MANASSAS — The Manassas Economic Development Authority approved a proposal for a new small business development center (SBDC) office in downtown Manassas.
The office will be located at CenterFuse and open one day a week at first to gauge interest and demand. Hours and staff may expand from there. It is an extension of the Mason SBDC at George Mason University–Mason Enterprise Center in Fairfax.
WOODBRIDGE — A total of 67 citizens gave impassioned pleas for and against the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) during the Prince William County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday.
Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi put the item on the agenda, urging his fellow Supervisors to declare support for a constitutional amendment introduced in the early 1970s that aimed to give equal rights to women. After hours of testimony from residents, Principi could not get a single one of the supervisors to second his motion.
HAYMARKET — Carried to Full Term, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping expectant mothers, will expand.
The organization said its new program is geared toward helping low-income mothers get back on their feet. Founder Frances Robin said the goal is to break the cycle of poverty by adequately preparing expecting mothers for a life of independence and self-sufficiency.
DUMFRIES — Environmental experts are warning of a potential catastrophe if the coal ash at Possum Point and other toxic Virginia coal ash ponds is left as it currently is, in unlined pits.
Recycling industry experts say there is a market for the ash — the substance left over after coal is burned to make electricity — to use in products like concrete and wallboard.
MANASSAS PARK — The somber message from everyone involved with the drug epidemic resonated clearly: Opioid addiction continues to be a growing problem in the Prince William County area that cuts across all demographic distinctions, costing lives and wreaking havoc in its wake.
More than 80 people gathered Nov. 17 at the Manassas Park Community Center to assess the scope of the current opioid crisis as well as ways to combat it. They heard from law enforcement officers, health care professionals, elected officials and people whose lives have been devastated by opioid drugs.
In the wake of Amazon’s announcement to build its second headquarters (dubbed HQ2) in Arlington’s Crystal City neighborhood, real estate prices are projected to soar and officials are mixed on how to ensure affordable housing for Northern Virginia residents.
Finding housing in a rapidly growing community has been a concern in the area for years. A recent survey conducted by Suburban Virginia Republican Coalition (SUV GOP) found that suburban residents in the area named affordable housing as one of their four key issues, in addition to commuter transportation, property taxes, and education.
MANASSAS — Delegate Lee Carter’s seat is up for election next year, and Manassas City Councilman Ian Lovejoy plans to run for it.
Lovejoy will announce his campaign on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at a small gathering in his house in Manassas.
BRISTOW — Those working to protect and improve Prince William County’s rural area say it will be a campaign issue in 2019.
But it could be until 2020 before voters see policies reviewed and action is taken, they add.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — Stanley Bender was the independent third-party candidate in a Special Election on Nov. 6 for Prince William County School Board Chairman At-large.
He was a long shot, having raised no money, erecting no campaign signs, and participating in just two of three election forums held prior to the vote.
OCCOQUAN — A loud noise is expected to rattle residents along the Occoquan River.
Fairfax Water will test the Occoquan Dam Siren from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Residents, they say, shouldn’t be concerned.
