News

Call to Action: New Volunteer Opportunities Through the Holidays

By Caitlyn Meisner
[Volunteer Prince William via Facebook]

Greetings, Prince William: It’s All About a Kid and a Toy! Volunteer Prince William’s program Untrim a Tree which provides holiday gifts for local children in Title I schools is now live and accepting donor forms!  While we’ve been able to get kids sponsored, we still have over 1,300 children who are still waiting on Santa, so your help is still needed!  The online donor form is available to sponsor a child or donate a Senior Basket; please visit our website to fill out and submit a form. The whole family can participate, and you’ll feel great being part of a program which helps so many of our vulnerable children have a happy Christmas! Volunteers will also be needed Dec. 7-10 to help sort/organize toys and deliver Senior Baskets.

If you love helping others learn, we have a wonderful opportunity for you! BEACON for English Language and Literacy is recruiting volunteers to teach adult ESOL students for their upcoming Winter session which runs from Dec. 2 to Feb. 27.  No teaching or language experience is required, and training is provided.  To learn more, please sign up for a virtual information session at Info session sign-up or contact Seth at 571-428-2524.

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Buckle Up, Prince William! “Click It or Ticket” Campaign Kicks Off

By Jazbia Chaudhry
[Scott Rodgerson/Unsplash]

The Prince William County Police enforce traffic safety all year, and the Department reminds motorists to Wear your seatbelt every time! That is the underlying message of this year’s “Click It or Ticket” seatbelt enforcement campaign, which runs from Nov. 23, 2024, through Dec. 1, 2024. Seatbelts save lives!

Prince William County Police join law enforcement agencies throughout Virginia in the “Click It or Ticket” campaign to enforce the Commonwealth’s safety-belt and child safety-seat laws. The Department will participate in high-visibility patrols – day and night – through Sunday, December 1.

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Did You Hear It? Occoquan Dam Siren to be Tested on Wednesday November 20

By Aya Karouane
The Occoquan Reservoir provides drinking water for 1.5 million people in Northern Virginia. [Photo: Fairfax Water]

Fairfax Water will test the Occoquan Dam Siren warning system on Wednesday, November 20, at 10 a.m. The sirens are intended to alert people near the Occoquan River to seek higher ground in case of a dam failure.

Press Release from the Town of Occoquan:

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Meet the Principal: Q+A with Round Elementary’s Andrew Wilson

By Caitlyn Meisner

Welcome (or welcome back) to a Potomac Local News series, “Meet the Principal.”

We started this series at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year with the nearly two dozen new principals in Prince William County Schools, but let’s turn our attention to the new and existing Manassas City Public Schools principals. Potomac Local has asked each principal the same questions in bold, and their respective answers will be found below.

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‘From Darkness to Light’ Holiday Concert is Gainesville Choir’s Largest Yet

By Jazbia Chaudhry

Gainesville Community Choir (GCC) will perform a collaborative concert this winter entitled “From Darkness to Light” featuring Dan Forrest’s LUX: the Dawn from On High and other songs for the season with Fairfax Choral Society. Performances will take place at Grace United Methodist Church in Manassas on Friday, December 6, and Annandale United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 7, both concerts starting at 7:30 p.m. This highly anticipated concert will feature over 200 musicians, making it the largest group of singers ever amassed by the Gainesville-based group.

Since its formation in 2013, GCC has always been committed to its mission to enrich, educate, and entertain through intentional community-building and developing and supporting musical excellence. Gainesville Community Choir was honored to receive the Seefeldt Award for Outstanding Arts Organization in 2023. In addition to that distinction, conductor and co-founder Jacob Lash recently received the 2024 Seefeldt Award for Outstanding Arts Educator. GCC’s Board of Directors believes that both vocal technique and expression are essential to achieving this mission. Rehearsals incorporate lessons in vocal technique and music literacy, and the choir strives to thoughtfully impact the hearts and souls of audiences and the surrounding communities through their performances.

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Potomac Shores VRE Station House Breaks Ground

By Caitlyn Meisner
From left to right: Dallon Cheney, KLNB Commercial Real Estate; Peter Chavkin, Biddle Real Estate Ventures; Andrea Bailey, Supervisor, Potomac District; Deshundra Jefferson, Chair at-Large, Prince William Board of County Supervisors; Margaret Franklin, Supervisor, Woodbridge District; Maria Burgos, Office of the Prince William County Executive; Gary Hopkins, Potomac Shores Town Center Committee. [Courtesy photo]

Public officials and real estate executives broke ground on the new Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station house at Potomac Shores on Saturday.

Many community members met to both celebrate the completion of the $24 million, 350-spot parking garage and the beginning of the 20,000-square-foot station house project. Along with the station house will be two levels of retail space: restaurant space with indoor and outdoor dining and any number of retailers, such as ice cream or coffee shops.

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Residents Rally to Support Recreation and New Traffic Plans

By Kelly Sienkowski

Stafford residents, led by former Hartwood District Supervisor Joe Brito, are rallying ahead of tonight’s Board of Supervisors meeting to advocate for transforming the closed Cannon Ridge Golf Course into a regional historical riverfront park and for transportation impact fees on developers. Brito served as the Hartwood District’s Supervisor from 2006 to 2009.

Tonight’s Board of Supervisors meeting will discuss the Transportation Master Plan (TMP), and proposed Transportation Impact Fees for developers. The board will discuss amending the Capital Improvement Plan to add the TMP as an appendix. The TMP includes projects already in process, like road repairs and safety fixes; short-term projects designed to improve safety and flow, like bike paths and pedestrian walkways; and long-term plans like a new river crossing route. The plan includes just over $1 billion in road projects.

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Celebrate the Season in Occoquan: Tree Lighting & Holiday Firelight

By Jazbia Chaudhry
Santa lights the Christmas tree at Occoquan Town Hall.

Press Release:

Join us for a wonderful holiday tradition in Occoquan on the evening of Saturday, November 23, 2024. This is our popular tree lighting and shop late event that will for the third year in a row include our Holiday Firelight activities.

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