PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — The longtime head of the Flory Small Business Center is retiring Dec. 31, leaving Prince William County residents without small business development services for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Linda Decker, the center’s CEO and president, is stepping down after deep disagreements with Prince William County officials about the future of the small business center she has headed since it opened in 1991.
Manassas needs a new Jennie Dean Elementary School; City Council and School Board at odds on funding it
MANASSAS — Jennie Dean Elementary School is 82 years old and not getting any younger.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — Willie Deutsch will seek re-election to the Prince William County School Board as its Coles District member. Though School Board races are non-partisan, the incumbent is the first Republican to announce their candidacy for the seat.
All the seats for the school board are up for reelection on November 5, 2019. Deutsch was elected to the school board in 2015, his first time elected to public office.
STAFFORD — Teachers and school faculty could see a five percent increase in their yearly salaries if a new proposal is included in the School Board’s budget.
The Stafford Education Association proposed an across-the-board increase for all employees during a budget committee meeting with the School Board held in early November.
People are talking about the disparity between the old and new school buildings.
In eastern Prince William County and near Manassas, the county school division has aging middle and high schools that opened more than 40 years ago. In the county’s western subdivisions, the schools are newer.
MANASSAS — A medical clinic now operating where an abortion clinic once sat is expanding thanks to doctors and volunteers who are giving of their time and expertise.
The Mother of Mercy Free Medical Clinic provides free, quality healthcare to low-income individuals who are uninsured or under-insured in western Prince William County, Manassas City, and Manassas Park.
STAFFORD — Residents filled 70 minutes of citizen comment time at the School Board meeting on Tuesday. They spoke about the proposed Gender Identity and Expression policy drafted by Stafford Public Schools Superintendent Scott Kizner regarding transgender students.
It’s in response to an incident in October when a Stafford County middle school when a transgender student was reportedly unable to take refuge in locker rooms during an active shooter safety drill. While the drafted policy is in part a follow-up to this issue, transgender policies have been discussed in Stafford in recent years.
MANASSAS — A decision on whether or not to rezone 10 acres of land to accommodate 109 new homes in Downtown Manassas will have to wait.
During its last meeting of 2019, the City Council voted to hold open a public hearing on the Jefferson Square project — a combination of single family and townhomes to be built at the intersection of Prince William and Jefferson streets, an area that lies within the borders of the city’s downtown sector plan.
STAFFORD — Stafford County won’t see an expansive new courthouse as originally envisioned.
Instead of a $70 million full campus renovation, county leaders decided to renovate only the Circuit Court, bringing the price tag to $26 million.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — LaTonsha “LT” Pridgen (D) is running to represent the voice of the people in Coles District as a member the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.
She says she’s running to improve education, transportation, and to bring more jobs to Prince William County.
