Stafford County Fire and Rescue units responded to a structure fire at approximately 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 2025, in the 00 block of Churchill Lane in the western part of the county. Crews arrived about eight minutes later to find heavy fire coming from the front and roof of a two-story, single-family residence. The fire was brought under control in about 40 minutes. The sole occupant evacuated safely and is being assisted by the American Red Cross. One firefighter was evaluated for a minor medical emergency. The Stafford County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

Here’s the full press release:

Overnight Fire Damages Stafford Home
Stafford, VA—At approximately 11:40 P.M. on Sunday, April 27th, Stafford County Fire and Rescue units (SCFR) responded for a structure fire in the 00 block of Churchill Lane in the western part of the county. First arriving units marked on scene approximately 8 minutes later and reported heavy fire coming from the front and roof of a large, two-story, single-family residence. Crews worked quickly to extinguish the fire, despite structural instability, and brought the structure fire under control in approximately 40 minutes.
The single occupant of the residence was able to evacuate prior to the arrival of units and is being assisted by the American Red Cross. One firefighter was evaluated for a minor medical emergency.
The fire is under routine investigation by the Stafford County Fire Marshal’s Office.

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OCCOQUAN, Va. — Two new historical markers have been installed in Occoquan, highlighting little-known aspects of the town's early economic and environmental history.

Funded by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), the markers are located near the Mill House Museum and Mamie Davis Park. The project is part of a broader effort to add interpretive signage along the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, which runs through the town.

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The Fredericksburg Nationals (12-9) defeated the Charleston RiverDogs (8-13) 6-5 on Sunday, April 27, 2025, securing a 4-2 series win. Jackson Ross hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to complete a late-game comeback before 4,007 fans at Virginia Credit Union Stadium. The FredNats now head to Salem, with game one set for Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.

Here’s the full press release:

The Fredericksburg Nationals (12-9) launched another late-game comeback against the Charleston RiverDogs (8-13), winning 6-5 on Jackson Ross’ sacrifice fly in the tenth inning. The win, which saw the FredNats score four unanswered runs after the eighth, also secured a 4-2 series victory for Fredericksburg.

In front of a season-high 4,007 fans at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, Fredericksburg’s Davian Garcia and Charleston’s Janzen Keisel took the hill on a “Salute to Service Sunday” with the series on the line. Both pitchers were sixth-round selections in the 2024 MLB Draft and both struggled with command in their respective starts.

The FredNats got to Keisel in the second inning when the Oklahoma State product walked three to load the bases before Cristhian Vaquero smoked a double high off the right field wall, missing a grand slam by a yard. It was Vaquero’s tenth hit of the series and gave him his eighth and ninth RBI to put Fredericksburg up 2-0.

Garcia skirted around traffic with two pickoffs and a double-play ball in the first three innings, but couldn’t avoid damage in the fourth. After a leadoff double from Jack Lines, Charleston’s first hit, Garcia issued his fourth walk to set the table for the RiverDogs. With one out, Nathan Flewelling flipped a double the opposite way to score both runners and came home himself on an RBI single from Larry Martinez, giving Charleston a 3-2 lead.

The RiverDogs got to the FredNat bullpen after that in the sixth inning too, plating two runs off of Kevin Dowdell despite only one hit, extending their lead to 5-2.

After going scoreless for five consecutive frames, Fredericksburg got a golden opportunity again in the eighth. The RiverDog defense finally cracked as Jack Lines booted a Kevin Bazzell ground ball and Randal Diaz raced around the basepaths to score. Two batters later, a pop-up dropped on the infield before a Nate Ochoa single, loading the bases for Carlos Tavares with only one out.

Tavares, the youngest FredNat, came through in the clutch. He rattled a base hit into right field, scoring both Bazzell and Ross, tying the game at five apiece. As had happened so often in the series, Charleston’s mistakes in the field let Fredericksburg back in it.

Neither team scored in the ninth inning, sending Sunday’s contest to extra innings. After Charleston’s sacrifice bunt to move the automatic runner to third base, Flewelling pulled a ground ball to Tavares at first, who was playing in. The runner, Connor Hujsak, broke for the plate and Tavares made another phenomenal play, perfectly placing his throw to the plate to gun down Hujsak and ensuring Charleston wouldn’t score in the tenth.

That meant the FredNats needed just one run to win it and had Kevin Bazzell starting at second. The first batter of the inning, Jorgelys Mota, roped a base hit into right and Billy McMillon conservatively gave Bazzell the stop sign at third. Ross came up next with the game in his hands and was once again the walk-off hero. He had a walk-off home run in the FredNat home opener, but this time just needed to lift a fly ball to deep center field as Bazzell sprinted home to score.

Austin Amaral (1-0) got the win after pitching the tenth and Jonalbert Rumbol (0-1) got the loss. The FredNats have now won three straight to get to three games above .500 for the first time in 2025. They will head to Salem next week, with game one on Tuesday starting at 6:35.

