WOODBRIDGE – (Press Release) On October 17 at 3:45PM, officers responded to investigate threats made towards police involving an individual residing in the 2900 block of Williamsburg Ct in Woodbridge (22191). The investigation revealed that a man, later identified as the accused, call the Prince William County Public Safety Communications Center to inquire about a family vehicle that was towed. During the conversation with the call taker, the accused made threats to harm the police officer who towed the vehicle, as well as, threats to burn the vehicle at the tow lot where it was being stored. Officers were able to identify the accused who was located at his residence in the above area and detained without incident. Following the investigation, the accused, identified as Richard Benard DENNEY, was arrested.

Arrested on October 17:

Richard Benard DENNEY, 30, of 2912 Williamsburg Ct in Woodbridge

Charged with 2 counts of threats to burn and 1 count of threats over the public airway

Court Date: November 26, 2018 | Bond: Unavailable

MANASSAS — On Thursday, in front of a group of business leaders and government officials, Manassas Public Schools’ new superintendent put a neighboring jurisdiction on notice.

“We’re going to compete with every school in Prince William County,” said city schools superintendent Kevin D. Newman.

That means posting Virginia Standards of Learning scores in the front offices of all nine city schools, so everyone can see them and engaging more parents to become active in their children’s schools.

“Once we conquer Prince William, we’re going to conquer Region 4, and then we’re going to take over the state to be the best school division in Virginia,” he added.

Newman’s comments at the annual State of the Schools Breakfast held at the Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory come as the school division is celebrating accreditation at all of its schools.

The new schools chief replaces former superintendent Katherine Magouyrk, whom he credited for setting him up for success in his new role and paving the way for new programs like a makers space at Osbourn High School that fits in with the school divisions’ career and technical education program.

On the technology front, the school division is now using 528 interactive projectors in the classroom for instruction, and students and staff are using some 3,000 Gmail accounts, sharing more than 32,000 files between them.

The division is also investing $7 million in new energy upgrades at its school sites, something Newman says will be paid for with the money the division saves on energy costs once the new improvements are in place.

As Newman took his new role on July 2, he immediately finds himself in the middle of a battle between the city’s School Board and City Council on how to fund the schools. School officials argue a rebuild of the 60-year-old Jennie Dean Elementary School is needed, but some on the city council oppose the tax hikes need to fund the new $30 million school.

The proposed increase could hike homeowners’ taxes by as much as 13 percent by 2020, a staggering increase compared to recent funding plans that hiked taxes by about 3 percent a year.

To win hearts and minds, Newman encouraged more business owners to become involved in local education and to “stand strong with Manassas City Public Schools,” a motto adopted by the city schools’ education foundation, a non-profit charged to raise supplemental funding for the school division.

Newman also challenged members of the community to stop dogging city schools, and to put a stop to others who do the same.

“The last name for everyone in this room is “Manassas,” and you protect that family name,” he said. “If you hear it, stop it, the same way you would if someone was talking about your family.” 

Complaints about everything from fights in the city’s middle schools, wayward bus drivers, and truant students have all come up in recent months, he told Potomac Local. He says he’s working on addressing those problems.

The enrollment numbers between Prince William County and Manassas public schools vary widely with 90,500 students and 7,700, respectively.

Virginia Department of Education data shows Prince William County Public Schools have a 79 percent efficiency in reading, 76 percent efficiency in math, 82 percent in science, and 87 percent in social studies.

In Manassas, the same data show a reading proficiency at 67 percent, math at 68 percent, science at 72 percent, and social studies at 75 percent.

MANASSAS — The chance to be in Pied Piper Theater’s production of Disney’s musical “Newsies” was enough to draw 115  children between the ages 8 and 18 to the Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory.

The building in Downtown Manassas was buzzing with both energy as the show’s creative team heard auditionees sing, act, and dance.  

Director David Johnson was impressed with the talent and is excited to embark on this journey.

“Doing a show with a higher demand makes the kids artistically raise themselves up to the next level so it ends up being a good experience for all involved, [and allows] the kids to have to go to a higher level of expression, which is what educational theatre is all about,” said Johnson.

What makes Newsies so different than the other shows available? It is a classic David and Goliath tale based on a true story, set to the music of legendary composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid), and a book by Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray, The Wiz Live!).

The original Broadway production took home two Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Choreography. The popularity of the stage musical grew so large that Disney filmed it with the original cast members and held special viewings in select movie theatres – many of them selling out.

Before it came to the stage, Newsies came to life on the silver screen in a 1992 film of the same name starring Christian Bale of “The Dark Knight” fame.

Theater companies all over the country have been chomping at the bit for a chance to bring it to their own communities. That’s when Anne Ridgeway of Piped Piper Theatre seized the day to bring it to Manassas – making it the first local company to perform the musical.   

Young actors began preparing for their auditions when they first heard the news, leading to an influx of registrations for dance classes throughout the community.

