Author: Caitlyn Meisner

I'm the Manassas Local News Editor. Please send me story ideas and news tips.

Manassas

Talya Conroy Becomes CEO of Manassas ARTFactory

By Caitlyn Meisner

ARTFactory announced Talya Conroy as the new chief executive officer on Aug. 23 in a press release.

“It is an honor to serve our community in this capacity. I am humbled by the trust the Board of Directors has in me, and incredibly thankful to the ARTfactory staff, volunteers and patrons for all that they do for our amazing organization,” Conroy said. “I always like to say we are just getting started, and I cannot wait to see what the ARTfactory has in store for us in the many years to come.”

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News

Meet the Principal: Q+A with Gainesville Middle’s New Principal, Edward Schultz

By Caitlyn Meisner

Welcome 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.

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Manassas

STEM Solutions Transitions to First Office in Historic District

By Caitlyn Meisner
Brad Wilson is the founder of STEM Solutions and Manassas native.

STEM Solutions, a company focused on connecting “security-cleared talent with federal contractors,” has transitioned to its first physical office space in Historic Manassas.

Brad Wilson, the company’s founder, is a 2006 Osbourn High School alumnus and a state football championship for the school. He remains dedicated to the community, even hiring an intern, being an active member of the OHS alumni board and has begun discussions with OHS’s career and technical education program.

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Manassas Park

Photo Story: Hundreds Gather Near Home of Missing Manassas Park Woman

By Alan Gloss and Caitlyn Meisner
More than 200 members of the community attended a vigil after police announced charges in the case of the missing mother. [Photo/Alan Gloss]

On Thursday evening, more than 200 community members gathered at the Manassas Park home of a missing mother, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, who was last seen earlier this month. Her husband, Naresh Bhatt, was arrested and charged Thursday morning with felony concealing a body.

At a hearing on Friday morning in the Prince William Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, Bhatt remains in custody without bond. According to court documents, “a substantial amount of digital and forensic evidence” was found inside Bhatt and Kafle Bhatt shared.

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Manassas

Local Governments, Agencies Issue School Bus Safety Reminders

By Caitlyn Meisner
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood

With school having started in the region these past two weeks, several localities have released safety reminders for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

In a May 2021 report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said between 2010 and 2019, there were 1,080 school transportation-related crashes and 1,199 people of all ages were killed in those crashes.

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Breaking News

UPDATE: Police Say Husband is Person of Interest in Manassas Park Missing Woman Case

By Alan Gloss and Caitlyn Meisner

9:38 p.m. — Manassas Park Police have determined the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, Naresh Bhatt, is a person of interest. They also said he is no longer cooperating.

Police just wrapped up a press conference with details on tonight’s search of the home. More as we have it.

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News

UVA Prince William Ranked Highly for Heart Attack Treatment

By Caitlyn Meisner
UVA Prince William Medical Center in Manassas.

UVA Health Prince William Medical Center was ranked as a high-performing hospital — the highest possible rating — in heart attacks by the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for 2024.

The rating is achieved by less than 25% of hospitals that are evaluated. UVA Prince William joins 895 other hospitals that received this rating; 924 hospitals received an average rating, while 762 hospitals received a below-average rating.

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News

Electric School Bus Deliveries Delayed by Vendor to Manassas

By Caitlyn Meisner
Photo by PonerMass via Pexels

At a recent Manassas City School Board meeting, Craig Gfeller, deputy superintendent of MCPS, said the district will continue to use electric school buses, but is experiencing delays in receiving them from the manufacturer.

MCPS began using three electric school buses in the 2023-2024 school year, bringing the total to 67 buses in the fleet. Those buses drove a combined total of 23,555 miles in transporting students of all ages to and from school and field trips. Gfeller said the plan is to phase in another three buses this school year, then an additional six in the 2025-26 school year.

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Manassas

School Board Members Vote Down Monthly Attendance Reports

By Caitlyn Meisner
Sara Brescia defending her position on monthly attendance reports to her fellow School Board members on Aug. 13, 2024.

Manassas City Public School Board members did not approve a resolution to require monthly attendance reports be made public in a 4-2 vote Tuesday.

The issue of attendance at MCPS was born from a meeting on Oct. 10, 2023, where Chevese Thomas, executive director of student services, gave a 36-slide presentation on attendance. Board Member Sara Brescia expressed concerns and presented this resolution to the Board in February, but the discussion was postponed to this meeting, the first of the 2024-2025 school year.

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