Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg City Council members discussed installing safety cameras in city parks and along trails during a recent budget work session, considering a small “penny” increase in the real estate tax rate to help fund the initiative.

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Fredericksburg

Central Rappahannock Regional Library has been awarded a $6,000 grant from The Robert Cullen O’Neill Memorial Fund of The Community Foundation to purchase book prizes for its popular youth Summer Reading program.

The grant will fund complimentary books for children and teens who reach the 1,000- and 2,000-minute reading milestones. In 2025, participants earned an impressive 2,167 books through the program. Library officials emphasized that the Summer Reading initiative was not dependent on this single gift; additional prize support comes from local businesses Habit Burger and Raising Cane’s.


Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg families and small-business owners face higher costs under the proposed FY2027 General Fund budget of $141.4 million—a $4.6 million (3.3%) increase over the previous year.

City Manager Timothy J. Baroody presented this plan to City Council on March 10, 2026, describing it as a “balanced” and “responsible” approach that prioritizes public safety, schools, residents, businesses, and workforce needs amid recruitment challenges and local growth.


Fredericksburg

At the Fredericksburg City Council meeting on March 10, 2026, a local resident delivered a plea to reinstall the historic slave auction block removed from its prominent location six years earlier, drawing a stark analogy to Holocaust memorials while council members honored a longtime volunteer for her work in guiding the city’s approach to painful historical sites.

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Health

The Town of Dumfries celebrated the grand opening of First Care Women’s Health with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, March 12, 2026. The nonprofit clinic expands free and confidential women’s health resources for Prince William County residents.

The clinic opened at Dumfries Town Hall to provide free pregnancy testing, limited obstetric ultrasound, pre-abortion consultation, and supportive advocacy for women and families in the community. Supervisor Andrea Bailey and Yesli Vega, of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, Potomac District and Coles districts, respectively, joined Town of Dumfries officials at the event to highlight expanded local access to these resources.


Manassas

Manassas City Public Schools (MCPS) continues to make local history a living classroom through its growing partnership with the Manassas Museum, offering students hands-on, place-based learning that connects curriculum to the community right in their backyard.

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Manassas

Manassas residents are invited to a town hall meeting on Monday, March 16, 2026, to provide feedback on the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget, which features a reduced real estate tax rate but still results in higher average residential bills due to surging property values fueled by data center developments.

The town hall is scheduled to take place in the council chambers at Manassas City Hall. It follows a full-day budget workshop held on March 6, 2026, and offers residents a direct opportunity to share thoughts on the city manager’s proposal as council members work toward final adoption.


Manassas Park

The Manassas Park Governing Body approved an ordinance on March 3, 2026, permanently extending the annual deadline for real estate tax relief and exemption applications from April 1 to June 30, providing residents—particularly elderly, disabled, and 100% disabled veterans—more time to file paperwork amid a broader discussion of tax collections led by newly appointed City Treasurer Donald Shuemaker.

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Features

The Manassas Chorale presents “Gathered As One” on Saturday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center’s Merchant Hall in Manassas. This annual Voices United concert unites the Chorale with the Voices United Festival Choir, directed by a nationally renowned guest clinician. More than 150 singers join the Chorale’s instrumentalists for a program of fifteen selections that celebrate shared music and community spirit.

The Manassas Chorale, founded in 1994 as a small group of about 25 singers, has grown into a 100-voice auditioned community choir under the direction of Artistic Director Rebecca Verner since 1997. Based in Manassas, Virginia, the organization promotes appreciation for quality classical and contemporary music through four major concerts each season and community events. It also sponsors the Greater Manassas Children’s Choir, established in 2015 to offer performance opportunities for young singers in grades K-8.


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