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Editor's Note:

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The Haymarket Town Council will once again take up the topic of a proposed Islamic center at its meeting on Monday, April 28, 2025.

We previously reported incorrect information that the council would discuss the expansion of the Chick-fil-A drive-through at this meeting. However, the Chick-fil-A expansion was already approved earlier this month under conditions: the restaurant must obtain sign-off from all necessary regulatory bodies, including the Prince William County Fire Marshal’s Office, which currently opposes the plan.

The council’s upcoming discussion will instead focus on the Special Use Permit (SUP) application for the proposed Islamic Center at 14600 Washington Street, submitted by Mohammed Kasim Gul. The project aims to convert part of the old Pace West school building into a permanent place of worship for the local Muslim community, sharing the building with federal contractor QBE.

During a work session on March 31, the council and town staff reviewed key concerns raised at a March 3 public hearing, including parking availability, traffic circulation, pedestrian safety, and occupancy limits.

A parking plan estimates that about 198 to 201 spaces could be striped on the existing lot, although staff cautioned that some spaces may be unusable due to tight drive aisles and parked trailers. The lot has not been restriped since 2013, leading to uncertainty about its true capacity.

Occupancy regulations were also discussed. Under Prince William County guidelines, assembly use for more than 49 people would trigger requirements for additional exits and potentially the installation of a fire alarm or sprinkler system. Final occupancy will depend on a detailed review of the building’s layout.

Another major concern was the absence of an updated site plan. The previous plan for improvements expired without being bonded, and council members expressed hesitation about approving the SUP without a current and accurate plan showing marked parking spaces and loading zones.

The proposal also calls for a police presence during peak traffic periods, such as Friday prayers and Ramadan, similar to arrangements made for other religious institutions along Washington Street.

The Islamic Center proposal has received strong community support, with more than 70 emails submitted in favor and numerous residents speaking positively at the March 3 public hearing. Still, concerns remain regarding potential traffic congestion on Route 55 and the impact on neighboring businesses.

The proposed center would serve residents who currently travel 20 to 30 minutes to the nearest mosque, providing a local space for daily and Friday prayers.

OCCOQUAN, Va. — A series of notable developments unfolded at the April 15, 2025, Occoquan Town Council meeting, including a leadership change and updates to the town’s ongoing budget planning.

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The workweek will begin on a cool and breezy note today, but it won’t last long. High pressure moving in from Canada will bring sunny skies and calmer conditions for Monday, followed by a sharp warm-up on Tuesday. A few showers and thunderstorms could develop late Tuesday as a warm front pushes through the region.

Here’s what to expect over the next few days:

• Sunday Afternoon: Breezy and cooler with plenty of sunshine. Highs will top out in the upper 60s to low 70s, but northwesterly winds could gust up to 35 mph at times. Humidity will be low, making it feel crisp and dry.
• Monday: A chilly start in the 30s and 40s will give way to a milder, sunny afternoon. Highs will reach the mid-70s with much lighter winds compared to Sunday.
• Tuesday: A warm front will move through, sending temperatures soaring into the low to mid-80s. Expect increasing clouds and the chance for a few afternoon and evening showers or thunderstorms, especially west of I-95.
• Tuesday Night: Very mild with temperatures holding steady in the low to mid-60s. Some showers could linger, mainly west of the immediate D.C. area.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Germanna Community College is inviting students, employees, alumni, and the broader community to weigh in as it begins the search for its next president.

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The Fredericksburg Nationals (11-9) won for the second consecutive night, defeating the Charleston RiverDogs (8-12) 5-3 at Virginia Credit Union Stadium. Cristhian Vaquero drove in four runs, including a three-run home run, and the FredNats’ bullpen combined for 11 strikeouts over four innings.

Here’s the full press release:

The Fredericksburg Nationals (11-9) won for the second straight night, beating the Charleston RiverDogs (8-12) 5-3 behind another headlining performance from right fielder Cristhian Vaquero and Single-A’s best bullpen.

On “A Minecraft Movie Night” at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, the FredNats handed the ball to starter Angel Roman, who entered the night with an ERA above 17 and was coming off his most difficult outing of the season. He again got off to a slow start, allowing single runs in each of the first two innings. He gave up two hits in the first and three hits in the second and looked like he may not last past then.

However, with the bases loaded in the second, he forced a groundout to third to strand all three runners. From there, he settled down and was fantastic.

The groundout started a stretch of nine straight batters retired by Roman, who fought through another two baserunners in the fifth inning without allowing a run.

