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Author: Caitlyn Meisner
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The training is open to all faith-based organizations in an effort to assist them in securing a safe worship environment. The event will be lecture-based and provide tools for organizations to keep worship spaces secure, as well as an introduction to the Worship Watch Program (WWP).
According to the county’s website, WWP is a proactive program that encourages houses of worship to become more involved in reducing the opportunity for crimes to occur on their premises. The program operates similarly to a community watch program.
The clerk, Jacqueline Smith, will host this special event for civil celebrant weddings and vow renewals in Occoquan, chock-full of riverfront views and small businesses to enjoy following a ceremony. The event will be held at the Occoquan Town Hall (314 Mill St.) and provide couples the chance to exchange vows in the historic building.
To schedule a marriage license application and ceremony, contact the clerk’s office at 703-792-6036 or at [email protected]. More information on marriage licenses can be found on the county’s website.
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National Take Back Day is led by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which established this day to address the drug overdose epidemic in the U.S. Thousands of people die each year in prescription opioid deaths; in 2022, the number of deaths was 14,716 according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“DEA is committed to making our communities safer and healthier, and we can do this by reducing overdoses and overdose deaths,” the DEA’s website states. “While the community does its part to turn in unneeded medications and remove them from potential harm, we are doing our part to further reduce drug-related violence.”
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The City of Manassas is now offering new services to Spanish speakers in an effort to better reach residents.
The new services include an anonymous Spanish-only WhatsApp channel to stay updated on the city, Spanish email notifications and emergency alerts, Spanish messaging for events and YouTube videos that can be viewed in Spanish.
The Prince William County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a panel on affordable workforce housing on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Potomac Valley Church in Dumfries.
The summit will bring together multiple industry leaders, policymakers and developers to discuss strategies that will benefit Prince William County. It will be hosted at the Potomac Valley Church at 1006 Williamstown Drive in Dumfries from 5 to 7 p.m. Registration is encouraged.
Prince William County recently appointed Phyllis Jennings-Holt as the new director of the Department of Social Services following a national recruitment process.
Jennings-Holt has worked in the county since September 1992 in various roles in DSS. She’s been a social worker, case manager, assistant director of protective services and deputy director. Jennings-Holt was the acting director of DSS starting in June, and effective immediately became the director.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. — or until the approximately 900 tags are gone — PWCPD will be distributing free tracking tags to county residents to help locate and recover stolen vehicles. According to a public information officer in PWCPD, the county’s completed and attempted thefts are up 13% from this time last year.
The PIO said the department picked Woodbridge High School because it’s “somewhat central” and is densely populated. Detectives will be able to install the tags onsite.
Welcome (or welcome back) to a new Potomac Local News series, “Meet the Principal.” With nearly two dozen new principals in Prince William County this school year, it’s important to get to know the folks in their new roles. Potomac Local has asked each principal the same questions in bold, and their respective answers will be found below.
Today, get to know Andrew “Andy” Jacks, Ed.D., the new principal of Ellis Elementary School in Bull Run. He’s been an educator for nearly 25 years and has been a principal in Prince William County Schools (PWCS) since 2010.
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The National Museum of the Marine Corps unveiled two new galleries to the public on Sunday, commemorating the exhibits with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The galleries feature hundreds of artifacts from all major United States Marine Corps operations from 1976 to 2021, including Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. As the 250th anniversary of the Corps approaches, this new exhibit will showcase the most recent 50 years.