Prince William County police said a 21-year-old Manassas Park man died Sept. 17 after a crash on Hansen Farm Road in Bristow. Officers identified the driver as Sayed Mohammad Hamed Shams and said he crossed double yellow lines while trying to pass a vehicle turning onto Wellingford Road, lost control and struck a parked, unoccupied tractor-trailer. Speed is believed to be a factor.
The same day’s county report said detectives arrested Edgar Jose Mendoza, 34, of Manassas, on a rape charge after investigating a March 15 sexual assault on Breeden Hall Court in Bristow involving a victim who was 16 at the time.
Rain kept Fredericksburg’s Kathmandu sister-city vigil off the Downtown Library steps Thursday night and moved the candlelight gathering inside, where tea lights closed a VA250 sister-city program built around Nepal’s floods and a long diplomatic friendship.
Sue Henderson, a Stafford County resident and founding member of the Fredericksburg Sister City Association, put the night’s meaning plainly after the lectures and indoor vigil.
Music. Art. Food. Community. The Takoma Park Folk Festival brings it all together for one free, unforgettable day. Discover six stages of live music from around the world, shop an acclaimed juried craft show, enjoy international cuisine, connect with local community organizations, and let the kids explore crafts and activities in the Children's Nook. It's one of the region's most beloved traditions, and a celebration of the creativity, diversity, and welcoming spirit that has long defined Takoma Park.
New this year! Jam at the Crossroads is a place for musicians of all levels to come together and be part of the music.
A Prince William judge refused another delay in the Naresh Bhatt murder trial, a Dumfries motel operator was sentenced in a federal fentanyl and commercial-sex case, Manassas is asking the public how First Friday should change, and early voting for the Nov. 3 election opens Friday.
According to InsideNoVa, Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving on Thursday denied a defense motion to postpone the trial of Naresh Bhatt, the Manassas Park man charged with first-degree murder in the 2024 disappearance and presumed death of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt. Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox argued the case is too complex and that the defense needed more time to review evidence; Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Sarah Sami said further delay would keep Mamta’s family, including relatives traveling from Nepal, in limbo.
A slow-moving cold front is sliding south across the Baltimore-Washington region this morning. Winds are turning north. That should pull in slightly cooler and less sticky air through the day.
Most of the area stays dry. Highs still reach the 80s at lower elevations under a mix of sun and clouds. Dew points should drop from the lower 70s this morning into the 60s later this afternoon. Isolated showers are possible farther north, but coverage should stay thin.
Fredericksburg police said they arrested Jose Caal Choc, 38, of Fredericksburg, after a Sept. 16 morning assault on Ivanhoe Court. Officers said a woman was taken to a hospital in serious condition. Detectives charged Caal Choc with aggravated malicious wounding, abduction, entering a dwelling at night to commit assault, destruction of property and domestic assault and battery. He was held without bond at Rappahannock Regional Jail.
Prince William County police are seeking a suspect after a Sept. 14 aggravated assault at Almita’s Restaurant in Woodbridge, in which officers said a 30-year-old man was struck with a belt buckle and taken to a hospital. The same county report listed an indecent-exposure complaint in Gainesville and an attempted residential burglary in Nokesville.
ARTfactory’s production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit opens Friday, Sept. 18, at the ARTfactory in Manassas.
The four-actor existentialist drama follows three souls — Vincent (Andrew Chi), Inez (Becca Parsons) and Estelle (Amantha Peterson) — ushered into a single room in the afterlife by a mysterious Valet. Expecting the physical torment of damnation, they instead find they are destined to become one another’s eternal tormentors, according to ARTfactory press materials. Ned Kieloch plays the Valet for performances Sept. 18–20, and Brendan Banner plays the role Sept. 25–27.
The Horror Film Fest at Tackett’s Mill is set for Oct. 16, and one of the shorts on the slate was shot in Virginia Beach.
Kendra Louka of LoukaRound Productions submitted No Grace. She told Potomac Local’s Mike Salmon the film will screen at the Clearbrook Artist Collective program inside the shopping center arts space at 2230 B Tackett’s Mill Drive.