By then, his offense had tied the game. The first eight FredNats went down in order against Charleston’s Jose Urbina before Kelvin Diaz pulled a line drive into left field for a two-out single in the third inning and stole second ahead of Vaquero. Vaquero came into the day having already posted two three-hit games in the series and was fresh off a multi-RBI performance Friday night. In his first act Saturday, the FredNat outfielder laced a single up the middle that drove in Diaz to draw the game to 2-1.

In the fourth, Fredericksburg pounced again. Jorgelys Mota reached on an error, advanced on a passed ball and scored when Nate Rombach whacked a single through the right side. Mota ran through a stop sign at third base and showed off his speed to tie the game 2-2.

In the fifth, after Roman’s efforts, the FredNats saw Moises Gallardo reach on a Charleston error, Elijah Nunez draw a walk and Kelvin Diaz bunt both of them over, giving Vaquero another RBI chance and he didn’t disappoint.

The FredNat switch-hitter stepped to the plate and launched a sky-scraping home run that touched down in the RiverDog bullpen to give the FredNats five unanswered runs and a 5-2 lead. Vaquero’s second home run of the season gave him a FredNat single-game season high four RBI. He’d finish the night 2/4 and now has nine hits in the first five games of the series.

From there, the FredNat bullpen locked things down again. The group that entered the night with a Single-A-best 2.92 ERA saw Gavin Bruni strike out the side in the sixth, Robert Cranz go six up, six down with six strikeouts and Merrick Baldo punch out two more. Of the bullpen’s 12 outs, 11 of them came by way of the strikeout, including seven RiverDogs in a row at one point. Baldo gave up a ninth-inning solo shot, but by night’s end, the Fredericksburg bullpen ERA dropped even further to 2.89.

In a 5-3 victory, Roman (1-1) got his first win of the season as Charleston reliever Noah Beal (0-1) stomached the loss. The FredNats secured at least a series split and will go for a series win in game six Sunday with Davian Garcia (1-1, 4.15) on the mound in a 1:35 start.

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The Capital Wing of the Commemorative Air Force will host its first event of the year, the Warbird Expo, on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the Culpeper Regional Airport. The event will feature warbird rides in a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber and a Stearman bi-plane, as well as a helicopter demonstration flight. As part of a Mother’s Day weekend promotion, all mothers attending will receive free non-alcoholic drinks from the Law Dawgs food truck.

Here’s the full press release:

Culpeper, VA – The Capital Wing of the CAF, Commemorative Air Force, will be hosting its first event of the year on Saturday May 10 at the Culpeper Regional Airport. This Warbird Expo event will feature warbird rides in a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber and Stearman bi-plane, plus an exciting helicopter demonstration flight at mid-day.

“As this is Mother’s Day weekend, we have a special treat for all the moms in attendance. All Moms will receive free drinks (non-alcoholic) all day at the Law Dawgs food truck,” said Pete Ballard, event coordinator. “Most people think of WWII warbirds as a passion enjoyed by only men. Not true. The Capital Wing has several women members and three of them will be at this Warbird Expo event. Nancy Gorell is a CAF certified Marshaller (an aircraft traffic cop), Val Lackey runs our PX, and Neharika Gambhir wears many hats and was recently featured in the CAF national magazine. All of them will be glad to talk to women and girls about opportunities to be around WWII warbirds at the Capital Wing,” said Ballard. “Oh, and by the way, the Law Dawgs food truck is owned and operated by Rhonda Hunt. She would love to talk to you.”

Featured on the ramp at the Warbird Expo will be one of the helicopters of AirCare6 operated by PHI Air Medical and based at the Culpeper Regional Airport. “We have made arrangements with AirCare6 to let the public get up close to this unique helicopter ambulance,” said Jerry Garegnani, one of the Capital Wing members organizing the event. “The crew of AirCare6, which includes several women aviation nurses, will explain what they do and show the public the inside of the helicopter,“ he said.

In addition, all those purchasing a warbird ride will receive a unique CAF Challenge coin, custom flight certificate, and booklet about their warbird. “For most people, a warbird ride is a bucket list item, a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Ballard. “We will be providing rides in our TBM Avenger, the largest single-engine bomber of WWII powered by a huge radial engine developing 1,900 hp and the Boeing PT-17 Stearman bi-plane. Either warbird is an exciting experience.”

Warbird rides in the TBM Avenger and Stearman may be booked in advance at the Capital Wing rides website https://www.capitalwingwarbirdrides.org/. Flights not sold in advance will be available for purchase at the airport on the day of the event.

On static display will be a Japanese Fuji LM-1, one of only three still flying in the world, a North American T-6 Texan, and a French Alouette II, the world’s first jet powered helicopter. At mid-day the Alouette will provide a thrilling airborne demonstration, depending on weather and pilot availability.

The Culpeper Regional Airport is located on Beverly Ford Road at Rts 15/29 in Elkwood, VA. Parking and admission are free. The Warbird Expo will be open from 10 am until 4 pm Saturday May 10.

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