Opinion

Low Standards and Poor Scores—What Are We Telling the World About Manassas?

By Potomac Local News
[Photo: Markus Winkler/Unsplash]

As Manassas tries to position itself as a destination for major business investment, I can’t help but wonder what message we’re really sending—especially when our public schools are struggling so visibly.

Recent reporting from Potomac Local News highlights that Standards of Learning (SOL) scores in Manassas City Public Schools are not only falling, but are also well below the state average. Osbourn High School and Metz Middle School remain only partially accredited, and our grading policies are under fire for allowing late work and multiple test retakes. These may be intended to help struggling students, but the result appears to be grade inflation and a lack of accountability.

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Let Kids Be Kids — Bring Back the Full Summer Break

By Potomac Local News

Each year, the school calendar creeps earlier into August, cutting short a season that was once sacred in childhood: summer. I’m writing to express my concern that we’re trading sun-soaked afternoons, family vacations, and outdoor adventures for fluorescent lights, digital screens, and prematurely scheduled tests.

Not long ago, most schools in Virginia started after Labor Day. This gave kids the full summer—June, July, and August—with time to rest, travel, play, and just be kids. Today, schools in our area begin as early as August 12, while it’s still hot, bright, and perfect for swimming, hiking, and being outside. Why are we rushing children back into classrooms when summer is still in full swing?

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Heard E.T. Soar and Jaws Stalk—Here’s What It Was Like at the Kennedy Center’s Film Score Night

By Uriah Kiser
Abrams

John Williams, composer of the iconic themes from Superman, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and many others, is the soundtrack of my childhood. So when the Kennedy Center invited my wife and me to Notes and Frames, a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra celebrating classic film scores, I jumped at the chance.

The show, held June 6, was more than a concert—it was a cinematic time machine. From the booming percussion of King Kong to the haunting strings of Vertigo, each piece reminded us how film music doesn’t just accompany a story—it is the story. These weren’t just background tracks. These scores are characters in their own right.

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Opinion: As Republicans Gain Ground, Manassas Democrats Must Learn to Govern for All

By Uriah Kiser

The 2024 election results for Manassas signal a shift in the city’s political landscape.

While Democratic Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger retained her seat with a notable 56.91% of the vote, Republicans have made meaningful inroads, building on a newfound organizational strength seen across the state as conservatives embraced Virginia’s early voting system in record numbers. In what has become one of the city’s most contentious elections in recent memory, conservatives leveraged social media and new voices, such as the “Until They Kick Us Out” podcast, to rally supporters and draw attention to their causes. The Republican Party’s increased cohesion and visibility hint at a changing dynamic in a city once considered solidly Democratic.

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Opinion: No More Delays: Digital Gateway Project is Crucial for Prince William’s Schools, Parks, and Tax Relief

By Potomac Local News
[Photo: Markus Winkler/Unsplash]

It’s time to do what’s best for Prince William County and move forward with the Digital Gateway. Approved by the Board of County Supervisors in December 2023, the Digital Gateway’s implementation has been slowed due to legal proceedings meant to stop it despite years of discussion, debate, and public hearings that led to approval by the Board of County Supervisors.

Opponents are focused on burdening our legal system with proceedings to challenge the Digital Gateway’s approval even though the Prince William courts have already dismissed one case with prejudice because it lacks merit. Today, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors will ask the County Circuit Court to dismiss another lawsuit filed by a former State Senator that would halt the Digital Gateway Project.

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Opinion: Will Manassas Leaders Save GMBL? A Community’s Baseball Legacy Hangs in the Balance

By Potomac Local News
Forkell Greene

From Lynn Forkell Greene, Manassas City Council candidate:

Three years ago, I joined a grassroots movement to save the Greater Manassas Baseball League (GMBL), an organization that serves as the heart and soul of our local sports community. Today, GMBL stands on the precipice of an uncertain future. The crucial question now is: Will Micron move forward with its option to purchase the E.G. Smith Baseball Complex, or will they stand down? Why have the current Council and Interim City Manager been so silent toward the GMBL Board?

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Opinion: Mayor Michelle Davis Younger Has Made Politics Personal

By Uriah Kiser

As Manassas prepares for Election Day on November 5, 2024, Mayor Michelle Davis Younger’s actions during her time in office have shown a concerning pattern: a tendency to make politics personal, holding grudges against those who disagree with her, and even daring to ask challenging questions.

Mayor Davis Younger has consistently demonstrated that she only values positive press and wants to control the narrative about her time in office. Her use of the phrase “Our Manassas” over the past four years implies a sense of unity, but it’s a unity that seems conditional—only extending to those who fully support her vision and leadership. Anyone who questions her motives or approach, whether political opponents or local journalists, finds themselves on the receiving end of her ire.

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Media Hounds Local School Board Member’s Son: Conservative Values Under Attack Yet Again

By Letters to the Editor
[Photo: Markus Winkler/Unsplash]

As we all have learned, especially over the past four years, if you are a Christian, conservative, Republican, or just a parent who is concerned about your kids, then you have a target on your back.

We all watched in horror as The American Federation of Teachers, under the control of Randi Weingarten, decided she and her left-leaning cohorts knew better than parents. Therefore as a result of her misguided egotistical rant, she encouraged Joe Biden’s DOJ to classify these caring moms and dads as domestic terrorists. As a result, parents across the US have been harassed by Biden’s DOJ and FBI, and accused of domestic terrorism and a threat to the safety and democracy of our country.

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Opinion: Proposed Historic Ferry Farm to Cannon Ridge Waterfall Riverfront Trail Promises Public Access to Stunning Natural Wonder in South Stafford

By Letters to the Editor

“This Natural Waterfall [in south Stafford] is one of the features that will be along the proposed Historic Ferry Farm to Cannon Ridge Waterfall Riverfront Trail. The waterfall is on over 1,000 acres of Conservation Easement riverfront land that runs for miles upstream on the Stafford side of the River into four Counties. Currently, there is no public access to the Waterfall except by boat on the Rappahannock River. The proposed trail would finally provide Public Access to the Conservation land.”

“We must secure access to the easement land before the developers try to create private access to the public lands. The Trails need to be Free to Stafford and Fredericksburg Residents. We should also give Spotsylvania the option to buy in as a regional park.”

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Opinion: We Are Subsidizing Political Bias at Universities

By Letters to the Editor

“Universities get about a trillion dollars a year from taxpayers. On average about 90%+ of contributions from university faculty and staff go to leftist causes and candidates.

So essentially we are being forced to not only subsidize the leftist indoctrination of our children. We’re being forced to subsidize the campaigns of the politicians who continuously advocate for more of your tax dollars going to hyper-leftist universities.

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