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AstraZeneca to Build Massive Drug Manufacturing Facility in Virginia, But Where?

By Potomac Local News
SimVentions President Joe Claire and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) in Stafford County.

AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical giant, has chosen Virginia for its largest-ever single manufacturing investment—but officials have yet to say exactly where in the state the facility will be built.

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced the project alongside company CEO Pascal Soriot, calling the multi-billion dollar facility a “cornerstone” of AstraZeneca’s $50 billion U.S. expansion plan. The company says the Virginia facility will be powered by AI, automation, and data analytics, focusing on treatments for cancer, heart and respiratory diseases, and rare conditions.

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Annaburg Park Receives City Landmark Designation

By Caitlyn Meisner
Manassas City Council approved as a historic district and site. [Courtesy of the Durable Restoration Company]

The city was requesting approval to rezone the Manor — which was built in the early 1890s as a summer residence for Robert Portner in the Neo-Classical Revival style — to add a historic overlay district.

“The purpose of a historical overlay district is to provide an additional layer of protection to properties with historic and/or architectural significance,” Benjamin Walker, a planner with the city, said at the meeting. “[This ensures] that any exterior work or treatment is historically appropriate and does not diminish a property’s integrity.”

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Bear Sighting in Dumfries Reminds Residents to Stay ‘Bear Aware’ Near Forest Park

By Uriah Kiser

DUMFRIES, Va. – A recent black bear sighting in a residential area near Duke Street has drawn attention to the close relationship between suburban neighborhoods and the expansive wilderness of Prince William Forest Park.

Kristi Shelton, a biologist at the park, says bear sightings like this one aren’t unusual—and are often misunderstood.

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Capitals Donate Dry Hockey Rink at Woodbridge’s Hylton Club

By Caitlyn Meisner
The Hylton Club in Woodbridge will soon be receiving a dry hockey rink. [Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels]

The partnership between the owners of the Prince William Ice Center and the Capitals, valued at $200,000, will allow for the construction of the new rink on an unused portion of the Boys & Girls Club — more commonly known as The Hylton Club — sports fields.

The rink will be dry — meaning no ice will be seen, and it can be used year-round.

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Nokesville Slated to Get More Warehouses Along Route 28

By Caitlyn Meisner
The recently rezoned section along Route 28 in Nokesville. [Courtesy of the Prince William Planning Commission]

The application was two-fold. It was requested that the nearly 19 acres of land be rezoned from mixed-use village to light industrial and that an update be made to the Comprehensive Plan Amendment.

The update to the CPA would rezone the entire district from general business to light industrial. This area includes parts of Fitzwater Drive, Hooker Lane and the Norfolk Southern Railway, in addition to Nokesville Elementary School and a fire station.

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Osbourn High’s Campus Connector Project: ‘On Time and On Budget’

By Caitlyn Meisner
Site work has begun on the Osbourn High School connector in Manassas. [Courtesy of Manassas City Public Schools]

According to Manassas City Public Schools (MCPS) officials, Osbourn High School’s connector project, which aims to provide a safe walking space from the school’s main building to the Johnson Learning Center, is “on time and under budget.”

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Spotsylvania Town Center Now Has a Place for Playing Hooky

By Mike Salmon

One aging sign in the window reads “We’re Evolving, Paragon Village is now EVO Entertainment,” but above the door, it’s labeled “Hooky Now Open.” It was also called “Muvico,” at one time.

There are a few basketball games along the wall. It’s a perfect place to play hooky from work or school, but there’s no guarantee the school truant officer won’t pop up unexpectedly.

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New Innovation District to Position Manassas, Prince William as a Tech Powerhouse

By Caitlyn Meisner
The proposed location for the Innovation District. [Courtesy]

According to a concept plan document from 2024, the goal of the Innovation District — placed around the GMU SciTech Campus — is to connect jurisdictions and industry to create “lasting benefits for the community.”

“Serving as a catalyst, convener, connector, communicator and capacity-builder, the Innovation District will be a destination for ambitious minds to fuel lasting economic growth and well-being in the City of Manassas, Prince William County and beyond,” the document states.

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Fredericksburg Adopts Bold New Vision for the Future: What the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Means for You

By Uriah Kiser
Fredericksburg City Hall

Fredericksburg City Council has adopted a new comprehensive plan that lays out how the city will grow, change, and preserve what residents love most over the next 20 years.

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Next to Normal Brings Bold, Emotional Story to Riverside Stage This Summer

By Uriah Kiser

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Riverside Center for the Performing Arts will launch its summer season with Next to Normal, a Tony- and Pulitzer-winning musical that blends rock music with raw emotion to tell the story of a family navigating the stormy waters of mental illness and grief.

The show opens July 2 and runs through August 3, 2025, marking the Riverside debut of this emotionally charged and rarely produced musical. It stars real-life couple Adrienne Hick and Andrew Foote, who previously lit up the Riverside stage in The Bridges of Madison County. Now, they return in a production that digs even deeper. “We talk about the show pretty much every waking hour,” Hick said during a recent episode of the Potomac Local News Podcast. “Sometimes we have to declare a day off from it—it’s that consuming, in a good way.”

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