(Prince William Times) -- This year, there is no cheerful holiday music playing, and the shelves aren't bursting with neatly stacked merchandise at the Bed Bath & Beyond store at the Shops at Stonewall in Gainesville. That's because the store is closing, and this holiday season will be the location's last.

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Prince William County Republicans will hold a mass meeting on January 4, 2023, to select its nominee for the Special Election to fill the Gainesville District Supervisor seat.

The mass meeting is planned to be held at Battlefield High School. It will be open to any registered voter residing in the Gainesville district who promises to support the election of the candidate nominated, states a press release.

Peter Candland resigned from the Gainesville seat on Friday, December 16, triggering the need for a special election in February. Haymarket Town Councilman Bob Weir and former Prince William County School Board member Alyson Satterwhite will seek the party’s nomination.

So far, we’ve not heard from Democrats who might seek the seat. We’ve asked the Prince William County Democratic Committee for updated information and will post it as soon as possible.

Candland was elected to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2011. His resignation follows the approval of the Prince William Digital Gateway, which will allow data centers to be built on 800 acres of land next to the Manassas National Battlefield Park.

Candland owns a home on land earmarked for data centers and stands to make millions of dollars on the sale of his property to data center developers.

Candland talked to us about his resignation in this exclusive report.

Prince William County residents with curbside yard waste collection can set their Christmas trees and other holiday greenery at the curb for collection.

Residents should remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel, nails, and the tree stands and sets the empty tree and greenery at the curb for pickup as a part of yard waste collection by your waste and recycling collection service provider during the first two full weeks of January.

The material is processed into compost and mulch at the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility. 

Residents may also take the tree and greenery to one of the locations listed below to be recycled:

The Prince William County Landfill at 14811 Dumfries Road, near Manassas.  Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The facility is closed Sundays.

 The Balls Ford Road Compost Facility is located at 13000 Balls Ford Road, near Manassas. Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The facility is closed Sundays.

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) located at 5399 Wellington Branch Road in Gainesville, will accept drop-off of greenery from December 26 to January 9. The drop-off area is in the front parking lot in the area outlined with the orange safety cones. For more information, contact NOVEC’s vegetation management department at 703-335-0500 x 1600 or [email protected].

For more information on Solid Waste facilities or recycling in Prince William County, visit www.pwcva.gov/trashandrecycling.

Bob Weir announced his intent to run for the vacant Prince William Board of County Supervisors Gainesville District seat.  Supervisor Peter Candland announced his resignation from the seat effective Friday, December 16.

Weir just won a seat on the Haymarket Town Council, where he has served five terms. He’s also served five terms on the Haymarket Planning Commission and has a proven track record and reputation for achieving results for the residents of Haymarket and the Gainesville District.

“As a long-time advocate who has spent decades defending the quality of life for families who have chosen the Gainesville District as home, I believe the current direction of the County Board requires a voice of reason, unencumbered by personal conflicts, to maintain that quality of life. I have the experience and expertise to hit the ground running and immediately address the concerns of residents who have been marginalized and ignored, restoring integrity and trust, qualities long absent in the Gainesville District citizens’ experience with our county,” Weir stated.

Alyson Satterwhite, a Republican and former Prince William County School Board member, is also running for the seat. A Democrat has yet to announce for the seat, though Prince William County Democratic Committee Chair Tonya James told Potomac Local News a candidate could announce a bid for the seat by the end of the week. 

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors meets today, Tuesday, December 13, and must set a special election date to replace Candland.

Weir has been a voice for the residents of the Gainesville District, both in his service to the Town and determined advocate for the residents’ concerns.  Weir has worked with elected officials, community groups, and concerned individuals on issues ranging from the location of power lines to the Prince William Digital Gateway.  Weir pledges to bring that same level of diligence, focus and resolve to the Office of the Gainesville District Supervisor.

“Prince William County and the Gainesville District in particular, are faced with an unprecedented number of challenges, most resulting from unfettered development which creates an increased tax burden without corresponding public service improvements.  Those challenges are exacerbated by an indifferent Board of Supervisors and unresponsive County staff.  The decisions being made by the current Board of Supervisors, without meaningful representation of the Gainesville District, will continue to degrade the quality of life and the investment value of those who chose to live in Prince William County.  The residents of the County have grown weary of divisive tactics that ignore their interests.  I am committed to returning a voice to the residents, championing fiscal responsibility, and maintaining my tradition of open-door service and leadership,” said Weir.

Weir said he will emphasize fiscal restraint and a close review of the county budget to ensure that the tax burden borne by residents is mitigated to the greatest extent possible. Further, Weir will address the uncontrolled, irresponsible development practices that threaten the residents’ quality of life, the Rural Crescent, and portend ever-increased spending on the infrastructure required to implement poorly considered industrial development and residential sprawl.

Weir is a nearly lifelong resident of Virginia, the child of a career Army Officer and State Department employee.  After graduating from the University of Virginia and starting a family, Weir moved to the Gainesville District in 2000, largely due to the quality of life and educational opportunities presented by Prince William County.

As a member of the Haymarket Town Council and several civic organizations, Weir has fought for the interests of the county residents, including the undergrounding of the Haymarket Transmission Line. Weir and his wife, Diane have been married for 31 years, live in Haymarket, and have put three children through Prince William County Public Schools.

A woman wanted in connection to the death of an infant who overdosed on Fentanyl turned herseflt into police.

On December 13, police arrested Tiffany Nicole Stokes on charges of felony homicide and felony child neglect in connection to the death of her young child that was reported to have occurred at an apartment located in the 14700 block of Soapstone Drive in Gainesville on June 23, was arrested.

Her court date is pending, Police did not release her bond status.

On June 23 at 3:03 a.m., officers responded the woman’s apartment to investigate an initial report of an unconscious 20-month-old child.

Officers and Fire & Rescue personnel responded to the apartment after the mother of the child, identified as the accused, reported the two were co-sleeping when she woke to find him unconscious.

The child was transported to an area hospital, where he died.

The child’s body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Manassas for further analysis and autopsy. At the time of the death, no suspicious or unusual circumstances were determined to have occurred.

In early August, investigators received preliminary findings from the OCME indicating the child reportedly had a lethal amount of Fentanyl in his blood which caused his death, police said.

Gainesville District Supervisor Peter Candland announced an abrupt end to his third term on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

Candland will resign on Friday, December 16, 2022 (not 2023), after spending nearly 10 years and three terms in office representing western Prince William County. The senior member of the Board of County Supervisors, his decision comes after supervisors approved the controversial Prince William Digital Gateway development, which cleared the way for data centers to be built on more than 800 acres next to Manassas National Battlefield Park.

Candland abstained from the vote and stands to make millions of dollars from selling his home on land now earmarked for data centers. Over the summer, he became the target of a recall petition when opponents of the Prince William Digital Gateway asked him to resign.

Last month, Candland sent a letter to the county Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth asking her legal opinion on whether or not he would be able to vote on future land-use cases or on whether or not he could approve new data centers that may want to locate outside of the Prince William Digital Gateway area.

Her resounding answer was “no.”

Here’s Candland’s press release announcing his resignation, and Ashworth’s response to Candland.

Candland was first elected to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in 2011. Members can read more about his resignation when someone will replace him, what it means for the Board of County Supervisors and the 2023 General Election, and the effects the recall and subsequent lawsuit filed in 2022 had on his family in this exclusive report.

Gainesville District Supervisor Peter Candland announced an abrupt end to his third term on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

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On June 23 at 3:03 a.m., officers responded to the Somerset Pointe Apartments located in the 14700 block of Soapstone Drive in Gainesville to investigate an initial report of an unconscious 20-month-old child.

Police and fire and rescue personnel responded to the apartment after the mother of the child, identified as the accused, reported the two were co-sleeping when she woke to find him unconscious.

The child was transported to an area hospital, where he died. The child’s body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Manassas for further analysis and autopsy. At the time of the death, no suspicious or unusual circumstances were determined to have occurred.

In early August, investigators received preliminary findings from the OCME indicating the child reportedly had a lethal amount of Fentanyl in his blood which caused his death. During a subsequent interview with the accused, she was found in possession of a pill that was later determined to contain Oxycodone and Acetaminophen, which she was not prescribed.

The investigation into the death led investigators to believe the child ingested illicit fentanyl at some point between the evening of June 22 and the early morning of June 23.

The investigation further revealed the accused had access to and used unprescribed pills believed to be Percocet around the time of the victim’s death. On December 7, following a review of the finalized OCME report, and upon consultation with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, investigators obtained arrest warrants for the accused, identified as Tiffany Nicole Stokes.

Attempts to have the accused turn herself in to police have been unsuccessful.

Wanted: [Photo from October 2021]

Tiffany Nicole STOKES, 37, of an unknown address
Described as a black female, 4’9″, 130lbs with black hair and brown eyes
Wanted for felony homicide, felony child neglect, and possession of a scheduled I or II narcotic

Since Dec. 3, 2022, the Prince William County Police Department has responded to three overdoses, one in which was fatal, involving juveniles possibly consuming counterfeit Percocet pills containing the lethal narcotic Fentanyl.

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative will accept post-holiday cut Christmas trees and greens at its Gainesville technical center at 5399 Wellington Branch Road, near Interstate 66 and Route 29, from Dec. 26, 2022, to Jan. 9, 2023. Consumers should leave greens in the parking lot area designated by orange safety cones.

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