Manassas celebrated its 150th anniversary on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the Boys and Girls Club, 9501 Dean Park Lane.
The celebration showcased local government services, with several departments, such as parks and recreation and public works displaying information and wares to residents. Multiple non-profits, such as Keep Manassas Beautiful, which advertised its upcoming Bee Festival, and UVA Prince William Medical Center, were on and had to speak with residents.
Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham will be front and center during the Board of County Supervisors meeting at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, 2023, to update elected leaders about crime in the county.
According to Newsham’s 2o22 executive summary, the violent crime rate jumped an eye-popping 70% from 2019 to 2022, which includes murder, manslaughter, rape, sodomy, and robbery (outlined on page 48 of the department’s 2021 report).
The first couple donated a $43,750 check, the governor’s first-quarter salary, to Good News Jail and Prison Ministry, which works with inmates inside the jail, according to a press release.
The governor’s office did not tip off the press to his visit. Afterward, the first couple visited the nearby Prince William County Western District Police Station and spoke with a graduating crisis intervention team class.
The region will be under a high wind watch Saturday, April 1, 2023, from noon until midnight.
From the National Weather Service:
Exit 98 (Doswell) to Exit 104 (Carmel Church)
Monday – Tuesday, 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. Bridge inspection at mile marker 103, just south of the Carmel Church interchange. Northbound and southbound lane and shoulder closures.
The agenda for the Stafford County Board of Supervisors is posted, and, as promised, supervisors will hear from the public about a plan to hike Real Estate taxes by 38% in the coming year.
The tax rate hike, accompanied by a host of other fee increases outlined in the agenda link above, like water and sewer, would mean the owners of average single-family homes could see their tax bills increase from about $3,000 to about $5,000. The additional $947 million budget would be used for pay raises for county staff and teachers, to build new schools, and other projects outlined in this report.
The ACTS Crisis Helpline will cease operation on June 30, 2023.
The Dumfries-based non-profit announced the closure of the 41-year-old telephone helpline on Thursday, March 30. During its time, staffers at the helpline took 500,000 calls from Prince William County residents and calls from across the U.S. as part of the National Suicide Hotline Network, said ACTS Interim CEO David Strand.
Surveillance photos show multiple people broke into an auto dealership in Woodbridge, located the keys to several cars, and drove them off the lot.
Prince William police report:
Occoquan is partnering with the Potomac Riverkeeper Network to install two water quality monitoring stations in the Occoquan River.
More in an email from Mayor Earnie Porta:
