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!

Manassas Park

Manassas Park Marks 50 Years with Anniversary Flag Raising

By Uriah Kiser
City Clerk Lana Conner and City Manager Carl Cole raise Manassas Park’s 50th anniversary flag during a ceremony at City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.

MANASSAS PARK, Va. – Neighbors, city leaders, and community partners gathered at City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 4, to raise a special flag celebrating Manassas Park’s 50th anniversary as an independent city.

Mayor Alanna Mensing opened the ceremony by reflecting on the city’s history, from its beginnings as a subdivision in 1955 to achieving city status in 1975 — the last town in Virginia to do so. Mensing noted how the community has since grown into a full-service city with its own schools, police, and fire departments.

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Fredericksburg

This Sound of Music at Riverside Will Have You Singing All the Way Home

By Uriah Kiser

From the moment the curtain rises at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, it’s clear The Sound of Music is something special. The production delivers one of Riverside’s finest performances in years, a show that captures the heart, lifts the spirit, and fills the theater with music audiences can’t stop humming.

Sarah Mae Andersen carries the show as Maria Rainer, leading with warmth, humor, and conviction. She anchors the story with a magnetic stage presence that makes you believe in Maria’s journey from the abbey to the Von Trapp home. Opposite her, Tim Rogan is a commanding Captain Georg von Trapp, projecting both the authority of a military man and the tenderness of a devoted father. Together, their chemistry grounds the show.

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Stafford

Big Road Fixes Ahead: Stafford Supervisors Hear VDOT’s Project Lineup

By Uriah Kiser

Stafford County’s roads are in line for a mix of major rebuilds and smaller safety projects, according to a Sept. 2 update from Kyle Bates, resident engineer with the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Fredericksburg office.

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Schools

Stafford Scores Rise as Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania Struggle on Reading Tests

By Uriah Kiser
Photo: Stafford County Public Schools

Students across Stafford, Fredericksburg, and Spotsylvania saw mixed results on this year’s Standards of Learning (SOL) reading tests, according to data released this week by the Virginia Department of Education.

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Prince William

Harders and Stewart Both Oppose Data Centers—Here’s What Sets Them Apart

By Uriah Kiser

Voters in Prince William County’s Gainesville District will choose a new supervisor this fall, filling the seat left vacant after the death of Bob Weir in July.

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Fredericksburg

What’s Changing on Fall Hill? Apartments at the Medical Arts Building, and a Community Chat Tonight

By Uriah Kiser
The old Mary Washington Hospital at 2300 Fall Hill Avenue in Fredericksburg.

The city Planning Commission voted 7–0 on August 27 to recommend a special use permit to convert the 1956 Medical Arts Building at 2301 Fall Hill Ave. into 30 apartments, raising the site’s density from 8 units per acre by right to about 29 units per acre using a city incentive for smaller homes (most at ≤600 sq. ft.), according to a staff presentation and commission discussion.

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Neighborhood Notes

Neighborhood Notes: Brewery Brackets, Data Center Debate, and Doggy Paddle Season Finale

By Uriah Kiser
Former Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair At-large Ann Wheeler. [File photo]

Congratulations to Eavesdrop Brewery in Manassas for winning the NoVA Wars: Brewery Edition. After five rounds of reader voting, Eavesdrop emerged as the top brewery in Northern Virginia. Visit their page for events, hours, and tap list.

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Prince William

Sears, Reid Rally Supporters in Prince William, Take Aim at Spanberger and School Boards

By Uriah Kiser
Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle‑Sears speaks during a rally outside the Prince William County Public Schools headquarters on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2025. Supporters behind her held signs reading “Parents for Winsome,” “We do not co-parent with the government,” and *“Water fountains are for everyone”—*a direct response to a controversial sign that appeared at a school board meeting in Arlington the week before.

 

MANASSAS, Va. – Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle‑Sears showed up ready to speak at the Prince William County School Board meeting Tuesday night—but says she was denied the opportunity because she doesn’t live in the county.

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Police Blotter

Manassas Carjacking Suspect Arrested, Plus Assaults, Gunfire, and School Incident in Dumfries

By Uriah Kiser

Prince William police arrested a Manassas man wanted for a domestic-related carjacking in July. Investigators say Peshwaz Azad Waise, 37, forcefully removed a 63-year-old family member from her car during an argument and drove off. He was taken into custody on Sept. 1 and faces carjacking and assault charges.

Also in Manassas, officers arrested James Roger Thomas Jr., 58, in connection to a July assault at the Rimpal Inn, where a man was beaten after trying to break up a fight. Thomas faces an attempted malicious wounding charge.

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