A Prince William County Supervisor is calling for a review of how the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park contribute to the operation of the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, citing concerns about equity as the office expands its public service offerings and technology footprint.
During the April 1 meeting of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega questioned whether the county’s two cities are paying their fair share under a longstanding Shared Services Agreement (SSA). Her comments followed a presentation by Clerk of the Circuit Court Jacqueline Smith, who requested county support for new technology upgrades and legislative action to recover lost revenues.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
In the first public meeting between the Board of County Supervisors and Prince William County Schools (PWCS) leadership on April 1, members from each body expressed their concerns over proposed cuts to public schools by President Donald Trump.
Since entering office on Jan. 20, Trump has released a flurry of executive orders targeting education, including an order to diminish the federal Department of Education. In late March, the department's workforce was reduced by 50% and many workers are being shifted to other federal departments.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
At the April 1 meeting, many of Prince William's Board of County Supervisors railed against Prince William County Schools (PWCS) administration in their budget asks for the fiscal year 2026.
PWCS' Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef, along with Superintendent LaTanya McDade, Ed.D., presented the adopted $1.89 billion operating and debt budget to the supervisors. This is a $111 million — or 6.2% — increase from last year's approved budget.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a six-part series called “A Conversation with the Superintendent,” based on a sit-down interview with Stafford County Schools Superintendent Dr. Daniel W. Smith. The series explores Dr. Smith’s vision for the division, including how he plans to fix school transportation, address special education and equity gaps, manage a growing budget crisis, recruit new talent, and navigate ongoing debates about diversity and inclusion. Stay with us each week for new installments.
Next up: Part Three – Reaching Every Learner
How is Stafford working to meet the needs of its most vulnerable students? In our next installment, Dr. Smith opens up about the growing challenges in special education and ESL, and reveals new strategies aimed at closing achievement gaps — even as the district grapples with limited resources and rising demands.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a six-part series called “A Conversation with the Superintendent,” based on a sit-down interview with Stafford County Schools Superintendent Dr. Daniel W. Smith. The series explores Smith’s vision for the division, how he plans to fix school transportation, address special education and equity gaps, manage a growing budget crisis, recruit new talent, and navigate ongoing debates about diversity and inclusion. Stay with us each week for new installments.
When Dr. Daniel W. Smith started his new role as Superintendent of Stafford County Public Schools on December 9, 2024, he didn’t come in with plans to make sweeping changes overnight. Instead, he saw an opportunity to listen.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) on Friday defended his decision to veto a bill that would have let Stafford County voters decide whether to raise the local sales tax by one percent to help pay for school construction.
In a response to Potomac Local News, Youngkin said he rejected the measure to protect Virginians from what he sees as over-taxation at both the state and local levels.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
The county's current noise ordinance, which hasn't been significantly updated since the 1990s, is being reviewed after residents pointed out the low-frequency noise produced by data centers.
"I've never seen an issue unite people across political parties, across every box, you can think of when it comes to the concerns and issues that have been raised by [the data centers]," Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega said in the Board's March 18 meeting.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
Public transportation in Northern Virginia is seeing a significant rebound as ridership continues to climb on both Virginia Railway Express (VRE) trains and OmniRide commuter and local buses. However, transit leaders warn that increased demand may soon outpace available resources, especially for locally funded services.
During its March 2025 meeting, the VRE Operations Board reported that ridership in February topped 152,000 trips—despite only 19 service days and early-month weather disruptions. March figures are on pace to surpass that total significantly. With only 14 service days logged by mid-month, March had already recorded more than 162,000 trips. Average weekday ridership has climbed to more than 11,500 trips.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
While most of the budget remains unchanged from the initial presentation on Feb. 25, MCPS received clarity from the state — which provides 50% of the funding for the budget — on how much it would receive.
According to Taft Kelly, MCPS' director of finance, said an additional $330,000 would be given to the district. But, Kelly warned that Gov. Glenn Youngkin's budget has not yet been approved and likely won't be until April or May.
