Bloom plays Bob Gaudio, who Gaudio wrote or co-wrote and produced the majority of The Four Seasons' music, including hits like "Sherry" and "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)." Cooper plays Nick Massi, the band's bass singer, songwriter, and bass guitarist.
Both cast members talked about the challenges of singing the iconic Four Seasons songs, the intricate harmonies, and the unique voices each cast member brings to the performance.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
Rebellion Bourbon Bar & Kitchen adds a new niche to downtown Fredericksburg – a bourbon bar for those who want a good cocktail at the day’s end. The eatery pays tribute to the area's history with over 180 bourbons and whiskeys on the wall, signature cocktails, and a locally sourced menu.
Launched in 2020, Rebellion arrived in Fredericksburg with the help of Joel Griffin and David Stallard. Griffin serves as President, and Stallard is Vice President of Operations.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
The survey covered encampments throughout the county, including the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
This year, a unique approach was taken to encourage participation in the survey. Homeless individuals who completed the survey were given gift cards as an incentive. The donated gift cards totaled $2,740, said Prince William County spokeswoman Nikki Brown.
“Some gift cards were provided in different denominations. However, any unsheltered person who completes a survey during the PIT count receives a gift card,” said Brown.
Serving Our Neighbors, PWC Community Foundation, Beta Delta Phi Sorority, Streetlight Community Outreach Ministries, and Cooperative Council of Ministries provided gift cards. Several food trucks participated, including the C.H.O.W. Wagon, Northern Virginia Food Rescue, Mike McGuire – The Bus & Grill.
The PIT survey, mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, determines the number of homeless individuals in the area and influences the amount of federal funding allocated to the community. The survey results, expected to be analyzed by the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments in January and February, will be released in May.
“This annual initiative not only serves to understand and address homelessness but also highlights the collaborative efforts of the community in supporting this important cause,” remarked Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Shelter Human Services Manager Priscilla Castillo-Woyak, a team leader for this year’s count, in a county-issued press release.”I already work with the population on the family side of things. I love this work. I think we get to know the community better. For me, it’s just important to be here for support.”
Last year’s PIT reveals a notable spike in homelessness in Prince William County, with a three-year high and a 35% increase since the previous year, the Prince William Times reports. The number of homeless people not living in a shelter or hotel was 73, compared to 102 in 2020. However, the number of unsheltered residents doubled since 2022, when it was just 27.
Factors such as the economic fallout from the pandemic, the expiration of COVID-19 housing and income supports, and increased construction activity are believed to contribute to this trend.
Unleash your inner hero: Join the Potomac Local ‘Locals Only’ membership!
In a world filled with everyday heroes and extraordinary tales, Potomac Local is your trusted source for news and stories that matter in our community. Join Today!
Leading the discussions was newly elected Democrat Deshundra Jefferson, the At-large Supervisor. Jefferson emphasized the need for unity in the face of divisive issues. Jefferson acknowledged the challenges ahead but expressed optimism about the Board’s direction.
“If we could just start having conversations with one another and get to a better place with creating norms, with creating different behaviors, that’s a win,” said Jefferson. “This is not going to be an easy four years. I hope that. I feel like we’re off to a good start, and I hope it can continue.”
While little business was conducted on Monday, board members spent the day in team-building sessions, encouraged by Prince William County Executive Christopher Shorter. Despite a similar team-building workshop in 2020, the board’s previous term was rife with disagreement and partisanship, with multiple pressing decisions — from data centers and immigration policies at the county jail to an asphalt plant— resulting in party-line votes.
The current board took its seats on January 1, 2024.
One contentious topic on Monday’s agenda was the proposal to limit citizen comment time. Supervisor Victor Angry proposed reducing individual public comment time from three to two minutes and capping total comment time at three hours. This sparked a heated debate among the supervisors, leading to a decision to table any changes pending a closed-door session with police.
Jefferson advocated for allowing speakers to return to the podium near the supervisors during citizen times, a departure from the current setup where speakers address the Board from a microphone at the back of the chambers.
Jefferson and Gainesville District Supervisor Bob Weir said changing the location of the speakers could have a calming effect on them. The policy is a pandemic-era holdout left over from 2020, the same year supervisors lost control of a meeting in which Black Lives Matter supporters called for abolishing the county police department.
