Updated 4 p.m. — A fire in Dale City broke out at 12:40 p.m. today, Friday, July 5, displacing seven adults and three children.
From Prince William Fire and Rescue:
This afternoon units were dispatched to the 14400 blk of Brentwood Ct. (Dale City) for a caller reporting a townhouse on fire. Crews arrived with fire showing in the front of the home extending into an adjoining unit. All occupants safely evacuated prior to units arriving. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the blaze and confront the extension in the adjoining units. No injuries were reported. A total of 3 homes sustained damaged, displacing 7 adults and 3 children. The Red Cross is assisting those displaced.
The Fire Marshal’s Office has determined the cause of the fire to be the improper disposal of fireworks in a combustible trash receptacle stored Inside a storage shed.
The Fire Marshal’s Office advises spent fireworks should never be discarded in a combustible container without first ensuring they are completely extinguished. All used fireworks should be extinguished by hosing them down or submerging in a bucket of water. Then, If possible, allow them to set for 24 hours before disposing of them in a non-combustible container. Never place spent fireworks in a trash container inside or next to your home or other structure.
Original Post: Senator Tim Kaine (D) and congressional hopeful Eugene Vindman quietly campaigned in Woodbridge on Wednesday, July 3.
The duo were joined by other elected officials, including Margaret Franklin and Victor Angry, who sit on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
Veterans Grow America hosted an event on its retail space next to Wegmans at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge.
It was great to join Senator @TimKaine this afternoon for a roundtable discussion at Veterans Growing America in Woodbridge.
From helping Veterans build their own business, to fighting to end Veteran homelessness — in Congress I will be a champion for our Veteran community. pic.twitter.com/8yBTxJnx0B
— Eugene Vindman (@YVindman) July 3, 2024
A Kaine campaign spokesman emailed Potomac Local, and Kaine made the campaign stump as part of his “Salute to Service” tour, which kicked off on July 1 to celebrate public servants, made stops in Stafford and Woodbridge, highlighting his long-standing support for military members, veterans, teachers, and healthcare workers.
A spokesman for Veterans Growing America told us Kaine’s campaign would invite the press, but no press attended the event. Potomac Local did not receive notification about Kaine’s campaign stumps in our area despite receiving regular press releases from his Senate office.
Communications from Kaine’s campaign and senate office in Washington, D.C., are managed by employees. A Kaine campaign staffer added that reporters would have been allowed in if any had shown up.
The campaign appearance comes after the presidential debate between Biden and Trump. Many Democrats have called for Biden to step aside and allow someone else to run for the presidency due to the president’s declining cognitive abilities.
So far, the candidates have been silent on whether or not Biden should end his re-election campaign, so we asked Kaine and Vindman (see the text of our email to each campaign below) and received no response from either candidate. However, Kaine stated his support for Biden’s re-election campaign on his X account on Thursday, July 4; “I’m with Joe. We stand up and stand together. Trump and his lemmings will tear us down and tear us apart.”
Sign up for our FREE news email, and we’ll let you know if the candidates respond to our questions.
Dear Senator Kaine and Col. Vindman,
Happy Independence Day. My name is Uriah Kiser, and I am the publisher of Potomac Local News. We recently came across a post on Facebook about your joint visit to Veterans Grow America in Woodbridge, a commendable organization and one of our valued sponsors.
Veterans Grow America informed us that no reporters attended the event, despite an expectation that Senator Kaine would invite the press. We would appreciate your assistance in addressing the following questions for an article we are preparing:
1. What members of the press were invited to the event? If none were invited, could you explain the reasoning behind this decision?
2. What key points and discussions took place during your campaign stop in Woodbridge? Additionally, why was Veterans Grow America chosen as the location for this visit?
3. Where do you, Senator Kaine, and you, Col. Vindman, stand regarding your support for President Joe Biden’s reelection? Since the debate a week ago, there have been calls for him to step down from the race; do you support those calls?
5. How has the president’s debate performance changed your respective campaigns as we closer to early voting?
6. Col. Vindman, you have been accused of having staff screen voters before you speak to them in public. https://x.com/notlarrysabato/status/1803102785744797731 Is this true? Is this why no press was invited to the Woodbridge event?
4. How do you each of you plan to spend your Independence Day holiday this year?The responses you provide will be included in a post on our site, potomaclocalnews.com. We believe our readers will be very interested in your insights and perspectives on these matters.
Thank you for your time and attention. We look forward to your response.
Uriah Kiser
Founder & Publisher
Potomac Local News
Lose It Rage Room, a new addition to the local stress-relief scene provides a unique and therapeutic way for people to let off steam. This concept allows individuals to smash, break, and demolish objects in a controlled environment, offering a safe outlet for pent-up frustration and anger.
