Edge Carwash is set to open a new facility at the intersection of Garrisonville Road and Staffordboro Boulevard in North Stafford. It will replace the former TJ's Carwash, which opened in 2006 and has already been demolished.
According to public documents from the Stafford County Government, the new facility will feature a 2,054-square-foot car wash tunnel and supporting areas totaling 3,915 square feet, including office spaces and an equipment room. EDXP Stafford LLC purchased the property for $3.1 million in September 2024.
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In an unexpected email to his team, Johnson explained that family obligations were leading him back to South Carolina. This Friday, November 15, 2024, will be his final day. He was hired August 28, 2023.
Stafford County Public Schools’ transportation woes have been the source of significant disruption, frustration, and, frankly, a lot of unanswered questions. The division notified parents of the transportation breakdown hours before school resumed, leaving families scrambling. Despite an August meeting in which the school board addressed these issues, parents are still waiting to see what corrective actions have been implemented.
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Skip Causey of Stafford’s Potomac Point Winery, has received the Virginia Wineries Association’s (VWA) David King Advocate of the Year Award.
Christina Sandridge, VWA Executive Director, said the award is named after the late David King, who founded King Family Vineyards in Crozet. King is known as a strong advocate for the Virginia Wine industry who championed the 2007 Virginia Farm Winery Act as well as the creation of the Virginia Winery Distribution Company, which provides wholesale wine distribution services for local farm wineries and expands their customer base.
Sandridge said the award is presented to an individual who “does the work” and demonstrates significant involvement in advocacy efforts on behalf of the Virginia wine industry.
Causey and his wife Cindi turned their love of wine into Potomac Point Winery, which opened in 2007. In 2019, Causey took on the role of winemaker at Potomac Point, collaborating with assistant winemaker Jordan Cleary. Causey is a past president of the Virginia Vineyards Association and co-chair of the Virginia Wineries Legislative Board, and has championed policies and initiatives that benefit vineyards and wineries across the state.
Potomac Point Winery won Business of the Year at Stafford’s Economic Development Authority’s Awards in 2024, and their wines won five medals in the 2024 Governor’s Cup Competition.
Past recipients of the award, established in 2020, include:
2020 George Hodson, Veritas/Flying Fox
2021 Mary Beth Williams, Williams Compliance
2022Â Mitzi Batterson, James River Cellars Winery
2023 Anne Leigh Kerr, Kerr Government Strategies
At the November 7, 2024, Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting, residents shared divided opinions on a proposed Buc-ee's Travel Center development at the corner of Courthouse Road and Austin Ridge Drive, near a Publix store. While some attendees supported the development for its economic potential, others raised concerns about environmental impact and long-term viability.
Among the notable points discussed was Buc-ee's promise of competitive wages. The company offers hourly rates of $18 to $21 for associates and $20 to $23 for team leads. More senior roles, such as department managers, earn between $25 and $33 per hour. In contrast, according to Buc-ee's website, assistant general managers and general managers make salaries starting at $125,000 and reaching up to $225,000.
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On November 12, a suspect committed multiple robberies at convenience stores in the area, displaying a handgun and fleeing with money from each location. The suspect was later identified and charged with armed robbery and firearm-related offenses, and is being held in jail pending further investigation.
Press Release from Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office:
On November 12th at approximately 11:30 PM, a robbery was reported at the 7-11 located at 10359 Patriot Hwy, Spotsylvania. The employee reported a black male entered the store displaying a handgun and demanded money. The employee complied with his demands. The suspect fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money. While deputies were on scene investigating this robbery, Emergency Communications received a 911 call at 12:30 AM from another 7-11 located at 5900 Harrison Road reporting a robbery. The employee at his location reported that a black male entered the store, displayed a handgun, and demanded money. The employee also complied with his demands. The suspect fled the scene on foot.
Shortly after, the Fredericksburg Police Department reported a robbery at another convenience store within their jurisdiction. The suspect matched the same description as the two robberies in Spotsylvania County.
Marquis Harrell was seen at the 7-11 located at 25 Soloman Drive in Stafford County some point after the robbery in the City of Fredericksburg. Harrell was developed as a suspect in the multi-jurisdictional robberies. For the robberies in Spotsylvania County, Harrell was charged with Brandishing a firearm, Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and Armed robbery. Harrell has been held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail with no bond. Additional charges may be sought as the investigation continues.
Press Release:
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is evaluating the performance of ParkZen, a new smart parking mobile app that enables local travelers to view real-time parking availability in six commuter lots in Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford counties at no cost. The ParkZen app helps commuters check for and navigate to unoccupied parking spaces.
During the evaluation period, availability data will be reported for VDOT’s Saratoga Park and Ride lot in Springfield, Stringfellow Road Park and Ride lot in Centreville, and the Horner Road Commuter Lot in Woodbridge, as well as the three Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station parking lots at Backlick Road in Springfield, Brooke Road in Stafford, and Leeland Road in Falmouth. With a combined capacity of more than 5,000 parking spaces, travelers will be able to take advantage of these parking locations to conveniently transfer to buses, carpools, vanpools, or VRE trains.“Commuters have told us that not knowing whether parking is available at commuter lots is a deterrent to using transit, carpools, vanpools, and slugging,” said Amy McElwain, program manager for VDOT’s Office of Strategic Innovations. “We know that taking the guesswork out of parking makes it easier for commuters to get out of their single-occupant vehicles. However, the challenge has always been finding the resources to install and maintain reliable counting technology.”
