widewater area of Stafford County. Due to the location of the residence and itā€™s proximity to Aquia Creek, mutual aid was requested from Quantico Fire and Emergency Services as well as fireboats from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, Prince William Fire and Rescue and Charles County Fire and Emergency Medical Services.Ā 

First arriving units reported smoke showing from the eaves of a single-story house. Upon entry, units found and extinguished fire on the first floor and in the attic. SCFR units were assisted on scene by units from Quantico Fire and Emergency Services. All fireboats were returned to service prior to their arrival at the scene.Ā 

No one was home at the time of the fire, which is currently under investigation. There were no reported injuries.

5:46 p.mĀ 

A fireboat from Fairfax County was also called to the scene, however, it was called off and told to return to its home dock.

5:34 p.m.Ā 

Fire and rescue crews from land and sea have been called to a house fire on Widewater Beach.

Crews were dispatched at 5:07 p.m. for a report of a house fire on Shore Drive in Stafford County, just outside Widewater State Park.

Fireboats from neighboring Prince William County and Charles County, Md. were called assist crews from Stafford County.

More as we have it.

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Tuesday will be hot and sunny during the day, followed by showers at night.

Tuesday
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 100. West wind 6 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 8pm and 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Northwest wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Light and variable wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 96.

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On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, Jeannette Elizabeth Shuler, a loving mother and grandmother, passed away at the age of 72. Jeannette was born on June 6, 1948, to James and Mary Simpson in New York City.
Jeannette grew up with her 5 brothers and sisters, Dorothy (Phil), James (1949 – 2006), Thomas, Margret, and Edward (Hellean). She graduated from Long Island City High School and married Albert Shuler Jr. (1944– 2011).
Jeannette had two children with Albert, their first child daughter Tina Dean Shuler and 18 months later a son Antoine Preston Shuler and 18 years later daughter Janae’ Elizabeth Shuler. She loved spending time with family and would cook for family events and bring her famous dish “Ziti” that was so anticipated by her family. She had a significant admiration for cooking; she watched lots of cooking shows and picked up tips. She never made a dish her family and friends did not like.
Anyone that was around her loved her personality and her everlasting smile that was so infectious. Jeannette was proud of her job at Walmart, where she worked for over ten years. Walmart was the highlight of her life, and she would share so many funny stories about the things that would happen on the job she enjoyed.
She is survived by her three children Tina, Antoine (Corinne), and Janae’. Jeannette is further survived by seven grandchildren, David (DJ), Jada (Baby J), Jaiden, Nasiir, Antoine (AJ), Cerie (ReRe), and Aziah (Zi). Her grandchildren meant everything to her, and she never missed a birthday of any of them. Jeannette affectionately known as “Aunt Net” to a host of nieces and nephews, was loved by her six sisters-in-law and one surviving brother-in-law.
Visit with the family on Friday, August 28, 2020 at Mountcastle Turch Funeral Home 13318 Occoquan Road, Woodbridge, VA 22191 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. Family and friends will gather at 11:00 am for a private Memorial Service. A virtual viewing of the service will be provided.

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It seems like Stafford County could have its very own tiger king. Except this one collects oversized dogs, not cats.

The county’s Board of Zoning Appeals at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 25, will hear the case of Lupine Grove, an attraction proposed by the couple who lives at 26 Quarterhorse Lane in the county’s Equestrian Estate’s neighborhood, just off Route 610 in the northwestern section of the county.

Owners John and Cindy Grove are asking the county for a special exception to operate a commercial kennel on their property, which would feature 10 or more kennels. The owners currently have wolf-dogs on their property — large, hybrid animals, larger than a husky or German shepherd, which are dogs commonly used by police to sniff out drugs and criminal suspects.

The Grove’s say their attraction will be about educating the public on the existence of these hybrid animals — wolves that have been bred with dogs. But they do not plan to breed or board wolf-dogs as part of the Lupine Grove business, according to county documents.

The couple’s 6,000 square-foot home would be the center of the operations, with kennels, crates, and an outdoor building for the business. All told, the business would operate on the Grove’s main property at 26 Quarterhorse Lane, and on at least four other surrounding properties owned by the Groves.

The business is expected to attract as many as 20 customers per day to start and could be open seven days a week. A change in zoning rules approved last year by the Board of Supervisors allows for this type of home-based business, with the approval of the zoning board.

The Board of Zoning Appeals will meet at the County Government Center, 1300 Courthouse Road. They’ll be tasked with determining whether or not this proposed attraction will adversely affect neighboring properties, or would result in lower property values for the area.

Multiple neighborhoods surround Lupine Grove, including Lake Arrowhead, with more than 480 single-family homes.

A shortage of parking

County officials have mandated Lupine Grove customers cannot park in front of the Grove’s home on Quarterhorse Lane. So, the Groves propose building up to three parking lots on Boundary and Sunshine drives, as well as Rolling Raod.

Many surrounding residents have cried foul, saying they don’t want the increased traffic the business could bring to their neighborhood.

“So essentially this means more traffic coming through Lake Arrowhead to access their ā€œbusinessā€. We already have enough issues with people speeding through the neighborhood while members of our community, including children, are walking and riding bikes,” said Kelly Bennett Upton, of Lake Arrowhead.

The parking lots would be utilized by school buses bringing tour groups into the attraction, owner John Grove posted to social media.

