Updated 11:15 a.m.Â
Prince William County officials have chimed in about the grave site situation at the site of the county’s soon-to-be-built 12th high school.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart and Coles District Supervisor Marty Nohe, where the new school will be located, plan to propose a new policy that would raise awareness of graves found on land where public facilities will be built.
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PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. -- Gov. Robert F. McDonnell made one of his final appearances in Prince William County as governor on Friday. He got serious about planting trees.
The outgoing leader was in the Southbridge neighborhood near Dumfries to laud the $1.5 million restoration of Swans Creek, where more than 7,000 new trees and shrubs have been planted by the developer of the I-95 Express Lanes Fluor-Transurban. When the 29-mile transportation project was announced last year – which is converting I-95’s HOV lanes to toll lanes, extending them to Va. 610 in North Stafford, and will allow vehicles with three or more occupants to ride free with an EZ-Pass transponder when they open in early 2015 – company officials said they would plant new trees to offset ones they had removed from the median of I-95.
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What was once a pizza restaurant known for deep dish is now a Bonefish Grill, and it’s serving up robust flavor.
The restaurant chain expanded to Woodbridge and opened its doors on Monday. Inside, gone are the old reminders of the Uno Chicago Grill that used to be housed here, and closed earlier this year.
Newly renovated, the bar has been relocated to face more of the restaurant instead of being closed off as it was before. And if it weren’t for so many people who packed the house Tuesday night for dinner, I might say the place seemed a bit larger.
Bonefish invited us to try their food, and seeing that my wife and I had never been to a Bonefish Grill before, we accepted the invitation.
We were given a menu that stated “Tuesday Tales,” featuring steamed cold water lobster, and steak topped with lobster thermidor sauce – I’m told the thermidor is the restaurant’s “celebration” sauce. The restaurant has themed nights everyday during the week.
We started with “bang, bang shrimp” to find out what all the fuss over this much-talked about appetizer was. Zesty and generous, there was more than enough shrimp on the plate for two people to share.
Next came our Caesar salads with goat cheese added – something our sever Stephanie suggested. The cheese was a bold change from sprinkled the parmesan cheese these salads are normally topped with. The side salad rivaled that of Sweetwater Tavern’s – which is quite possibly my favorite place to dine.
My wife ordered the Mahi Mahi because she’s smart – it’s a fish restaurant and that’s what you do here. The Mahi Mahi steak was plump and satisfying, and was served with vegetables and their seasonal side, spaghetti squash.
For me, it was the filet mignon (yes, I know what you’re thinking – steak at a eatery known for fish?) But I had to try it.
It was a good choice. Severed medium well, there was a thin line of pink in the steak just as I like it. With no sauce required, I could taste the charbroil flavor from the grill which paired nicely with garlic mashed potatoes.
We were also served bread with an olive oil-pesto-basil dipping sauce but it proved to be too much food for us.
The desert, key lime pie, was ordered but taken home to my mother in law. While it looked delicious, you’ll have to ask her how it tasted.
Inside the bar area are three large community tables that seat large parties. So far, they’ve come in handy.
“I’ve met so many people the past couple of nights, and everybody has been waiting for Bonefish around here, so that’s been the most exciting part for me,” said the restaurant’s proprietor Anna Bennett.
She’s been with the restaurant chain for 15 years. She attributes her tenure with the company, in part, to its charitable endeavors in the community.
This past weekend the restaurant helped to raise $10,000 for the Arc of Greater Prince William. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to help The Arc assist those with developmental and intellectual disabilities, according to a press release.
Bonefish’s new Potomac Mills location is the 13th in Virginia, and it joins others in Gainesville and Fredericksburg.
Want to go?
Hours: Lunch
• Monday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Dinner
• Monday through Thursday 4 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday 4 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
• Sunday 2 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Brunch
• Brunch 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Reservations welcomed: While reservations are not required, they are available on a limited basis by calling 703.490.3693. An ample number of seats are available nightly for walk-ups.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. -- Michael Futrell will hold his first political office come January.
He unseated Republican Incumbent Mark Dudenhefer on Tuesday night and will be come the next man to represent Virginia’s 2nd House District. Futrell beat his opponent with a narrow 1.4% win.
With a political district that straddles Prince William and Stafford counties, Futrell won his seat thanks to the 10 heavily democratic precincts in Prince William County were he garnered 66% of the vote. As he has in the past, challenger Mark Dudenhefer won the majority of the 11 heavily Republican districts in Stafford County which round out the second half of the district. But it was not enough to carry him to victory.
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This Michael Futrell first time seeking political office and he hopes to unseat Republican incumbent Mark Dudenhefer on Election Day.
Futrell, a Democrat, seeks to represent the Virginia’s 2nd House District which includes portions of eastern Prince William County to northern Stafford County. Dudenhefer was the first to represent the district when it was created in 2011 following the state’s decennial redistricting processes.
Futurell says his leadership within the local Democratic Party, his work on the non-profit he founded “Make the Future,” and his business experience as a pharmaceutical sales representative would make him a natural leader.
Transportation
A key issues in the 2nd District is transportation. Both Interstate 95 and U.S. 1 run directly through the heart of the district, and many of its residents rely on these two roads to get them to work, school, and to play each day.
Futrell has called for the expansion of Metro rail from Springfield to Woodbridge, which would allow for more cars to be taken off area streets, he said. Sidewalks are another key to his transportation vision: the area needs more of them, he said.
He’s also eyeing more opportunities in public transportation to move more people around the entire district.
“There’s not one bus that runs between Prince William and Stafford County, and that is one thing I will look into – how to move more people between these two rapidly developing areas,” said Futrell.
Business and jobs
Much of his focus on transportation also says a lot about his policy on businesses. U.S. 1 must be improved in order to attract and sustain new businesses to the corridor.
While improvements are well underway and new shops are opening at places like Marumsco Plaza in Woodbridge, and U.S. 1 is being widened in two places in Woodbridge, he says business owners and community leaders need a stronger voice.
“We’ll invite business owners and community leaders to a newly created district council to hear from them, and to determine the jobs of the future and what development is needed here. We want include everyone to make sure we are bringing the development to the area,” he said.
Obamacare expansionÂ
When state legislators this year approved landmark transportation reform, with it came an planned expansion of Medicare in the state. Some conservatives, including Republican gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Ken Cuccienlli have called for cutting back the Medicaid expansion.
Distancing himself from his opponent, Futrell supports it.
“This is a law that has already been passed and its something that we are going to pay for, so why not expand it,” he said.
His opponent says Medicaid, and by extension the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obamacare) needs to be revamped, revised, and updated, and has called for a review of it before the program is expanded in the state.
Education
Also following the legislative session this year, Gov. Robert F. McDonnell signed into law a measure that gives a letter grade to schools – A through F – to rate their performance. Futrell is not a fan of this grading system.
“If you give the school an overall failing grade, it doesn’t give them much encouragement to improve,” he said.
Futrell spend a year as a school teacher in Ohio before moving to Virginia to become a pharmaceutical sales rep.
STAFFORD, Va. -- Authorities in Stafford have never found anything malicious or dangerous in children’s Halloween candy, but they’ll check it for free, anyway.
The Stafford Sheriff’s Office will once again be on hand at the county courthouse tonight, as they are each year at Halloween, to place trick-or-treat candy on a conveyor belt and run it through an x-ray machine.
Here’s more in a press release:
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BRISTOW, Va. -- The end is in sight for Ken Cuccinelli and his race against Terry McAuliffe to become Virginia’s next governor.
He’s been out spent, and is lagging in the polls to his opponent by at least 12 points. But, during a campaign appearance with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Tuesday with just six days to go until the election, the conservative Republican says winning bellwether Prince William County and the rest of the state remains in his grasp.
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HAYMARKET, Va. -- Dimly lit hallways, exposed brick, and shattered pieces of drywall and concrete lay on the floor at the Gainesville District School.
The building  built in 1935 and most recently served as Prince William County’s the PACE West School. After PACE West relocated, the building was sold last month to Quality Business Engineering, or QBE Global, a federal contracting and real estate firm.
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WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- A local gym with a reputation for being a body builder’s destination is working to remake its image as a tried and true community staple.
Earlier this year Powerhouse Gym in Woodbridge abruptly closed to its customers with no explanation. Its members wondered what had happened to a gym where they paid for a membership. Its employees wondered if they would still have a job.
But the facility wasn’t dark for long. Just two days after the shutdown, co-owner Kelly Kirk returned to Powerhouse to finish the job he started when he helped open the place in 2007 as a co-owner.
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DALE CITY, Va. --Â With nine days left until the statewide gubernatorial election, President Bill Clinton came to Dale City on Sunday to campaign for Democrat Terry McAuliffe.
McAuliffe, who has been running a vigorous campaign to become Virginia’s next governor, has a seven-point lead over his opponent Attorney General Ken Cucineilli. The event at VFW Post 1503 on Minnieville Road was used to keep campaign workers and canvassers energized.
