Almost 4,000 runners from 48 states and seven countries conquered the streets of Fredericksburg for the 2022 Marine Corps Historic Half.
U.S. Marine Captain Kyle King, 32, from Alexandria, won the “Greatest Half in History” with a time of 1:13:24. King, a recent graduate of the Expeditionary Warfare School at Quantico Marine Corps Base and a member of the All-Marine Running Team, participated in the Marine Corps Historic Half before moving to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in California.
Coming in just under three minutes later was Ken Hampshire, 37, from Burke, with a time of 1:16:05. Rounding out the top three males was Christopher Pirch, 42, from Spotsylvania, coming in at a time with 1:16:17.
The event encompasses the 13.1-mile Marine Corps Historic Half, the five-mile Semper 5ive, and the 18.1-mile Devil Dog Double.
The Historic Half had 2,895 total finishers, including 18 Duo and wheeled athletes. The Semper 5ive had 644 finishers, while 367 people completed the combined distance of 18.1 in the Devil Dog Double.
The event took place Sunday, May 22, on a course that meandered through Central Park, then Downtown Fredericksburg. The event generates $7.2 million in economic impact for the city, according to a 2017 Mary Washington University study.
Sunday’s event was the latest in a series of events leading up to the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington on October 30, 2022. It marked the first time since 2019 the race had been run in person in Fredericksburg.
In March, the Marine Corps Marathon held its 17.75K Marathon at Prince William Forest Park near Dumfries, another event in the race series.
Clean-up continues following a crippling snowstorm that hit our region on January 3, closing a portion of Interstate 95 between Dumfries and Kings Dominion.
Debris clean-up along Interstate 95 in the Fredericksburg area is complete. Now, crews may concentrate on debris removal along primary and secondary roads in Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties.
Since the storm, more than 1.1 million cubic yards of tree debris have been gathered, representing more than 21,000 truck loads. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) estimates around 1.5 million cubic yards of debris will be collected by the cleanup operation in Fredericksburg District, which is expected to continue into July.
Around a dozen crews gather debris across the four affected counties within the state right-of-way. Debris has been identified along more than 840 secondary roads in Caroline, King George, Stafford, and Spotsylvania counties.
Crews are visiting roads that carry the heaviest traffic first, in most instances. Crews have prioritized debris removal along I-95, primary routes, and priority secondary routes.
Motorists can report a hazard on a state-maintained road, such as debris blocking a road or a travel lane, by calling VDOT’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623) or online at my.vdot.virginia.gov.
The January 3 storm walloped our region, closing schools for a week, leaving tens of thousands without power, and leaving tens of thousands of drivers on Interstate 95 stranded.
The right lane of Interstate 95 southbound in Fredericksburg is fixed.
VDOT crews completed an emergency maintenance repair at milepost 131, near Route 3, to address erosion south of the Rappahannock River bridge.
VDOT had reported that the issues on the lane caused by erosion were considered severe enough to close the lane temporarily.
Six southbound travel lanes are now open on I-95 in this area, with new capacity recently added by the I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing project.
Three southbound travel lanes are open in the local travel lanes between exit 133 (Route 17) in Stafford County and exit 130. Three southbound travel lanes are available in the through travel lanes between these interchanges.
Potomac Local News reported on the closure of the lane, which occurred on May 9.
Three-time MLB All-Star and 2019 World Series MVP starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg will start Fredericksburg Nationals game against the Salem Red Sox at Virginia Credit Union Stadium on Tuesday, May 24 as part of a minor league rehab assignment.
The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Strasburg, the first overall pick of the Nationals in the 2009 draft, missed most of the 2021 season and underwent surgery in July of 2021 to alleviate neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome in his arm.
In 246 Major League games, Strasburg holds a record of 113-61, an ERA of 3.21, and has struck out over 1,700 batters in his career.
The Fredericksburg Nationals are a Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.
Meanwhile, the Fredericksburg Nationals concluded the six-game set at Delmarva with an 11-4 loss on Sunday, May 22, 2022. Leandro Emiliani had two hits, including a home run in the finale.
Brendan Collins (2-1) suffered the loss on the mound for Fredericksburg after allowing six runs (six earned) in the third. Steven Williams had an RBI base hit, and Jacob Young reached base four times. Orlando Ribalta, Pedro Gonzalez and Jack Sinclair all carded scoreless appearances in relief. Ryan Long (1-1) earned the win for Delmarva out of the bullpen.
About 2,200 Dominion Power customers in Stafford County are without power after a storm.
Those who live on the Widewater Penninsula and in the Holly Corner areas of Stafford County are most affected. The lights should be back on by 4 a.m., according to Dominion.
In Prince William County, about 800 NOVEC customers are in the dark. Across all of Northern Virginia, about 20,000 were in the dark.
Multiple people reported downed trees and power lines after a severe storm moved through the region at about 7 p.m., packing 60 mph winds and hail.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Washington DC, Arlington VA and Alexandria VA until 8:00 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/cvIq1xhRCK
— NWS Severe Tstorm (@NWSSevereTstorm) May 22, 2022
The high temperature at Regan National Airport today reached 96 degrees. The storm brought cooler weather, as temperatures fell into the mid-70s following the storm.
Here’s the forecast from the National Weather Service:
Monday
A slight chance of showers after 2 pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 75. North wind 7 to 9 mph. The chance of precipitation is 20%.
Monday Night
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. North wind 3 to 5 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. East wind around 6 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday Night
A chance of showers, mainly after 2 am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. East wind 3 to 5 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%.
