With the stroke of a pen on Tuesday, President Obama capped months of contentious wrangling over both the national debt and how the federal government spends its money. As is typical of many compromises, this one did not really satisfy anyone.

The result is that many of the hard decisions needed to truly get our fiscal house in order have been deferred to a later time. In this case, that later time is Thanksgiving, when a “super-committee” composed equally of House and Senate members, Republicans and Democrats, is to make recommendations on where to cut the budget to bring it in line with the $1.5 trillion in cuts the new law calls for. If the “super-committee” can’t agree on where to make those cuts, then they will be made automatically, 50 percent from the “security” side (which includes Defense spending) and 50 percent from entitlements (like Medicare).


North Stafford, Va. — A crane toppled at a construction site in North Stafford on Wednesday morning.

No one was injured, but the crane caused significant damage to a building under construction at the Quantico Corporate Center.


Stafford, Va. — After replacing two people on his campaign staff, Jason Pelt says he’s now working with people who knew him before he wanted to be Stafford’s top prosecutor.

The Republican, who currently works as a defense attorney, says the two campaign workers were more interested advancing their political agendas and not Pelts, and are no longer with the campaign.


North Stafford, Va. — The harmful algal blooms that have prompted warnings to residents along Aquia Creek could be around for a while.

If humans or pets are exposed to the blooms and creek water is ingested, people can experience abdominal pain, jaundice, malaise, and pets can die. The blue-green algae blooms are common in waters in the Potomac Communities and can also be found in the Potomac River and Neabsco Creek.


Rosenbaum (6-5) retired 22 of the last 25 hitters he faced; a walk, hit batter and an error were the only base runners he allowed. In the first inning, however, it did not look like this would be one of Rosenbaum’s finer days.

Steve Bumbry led off the game with a triple and scored on Jonathan Schoop’s single. Schoop stole second base before Manny Machado struck out, and scored on Miguel Abreu’s one out single. That would be the last hit for the Keys until the ninth inning, by which point Rosenbaum’s day was done.


Woodbridge, VA July 29, 2011 — 9:33pm Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Firefighters responded to the report of a boat fire at Hoffmaster’s Marina located at 1214 Swan Point Road, Woodbridge. OWL Engine 502 and Engine 514 arrived on the scene within minutes and found heavy fire from the port side of a boat, extending through the top deck. The fire had also spread to the canopy covering the dock, melting a hole in the aluminum roof.

The first engine crew positioned themselves to protect the adjacent boats and began a quick attack on the fire. The second crew attacked the canopy fire and protected the other nearby boats. Fire Boat 502 established a perimeter to check for hazardous materials leaking from the boat and provide a means of safety for the engine crews working on the dock. The fire was contained mostly to the midsection of the original boat with minor heat damage to a second boat. The fire was under control within 12 minutes.


Dumfries will hold a special barbecue at 6 p.m. at the town’s community center. The event will highlight the importance of senior citizens’ role in helping police protect town residents and property.

Hot dogs fresh from the grill will be served and the first 25 participants will be given a free National Night Out t-shirt, according to a press release from town officials.


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