Uriah Kiser, Author at Potomac Local News

Raised BPOL thresholds good for small business, bad for county coffers

Published November 17, 2015 at 9:47AM

Increasing the threshold of the infamous BPOL tax in Prince William County is just the start of the conversation.

The BPOL tax (business and professional licensing tax) is collected on the amount of gross receipts from licensed local businesses that generate at least $250,000 in gross sales. Tax rates vary between 5 cents and 33 cents per every $100. The tax collects $26.5 million in annual revenue for the county.

News

Is reverse VRE train service to Manassas in the future? Maybe by 2040 or sooner

By Uriah Kiser

Published November 15, 2015 at 7:00AM | Updated November 15, 2015 at 8:21AM

The Virginia Railway Express has grown since its inception in the early 1990s.

Today it carries more than 18,000 passenger trips. Trains on the system’s Fredericksburg and Manassas lines are packed with commuters each weekday, headed from the Virginia exurbs to employment centers in Alexandria, and in Washington, D.C.

News

How VDOT will use a jet snow melter to fight Old Man Winter

By Uriah Kiser

Published November 13, 2015 at 9:12AM

[Image: VDOT]

Coming to a commuter lot near you this winter (if it snows): A jet-powered snow melter.

The Virginia Department of Transportation gave us an annual look at how they plan to do battle with Old Man Winter this year. It’s the agency’s job to keep more than 17,000 lane miles in Prince William, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties clear of snow and ice. About half of those roads are major highways and heavily-traveled arterials while the other half is neighborhood streets.

News

VRE wants to begin service to Haymarket, Gainesville by 2022

By Uriah Kiser

Published November 12, 2015 at 7:34AM

Residents Tuesday night packed the lecture hall at Gainesville Middle School to hear about plans to extend Virginia Railway Express to their neighborhood.

The state’s only commuter railroad is conducting a 2-year, $4 million planning and engineering a study to examine the impacts and costs of extending VRE’s Manassas line west, and building a new station at Innovation Park at George Mason University in Manassas, in Gainesville, and in Haymarket.

Prince William

Prince William traffic unit helps keep drivers safe on roads

By Uriah Kiser

Published November 9, 2015 at 1:55PM

Traffic is one the most common complaints from those who live around here. That means officers in the Prince William County Police Department Traffic Unit have job security.

The 21 police officers that make up the traffic enforcement unit are easy to spot on their blue motorcycles.

News

Soon-to-open Grubbs Center educates residents on water sources, treatment

By Uriah Kiser

Published November 5, 2015 at 9:36AM

A new education center in Woodbridge tells the story of how Prince William County gets its water.

The Durward E. Grubbs Environmental Education Center will open this month. Located at the Edward Mooney Advanced Water Reclamation Facility off Rippon Boulevard, the new center is part lab space and part museum.

News

McPike saves 29th Senate District for Democrats

By Uriah Kiser

Published November 4, 2015 at 1:03AM

Jeremy McPike kept the 29th District Virginia seat firmly in the hands of Democrats Tuesday night.

His 16-point victory over Republican Manassas Mayor Hal Parrish clears the way for first-time elected official to go to Richmond and replace the long-serving Charles “Chuck” Colgan, the state’s longest-serving senator who retired this year at age 89.

News

Mega-Passport Center opens in Woodbridge Post Office

By Uriah Kiser

Published November 2, 2015 at 12:03PM | Updated November 2, 2015 at 4:32PM

Samuel Seward plans to head for the Dominican Republic after Thanksgiving.

It’s a vacation trip that he and his friend Gail Jones have been planning for some time. Seward needs a U.S. Passport before he can travel to the Caribbean nation.

News

Residents get first look at Montclair Community Library

By Uriah Kiser

Published October 30, 2015 at 10:45AM

Residents got a sneak peak of the Montclair Community Library on Thursday.

It was the second time in as many weeks that residents in Prince William County came in droves to celebrate the opening of a new community library branch. The $16 million facility has been in the works for more than 20 years.

Publisher's Post

When trying to schedule a debate between Parrish & McPike, Parrish pushed back the most

By Uriah Kiser

Published October 29, 2015 at 11:36AM | Updated October 29, 2015 at 12:00PM

Kiser

Potomac Local, like many organizations, tried to get Hal Parrish and Jeremy McPike on stage for a debate this election season.

To our dismay, and to many of those who looked forward to the debate, it never happened. But it was not for lack of trying.