News

VRE expands Spotsylvania shop

By Amelia Breeden

Virginia Railway Express: “The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has officially opened its new Lifecycle Overhaul and Upgrade (LOU) Facility, which allows the commuter rail service to perform expanded maintenance onsite in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.”

“The LOU features a drop table to remove locomotive and railcar trucks and wheelsets; wheel truing machine to reprofile rolling stock wheelsets; overhead bridge crane with two lift points – one with a 5-ton and the other with a 30-ton capacity; and two tracks, each holding up to four locomotives or railcars.”

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Fredericksburg loses 4-2 to Sox

By Uriah Kiser

Fredericksburg Nationals: “Salem took an early lead on a Salute to Service Sunday and never looked back, beating the FredNats 4-2. The Red Sox tagged Jarlin Susana for a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. He allowed a leadoff double to Cutter Coffey, then a single to Allan Castro to put runners on second and third with no outs. A wild pitch allowed Coffey to score, then later in the frame, a sacrifice fly brought Castro in to give the Sox a 2-0 edge.”

“Then in the top of the third, Cutter Coffey singled and stole second base. He moved to third on a passed ball, before scoring on an Allan Castro single to extend the lead to 3-0. Susana did not allow a run beyond that, working five full innings for his longest outing this season.”

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VRE on an ‘S’ Schedule tomorrow, July 3, 2023; Changes ahead?

By Uriah Kiser
A Virginia Railway Express train pulls into the Fredericksburg train station. [Photo: Uriah Kiser/PLN]

On a separate note, we’re hearing rumblings about significant changes coming to Virginia’s only commuter rail system, including weekend service, which we reported last week.

The system continues to see about a third of its pre-pandemic ridership.

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Today’s weather forecast | Sponsored by the ‘Fridays at 5’ Concert Series

By Uriah Kiser

National Weather Service Baltimore-Washington: “Severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening. Damaging winds and large hail are the primary threats. See the map for more details.”

“Today: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 pm. Patchy fog before 9 am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 93. South wind 5 to 10 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.”

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Harmful algae bloom advisory at Lake Anna

By Amelia Breeden
Lake Anna State Park [Photo: Virginia Department of Conservation]

“The public is advised to avoid contact with this specific area of the lake until algae concentrations return to acceptable levels. Some harmful algae, called cyanobacteria, can cause skin rash and gastrointestinal illnesses, such as upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.”

“The area to avoid can be seen on an interactive Harmful Algal Bloommap.”

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Manassas officer shatters glass to help overdose victim

By Madina Habib
City police car design from 2011

Manassas City police: “On June 26, [2023], at approximately 10:30 p.m., MCPD responded to a report of a possible overdose in a vehicle. Officer Duck located the vehicle and announced on the radio that he believed the subject was in the throes of a narcotics overdose and that he would need to break the window.”

“The backup officers advised Officer Duck that rescue services were stuck behind a train. Officer Duck recognized the exigency of the situation and, without hesitation, shattered the rear window and gave the subject a dose of Narcan. The subject was transported to the hospital by Fire and Rescue for further treatment.”

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Police silent one week after man shot, killed in Manassas Park

By Uriah Kiser

It’s been a week since 34-year-old Freddy Orozco Lopez was shot dead in Manassas Park.

As far as we know, the suspect, Juan Zacarias, 39, remains at large. We also still don’t know the circumstances of the case. A police press release posted to the police department’s Facebook page six days ago states detectives don’t plan to release that information due to an ongoing investigation.

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