Author: Uriah Kiser

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MANASSAS, Va. — The regional Forty Under 40 Awards held its first nominating “Cocktails and Cupcakes” after hours event at Okras in Manassas. A dozen nominees came to have their photos taken and to mingle among other young professionals who all work in the fields of education, finance, law, media, and government.

STAFFORD, Va. — The idea of collecting $1.4 million next year to manage storm water ponds didn’t sit well with Stafford County leaders, so they proposed to collect half as much and sort out the details later.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors set an advertised tax rate of $1.019 for every $100 of assessed property value. Those property taxes on homes largely fund Stafford’s $261.4 million budget for fiscal year 2015 that takes effect July 1. 

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Jean Westcott said a Burger King is a place to eat, not a place for high school teens to hang out after class.

The Montclair resident had two children recently graduate from Forest Park High School, next to the Lake Montclair Shopping Center.

Matt Lausch designed the new fire alarm system that will sound at a new Army medical center that will soon open at Fort Hood, Texas.

He was inspecting that system today at 4:30 p.m. central time when shots rang out on the base. At least 13 people were wounded when an unknown gunman opened fire on them before killing himself, according to initial reports.

STAFFORD, Va. — About 40 Stafford County residents lined up to have their well water tested by the Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech.

The testing program will help identify what may be lurking the groundwater in the wells outside their homes, and can provide information on any contaminants that could be making their way to water faucets after being piped through the home. Each participant in to the testing program paid $49, collected water samples from a faucet in their home, and handed over the samples which were then taken to Virginia Tech where they will be examined over the next three weeks.

STAFFORD, Va. — Residents will get to speak out on a plan to enact a 1 cent tax levy for a $42 million storm water management plan. Stafford County officials on Tuesday authorized a public hearing for April 15 before the County Board of Supervisors.

Officials must decide whether or not to create a storm water service district to help curb pollutants that flow into streams and rivers from entering the Chesapeake Bay. Since 2003, Virginia has required Stafford County to inspect storm water management facilities owned by private home owners associations, but new federal mandates put Stafford and other area counties on a “pollution diet” that means they have to reduce even further the amount of nutrients and sediments flowing to the bay.