Not domesticated animals

Wolf dogs are large, hybrid animals, bred with wolves, and not meant to be domesticated, and, according to wildlife experts, therefore should not be kept as pets.

“As amazing and beautiful as this animal is, this not an animal that should be a pet. More often than not, you get an animal that is big, unhappy living around people, have a big prey drive, and are, frankly, dangerous to small pets and to people,” said David Mizejewski, with the National Wildlife Federation on an episode of Nat Geo’s Pet Talk.

Many owners purchase a wolf-dog with the expectation it will behave like a normal dog, and, when they don’t, the owners surrender the animals. The wolf-dogs are “extremely sensitive dogs are often ruined and will never fully trust humans,” the Groveā€™s state in county documents.

The couple urges “proactive” socialization and de-sensitivity training to help the wolf dogs overcome these issues, something they say will be provided at their facility.

Plans for expansion

John and Cindy Grove, the owners of the Lupine Grove property, have big plans for their attraction.

With more than 24 acres of space to grow, the couple outlined plans to welcome as many as 50 customers per day to their facility. Plans for a handicap-accessible viewing platform, a canine agility course, multiple walking trails, and parking lots located on Boundary and Sunshine drives, and Rolling Road, all located in residential neighborhoods around the Lupine Grove property, are all outlined in the documents on file with the Stafford County Board of Zoning Appeals.

The Groveā€™s own at least four lots around their home at 26 Quarterhorse Lane, and that expansion will take place on those lots, according to the filing.

The business plans to offer walking tours of the property, priced at between $20 and $200 per person, where people can see and pose for photos of the animals, as well as tour the property. The property would also be available to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office for K9 training, could play host to haunted trail and easter egg hunts, and be a place for pet expos that feature vendor booths, according to the filing.

The owners have lived in Stafford County since 1991, and applied for and received a canine kennel license in 2018. The IRS granted Lupine Grove its non-profit status in April 2020.

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Lori L. Brickley

In Celebration of the Life of
Lori Lee Brickley

Born December 14, 1959
Died August 23, 2020

Lori L. Brickley, after a valiant fight against pancreatic cancer, passed away peacefully at the Capital Caring Adler Center in Aldie, Virginia on August 23, 2020.

Lori was born December 14, 1959, in San Antonio, Texas to Colonel H. E. (Bud) Wrenn and Janet L. Wrenn. Lori is survived by her husband of 38 years, David, their son, Justin, and step-children Terri Schulken, David, Jr.; father, Bud Wrenn, sister, Cindy Wrenn and nieces Kay and Meg. She is remembered as a loving grandmother of Ally, Hannah, Caitlin, Brenna, and Ashlinn.

As an Air Force daughter, Loriā€™s family was stationed in Shaw Air Force Base in Sumpter, South Carolina; Bitburg, Germany and Washington, D.C. One of her favorite places to visit as a child was Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. From Germany, they were stationed in San Antonio, Texas where Lori attended elementary and middle school. After an assignment at Fort Knox, Kentucky, the family moved to Dale City, Virginia where Lori graduated from Woodbridge Senior High School. After earning an Associateā€™s Degree from Northern Virginia Community College, she worked in Washington and Arlington.

Lori married David Brickley on January 2, 1982, in Leesburg, Virginia. They had met a year earlier when David, as the State Delegate, swore in the newly elected officers of the Dale City Civic Association with Lori as Treasurer. He asked Prince William County Supervisor Terry Spellane who that beautiful girl was. Terry hollered for Lori to come up and he introduced the two. It has been a match made in heaven since.

In the fall of 1991, she became the first school financial officer at the newly opened Beville Middle School where she worked until retiring.

Dale City and Prince William County were a big part of her life of service to the community. In addition to the Dale City Civic Association, she was a Life Member of the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary. Successfully battling breast cancer in the early 1990s, Lori was an officer with the American Cancer Societyā€™s Prince William Board and chaired the Relay for Life for a number of years. She volunteered with other organizations throughout Prince William, and even while battling pancreatic cancer she was a volunteer with ACTS working on their books.

The absolute light of Loriā€™s life was her family, who always placed first and foremost. She and David were fortunate to travel the world, often being joined by family. There was never too much time for all to be together. She also joined David as he finished the Appalachian Trail in 2011. Likewise, when she and her wonderful group of ladies got together the laughter and smiles were non-stop. There would also be constant card games with her father, Bud, and sister, Cindy. There was never too much time for all to be together.

What stands out is the love and kindness that Lori extended to all. In all their 38 years of marriage, David noted that not once did Lori express a bad word or thought about another. She truly was a loving and special individual who God placed upon Earth. Lori will be sorely missed.

A Celebration of Life is planned when it is safe to be together. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Johns Hopkinsā€™ Kimmel Cancer Center in loving memory of Lori Brickley.

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Two boaters were plucked from the Neabsco Creek early Saturday morning, Aug. 22, 2020.

Rescue boats were dispatched at 12:29 a.m. for a disabled boat near a railroad bridge that carries Virginia Railway Express, Amtrak, and freight trains over the Neabcsco Creek, near Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge.

There were four people on board the boat, and two ended up in the water, we’re told. Crews found them and pulled them out of the water.

Two people were evaluated by emergency medical teams, however, no one was taken to a hospital.

Crews from Prince William County, Charles County, Md., and the U.S. Coast Guard were called to assist the boaters.

It’s unclear how the two people ended up in the water.

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