Located at 3085 Golansky Boulevard in Woodbridge, the Lose It Rage Room caters to a wide range of customers, from those looking to relieve stress to those seeking a fun and unconventional way to spend time with friends. The owners did not respond to a request for comment for this story; however, according to their FAQ page, the rage room experience is designed to be therapeutic and exhilarating, allowing participants to smash items such as glass bottles, electronics, and even furniture.
Have you been to this place? Tell us about it in the comments. Sign up for our FREE email newsletter and tell us what new and fun businesses you want to see here at Potomac Local.
How It Works
Participants can book sessions online, with various packages available for different needs and group sizes. Upon arrival, guests are provided safety gear, including helmets, gloves, and protective suits, to ensure a safe smashing experience. They are then guided to a designated room filled with breakable items.
The experience is customizable, allowing guests to choose their preferred tools for destruction, such as baseball bats, sledgehammers, or crowbars. For those looking to enhance their experience, the facility offers options to bring their items to smash or even select themed sessions, like office stress relief or breakup recovery.
Participants must be at least 18 or 13 years old with a guardian present. The facility provides comprehensive safety briefings before each session and maintains strict protocols to ensure all participants have a safe and enjoyable time.
Rage rooms have been gaining popularity as an unconventional form of stress relief. They provide an outlet for emotions that might otherwise be difficult to express daily. Studies have shown that physical activity, such as smashing objects, can release endorphins, which help to reduce stress and improve mood.
In addition to individual sessions, Lose It Rage Room offers corporate packages for team-building events and private parties. These group sessions are designed to foster camaraderie and provide a unique bonding experience.
Sessions can be booked online through their website, and walk-ins are also welcome, subject to availability.
At 4 o’clock this morning, a house fire on the 14000 block of Carolina Street in Woodbridge was quickly controlled by fire crews, though the home sustained extensive damage. All occupants safely evacuated, and the fire was determined to have been caused by unattended cooking appliances on the deck.
All occupants safely evacuated, and the fire was determined to have been caused by unattended cooking appliances on the deck.
More from Prince William fire and rescue:
Early this morning units were dispatched to the 14000 blk of Carolina Street (Woodbridge) for reports of a house fire. Crews arrived to find heavy fire and smoke showing from the rear of the home. The home’s deck was fully involved and rapidly spreading into the residence. Fire attack commenced with the fire being quickly controlled. All the occupants had safely evacuated prior to the Fire Department’s arrival, after one of them was awaken by the noise created by the exterior fire. The home sustained extensive damage with no injuries being reported. The structure was declared unsafe to occupy by the Building Official, displacing 4 adults and 1 child. The Red Cross responded to assist. The Fire Marshal’s Office concluded the fire was ignited by unattended cooking on appliances located on the home’s rear deck.
George Mason University’s Potomac Science Center in Woodbridge is raising funds for a new dock and a boat to enhance its environmental research and education efforts. Dr. Chris Jones, the academic director of the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center, discussed the initiative at The Health of Our Waterways Gala event on June 28, 2024, held at the science center in Belmont Bay.
The new dock will enable students and researchers to access the Potomac River for hands-on learning experiences. Dr. Jones emphasized the importance of fieldwork, stating, “Rather than just giving lectures or showing videos about sampling and studying aquatic organisms in their habitat, we go out and collect them, experience them, make measurements in the field, and demonstrate the concepts that they’ve learned in lab and lecture in the real world.”
The center’s current location poses challenges due to shallow waters extending 500 feet from the shore, making it difficult to launch boats. Dr. Jones explained, “We ended up here by a process. Let’s just say that we needed donation of land on the water, and there was not a lot of thought put into how would we access the water once we were there.”
The proposed dock will include a long raised walkway to deeper water, with five boat slips, including one at channel depth for larger vessels. “We have to have a long gangway, essentially just a raised walkway to get out to near where the water is deep enough to have boats,” said Dr. Jones. The project is estimated to cost between $1.2 million and $1.4 million. An initial architecture and engineering study is expected to cost $300,000.
In addition to the dock, the center aims to acquire a trailer-able boat, costing around $70,000, to facilitate access to different parts of the Potomac River, including areas near the Chesapeake Bay. “The boat that we’re asking for does not require a pier. It is trailerable, so we can keep it on a trailer out here and drive near where we want to sample, launch it, and go out and sample,” Dr. Jones said.
This boat will allow for more reliable sampling and studying of diverse aquatic environments. Dr. Jones highlighted the research opportunities, particularly in studying stratification in estuaries and the impact of anoxic (low or no oxygen) conditions on bacteria. “Up here, the river is well mixed from the surface to bottom. But in a classic estuary, you have stratification where the freshwater glides over the salt water, leading to potential anoxic conditions.”
