News - Page 38 of 1909 - Potomac Local News

Virginia State Police Investigate Fatal Crash on I-95 in Prince William County

Published February 5, 2025 at 10:35AM

A fatal two-vehicle crash occurred on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 2:39 p.m. in the express lanes of Interstate 95 southbound near mile marker 151 in Prince William County.

A 2020 Lexus RX, stopped on the right shoulder, was struck by a 2022 Ford F-250 that veered off the road. The impact sent the Lexus into a guardrail before it re-entered traffic lanes and stopped facing oncoming vehicles.

The Lexus driver, Vernon S. Lee, II, 57, of Chester, Va., died at the scene. His passenger, Shannon S. Lee, 25, suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital. Both were wearing seatbelts.

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Virginia Democrats pass partisan legislation during crossover

By Uriah Kiser

Published February 5, 2025 at 10:34AM | Updated February 5, 2025 at 10:53AM

(The Center Square) — Tuesday was crossover in Virginia’s legislature, the last day the chambers can consider their own legislation.

From Wednesday on, the House of Delegates can only consider Senate bills and vice versa.

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Plane crash: NTSB says Army helicopter flying at 300 feet at time of collision

By Uriah Kiser

Published February 5, 2025 at 10:33AM | Updated February 5, 2025 at 10:53AM

(The Center Square) – The National Transportation Safety Administration says the Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines jet over the Potomac River last Wednesday was flying at about 300 feet at the time of the collision, above the permitted flight ceiling.

The permitted flight ceiling for helicopters flying over the Potomac River in the vicinity of Reagan National Airport (DCA) is 200 feet, which is meant to keep military and law enforcement helicopters clear of commercial aircraft landing and taking off in the already tightly restricted airspace around the nation’s capital.

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Plane crash: All 67 victims recovered as salvage teams work to remove wreckage

By Uriah Kiser

Published February 5, 2025 at 10:32AM | Updated February 5, 2025 at 10:52AM

(The Center Square) – Nearly a week following the mid-air collision over the Potomac River between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter, authorities have announced that all 67 victims have been recovered.

The Unified Command announced Tuesday afternoon that 64 victims from the down jet and three soldiers from the Black Hawk helicopter were recovered, and sixty-six of the remains have been positively identified.

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Prince William County Kills Route 28 Bypass Project After Years of Controversy

By Uriah Kiser

Published February 4, 2025 at 8:46PM | Updated February 13, 2025 at 10:24AM

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted Tuesday to cancel the long-debated Route 28 Bypass Project, ending years of planning and millions of dollars in studies and design work. The decision, which passed with a 5-3 vote, came after a contentious debate over the feasibility and cost of the project.

Initially estimated to cost more than $200 million, the road would have connected with Route 28 at a signalized intersection north of Bull Run Stream in Fairfax County. The plan to build the road, Alternative 2B, was the top recommendation from the 2017 Route 28 Corridor Feasibility Study. The project had received $89 million in funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) as part of a broader effort to improve the county’s transportation infrastructure.

County transportation director Rick Canizales confirmed that the estimated cost had grown beyond available funding, requiring an additional $80–$100 million to proceed. “After taking all this into consideration and doing all the design work that we’ve done at this point, we come to the board and let you know that as staff, we believe that alternative 2B is not viable because we don’t have enough money and we don’t have enough support in some of the challenges we’re facing,” Canizales said.

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Manassas City Council Discusses Major Redevelopment Plans

By Uriah Kiser

Published February 4, 2025 at 7:00PM | Updated February 13, 2025 at 10:24AM

A parking garage located in Downtown Manassas, next to the city's Virginia Railway Express / Amtrak station.

Manassas city officials are discussing major redevelopment projects, particularly in Old Town, Mathis Avenue, and Fairview Avenue. According to the city council, these discussions come as multiple developers have expressed interest in city-owned properties, prompting the council to consider issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to attract large-scale investment. A key focus of the meeting was the Old Town Inn site, where city officials debated whether to prioritize a new hotel or a mixed-use project. The lack of parking downtown remains a significant challenge, and council members acknowledged that constructing a 300-space parking deck is critical to enabling future development.

