STAFFORD -- The Stafford County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted in favor of moving forward with a grant application that, if approved, will help bring broadband Internet services residents in Marlborough Point and Widewater.
Stafford County has partnered with King George-based company, KGI Communications, LLC for the grant application.
The grant is offered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. They have set aside grant money as part of the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative, “which provides grants to provide financial assistance to supplement construction costs by private sector broadband service providers, in partnership with local units of government to extend service to areas that presently are unserved by any broadband provider,” according to county documents.
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DUMFRIES -- Environmental experts are warning of a potential catastrophe if the coal ash at Possum Point and other toxic Virginia coal ash ponds is left as it currently is, in unlined pits.
Recycling industry experts say there is a market for the ash -- the substance left over after coal is burned to make electricity -- Â to use in products like concrete and wallboard.
Dominion Energy, the owner of the coal ash ponds, has a slightly different perspective.
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WOODBRIDGE -- A software glitch yesterday left about 10 percent of Prince William County School employees asking where their paychecks were.
“We have about 11,000 employees. About 1,100 belong to the PWC Employees Credit Union. Due to a technical issue at the credit union, about 1,100 were not paid. We have been in frequent contact with the Credit Union and assured that all direct deposits had been made today by 1:30 p.m.” Dianna Gulatta, Prince William County Schools spokeswoman said in an email.
Robin Bodie, CEO of the PWC Employees Credit Union, attributed the glitch to a change in the direct deposit file they received from the school division.
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WASHINGTON -- Sen. Tim Kaine is pushing for federal protection for school drinking water on top of Virginia's state-mandated protections for students.
Kaine joined 34 others in calling the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency to protect students from lead in drinking water.
Virginia students have had some level of protection from lead in drinking water since 2017, when Section 22.1-135.1, “Potable water; lead testing” was added to the code of Virginia, but Kaine and his colleagues want federal protection for Virginia students, as well as students in other states where there are no such state laws.
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STAFFORD -- Stafford County continues to have issues with opportunistic criminals rifling through and stealing from unlocked vehicles.
Amanda Vicinanzo from the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office reported only about 26 percent of thefts and incidents of vehicle rummaging happened in locked vehicles. This shows that locking your vehicle and taking your valuables inside can be very effective against deterring thieves.
Viciananzo relayed stats from the county’s crime analyst. From January 1 until October 17, 2018, “there have been 186 total thefts from vehicles with about 49 of them being secured (it’s about 26% of the total),” she states in an email.
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Despite growing demands for transportation improvements and shrinking revenue streams, Monica Backmon aims to improve transportation for residents of Northern Virginia.
A juggling act — managing a regional board and dealing with revenue losses
As Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), Backmon manages a 17-member board of directors comprised mostly of elected officials from various Northern Virginia jurisdictions, including Prince William, as well as appointees made by the governor.
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WOODBRIDGE-- Prince William County is trying to become a safer, more accessible place for all its residents by adding sidewalks and bicycle trails.
On Tuesday, “The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted to authorize the submission of the grant applications for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program,” Paolo Belita, regional transportation planner for Prince William County, states in an email.
The county will apply for funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program. They anticipate the results of the funding requests will be available in Spring 2019, according to Belita.
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Editor's note: We're featuring the stories of some spooky hunts in our region during October.Â
FREDERICKSBURG --Â Folklore tells of a spectral being that returns to Chatham Manor in Fredericksburg once every seven years to search for her lost love.
Robin Nimmo of Fredericksburg Hauntings Tours tells her story, as well as many other spooky stories, as she guides visitors on a 90-minute walking tour of haunted Downtown Fredericksburg.
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STAFFORD-- On October 2, Kyle Bates from the Virginia Department of Transportation updated the Stafford County Board of Supervisors on the highlights of current VDOT construction projects in the county.
Questions and concerns from the Board of Supervisors
Mark Dudenhefer, Garrisonville District, expressed his concern for the lack of funding to improve county roads that are greatly impacted by when crews must portion of Interstate 95 for traffic crashes and construction projects.
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STAFFORD -- During the Stafford Board of Supervisors’ meeting on October 2,  the county’s director of public works Jason Towery updated the board on all the ongoing construction projects in the county.
Fire Station 14
Towery told the board that Fire Station 14 is still projected to be complete in Spring of 2019. There have been some delays due to weather. Some of the masonry work is coming up now.