ParkZen does not require the installation of counting equipment and allows users to instantly determine whether parking is available at a given lot, helping them navigate there with turn-by-turn guidance. Leveraging the power of smart crowdsourcing technology, ParkZen passively collects anonymized data from users only when they visit the selected commuter lots, in order to inform other drivers of lot occupancy levels.“Through this app, commuters can optimize the parking experience for themselves and others, enabling everyone to park quickly and catch buses, trains, and carpool rides,” said McElwain. “The more drivers who use the app during the trial period, the better job we will be able to do to validate this technology before scaling up to more locations.”
This parking technology will be initially available in the six designated lots for the early adopters during the evaluation period from November 2024 to January 2025. The free app is available in the App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices. Top users will have a chance to earn a $50 Amazon gift card from ParkZen. If the trial period is successful, VDOT will evaluate rolling out the technology for other commuter lots throughout Northern Virginia and the Fredericksburg area starting in Spring 2025.
This project is one of several regional initiatives that aim to improve travel reliability and mobility. By using crowdsourced real-time mobility data, VDOT and its partners strive to optimize performance of the transportation network, prioritize the needs of commuters, and offer them convenient tools to make informed travel choices.
On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Fredericksburg Area Builders Association gathered at Paradise Diner in Stafford County to hear Liz Barber, Stafford County’s Economic Development Director, provide an update on local business conditions, development priorities, and support initiatives for Stafford’s growing economy.
Barber discussed the county's focus on addressing key challenges for business owners, including financing, marketing, and strategic business planning. Stafford’s Economic Development Office, she noted, aims to foster a supportive environment to help local businesses thrive.
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From the Stafford County Sherriff’s Department:
ASSAULT:
Catherine Lane, 11/11, 5:46 a.m. Deputy M.N. Sayegh responded to an assault. The caller advised her boyfriend was just assaulted by his ex-girlfriend. It was discovered the ex-girlfriend responded to the residence and assaulted the victim over a cellphone. The ex-girlfriend was located and served on a warrant for assault and battery.AG Wright Middle School, 100 Wood Drive, 11/12, 10:30 a.m. Deputy S.C. Hall was conducting her SRO duties when she was informed of an assault. Two students were exchanging words and about to fight when a third student attempted to separate them and de-escalate the situation. Instead of fighting each other, the first two students began assaulting the third student. Criminal complaints for assault and battery were filed on the first two students.
LARCENY:
Autumn Drive, 11/11, 11:56 a.m. Deputy S.M. Eastman responded to a larceny. The victim advised his ex-girlfriend stole over $1,000 worth of items following their breakup. The investigation is ongoing.Duff McDuff Park, 75 James Ashby Parkway, 11/11, 2:37 p.m. Deputies responded to two larceny
reports. Victim one had her purse stolen from her unlocked vehicle while victim two had a window
of her vehicle smashed and her purse stolen.
Onelife Fitness, 315 Garrisonville Road, 11/11, 5:35 p.m. Deputy R.W. Stamm responded to a
larceny. While the victim was pumping some iron, his wallet was stolen from the locker room.ABC, 9 Village Center Drive, 11/12, 2:42 p.m. Deputy J.A. Albirght responded to a larceny. Staff advised a male suspect stole a bottle of Anejo the day prior without staff knowing. After successfully committing shoplifting, the suspect returned on this day, this time to steal a bottle of Don Julio. The suspect was found and identified by Sergeant J.T. Forman after robbing several businesses in nearby jurisdictions. Two warrants for larceny were obtained and served on top of his other offenses.
PUBLIC INTOXICATION:
Wawa, 105 Garrisonville Road, 11/11, 1:57 a.m. Deputy X.D. Bates responded to a public intoxication report. The caller advised a drunk male was knocking on the doors of businesses. Deputy Bates observed the mud covered suspect as he stumbled into the Wawa. The suspect had instantly noticeable signs of intoxication and was rather disorderly during his conversation with deputies. He was charged with public intoxication and held at Rappahannock Regional Jail until sober.Lusitania Drive, 11/11, 8:24 p.m. Deputy C.T. Richardson responded to an unknown problem. An individual called dispatch, but would not respond to dispatchers. When Deputy Richardson arrived, he made contact with a female, who was under the influence. She was charged with public intoxication and held at Rappahannock Regional Jail until sober.
At its November 12 meeting, the Stafford County School Board approved the launch of a new Business and Information Technology Center at Colonial Forge High School.
This center is designed to prepare students for high-demand careers in fields like cybersecurity, business administration, and data analytics. This center marks the latest in Stafford’s growing network of specialty programs to give students a head start in career-focused education and advanced fields of study.