Shania Stewart is an instructor with Showcase Dance Studio and saw it first hand.

“I have students that had never taken a tap or jazz class before… this show has opened the world of dance to so many kids that may have never gotten to experience it before. I think that no matter how casting turns out, my students will have grown as performers and found a new art form to express themselves in,” she said.

The cast will rehearse through the holidays and will have three performances: January 12 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and January 13 at 3 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center.

Pied Piper’s current production of Enchanted Sleeping Beauty opens next weekend for three performances: October 27 at 2 p.m. and 7 and October 28 at 3 p.m. at Metz Middle School.

Tickets for this and other upcoming shows can be found on their website.

NORTH STAFFORD — (Press Release) Stafford’s newest local coffeehouse, The Grounds, held their ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at 10 a.m.  Located at 50 N. Stafford Complex Center, 107, The Grounds Coffeehouse features exceptional specialty coffee, tea, and indulgent locally prepared light fare and desserts.

The seed that was planted more than six years ago has grown into Stafford’s community gathering place. Locally owned and operated, this independent coffeehouse provides a unique elegant atmosphere to meet, work, or just relax.

The Grounds is passionate about providing an exquisite cup of coffee, this means every detail is important. Coffee is purchased directly from small-plot coffee farmers and then imported, hand-roasted, and packaged. The roaster developed its Friend2Farmer direct trade program to ensure that farmers receive a fairer share of proceeds from coffee sales. Each coffee drink is handcrafted by friendly, knowledgeable Baristas.

The Grounds grand opening is scheduled for Tuesday, October 23, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will feature $1 regular drinks.

For more information, visit www.thegroundsva.com

STAFFORD — (Press Release) The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is searching for the suspect behind a shooting into a residence that occurred last night at Arbor Grove Apartments.

MANASSAS — The Shining Sol Candle Company announced plans to put candles in a major retailer and expand its candle-making operation in Manassas.

The company struck a new deal with a home décor store Bed Bath & Beyond where customers will find Shining Sol candles at the company’s Pentagon City and Fair Lakes stores.

Shining Sol also announced plans to work with a yet-to-be-named “legendary and iconic” musician’s charitable foundation. The move would follow company collaborations with rock bands Def Leppard, KISS, and others.

The candle company was founded by Bret Michaels Band guitarist Pete Evick.

Co-owner Deron Blevins said that working with Bed Bath & Beyond was “one of the toughest things we’ve done, probably the toughest process we’ve been through since being in business.”

The candle firm needed specialized software to deal with the big box store in order to implement a process known as EDI — electronic data interchange — and needed to use barcodes.

Shining Sol’s success means the company needs more space. The firm is now renting space in a warehouse in Manassas owned by Buchanan Partners to accommodate increased production – a total of 3,100 square feet.

The warehouse is located on Kao Circle in Manassas near Tucked Away Brewing and Osbourn Park High School.

Expanding into the bigger space “Jumps them into the realm of not just four pallets, but 22 pallets of materials,” Blevins said, a major increase from their old manufacturing hub in the back room of the company’s small downtown shop at 9109 Center Street.

The company prides itself on selling soy wax candles with wooden wicks.

Since the company’s downtown storefront opened in 2016, “business has been very good,” added Blevins. Shining Sol’s retail business picked up, and the company began selling wholesale to other stores across the country.

The company will also be hiring, with Blevins calling the expansion a “leap of faith, but we have a good team of people.”

The expansion will also mean the company will no longer make candles the back room of its downtown shop.  When not on tour with his band, customers can find Evick, a Manassas native in his downtown shop.

“It has been so amazing, I couldn’t be more grateful for the time and the acceptance – it’s been an incredibly unique experience. I’ve been all over the world, but there is truly nothing like Manassas. It makes me proud to be from Manassas,” he said.

Back in November 2017, Peter O’Hanlon won his seat on the Manassas School Board, unopposed. Before that, he was appointed to fill the vacant seat held by Pamela J. Sebesky, who resigned to serve on the City Council.

This year, though, there are five candidates jockeying for the position, and only three will be elected to the seven-member board. We asked O’Hanlon to complete our 2018 Project: Election survey, and here’s what we learned.

Find your polling place

PL: What are the top three major issues facing the district you wish to represent?

O’Hanlon: Funding a school replacement, improving student achievement, and increasing parent involvement.

PL: What concrete solutions do you propose to address these issues?

O’Hanlon: We (the board) has taken the first step through hiring a new superintendent. He will take the lead on improving student achievement.

PL: We are currently negotiating with the city for our next three year funding agreement. We need to continue to ensure that funding the schools is a top priority for the City of Manassas. This does not necessitate increased taxes, just making sure our priorities are heard by the city council.

O’Hanlon: As a city, and a school district, we need to continue improving communications with all our citizens, inviting them to participate in the many activities taking place in the city and the schools.