Uriah Kiser, Author at Potomac Local News

Indie Candidate Gibson Asked to Leave Farmers Market

Published May 20, 2014 at 2:52PM | Updated May 21, 2014 at 8:00AM

DALE CITY, Va. — It’s not easy being a third party candidate running for Congress in Northern Virginia. Just ask Mark Gibson.

This year, in Virginia’s 11^th Congressional District, the only way for an independent third-party candidate like Gibson to be listed on the ballot is to have 1,000 signatures on a ballot petition, which then must be submitted to the state’s office of elections. Gibson has about 500 signatures so far and he’s going for a total of 1,500 to ensure he has more than enough.

Business

2 Manassas Entrepreneurs Want to Change the Way You Think about Hookah

By Uriah Kiser

Published May 15, 2014 at 8:16AM

Chris Foster, 22, of Manassas and John Simo, 22, of Manassas Park, will launch "Ember Hookah" this month.

MANASSAS, Va. – Two young men are hoping their dreams of starting a business will go up in smoke.

John Simo, of Manassas Park, and Chris Foster, of Manassas, both 22, are betting people will pay for a quality experience while smoking hookah, which is a large water pipe that accommodate two to three smokers at a time, and shisha, the flavored tobacco that is smoked from the pipe.

News

At 30, SAVAS Helping Sex Abuse Victims Reclaim their Lives

By Uriah Kiser

Published May 9, 2014 at 12:51PM | Updated May 15, 2014 at 11:21AM

DUMFRIES, Va. — Dara Denham spent years blaming herself after being sexually assaulted.

Abused when she was a child before age 2, and later in her teenage years, Demham, 46, was usually angry, confused, and spent her early 20s bouncing from one promiscuous relationship to the next.

News

Quist Only New Mayoral Face in Prince William’s Towns

By Uriah Kiser

Published May 9, 2014 at 8:23AM | Updated November 5, 2014 at 10:53AM

Quist

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — In the wake of Tuesday’s town elections in Prince William County, much is still the same except in Occoquan.

That’s where Mayor-Elect Elizabeth A.C. “Liz” Quist will replace the retiring Mayor Earnie Porta, whose during his six-year term became the biggest cheerleader for the tiny town on the Occoquan River. He’ll most likely seek higher office during a later election.

News

Prince William Committee of 100 Turns 25, Celebrating with Dinner

By Uriah Kiser

Published May 6, 2014 at 9:33AM | Updated May 6, 2014 at 9:57AM

MANASSAS, Va. — For the past 25 years, a committee of like-minded residents has been working to bring hot-button issues to the forefront.

While never taking sides, the Prince William Committee of 100 has not backed down from asking questions like “are police using drone aircraft to spy on you,” or “is too much development ruining rural areas of the county,” as well as probing the state of Virginia’s mental healthcare services.

News

Snakehead Fish Unwanted Guest after Occoquan Flood

By Uriah Kiser

Published May 2, 2014 at 2:55PM | Updated May 3, 2014 at 3:34AM

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OCCOQUAN, Va. — Some Occoquan residents on Friday spent the better part of the past two days cleaning up sludge and debris left behind by flood waters from the Occoquan River.

News

$989 Million Prince William County Budget Passes, Funds Libraries, Police

By Uriah Kiser

Published April 30, 2014 at 3:33PM | Updated April 30, 2014 at 6:23PM

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Prince William County leaders on Tuesday night passed a nearly $989 million budget for fiscal year 2015 that will take effect July 1.

Without knowing how much money they’ll get from Richmond as lawmakers have yet to pass a statewide budget, local leaders set the tax rate at $1.148 per every $100 of assessed property value. The rate is four cents lower than last year’s tax rate, but average tax bills are expected to rise about 4.5%.

News

Hundreds of Gov’t Jobs Remain Vacant in Prince William

By Uriah Kiser

Published April 25, 2014 at 9:20AM | Updated April 25, 2014 at 10:33AM

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — If government jobs go unfilled for more than 500 days are they really “critical” positions?

That question was raised during a marathon session of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors Tuesday as they wrangled over what to fund in the next year’s budget, and how to fund it.

News

After Dropping Out, Foreman Back in Dumfries Mayoral Race

By Uriah Kiser

Published April 21, 2014 at 4:29PM | Updated April 22, 2014 at 11:57AM

DUMFRIES, Va. — Dumfries Mayor Jerry Foreman says he’s running for re-election, again.

The sitting official, in a statement released Sunday, said an outpouring of support from those who live in the town encouraged him to re-enter the race prior to the upcoming Election Day on May 6.

News

Forty Under 40 Nominees Honored at First ‘Cupcake’ Charity After Hours

By Uriah Kiser

Published April 17, 2014 at 10:08AM | Updated April 22, 2014 at 9:35AM

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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.