Wednesday
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. The chance of precipitation is 30%.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office honored nearly 40 of its members during an awards ceremony Thursday, May 19, at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in North Stafford.
Deputies were honored for incidents that included solving homicides, capturing robbery suspects, using first aid training to save lives, and deescalating volatile situations.
Six of the nearly 40 deputies were honored with a medal of valor. Here’s a full PDF list of the nominees.
The sheriff’s office is led by Sheriff David Decatur, who was elected Sheriff on November 3, 2015, and took office on January 1, 2016.
Hung Cao is the Republican nominee for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.
He’ll face Jennifer Wexton (D) in the November 8 General Election, who’s held the seat since 2018. Cao won his nomination during a Firehouse Primary on May 21, 2022. He faced 10 other candidates.
On Primary Day, Cao said he would be a unifying force in a time of crisis.
Politics isn't easy. It's a tool used for unification or division. The United States needs unity in times of crisis. We've chosen to be a unifying force! pic.twitter.com/7maWsOp8zA
— Hung Cao (@HungCaoCongress) May 21, 2022
Cao is a refugee from Vietnam and an immigrant to the U.S. Hung’s family left in 1975, shortly before the fall of Saigon. After a brief stay in the U.S., his family relocated to West Africa, where he was educated in French schools, before returning to Annandale, Virginia, in 1982.
Cao graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Cao was accepted to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
Upon graduation, he served as a Deep Sea Diver and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Officer. As a Navy Diver, Cao salvaged several plane wreckages, including the recovery of John F. Kennedy Jr, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette.
Cao deployed in combat to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, serving alongside Special Forces and SEAL Teams. Cao also worked on the Navy budget at the Pentagon, wrote the policy, and worked with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in San Diego.
Caleb Max, one of the candidates Primary Election candidates who ran against Cao, voiced his support for the nominee.
“I can vouch that he is a man of faith, principle, and family. As an American war hero and first-generation American, he will have the ability to relate to our diverse district full of minorities and veterans,” said Max.
In one month, voters will head to the polls in Virginia’s 7th District to choose a Republican to face Democrat Abagail Spanberger, who’s running to keep the seat she’s held since 2008.
Virginia Republicans are confident they can flip the 2nd District (Virginia Beach, Norfolk), the 7th, and 10t districts from Democratic to Republican control in November.
VDOT announced all lane closures and work zones were lifted for the weekend.
Until then, here’s what’s working in our area.
I-95 Northbound
Exit 118 (Thornburg) to Exit 126 (Spotsylvania)
Sunday – Thursday, 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. Overnight lane closures for mobile operation for pavement marker work.
Exit 136 (Centreport Parkway)
Sunday – Thursday, 9 p.m. – 4:30 a.m. Single lane closure near the interchange for Improve 95 construction.
Exit 148 (Quantico)
Monday – Thursday, 9 p.m. – 4:30 a.m. Overnight lane closures and full traffic stops for bridge construction for Express Lanes near the interchange.
9 p.m. – Single lane closure
10 p.m. – Double lane closure
Midnight – 3 a.m. – Intermittent full traffic stops up to 30 minutes
4:30 a.m. – All lanes open
I-95 Southbound
Exit 140 (Courthouse Road)
Monday – Thursday, 9 p.m. – 10 a.m. Single lane closure south of the interchange at mile markers 139-138 for express lanes construction.
Exit 136 (Centreport Parkway) to Exit 133 (Route 17)
Wednesday – Thursday, 9 p.m. – 10 a.m. Overnight lane closures and full traffic stops for Express Lanes construction near the interchange.
9 p.m. – Single lane closure
10 p.m. – Double lane closure
Midnight – 3 a.m. – Intermittent full traffic stops up to 30 minutes
4:30 a.m. – Two lanes open, with a single lane closure in place
10 a.m. – All southbound lanes open
Exit 130 (Route 3) to Exit 118 (Thornburg)
Sunday – Thursday, 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. Overnight lane closures for mobile operation for pavement marker work.
Express Lanes
Exit 150 (Joplin Road) Prince William County
Monday – Thursday, 10 p.m. – 4 a.m. Starting at 10 p.m., southbound travelers on the Express Lanes will be detoured to the general-purpose lanes at exit 150 (Joplin Road) in Prince William County until 4 a.m. The closure and detour are needed to allow crews to build the future access point to Express Lanes at exit 148 (Quantico).
Fredericksburg officials celebrated the opening of Riverfront Park and the launch of Fredericksburg Main Street’s Otter-ly Amazing Fredericksburg Project on Saturday, May 21, 2022.
The park at 713 Sophia Street (encompassing the 500-700 blocks), across from the city’s parking garage, is a nearly four-acre property and the city’s first “smart park.” As its name suggests, it features Rappahannock River views and includes open space, event space, an interactive water feature, a meadow area, and a children’s play area. Parking is available and is free for the first three hours.
Visitors may use a restroom at the city’s visitor center at 706 Caroline Street while a new restroom is being built.
Riverfront Park is also the “home base” for the mother Otter in Fredericksburg Main Street’s Otter-ly Amazing Trail, a partnership between the downtown business community and the local government seeking to promote the river ecosystem and the city’s arts community
As the city’s first “smart park,” Riverfront Park is the first park in the region to provide solar-powered lighting, free public Wi-Fi, flood sensors, and security cameras. The free public Wi-Fi service enables people visiting Riverfront Park to access the Internet through their own wireless-enabled devices, such as laptops and PDAs
Riverfront Park is open daily and is closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. For more information, visit fredericksburgva.gov or call 540-372-1086.
