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!

Stafford

Completion of Staffordboro Boulevard Sidewalk Project Gives More Options to Pedestrians

By Uriah Kiser

A ribbon-cutting event will be held Monday, August 31, at 3:30 p.m. to mark the completion of the Staffordboro Boulevard Sidewalk Project at the entrance of the Park and Ride lot near the Route 610 intersection, Stafford County reported. The $2.1 million project built approximately 1,200 linear feet of sidewalk between the Juggins Road Connector and Pike Place, along with new crosswalks at road crossings.

The work, finished on schedule this spring with paving completed this summer, is the first of four locally administered road projects under Stafford County’s $70 million investment to improve roads, safety, accessibility and congestion. The new sidewalk connects several communities to existing paths and park-and-ride lots, with ADA-accessible ramps and detectable warning surfaces to better serve pedestrians.

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Virginia

Prince William Supervisor Boddye Seeks Authority to Pause High-Demand Projects as Spotsylvania Urges Statewide Moratorium

By Uriah Kiser
Village Place Technology Park in Gainesville, approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2022

“Prince William County Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye on Friday called on state leaders to grant local governments explicit authority to defer decisions on high-resource-demand industrial projects such as data centers while officials study water, power and air-quality impacts,” according to a press release from the Occoquan District.

Boddye’s request, which he said he will seek to add to the county’s legislative agenda, comes after Spotsylvania County supervisors voted 4-2 to urge Gov. Abigail Spanberger to enact a statewide data center moratorium so the Commonwealth can study the industry’s future, Fredericksburg Free Press reported.

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Spotsylvania

Spotsylvania School Board Again Rejects Pre-Employment Drug Testing

By Uriah Kiser

“Spotsylvania School Board voted 4-3 on Monday against directing staff to develop a policy for pre-employment, suspicionless drug testing of new hires and rehires,” Fredericksburg Free Press reported. The decision, the second consecutive monthly rejection of the idea, came after Chair Megan Jackson switched her position to support the measure while Salem representative Lorita Daniels switched to oppose it; public commenters, including local and state education association leaders, largely opposed the proposal on grounds of privacy, cost, and professional dignity.

The debate stems from a 2024 incident in which a teacher was found with drugs in a Spotswood Elementary classroom and later terminated; the division already conducts suspicion-based testing and has added training since then. Board members remain divided over whether mandatory pre-hire screening would improve student safety or merely signal distrust of educators at a time when Virginia school systems face ongoing staffing and retention pressures.

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Manassas

Manassas Battlefield Remains Head to Arlington

By Uriah Kiser
Manassas, battlefield, park, civil war
Manassas National Battlefield Park Visitor Center is located on Route 234 near Manassas, Virginia.

The National Park Service announced Thursday it will transfer the remains of a young Union soldier recovered at Manassas National Battlefield Park to the Office of Army Cemeteries for interment at Arlington National Cemetery. The nearly complete burial of the soldier, estimated to be 16 to 19 years old, was uncovered in March 2024 during archaeological work at a Civil War field hospital site linked to the Second Battle of Manassas in August 1862.

Archaeologists also found a historic rubber pocket comb with the remains and four surgically amputated limbs from other wounded soldiers treated there. Supporting documentation for the transfer is available for public review on the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment website from Aug. 13 through Sept. 4, 2026.

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Prince William

Lovesac Opens New Store in Woodbridge

By Uriah Kiser

Lovesac has opened a new showroom at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge, giving Prince William shoppers a place to try the brand’s modular furniture in person.

The 1,524-square-foot space at 15000 Potomac Town Place, Unit 120, opened Friday, Aug. 7. Shoppers can explore more than 150 fabric options and configure the company’s signature Sactionals sofas, oversized Sacs, and StealthTech sound system to fit different rooms and lifestyles. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

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Features

Woodbridge Choir Marks 60 Years With Open Call

By Uriah Kiser

The Woodbridge Community Choir is inviting singers of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to join its 60th anniversary season, according to a press release from the all-volunteer group. The first rehearsal for the Christmas program is set for Monday, Aug. 31, at the Lutheran Church of the Covenant, 15008 Cloverdale Road in Woodbridge, with new members asked to arrive at 7 p.m. to register and practice beginning at 7:30 p.m. The choir rehearses every Monday at 7:30 p.m. and will present “WCC 60th Anniversary Traditional Christmas Music,” a program of sacred and secular arrangements, on Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. at the A.J. Ferlazzo Building in Woodbridge. Instrumentalists are also welcome, and the group is particularly interested in younger adults.