The debate over public comment changes revealed a split among the supervisors. Angry, Potomac Supervisor Andrea Bailey, and Occoquan Supervisor Kenny Boddye supported the limitations. Conversely, Coles Supervisor Yesli Vega and Weir opposed the changes. Woodbridge Supervisor Margaret Franklin, Brenstville Supervisor Tom Gordy, and Jefferson have yet to express their stance.
Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye states that he, too, has not decided to support limiting public comment and adds supervisors aren’t at their best when meetings run until 3 a.m. or later. “I want every resident to have a direct line to their supervisors, yet I understand the frustration of community members who find themselves waiting in Board chambers for hours to hear about – or speak to – specific agenda items,” Boddye states in an email received after this story first published.
In the original story, we incorrectly reported Boddye supported limiting comment time.
The push for modifications in public comment procedures follows a marathon meeting in December 2023, lasting nearly 28 hours. At that meeting, the controversial PW Digital Gateway data center development was approved in a party-line vote. The decision is currently facing legal challenges.
The training is in addition to training on Robert’s Rules of Procedure, the Freedom of Information Act, and other vital items incoming supervisors were afforded in December.
Community Transparency Advocate Alan Gloss contributed to this report.
The Rose, the first gaming resort in Northern Virginia, will open later than anticipated.
Colonial Downs, the firm that operates Rosie's Gaming Emporium in Dumfries, will manage the gaming, hotel, and conference center when it opens in Dumfries sometime in the middle of 2024. The firm had originally planned to open the center at the end of 2023.
This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.
New information published by Prince William County Public Schools shows the Prince William Education Association is pushing for a 17% pay raise for teachers at $364 million, or about a third of the school division's existing salary budget.
The pay raise would cost the division more than it pays for the schools' transportation program, central office, facilities management, and capital reserves combined.
This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.
A proposed Methadone clinic in Stafford County has residents concerned about a possible uptick in crime.
Residents who live near the site of the proposed clinic, to be located in the Woodlawn Shopping Center on Deacon Road (anchored by a Weiss Market), say they want those who are addicted to heroin to get the help they need, just not at this location near a children's daycare facility.
This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.
School Board member Sara Brescia proposes reverting to the division's 2019 grading policy, a traditional zero-to-100% system. If a student didn't hand in an assignment, they received an "incomplete" grade. Kindergarten to 4th-grade students couldn't receive less than a 50% score for any assignment.
Under the current policy in place, since officials ordered school buildings shuttered due to the coronavirus, teachers cannot grade an assignment or test less than 50% even if a student never attempts it or hands it in. No teacher may impose a deadline on any assignment earlier than the end of the quarter, and students are guaranteed a make-up for full credit on all tests and assignments.
This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.
These words encapsulate exactly why the board chamber was FULL of residents for the July 11 vote on Resolution 23-365. Over 1,000 residents – from across the county – wrote to the board in support of that resolution – 908 petitioned via click-to-send email, and more than 100 others sent personal email messages. More than 100 also spoke at the meeting in favor of the resolution.
Mary Ann Ghadban, instigator of the Digital Gateway data center corridor application and Pageland Lane homeowner, wrote and published those statements in multiple local newspapers on the day of the board’s vote. Her group is exactly one that should NOT be given preferential treatment by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors with their votes.
These words explain why Ann Wheeler already knows after the primary election results that she won’t be on the dais come January.
These words encapsulate the choices voters made this past February and June, when Bob Weir was made Supervisor of the Gainesville district, and Deshundra Jefferson and Jeanine Lawson won their respective primaries for the Board Chair seat.
These words foretell how county voters will choose their board of supervisor representatives in the November election.
These words also explain exactly why Resolution 23-365, for a vote moratorium on controversial land-use cases during the lame-duck period after the November election until new board members take their seats, is the right thing for all county residents.
By defeating this resolution, already-lame-duck Chair Wheeler, and current Supervisors Boddye, Bailey, Franklin, and Angry showed us that they want to push more damaging and controversial land use decisions before they are stopped by the will of the people county-wide. They intend to continue to choose for the benefit of one group wanting to industrialize and urbanize the entire county.
With their vote on July 11, they have proven they support one select group.
Across the county, we will make our own choices to seal the fate of this board; and to protect our fates and the futures of our children.
Karen Sheehan
Gainesville District
Potomac Local News aims to share opinions on issues of local importance from a diverse range of residents across all our communities. If you’ve recently spoken at a Board of County Supervisors meeting, send us a typed copy of your remarks for publication to [email protected].
