News - Page 47 of 1912 - Potomac Local News

Lights, Camera, Caution: Fredericksburg Speeders Face School Zone Crackdown

Published January 28, 2025 at 5:30PM | Updated January 31, 2025 at 1:36PM

School Zone Speed Limits near James Monroe High School

Fredericksburg Police have launched automated speed enforcement cameras in school zones at Hugh Mercer Elementary and James Monroe High School to curb speeding and improve safety. The move is part of a partnership formed in November 2024 between the Fredericksburg Police Department and the city, aiming to reduce speeding near schools and protect students, staff, and families.

To ease drivers into the new system, the city implemented a 30-day warning period following the installation of the cameras. During this period, violators received warnings instead of citations, a step the city said was designed to “educate drivers and encourage compliance with speed limits.”

Water Main Break Repairs Underway on Route 1 in Stafford

By Uriah Kiser

Published January 28, 2025 at 2:34PM | Updated January 28, 2025 at 3:03PM

[Photo: Matthew Hamilton / Unsplash]

Stafford County spokeswoman Shannon Eubanks said one customer remains without water due to the break. The cause of the water main rupture is still under investigation.

There is no estimated completion time for the repairs, as crews must first identify the problem before calculating how long it will take to fix it. Howell emphasized that safety remains a priority and urged drivers to avoid the closed lanes where possible.

VRE’s Vision for the Future: Expanding Service and Infrastructure

By Uriah Kiser

Published January 28, 2025 at 2:28PM | Updated January 31, 2025 at 1:37PM

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

Among the most talked-about topics were the introduction of Saturday service, a crucial funding agreement for the Manassas Line, solutions for parking challenges at stations, and significant infrastructure projects, including the redevelopment of Seminary Yard and the Long Bridge upgrades. These initiatives are designed to improve the commuter experience and accommodate a growing ridership base.

Saturday Service: A Long-Awaited Step Forward

What’s On the Agenda? Stafford’s Board of Supervisors Meets Today

By Kelly Sienkowski

Published January 28, 2025 at 1:20PM | Updated January 28, 2025 at 2:59PM

Stafford Board of Supervisors (June, 2024)

Stafford County’s Board of Supervisors will hold its next meeting today, Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 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.

Manassas Man Receives Lenient Sentence After Plea Deal in Mall Shooting, Jailhouse Beating Cases

By Alan Gloss

Published January 28, 2025 at 11:07AM | Updated January 31, 2025 at 1:37PM

Russell

A Manassas man who brought an Uzi to Manassas Mall got a lenient sentence after Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth offered him a sweetheart deal to close out two separate cases related to the mall shooting and a separate case where jail officials alleged he participated in a jailhouse beating with five other men who cornered and beat three members of a rival gang.

Daevon Russell, 19, of 9306 Taney Road in Manassas, who at the time, was on pre-trial probation for a 2023 Manassas City shooting that left another teen paralyzed from the neck down, went to the Manassas Mall on July 9, 2024, armed with the Uzi and got into an altercation with another group of teens in the food court.

Spanberger and Earle-Sears want to make history in Virginia. But voters have election exhaustion

By Uriah Kiser

Published January 28, 2025 at 9:24AM

Just weeks after former Rep. Abigail Spanberger left the U.S. House for good, she strolled onto the floor of a different political chamber: the Virginia House of Delegates, reports the Associated Press. The three-term congresswoman, now vying to be the state’s next governor, rubbed elbows with fellow Democrats and held someone’s baby at her hip, a not-so-subtle reminder that statewide elections are looming in the commonwealth this year.

Virginia legislature kills bill to limit voice-activated purchases

By Uriah Kiser

Published January 28, 2025 at 9:23AM

But when Grace asked her family’s voice-activated Amazon Alexa to play her favorite song, her father said it did something else.

Virginia House subcommittee kills bill that would have required parental consent for kids to use “addictive” social media feeds

By Uriah Kiser

Published January 28, 2025 at 9:21AM

Delegate Josh Thomas (D-21, Prince William County) [Photo: Thomas' Facebook page]

“Now with the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) and algorithms, we are getting much more content exposed to our children that they did not sign up for,” said Thomas.

The Virginia Senate has passed several gun-related bills

By Uriah Kiser

Published January 28, 2025 at 9:18AM

Members of the General Assembly are once again debating firearms, WVTF Radio reports.

The House of Delegates will soon be debating a bill that limits the sale of assault-style weapons to 21 or older. It’s a bill that was introduced by Senator Saddam Salim, a Democrat from Fairfax County. His bill passed the Senate Monday afternoon.

Democrats urge Trump to revise hiring freeze, citing VA medical care

By Uriah Kiser

Published January 27, 2025 at 10:20PM

Reps. Jennifer McClellan, Bobby Scott, Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly, Suhas Subramanyam and Eugene Vindman say Trump’s executive action specifically adversely affects the veterans’ community.