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

Gathered on Center Adds a New Retail Concept to Historic Downtown Manassas

By Uriah Kiser
Alexandra “Alex” Striemer of Bejeweled Era smiles inside Gathered on Center, the new retail co-op at 9082 Center Street in Historic Downtown Manassas, where she offers permanent jewelry among the shop’s mix of locally curated goods, gifts and experiences.

Historic Downtown Manassas has a new retail destination. Gathered on Center, a co-op at 9082 Center Street, brings together multiple creative small businesses under one roof.

The shop is led by entrepreneurs Terri Johnson, Karissa Terry, and Jasmine Oglesby. Shoppers will find an evolving mix of locally curated goods, gifts, and experiences. Among the offerings is permanent jewelry from Bejeweled Era.

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Newslinks

News Links: PWCS Students Return to Class, Statewide Ballot Measures, and Regional Updates

By Uriah Kiser
News Links
News Links

Prince William County Public Schools, the second-largest division in Virginia, opened the 2026-27 school year today while regional residents tracked water use, climate planning, student achievements, and upcoming constitutional amendments.

According to Prince William County Public Schools, Monday, August 24, 2026, marks the first day of school for the division, the second-largest in Virginia.

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Manassas

BREAKING: Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger to Vacate Office Sept. 30

By Uriah Kiser
Manassas Mayor Michele Davis Younger [Photo: Mike Beaty]

Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger will leave office nearly three months earlier than previously announced, the City of Manassas confirmed Friday.

In a news release issued Friday afternoon, the city said it has received Davis-Younger’s written resignation letter. She will vacate her seat effective Sept. 30, 2026, following her final City Council meeting on Sept. 28.

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Podcast

Meet Saniaa Purdie: New Reporter Covering Prince William & Stafford Schools

By Uriah Kiser

A rising senior at Potomac Senior High School is about to become one of the most important new voices covering Northern Virginia schools this fall.

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Traffic

VDOT Plans Overnight Lane Closures on I-95 in Stafford and Near Fredericksburg Aug. 23-29

By Uriah Kiser

“Single and double lane closures are scheduled on I-95 southbound near Exit 143 (Aquia/Garrisonville) in Stafford County for pavement markings between mile markers 142-145, along with alternating lane closures between Exit 133 (Falmouth/Warrenton) and Exit 130 (Route 3) for bridge maintenance over the Rappahannock River, and construction-related closures at Exit 126 (Spotsylvania),” the Virginia Department of Transportation reported in its Fredericksburg District Weekly Travel Alert for Aug. 23–29, 2026. Work occurs primarily overnight Sunday through Thursday, weather permitting, with all lanes reopening by early morning.

Local drivers in Stafford and the Fredericksburg area should also expect daytime alternating lane closures on Route 1 for roadway reconstruction between Corporate Drive and Russell Road, plus ongoing improvements at the I-95 Exit 126 interchange that include overnight single and double lane closures and limited on-ramp restrictions. Check 511 Virginia for real-time updates before traveling.

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Police Blotter

Police Blotter: Death Investigation, Sexual Assault Reported

By Uriah Kiser
[Scott Rodgerson/Unsplash]

Prince William County police are investigating the death of a 39-year-old man found unconscious early Friday outside a Woodbridge restaurant. Preliminary findings showed no signs of foul play.

In separate cases, officers obtained warrants for a man accused of sexually assaulting a store employee in Woodbridge and arrested another man for impersonating a police officer at a county station. Stafford County deputies also handled two fraud reports and arrested a man for public intoxication.

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Fredericksburg

SUNK: FAMPO’s $6.5M Bid for New Rappahannock Bridge Gets the Boot

By Uriah Kiser
Interstate 95 over the Rappahannock River. [VDOT]

The Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s request for approximately $6.5 million in federal BUILD grant funding to complete the full National Environmental Policy Act process for a new Rappahannock River Crossing bridge and parkway was not selected in the latest round of awards.

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Stafford

Stafford Board Kills Only Transportation Impact Fee Program in Virginia

By Uriah Kiser

This one’s for the people who really care about local news. Locals Only members get deeper reporting, more context, and fewer shortcuts. Think that’s you? 👉 Join Locals Only Already a member? Sign in

This one’s for the people who really care about local news.

Locals Only members get deeper reporting, more context, and fewer shortcuts.

Think that’s you?
👉 Join Locals Only
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Go to Stafford Board Kills Only Transportation Impact Fee Program in Virginia Read more
Prince William

Seth Hendler-Voss will leave the parks for an office in the city

By Uriah Kiser
Seth Hendler-Voss, Director of Prince William County Parks & Recreation, speaks in a video produced by Prince William County Government.

Prince William County’s longtime parks director is trading trails, boardwalks, and open space for a desk at City Hall.

Seth Hendler-Voss, who has led Prince William County’s Department of Parks and Recreation since 2017, has been selected as the next city manager of Falls Church. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the appointment Monday evening.

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Newslinks

News Links: ICE Detainer Filed in Great Falls Killing; Data Center Taxes and Rural Land Under Review

By Uriah Kiser
News Links
News Links

Northern Virginia and Prince William County developments on Thursday centered on a Fairfax homicide investigation with an ICE detainer, renewed scrutiny of data center tax policy, and local efforts to preserve rural land and expand school-based food assistance.

According to a report from FOX 5 DC, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed a detainer with Fairfax County for 19-year-old Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, the Salvadoran man charged in the fatal stabbing of 42-year-old Carmen Lizet Puch near a Great Falls trail. Police said Cedillos-Campos, who worked with Puch at a restaurant and had an intimate relationship with her, offered a full confession; federal sources stated he was in the country illegally after being released at the border in El Paso, Texas, in April 2024.

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