The Prince William County Solid Waste Division will host a Compost Awareness Day event on Saturday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with its partners Freestate Farms, Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, and Keep Prince William Beautiful. The event will be held at the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility, 13000 Balls Ford Road, Manassas.
Attendees can learn about backyard composting, ask questions, and find out about the composting process at the County’s state-of-the-art facility.
Event includes:
- Free compost samples (bring your own 5 gallon bucket)Compost bin sales
Compost and gardening information - Community beautification information
- Compost facility tours at 10:30 a.m. and noon
- Food scraps collection
Volunteers from the VA Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners program will be present to share materials on the benefits of composting and its use and information on yard waste and food composting at home.
Keep Prince William Beautiful volunteers will share community beautification ideas and opportunities. In addition, attendees can take home a free compost sample in their own bucket, compliments of Freestate Farms. Residents can also drop off food scraps to be composted. Backyard compost bins will also be available for purchase. Compost facility walking tours will begin at 10:30 a.m. and 12 noon.
This Prince William County event supports International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), the compost industry’s largest and most comprehensive education initiative. ICAW promotes composting efforts in the backyard and, at large scale, commercial composting facilities, like the County’s Balls Ford Road Compost Facility, operated by Freestate Farms.
This year’s theme, “For Healthier Soil, Healthier Food…Compost!” According to the Compost Research & Education Foundation, the theme was chosen based on a serious world-wide issue that every nation, unfortunately, experiences: hunger.” The 2023 theme best reflects the goal of focusing on how compost can have a role in helping feed the world by making our soil healthier, which produces healthier food. By recycling organics into compost and using it on our farmlands, we create healthy soils that produce healthier food and higher yields. It also reduces the need for fertilizer and pesticides, improves water quality, conserves water, and stores carbon in soil – helping to reduce climate change. Compost not only helps the environment but also helps to decrease food shortages experienced around the world.
In October 2021, Prince William County implemented a yard waste collection program to better manage this organic resource, which is 13% of the waste stream. Local trash and recycling haulers now collect yard waste separately from other trash and recycling for composting at the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility versus landfilling.
Residents can also bring yard waste such as leaves, brush, garden, and hedge trimmings to the Balls Ford Road facility or the County Landfill to be processed. The resulting compost and mulch products can be purchased at either Solid Waste facilities.
Attend Compost Awareness Day on May 6 and learn more about composting. Visit pwcva.gov/trashandrecycling for more information about yard waste collection regulations and other Solid Waste services.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors will hold a joint meeting with its Planning Commission tonight at 6 o'clock to discuss data centers and their potential impact on the county.
The public meeting is at the Courthouse Community Center, 29 Stafford Avenue.
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One hundred Georgetown South residents will get a third parking permit from the city and won't have to pay a dime.
The Manassas City Council approved the measure at its Monday, March 27, 2023, meeting. Councilman Tom Osina, who lives in Georgetown South, a neighborhood of townhomes in Downtown Manassas, motioned to approve the measure.
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A shooting, a stabbing, and someone who mishandled a gun at a hotel kept police in Prince William County busy this past weekend.
Here’s the latest from Prince William police:
Shooting Investigation – On March 26 at 1:37PM, officers responded to the Woodbridge Station Apartments located in the 13600 block of Kitty Hawk Way in Woodbridge (22191) to investigate a shooting. Upon arriving at the apartment building, officers located the victim, a 28-year-old woman, suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers provided first aid until rescue personnel arrived and transported the victim to an area hospital where her
injuries were determined to be non-life threatening. The investigation revealed two groups were involved in a verbal altercation when multiple shots were fired.Both groups dispersed on foot, while some fled in a white vehicle. Responding officers located the suspect vehicle nearby and attempted a vehicle stop. The driver of the vehicle disregarded the officer’s emergency equipment and continued driving. Eventually, the vehicle stopped in the area of Cove Landing Dr. where the occupants fled on foot. After a brief foot pursuit, one of the occupants, identified as the accused, was detained. A police K-9 searched the area for the other suspects who were not located. While checking the above area, officers located two apartments that were struck by rounds.
Shell casings were also located in the area of Ranger Lp. No additional injuries were reported. Following the investigation, the accused, identified as Alhajie Alpha KAMARA, was arrested. The investigation continues.
Arrested on March 26:
Alhajie Alpha KAMARA, 19, of 1385 Eisenhower Cl. in Woodbridge
Charged with 2 counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and 1 count of obstruction of justice Court Date: Pending | Bond: UnavailableReckless Handling of a Firearm – On March 25 at 7:04PM, officers responded to the Super 8 Motel located at 17416 Richmond Hwy. in Dumfries (22026) to investigate a shots fired call. The investigation revealed a patron, later identified as the accused, was handling his firearm inside of a motel room when a round was fired. The round entered the wall of the motel room and continued into an occupied adjoining room.
The accused quickly left the hotel after the incident. The occupants of the adjoining room reported the shooting to an employee of the motel who contacted the police. No injuries or additional property damage were reported. Later that evening, the accused returned to the motel where he encountered officers and was detained. The accused was also determined to be intoxicated. Following the investigation, the accused, identified as Jesse Lee MEADOWS, was arrested.
