PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for Virginia governor, will headline this year’s Lincoln-Reagan Dinner hosted by the Prince William County Republican Committee on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The event will take place at 7 p.m. at Foxchase Manor, located just outside Manassas.
Republican Committee Chairman Jacob Alderman says this year’s dinner will be the largest the committee has ever hosted. “We’re on pace to double, maybe even triple our normal turnout,” Alderman said in an interview on the Potomac Local News Podcast. “I think we’re going to have over 300 people there. We’ve only got maybe 40 or 50 tickets left to go.”
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HAYMARKET, Va. — The Haymarket Town Council is set to revisit a controversial Chick-fil-A drive-through expansion proposal during its upcoming work session on Monday, April 28, 2025, as questions remain about the project's approval from key regulatory agencies.
Earlier this month, the council narrowly approved Special Use Permit (SUP) #2024-001 in a 4-0 vote, allowing the Chick-fil-A at 15186 Washington Street to proceed with a revised site plan known as “Exhibit 6.” The updated plan proposes extending the restaurant’s rightmost drive-through lane onto an adjacent property owned by Virginia National Bank, creating a bypass lane and adding a mobile order pickup point aimed at improving traffic flow and reducing wait times.
However, the approval was conditional: the restaurant must obtain sign-off from all necessary regulatory bodies — including the Prince William County Fire Marshal’s Office, which currently opposes the plan. Fire Marshal Matt Smolsky flagged the design as “unacceptable,” citing narrowed drive aisles and restricted emergency access to the bank’s entrance.
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MANASSAS PARK, Va. — Manassas Park homeowners could see their tax bills rise by hundreds of dollars under the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget, despite a planned reduction in the city's real estate tax rate.
City Manager Carl Cole presented the $129 million budget to the Governing Body on April 22, 2025, proposing a one-cent reduction to the real estate tax rate, which would lower it to $1.395 per $100 of assessed value. However, because the average assessed value of residential properties increased by 7.48%, the typical single-family homeowner, with an average home value of $507,689, would still pay approximately $483 more in real estate taxes next year.
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STAFFORD, Va. — Chairman Deuntay Diggs of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors says the county is making “a good faith effort” to improve collaboration with the school board and engage residents following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which includes increased funding for schools, county services, and a higher property tax rate.
In a recent interview on the Potomac Local News Podcast, Diggs previewed a joint town hall scheduled for Monday, April 29, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Colonial Forge High School Library (note: location changed from the auditorium). The event will feature members of both the Board of Supervisors and the School Board, including Maureen Siegmund, Chair of the School Board.
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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – On the album cover of Karen Jonas' "The Rise and Fall of American Kitsch," released in August 2024, Karen is depicted holding a drink and a bottle of liquor, sporting a neutral expression and a few tattoos here and there. Throw in a 1960s floor-model television set, an ashtray, a religious statue, and an electric guitar, and it all screams "kitsch," from the day when it was hip to be kitsch.
Jonas and a photographer tossed around a couple of ideas before settling on the art for the cover. “We were thinking about it for a couple of months, it was fun,” she said.
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STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. – Stafford County homeowners will see a higher real estate tax rate this year — $0.9236 per $100 of assessed value — as the Board of Supervisors adopted the Fiscal Year 2026 budget on April 15. Although the tax rate is three cents higher than last year, it remains two cents lower than the original proposal by the County Administrator.
By comparison, neighboring Prince William County, with four times Stafford’s population, lowered its real estate tax rate to $0.906 per $100. Despite the rate cut, higher home values in Prince William mean its homeowners will still pay more. The average tax bill in Prince William is $5,162, based on a typical home value of $569,772. In Stafford, the average homeowner will pay $4,069 on a home valued at $434,400.
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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – At one time, the Fredericksburg Visitors’ Center at the corner of Charlotte and Caroline Streets and the little parking lot next door were an adequate place for visitors to park. Last year, the Visitor’s Center relocated to a larger space a block away. The parking lot is now under new ownership, and access to the lot has been restricted. However, not everyone received the notice, so parking enforcement rolls in, which some see as unwarranted.
“I have heard of people being towed,” said Simon Jones, who called the signs “very unclear.” He had a latte from “Anita’s Café” next door to the lot, and the owner, Anita Crossfield, agrees that the signage needs to be clearer. She’s seen cars being towed from the lot, especially on holidays. “It’s not clear,” she said, and an updated version of the sign needs to be included. The new owners should do that, Anita said.
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DUMFRIES, Va. –Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood recently spoke about the new development underway at the corner of Route 1 and Possum Point Road: the first-ever Wawa gas station in the town. This new business, set to open in late summer or early fall of 2025, promises to bring economic benefits to the area, marking a pivotal moment in the town’s growth and revitalization efforts.
According to Mayor Wood, this development is a key indicator that "Dumfries is open for business." The Wawa will create over 50 jobs for the local community, with wages expected to generate an additional $1-2 million annually. The construction of the station is anticipated to bring in an economic impact of $5 to $7 million, making it a major driver of growth for the region.
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The Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved its fiscal year 2026 budget and tax rates on Tuesday night, often along party lines.
Supervisor Bob Weir, a Republican, was among the most vocal at Tuesday's meeting, stating his opposition to nearly everything on the docket from the real estate tax rate, the fire levy and the amount going to Prince William County Schools (PWCS).
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"Being in a national park is peaceful even when you're working. It's peaceful, refreshing and invigorating," Laurel said.
The couple, who had been living in North Dakota before their move, considered other parks in the DMV, but leaped at the opportunity to live at the park's Oak Ridge Campground. As lifelong outdoors people, Laurel and Mike said they were excited to learn something new.