The university has already received $100,000 from the College of Science dean for the initial design study but requires additional funding to complete the project. The center’s efforts to enhance its research infrastructure aim to provide students with valuable hands-on learning opportunities and contribute to understanding aquatic ecosystems.
A Woodbridge man suspected of shooting and killing a 52-year-old man was arrested last night in Spotsylvania County.
On June 30, at 9:07 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the 5300 block of Holley Oak Lane for a 911 text call. 9-1-1 dispatchers were able to relay information to deputies by researching information associated with the residence, that a suspect wanted for homicide from Frederick County may be inside the home. Deputies observed an individual who was positively identified as the wanted subject. Terrance Lee Morris, 38 years of age from Woodbridge, was arrested on Frederick County’s 2nd-degree murder warrant. Morris was incarcerated under no bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
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Balmore Ortiz Guardado, 36, of Dale City, will spend at least 35 years in prison after Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Kimberly A. Irving sentenced him to a life sentence. Guardado was charged with drugging and raping women and girls.
From Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth’s office:
…the Defendant, a drug dealer, actively recruited and provided illegal substances to include Percocet pills laced with fentanyl, methamphetamines, cocaine, Xanax and alcohol to female victims aged 15-16, facilitating the sexual abuse and rape of the victims, often while they were incapacitated from the drug use or with the threat of a firearm. These acts occurred in late 2021 through 2022. The Defendant was arrested on January 26, 2023.
On January 17, 2024, the Defendant entered a guilty plea to fourteen charges as follows: three (3) counts of Rape, three counts (3) of Object Sexual Penetration, seven (7) counts of Distribution of a Schedule I or II to a Minor, and one (1) count of Possession of Child Pornography. There was no agreement as to the sentence to be imposed and a sentencing hearing to determine the appropriate punishment was held on June 27, 2024. The Defendant was ordered to register with the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry.
Upon hearing the evidence and argument of both sides at the sentencing hearing, the Honorable the Defendant to six life sentences plus 215 years of incarceration with 179 years suspended (35 years of mandatory time). The Judge’s reasons for departing from the Sentencing Guidelines which recommended a sentence within the range of 35 to 86 years included “the violence of the crimes, the number of victims and the effect [of the crimes] on the victims, the use of a firearm, and the recommendation of the Commonwealth.”
On Wednesday, June 26, at 9:07 p.m., officers responded to a domestic dispute at the Elevations One Apartments in the 14300 block of Bellona Road in Woodbridge.
The investigation revealed that a 26-year-old man and an acquaintance were involved in a verbal altercation in the parking lot. The situation escalated, and during the encounter, the woman sprayed the victim in his face and upper body with an unknown substance before driving away.
The victim was treated at the scene for minor injuries. Officers obtained arrest warrants for Corum-Hill, but attempts to locate her have been unsuccessful.
Tahjaia Corum-Hill is wanted for assault and battery with a caustic substance. She is described as black, 5 feet 2 inches tall, 235 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about Corum-Hill’s whereabouts is urged to contact the authorities.
On Tuesday, June 25, at 10:40 p.m., officers responded to Tackett’s Mill Shopping Mall in the 2200 block of Old Bridge Road in Lake Ridge. The response was to investigate a shots fired call.
The investigation revealed that two victims, a 22-year-old male and a 21-year-old female, were in the parking lot when a black SUV drove by and fired BB or other pellet-type rounds from the vehicle, striking both victims. No injuries were reported. No additional injuries or property damage were reported.
Felony Child Neglect in Woodbridge
On Wednesday, June 26, at 2 p.m., officers responded to the 11700 block of Chanceford Dr. in Woodbridge to investigate a found child.
The investigation revealed that a 2-year-old boy, was left unattended for one hour by a family member. A Good Samaritan found the child outside unsupervised. The child did not appear injured and was released to the custody of known parties, police said.
Elizabeth Carol Powell, 64, of the 11700 block of Chanceford Dr. in Woodbridge, was arrested and charged with felony child neglect. Her court date is pending, and her bond is unavailable.
Assault and Battery on Law Enforcement Officer
On Tuesday, June 25, a woman sought in connection to an assault on an officer on June 21 was arrested. The incident occurred in Saxophone Way and Bel Air Road in Woodbridge.
On June 21, at 7:42 p.m., officers observed the woman, who had arrest warrants, in Saxophone Way and Bel Air Road in Woodbridge. When officers attempted to detain her, she resisted and ran. After a short foot pursuit, officers temporarily detained Garcia, who continued to resist and refused to follow commands. During the encounter, Garcia struck an officer, allowing her to flee the area, police said.
The officer reported minor injuries from the incident.
Alejandra Yvette Garcia, 22, of 14782 Candlewood Ct. in Woodbridge, is charged with assault and battery on a law enforcement officer and obstruction of justice. Her court date is pending, and she is held without bond.