Founded in 1966, the non-auditioned choir has long offered free public concerts in the Woodbridge area and performed at sites including the Kennedy Center and on NBC’s “Today” show. Resident Musical Director Lee Irwin Culbreth said the group has brought people together through music, friendship and community service for six decades. The press release does not state whether the December concerts are free or require tickets, and it lists the performance venue only as the A.J. Ferlazzo Building without the full street address (15941 Donald Curtis Drive). For details on joining or attending, visit woodbridgecommunitychoir.org or call 703-672-3651.

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News

Free Concert and Movie Friday in Woodbridge

By Uriah Kiser

Prince William County Parks and Recreation is hosting a free doubleheader Friday at Sean T. Connaughton Plaza in Woodbridge. The evening starts with a Fridays at 5 concert from 5 to 8:30 p.m. featuring Leroy Burks & The Voodoo Whiskey Band, followed by a free outdoor showing of the movie “The Rookie” starting at 9 p.m.

The band, led by 20-year Army combat veteran Leroy Burks, has been voted Best Band in Prince William County for 2024 and 2025. The group is known for high-energy performances that mix today’s country hits with classic favorites, complete with B3 Hammond organ and fiddle. Food trucks, including Hershey’s Ice Cream, Lunchbox on Wheels and Balsamo’s Pizza, will be on site, along with beer and wine for purchase for those 21 and older. DJ Moe Vibez will perform as well.

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Prince William

New Girls Hockey League Launches in Haymarket

By Uriah Kiser

A new pickup ice hockey league for girls ages 10 to 14 is giving middle school players across Northern Virginia a chance to compete in an all-girls setting at Haymarket Iceplex.

The NOVA Girls Ice Hockey Pickup League, founded by Warrenton physician Dr. Christopher Chang and coach Kara Given of A and K On Ice Coaching, runs sessions of five to 10 full-regulation games with referees. Games take place at the rink at 15155 Washington St. in Haymarket. Organizers balance teams by skill level each week so beginners, intermediate and advanced players all get equal ice time. Full gear is required, and at least one year of recreational team hockey experience is needed.

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Manassas

Manassas Exhibit Explores Black Identity and Memory

By Uriah Kiser
The ARTfactory at 9419 Battle Street in Manassas.

The ARTfactory in Historic Downtown Manassas, partnering with The Black Art Today Foundation, will present “Beyond the Frame,” an exhibition of work by Levi Robinson and Dion J. Pollard, from Aug. 15 through Sept. 19, 2026. An opening reception runs Saturday, Aug. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m., with RSVP available online. The free show examines Black identity, cultural memory, resilience and the narratives that extend past a canvas’s edges, according to a press release from the ARTfactory. Exhibition programming is sponsored by Micron, which operates a major manufacturing facility in Manassas.

Robinson layers history, mythology and contemporary culture through painting, collage and mixed media inspired by jazz and hip-hop traditions, while Pollard (who creates as DionJa’Y) uses vibrant color, texture and mixed media to highlight joy, family, spirituality and perseverance. The gallery is at 9419 Battle Street and is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.; admission is free. The press release does not list regular contact details beyond the reception RSVP, confirm whether the artists will appear after opening night, or note any related talks or programs.

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Police Blotter

Police Blotter: Homicide Arrest, Construction Death Reported

By Uriah Kiser
**Yes — write a cutline for it.** Suggested cutline: A 17-year-old from Dumfries is escorted by Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office personnel on Wednesday after his arrest in connection with the Aug. 8 fatal shooting of 16-year-old Samuel Ojeda near Catlett. (Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office)

Fauquier County deputies have arrested a 17-year-old in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old at a Quinceañera near Catlett over the weekend. The arrest came Wednesday following an investigation that began when deputies responded to a noise complaint and found the victim with a gunshot wound.

In Prince William County, a 26-year-old construction worker died after a mobile trailer collapsed on him at a Woodbridge job site. Separate calls brought reports of two men brandishing firearms at a pedestrian in Woodbridge and the theft of an e-bike from a Bristow garage.

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