Arrested on March 25:
Jesse Lee MEADOWS, 39, of no fixed address
Charged with reckless handling of a firearm and intoxicated in public Court Date: Pending | Bond: $5,000 SecuredStabbing Investigation – On March 25 at 7:33AM, officers responded to the Somerset Point Apartments located in the 7500 block of Equinox Landing Ct. in Gainesville (20155) to investigate a stabbing. Upon arriving in the parking lot of the apartment complex, officers located the victim, a 31-year-old man, inside of a vehicle suffering from stab wounds.
Officers provided first aid until rescue personnel arrived and transported the victim to an area hospital where his injuries were determined to be non-life threatening. The initial investigation revealed the victim was near the apartment building when he was stabbed multiple times. The victim then walked to his vehicle in the parking lot while calling for help. A bystander heard the victim and contacted emergency services. At this time, the incident does not appear random. The investigation continues.
The Prince William Chamber of Commerce Valor Awards is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
The event will occur at 2 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas.
The annual awards ceremony recognizes heroes from police and fire and rescue services in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park.
The event is free to attend. You can register using this link.
More from the Prince William Chamber of Commerce:
The Prince William Chamber of Commerce annually recognizes police, fire and rescue workers for their courageous, often lifesaving actions at the Valor Awards ceremony.
Recipients are nominated by their respective chiefs and selected by a committee of not only their peers but also members of the business community.
During the ceremony their stories of valor are read before a live audience consisting of their departments, their families and neighbors while they receive a plaque recognizing them for their heroic, often life-saving actions. We hope that you will join us this year.
The newest elementary school in Prince William County needs a permanent name. The school division will hold a community meeting to discuss the name (register here.)
Since construction began last year, officials have referred to the new school as “Rosemount Lewis” because the school sits near a park with the same name. The school is at 11000 Crestwood Drive, near Manassas.
The school will open this fall with an estimated 555 students.
More in a press release:
Prince William County Public Schools will begin the process of naming “Rosemount Lewis” Elementary School, opening for the 2023-24 school year, through two virtual community input sessions hosted by the Naming Committee. The first session will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend the virtual meetings and provide naming suggestions, justifications, and background information to aid in the name selection process for the new elementary school located in the Sudley area of Prince William County.
During the virtual meetings, following a brief presentation, the Naming Committee will receive name suggestions from the community. Those wishing to speak will need to register in advance. Each registered speaker will have up to three minutes to share their suggestion(s), along with any justification they feel is appropriate.
The Naming Committee is composed of School Board members Dr. Babur B. Lateef, (Chairman At-Large), Jennifer T. Wall (Vice Chairwoman, Gainesville District), and Adele E. Jackson (Brentsville District). The committee will consider geographic or historical identifiers, as well as names of living or deceased person(s) who have made local, state, or national service contributions. If a name of a person, selection preference shall be given to those individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of education, especially within Prince William County.
In addition, name suggestions can be made in writing by completing the name suggestion form by 12 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2.
A 33-year-old man turned himself in to police after police said he was suspected in the sexual assault of a 25-year-old woman at a house in Woodbridge.
From Prince William police:
Sexual Assault Investigation *ARREST – On March 27, the suspect sought in connection to the sexual assault that was reported to have occurred at the Potomac Vista Apartments located in the 14100 block of Cove Landing Dr in Woodbridge (22191) on March 18, was arrested. The accused, identified as Alphonso PAGE, turned himself in to police.
Arrested on March 27:
Alphonso PAGE, 33, of no fixed address
Charged with rape
Court Date: Pending | Bond: Held WITHOUT BondSexual Assault Investigation [Previously Released] – On March 18 at 8:54AM, officers responded to the Potomac Vista Apartments located in the 14100 block of Cove Landing Dr in Woodbridge (22191) to investigate a sexual assault. The investigation revealed the victim, a 25-year-old woman, was attending a gathering at an apartment in the complex when she fell asleep. The victim later woke to an unknown man sexually assaulting her. The suspect left the residence after the assault and the victim contacted police. During the investigation, detectives were able to identify the suspect as Alphonso PAGE, and obtained a warrant for his arrest on March 23. Attempts to locate the suspect have been unsuccessful. The suspect is known to frequent the Arlington and Alexandria areas of Northern Virginia, southeast Washington D.C., and Prince George’s County in Maryland. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of this suspect is asked to contact Prince William County police at 703-792-6500 or your local police department.
Manassas is working to become a bicycle-friendly city. In recent years, the city has added several bicycle-only lanes.
Today, The League of American Bicyclists is asking residents to fill out a survey asking city residents about their experiences using a bike in the city.
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The Manassas City Council will meet tonight for the next installment of the parking-space drama in Georgetown South.
On tonight's agenda, council members are asked to pass a resolution creating a third set of parking permits for the neighborhood, which will be issued to 100 people.
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Prince William County taxpayers own the Incredible Universe building, most recently used as a Gander Mountain store.
The county purchased a 155,000-square-foot building near Potomac Mills mall, at 14041 Worth Avenue, for just over $15 million. Last year, it signed a $10 million, 11-year lease on the building to open a crisis receiving center (other than a hospital or jail) where police can take those suffering mental breakdowns for help.
