Author: Uriah Kiser

I'm the Founder and Publisher of Potomac Local News. Raised in Woodbridge, I'm now raising my family in Northern Virginia and care deeply about our community. If you're not getting our FREE email newsletter, you are missing out. Subscribe Now!

Podcast

Big Push to Rein in Virginia’s Data Center Boom

By Uriah Kiser
Village Place Technology Park in Gainesville, approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2022

Christopher Miller, president of the Piedmont Environmental Council, says Virginia is at a breaking point when it comes to data center growth.

On the Potomac Local News Podcast, Miller announced the launch of Virginians for a Smarter Digital Future, a new initiative aimed at bringing transparency and oversight to the state’s fast-moving data center industry. The campaign rests on four principles: transparency, state oversight, protection of families and businesses, and incentives for efficiency. “We call it a crisis by contract,” Miller said, pointing to local governments approving projects without fully considering power, water, or environmental impacts.

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Features

Riverside’s Sound of Music Is Now On Stage

By Uriah Kiser

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The hills—and the Riverside stage—are alive with The Sound of Music as the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein classic officially opens today in Fredericksburg.

The cast and creative team at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts say they’ve “poured their hearts into every note, step, and scene,” according to a Facebook post announcing the show’s debut. The production tells the inspiring story of Maria and the Von Trapp family, brought to life through cherished songs like “Do-Re-Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”

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Features

This One-Man Play About Life, Loss, and Ice Cream Is Coming Back to Manassas

By Uriah Kiser

MANASSAS, Va. – The folks at the ARTfactory just told Potomac Local News they’re bringing back Every Brilliant Thing—a powerful one-man play that had audiences raving earlier this year. You can catch encore performances on September 5, 6, and 7 in the Wind River Theater.

Directed by Producing Artistic Director Kimberly Kemp and starring longtime ARTfactory favorite David Johnson, the show takes a heartfelt (and often funny) look at mental health, love, and the little things that make life worth living. Think: ice cream, water fights, and staying up past bedtime. It’s all part of one child’s journey to understand their mother’s depression—and grow up in the process.

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Breaking News

PWEA Hearing Set for Saturday—Now Virtual After GMU Declines to Host

By Uriah Kiser

MANASSAS, Va. – A hearing meant to decide the future of the Prince William Education Association, the largest local teachers union in Virignia, will go forward this Saturday. It will be held virtually after George Mason University declined to host the event.

Suspended PWEA president Maggie Hansford said earlier this week that members had been left in the dark. She told Potomac Local News that members only received a single email from a state-appointed trustee saying the hearing would run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at GMU’s Manassas campus. Members were also told they must choose either to attend in person or online, but not both.

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Traffic

Fatal Crash on I-95 Near Quantico Now Under State Police Investigation

By Uriah Kiser
I-95 looking south

QUANTICO, Va. – The Virginia State Police just confirmed to Potomac Local News that a crash early Saturday morning on I-95 near Quantico claimed one life and is now under active investigation.

The crash happened around 1:18 a.m. on August 16 in the northbound lanes at mile marker 148.9 in Prince William County. While Stafford County deputies initially responded to the scene, the investigation has since been turned over to state police.

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Spotsylvania

One Pill Can Kill: Miyares, Durant, and Survivors Lead Fentanyl Awareness Talk in Spotsy

By Uriah Kiser

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares led a “One Pill Can Kill” town hall Tuesday evening at Salem Fields Community Church, joined by state and local leaders who warned that fentanyl remains the state’s most urgent drug threat.

Miyares told the audience that fentanyl is “100 times more powerful than heroin” and that his office has prosecuted enough cases to remove the supply that could have killed nearly seven million Virginians. He called the drug not an overdose but “poison, turned into murder,” and said just two cartels are responsible for most of the synthetic drugs entering Virginia.

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Schools

Exclusive: Miyares Says NOVA Schools ‘Putting Our Little Girls at Risk’ After Defying Feds

By Uriah Kiser

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares says Northern Virginia school divisions are “putting our little girls at risk” after rejecting a federal order to reverse transgender restroom and locker room policies.

“As I often tell my team, it’s never too late to do the right thing,” Miyares told Potomac Local News in an interview. “The idea that they’re literally wanting to risk federal funding because they think biological boys should be in women’s safe spaces, should be in women’s locker rooms, should be on women’s hotel rooms on overnight trips, and on sports teams, is exhibit A of being so open-minded your brain falls out.”

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Newslinks

Stafford Supervisor Candidates Report Campaign Contributions Ranging From $11,100 to $300

By Uriah Kiser

FXBG Advance: Amounts raised by candidates for Stafford Board of Supervisors so far this election cycle range from $11,120 to $300. The most recent campaign finance reports were due July 15 for activity through June 30, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. — More from FXBG Advance.

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Schools

Smoke at Dixon-Smith Middle Delays Start, But School Day Goes On

By Uriah Kiser

According to the Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department, around 8:40 a.m., crews were alerted to the smell of smoke at the school before students had arrived.

Firefighters investigated swiftly and, with the help of school maintenance staff, traced the issue to a malfunctioning HVAC unit. The situation was resolved quickly enough that the building was deemed safe and reopened a short time later. 

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Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg’s Getting a Close-Up—Filmmakers Say the City’s Ready for Its Spotlight

By Uriah Kiser

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Local filmmakers say Fredericksburg’s mix of historic streets, supportive businesses, and a growing arts community is helping the city earn a reputation as a place to make movies.

On a recent episode of the Potomac Local News Podcast, Fredericksburg Film Festival organizer Dalton Okolo called the city “cinematic” and “very easy to work with” when it comes to filming locations. “You can go down to the riverfront and have a beach scene, go into town and have an urban area, or step just outside for a rural backdrop,” Okolo said. “Almost any of these businesses will allow you to shoot in there if you just go in and talk to them.”

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