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Flush Your Troubles Down the Drain: Pipefitter Opens in Fredericksburg

By Mike Salmon

Published February 4, 2025 at 6:30PM | Updated February 4, 2025 at 7:08PM

Mr. Rooter opens a new plumbing office in Fredericksburg [Photo: Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce]

When the toilet gets clogged, or the pipe springs a leak, it might be time to call Mr. Rooter, the newest plumbing place in Fredericksburg, to fix the problem.

Officials gathered on Thursday, January 30, 2025, to cut the ribbon on the new Westwood Center office just east of I-95.

“When we started Mr. Rooter here in Fredericksburg, we set out to create not just another plumbing service, but a local business that our community can trust — whether it is for routine plumbing repair, an emergency fix, or a major installation,” said Gilbert Mwenedata, owner of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Fredericksburg. “We’re proud to be part of this wonderful community, and we look forward to building lasting relationships with our neighbors, customers, and other local businesses,” he said.

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Police Blotter: Postal Worker Robbed at Gunpoint; Teens Charged for Distributing THC Gummies

By Uriah Kiser

Published February 4, 2025 at 6:25PM | Updated February 4, 2025 at 8:11PM

[Scott Rodgerson/Unsplash]

A Stafford man was arrested for assault after attacking a victim with a wooden slat on Anvil Road. In a separate incident, a dog owner fought off an aggressive attacker using a toy at Monarch Court. A juvenile fight at a Domino’s Pizza caused property damage, leading to charges. In Prince William County, a postal worker was robbed in Woodbridge, and a Manassas man is wanted for strangulation and domestic assault. Another Manassas man was arrested for a similar crime. Two teenagers at Potomac High School were charged with distributing THC gummies after several students suffered adverse reactions.

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What’s On the Agenda? Stafford’s Board of Supervisors Meets Today, Feb. 4

By Kelly Sienkowski

Published February 4, 2025 at 12:43PM | Updated February 13, 2025 at 10:24AM

Stafford County’s Board of Supervisors will hold its next meeting today, Tuesday, February 4, at 5 p.m. The meeting will be streamed live, and the agenda will be posted online.
The board will review revisions to the Code of Performance for 2025. At the last meeting, on Jan. 7, the board learned that if they wished to add new language to the draft they worked on in 2024, they would have to re-review the entire draft Code of Performance and Ethical Standards which the By-laws Committee worked on over the summer of 2024 and consider it again for adoption.

The board requested an additional consideration that County employees would be required to take leave for any board activities, work meetings, or constituent outreach. Those leave requests would be submitted to the County Administrator for public review. This rule would likely have the most impact on the new Chairman of the Board, Deuntay Diggs, who is also a Deputy with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. The agenda states the requests will be considered and a new draft presented at a future meeting.
The board will review revisions to the Code of Performance for 2025. At the last meeting, on Jan. 7, the board learned that if they wished to add new language to the draft they worked on in 2024, they would have to re-review the entire draft Code of Performance and Ethical Standards which the By-laws Committee worked on over the summer of 2024 and consider it again for adoption.

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End of the Road? Vote Expected as Sup Pushes to Cancel Route 28 Bypass, Citing Community Impact

By Uriah Kiser

Published February 3, 2025 at 7:09PM | Updated February 13, 2025 at 10:24AM

Vega

Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega is pushing to cancel the long-debated Route 28 Bypass project, a multi-year effort designed to alleviate congestion on Route 28 by extending Godwin Drive to connect Manassas with Dulles Airport. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is set to vote on her resolution during its meeting on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. The project, initially endorsed in September 2020, was meant to relieve congestion on Route 28 by constructing a four-lane divided bypass extending Godwin Drive across Sudley Road. The road would have connected with Route 28 at a signalized intersection north of Bull Run Stream in Fairfax County.

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