Author: PLN News

Prince William

Admissibility of Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s accusations of domestic abuse debated

By PLN News
Exterior of the Prince William County Judicial Center in Manassas
The Prince William County Judicial Center in Manassas. (File photo) Photo: BrandyPowers via Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Attorneys in Naresh Bhatt’s murder trial argued Thursday over whether statements Mamta Kafle Bhatt allegedly made to her brother about abuse by her husband can be heard by jurors, WUSA 9 reported.

Judge Kimberly Irving ruled some of the 12 statements are admissible and some are not. Mahesh Kafle’s testimony that his sister told him she felt unsafe will be allowed, as will her statements about what she feared her husband would do if he found out she was taking pictures. Other specific statements about what Naresh Bhatt allegedly did to her will not be allowed.

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News

Northern Virginia man accused of stealing $1.4M in international ghost student loan scheme

By PLN News
Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria, home to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.(Flckr photo: Tim Evanson)

A Northern Virginia man has been charged in an international scheme that used stolen American identities to enroll “ghost students” and siphon more than $1.4 million in federal student aid, FOX 5 DC reported.

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia returned an indictment charging a Kenyan national with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and student aid fraud. The defendant has not been named because the indictment was returned under seal.

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Police Blotter

Police Blotter: Man Exposes Himself Outside Woodbridge Woman’s Window

By PLN News
Police file photo
Photo: Scott Rodgerson / Unsplash

Prince William County police are investigating an indecent exposure at a Woodbridge apartment complex, where a woman woke to knocking on her window. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office released its daily incident report listing two fraud cases and the arrest of a man wanted out of South Carolina.

On October 28 at 1:57AM, officers responded to Misty Ridge Apartments, located in the 15000 block of Sunny Ridge Ct in Woodbridge (22191), to investigate an indecent exposure. The investigation revealed the victim, a 23-year-old woman, was asleep inside her residence when she woke up to the sound of knocking on her window. The victim looked out the window and observed an unknown man exposing himself and making obscene gestures before leaving the area on foot. The suspect was described as a black male wearing dark colored clothing.

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Stafford

Parents cite ‘covert oppression’ as Stafford School Board keeps religious holidays on 2027-28 calendar in 6-1 vote

By PLN News

Parents who told the Stafford County School Board that removing religious holidays while adding instructional days amounted to “covert oppression” helped push the board to keep those days on the 2027-28 calendar.

The board voted 6-1 on Oct. 27 to approve version 2 of the calendar, which keeps federal holidays plus religious and cultural days the division has observed in recent years, including Yom Kippur, Diwali and Eid. A substitute motion for version 3, which would have kept only federal holidays, failed 4-3.

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Stafford

Stafford approves expansion for James River Equipment

By PLN News
Rendering of the planned James River Equipment building
Rendering of the planned James River Equipment building in Falmouth. Image: Stafford County / James River Equipment

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 20 unanimously approved a rezoning allowing James River Equipment to expand its facility in the Falmouth District.The board approved the change from B-3 Office Zoning District to M-2 Heavy Industrial on about 9.5 acres (parcels 38-83D and 38-83) at the northeast corner of Wyche Road and Venture Drive.

The site already holds the company’s existing roughly 10,000-square-foot facility on the southern parcel; the northern parcel is used for outdoor storage. The rezoning permits a new approximately 35,000-square-foot building that will include office, shop, showroom and parts space, plus a wash bay. The existing building will remain.

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Stafford

Stafford board adds extra half-day holiday for Thanksgiving week

By PLN News

Stafford County offices will close an extra half-day on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026, after the Board of Supervisors approved the additional holiday leave on Oct. 20.

The board voted 5-2 to approve Resolution R26-383, which gives county employees a full day off the day before Thanksgiving. Supervisors Crystal Vanuch and Pamela Yeung voted against it.

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Prince William

Parent, student press School Board on locked bathrooms at Colgan High

By PLN News
Multiple security guards posted outside Colgan High School in Prince William County in anticipation of a student walkout over queer rights.

A parent returned to the Prince William County School Board for the third time on Oct. 21, 2026, to press for a division-wide policy guaranteeing students timely access to toilets, citing Freedom of Information Act records about locked bathrooms at Colgan High School.

Janelle Anderson told the board that Colgan, which has nearly 3,000 students, locks multiple bathrooms during seven-minute passing periods, before and after school, during lunch, and during class. She said students who cannot find an unlocked bathroom must interrupt instruction to ask permission to leave class, even with restrictions already in place for the first and last 10 minutes of class.

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Prince William

Prince William opens inclusive playground at Hellwig Park

By PLN News
The current state of construction of two soccer fields at George Hellwig Memorial Park/ [Courtesy of Prince William County Parks and Recreation via Facebook]

Prince William County opened a new inclusive playground at George Hellwig Memorial Park after more than 200 volunteers built it Oct. 23, InsideNoVa reports.

The playground sits next to the Dr. Richard Tami Miracle Field and was designed with input from local children during a Design Day in August.

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Spotsylvania

Spotsylvania residents call for supervisor’s censure after social media posts continue

By PLN News
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Multiple Spotsylvania residents asked the Board of Supervisors Tuesday to censure or remove Vice Chair Drew Mullins after his offensive social media posts continued, FXBG Advance reports.

The board took no action and did not discuss the requests at the Oct. 27 meeting. Mullins did not respond during the meeting.

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