Richard “Dale” Sword was found dead in a house in Manassas on Thursday, November 14. According to Sgt. Gio Barahona from Manassas police, Sword was found in a vacant house in the 1000 block of Dumfries Road.
While the autopsy for the cause of death is still underway, according to Barahona, Sword, who was homeless, was exposed to record-breaking cold the night before he was found dead. Temperatures dropped to 19 degrees on November 13, according to National Weather Service records.
Manassas residents lined up to speak in favor of Carmello’s and Mozna, two restaurants of the same owner in Downtown Manassas that came under fire late last month for improvements it made to its building.
A petition with at least 300 signatures of city residents was presented to the city council on December 9. It urged leaders to reverse the council’s decision to require the restaurant to change the color of its brick facade on the front of the restaurant from a Mediterianian-style white to red brick, to match the other buildings in the downtown area.
City leaders on Monday night authorized the city manager to install up to 10 cameras at problem intersections in the city where drivers are known to run red lights.
Officials have not said where or when the new cameras will be installed. “Our goal here is to reduce driver behavior at the most troubled intersections,” said Manassas Police Chief Douglas Keen said.
2nd Amendment rights advocates filled the Manassas City Council Chambers urging city leaders to send a message to Richmond lawmakers — protect their rights to bear arms.
“Extreme gun control bills in Richmond are attempts to intimidate Virginia citizens,” Kevin Leigh told city council members.
As both Manassas and Manassas Park talk about exiting the Prince William County Public Library System, changes are coming to the library residents of these cities use most.
Central Library, located at 8601 Mathis Avenue in Manassas, will close Jan. 15, 2020 for renovations. When it reopens in June, it will be the home to the Ruth E. Loyd Information Center (RELIC), a center devoted to genealogy and Prince William County history.
The Manassas City Council has urged the General Assembly to support gun safety legislation including:
At a city council meeting on November 25, Councilman Mark Wolfe motioned for the resolution and Vice Mayor Pamela Sebesky seconded it. All members except voted yes, except Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis, who abstained from the vote.
A pair of bald eagles have nested in Manassas for years.
Now, a documentary about the birds seeks to draw attention to the birds and the possible threat to their habitat as new houses and a hotel are going up on the city’s last piece of developable land: the Landing at Cannon Branch at Godwin Drive and Gateway Boulevard.
Residents expressed their ideas about what to do with a historic home, Annaburg Manor.
Members of the city council have speculated it could become a park due to its location close to downtown.
City leaders envision a large retailer to be the anchor of its long-talked-about City Center development.
A joint public hearing held on November 6 was the first step in amending the city’s Comprehensive Plan, and officials hoping this clears the way to landing their dream store.
The Park joins Manassas City, as both are exploring the option of opening its own libraries.
In June 2019, the Park voted to let the current Prince William County Library agreement expire and to negotiate a new one.
