News

Stafford, Va. — Again this year, residents in the Potomac Communities who want to safely dispose of old prescription medications can take them to one of at least two drop off points in the region.

Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, residents can clean out their cabinets of old, unused and potentially dangerous prescription medication and bring them to Stafford Hospital Center off U.S. 1 in Stafford and drop them with the county’s sheriff’s department. There, sheriff’s deputies will partner with the DEA for this annual collection and will have a disposal box set up so residents can simply drive up and drop the medication into a box, never having to get out of their cars, according to a Stafford sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy.

The Stafford Sheriff’s Office has been presented a trophy as a finalist in the international Webber Seavey Award. Law enforcement agencies worldwide compete for this award which recognizes agencies for promoting a standard of excellence that exemplifies law enforcement’s contribution and dedication to the quality of life in a community.

The Stafford Sheriff’s Office was in competition with agencies such as the Toronto Police Department, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Vancouver Police Department.

By Stephanie Tipple
For PotomacLocal.com

It was all good cheer: excitement and poker chips at the first annual “Chips 4 Charity Fundraiser” held Friday night at the Harbour View events center in Woodbridge by the Lake Ridge and Woodbridge Rotary clubs, and the Greater Prince William County Health Center.

This week marks the 230th anniversary of America’s independence from Great Britain. Really? I can picture readers scurrying to consult some long-forgotten history text or the internet to find proof that I am wrong in making this assertion. Surely, I must be mistaken.

Most sources will cite July 4, 1776 as the actual date of our independence. After all, that was when it was declared, a little over 235 years ago. But, it is one thing for a nation to declare its independence and quite another for it to actually achieve it. Five long and brutal years of war would plague our new nation from that July day in 1776 until it could truly declare itself to be sovereign and independent.

The pantry announced earlier this week that, for the first time since the onset of the national recession, they would be forced to close until Nov. 1. The closure means that more than 2,000 area residents who depend on the ACTS pantry will go without.

Quinn’s Goldsmith in Occoquan and Woodbridge is offering an Ultrasonic Ring Cleaning free when you come in and drop off a donation of food.

Because the East Coast earthquake that occurred in August could have damaged your chimney it’s more important than ever to have it inspected before you start a fire in the fireplace, woodstove or turn on your furnace this fall and winter. Chimney damage could be hard to see and it may have affected the lining of the chimney preventing proper ventilation of harmful gases. It’s important to understand that just looking at the outside of the chimney is not enough.  It needs to be inspected by a professional inside and out and is not limited to masonry chimneys.   Prefabricated metal chimneys should also be inspected.  If cracks in the chimney lining or lose joints in metal chimney go undetected carbon monoxide will escape into the living area or burning embers could pass through, which could ignite combustible material and spark a house fire.   

Some damage is obvious, and some is hidden: