Originals

Youngkin taps Prince William Supervisor Yesli Vega to rally Hispanic vote

By Uriah Kiser
Vega

Yesli Vega made history when she was the first Latina to be elected to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2019.

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$3.9M Manassas Museum expansion moves forward without library

By Mike Salmon

Manassas is moving ahead with an expansion of this city museum that will not include the addition of a new public library.

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14 arts organizations share $193,000 pot of county funding

By Potomac Local News

You can’t say Prince William County taxpayers don’t support the arts. 

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Manassas “faces” stare back at museum visitors

By Mike Salmon
Photo: Manassas City Government

A new exhibit was launched this month at the Manassas Museum called “Manassas Faces,” which uses faces of city residents to tell the story of life in Manassas.

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Stafford defers on agreement linked to 5G testbed project until August

By Rick Horner
State and local officials cut a ribbon to open Stafford County's 5G technology test bed.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors has deferred an agreement with the Center for Innovative Technology until August.

The agreement would allow the county to contribute funds to pilot projects to the Virginia Smart Community Testbed. While federal, state, and private contributions are currently being made to the testbed Stafford County has no such agreement that would allow them to contribute to pilot projects.

Pilot projects that Stafford County has shown interest in investment include the development of flood sensing monitors that could trigger information though connected signs regarding road closures. This would be of particular interest to the county because of the flooding issues on Brooke Road that have constantly caused traffic issues and cut off residents in that area from being able to leave their homes.

Other potential projects of interest to Stafford have been the use of artificial intelligence to analyze data that has been collected for use in what county documents are calling "smart tourism." The concept of "smart tourism" would be put to use in better targeting of visitor spending, such use of A.I. has also been considered in helping with making business expansions more efficient though the usage of multiple data sources.

The county is in the process of drafting an agreement that could create such a mechanism for it to invest in testbed projects of interest. The contract would require information such as the specific task order for each pilot project that outlines the scope of the work as well as financial contributions from the county, CIT, private partners, federal, and state agencies.

The Virginia Smart Community Testbed, which is also using newly-developed 5G cell phone technology, is located at the Stafford County Courthouse and was officially opened in late May. The testbed has made agreements with many private companies such as Verizon as other federal and state agencies to develop smart technology.

The testbed is the first of its kind in the Commonwealth giving Stafford County a chance to become a hotbed of emerging technologies.


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Sound Fusion brings its blend of musical styles to downtown Fredericksburg

By Rick Horner

Many musicians seek to bridge the gap between genres, and that intent is evident in the name of Sound Fusion.

Sound Fusion plays a jazz-funk hybrid sound consisting of some of the best young jazz musicians in Fredericksburg. Among them are saxophonist Ben Peters, drummer Kyle Smith, bassist Alex Rodriguez, and pianist Jack Earnhardt.

While the group has been together since October 2020, with the release of their first single "My Favorite Things" the group has been coming together for the last three years.

"So, about three years ago I was a sophomore at the University of Mary Washington and my mentor Professor Gately dispatched me to do a gig at a festival called the Kristallnacht,a winter market festival in Market Square in downtown Fredericksburg, and I recruited Jack, Alex, and Kyle to play with me. What I wasn't expecting when we jammed was that we clicked," says Peters about the group's formation.

From there the group continued to practice in Kyle Smith's basement and would record their first album State of the Art which shows off the influences that brought them to the world of Jazz such as Jacob Collier, Herbie Hancock, and John Coltrane. The Coltrane influence is strong as they cover Coltrane standards such as "Impressions" and "Alice in Wonderland" on the album.

Sound Fusion strives to blend its own sound from decades of schooling, experience, and interest in Jazz, Funk, Rock, and Disco music.

"Most of what we are playing is closer to the style of what was going on in Jazz in the '70s and '80s. That's where we are, that's where our languages are. That's just something that we can all communicate and understand each other." says bassist Alex Rodriguez.

Then the pandemic hit and it would affect the way bands perform and where they would perform. For Sound Fusion, however, it allowed them to gel even further as it would interrupt plans for some members of the group.

"I was worried that right as the group was really getting started, we're gonna have to go back to school at New England Conservatory in Boston. One of the good things that came out of Covid is that the time with the group was extended." says pianist Jack Earnhardt.

As the pandemic subsides, Sound Fusion is making plans for the future. In addition to upcoming shows they're also planning a new album which while they say will be on the slower side it will still have the same blend of genres that brought them together in the first place.

"So we've been discussing the second album, we're already talking about what do we want to do next? This is our first statement since State of the Art which is the first one. We agreed that let's start with one tune and see where it goes from. There may be something short that can come out of it, so I think it's gonna be a little slower this time. But we want to kind of build it." says Peters of the potential new album.


Sound Fusion will perform at Colonial Tavern on Lafayette Street in downtown Fredericksburg on Friday, July 16 from 7 pm to 9 pm.

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Holiday Inn Fredericksburg Conference Center opens

By Potomac Local News
Patel

A newly-renovated hotel and conference center is expected to draw thousands to the Stafford County and Fredericksburg region.

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New fines imposed for failing to register car, show license plates

By Potomac Local News

Prince William County wants its money.

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David Fauth engineering a run for Stafford County School Board

By Rick Horner
Fauth

David Fauth is an engineer for a data analytics firm, and a long-time Stafford County resident who has education coursing through veins.

Fauth’s father served on the board while he was growing up, his mother and grandmother were teachers as well. Together they influenced Fauth’s belief in the value of education.

Fauth, along with his wife of 31 years, Nancy, a nurse, raised four children who attended Stafford County Public Schools which, according to him afforded his children a good educational experience. His children range in age from 20 to 27.

Today, Fauth has volunteered his time to the county from teaching children at the Stafford Baptist and Mount Ararat churches, donating food and supplies to area neighborhoods, coaching soccer games, and officiating swim meets.

Fauth wants to bring the values of community service to the school board where he wants to be, in his words, a servant leader who wants to discuss ways to solve problems and rejoice in what is working.

Fauth will run against Maya Guy for the Stafford County School Board seat representing the Aquia District. Potomac Local News interviewed Fauth on what he hopes to bring to the table and to discuss some of the issues that the Stafford Schools are dealing with.

What made you decide to run for the school board?

I want to serve my community and the people who live here. I have lived in Stafford County for 25 years and my family has benefited from SCPS. I have continually volunteered throughout my time in Stafford County by giving back to the community.

Strong schools build a strong community. Each elementary, middle and high school brings together the community and builds up the community. I want to continue to help strengthen our school system.

Local elections are extremely important for the local community and the quality of life in that community. There are 7 School Board members and 7 Board of Supervisors. These 14 people have such an influence on the quality of life for Stafford County both in the short and long term. These elections provide an opportunity for Stafford County residents to make decisions on who they want to lead them. Their reasoning and input is very important to me because it helps me serve them all better.

If elected, what do you believe you can bring to the table?

I have been a volunteer while living and working in Stafford County most of my adult life. Part of that involves good listening skills, which I have. I work very hard to actively listen to whomever is talking to me. I avoid interrupting and arguing, instead preferring to discuss ways to solve problems and rejoice in what is working.

In my consulting career, I spent a lot of time in budget development, resource analysis, resource allocation and prioritization. As the School Board works with the Board of Supervisors on budget development, those skills will be important to ensure the School Board requests a budget to meet the needs of the schools.

As a consultant working on an executive staff, I saw multiple different leadership styles. I learned a lot about how people make decisions, what data they need, and what questions they ask. SCPS will have a new Superintendent, a majority of new representatives on the BoS and on the School Board. My experiences interacting with decision makers will be invaluable as a School Board member.

What are the strengths of Stafford County Schools?

The strengths of the Stafford County Schools are the people working for SCPS. This includes administrators, teachers, para-professionals and bus drivers.

As a resident of Stafford County for over 25 years, I have seen several of the teachers that my children have had now move into administration positions. I have seen the impact that various staff have had on my children and it has been so rewarding. They are really our strength.

We have a diverse student population. The ability to learn from one another within a diverse student population is invaluable.

Our schools provide an excellent academic education in the core curriculum and also in additional academic activities such as Model UN, Stats Program, NJROTC, Governor's School and DECA. The schools also have excellent extra-curricular opportunities in athletics, fine arts, marching bands and various clubs to name a few.

What new opportunities do you think should be brought to Stafford County students?

It is encouraging to see the Virginia Department of Education discuss new math courses in data analytics, data science, and mathematical modeling. I don’t agree with the Virginia Mathematics Pathway Initiative but I do see a need for these types of courses as the corporate world moves into more data-driven decision making.

Concurrently, we should examine what additional courses/training we can provide for those students that want to pursue a trade through a trade school (plumbing/welding / etc.). Maybe it is in drone flying or some type of career in aviation.

What do you believe can be done about teacher retention in the County?

[Stafford County Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Kizner] and the current School Board has done a good job on reworking the current teacher pay scale and working to get an improved pay scale for our teachers. I commend the current School Board for offering some funding to pay off student loans for new teachers in Stafford County.

We need to continue these efforts and make sure the pay scales are competitive with the surrounding counties (especially Prince William County).

New facilities are necessary to relieve overcrowding at our schools. Invest in renovations of the older schools should be a priority. We need to work to reduce classroom sizes which we can do by building a new HS and elementary school. The environments that the teachers work in must be conducive for effective teaching and learning.

Working with the Board of Supervisors is important in order to make Stafford an attractive place to work and live. Stafford is an expensive place to live and I applaud the BoS for trying to provide housing for our public servants. Improvement is needed in ways to attract businesses into Stafford County so teachers will want to live, shop, and dine here.

Not every student is bound for college and we should be providing opportunities as we can for those students. There are high schools in the country that provide trade or skills so that when the student graduates, he or she can immediately start working in their chosen field. I would like to see more of these degrees/diplomas/certifications offered.

Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 2. Learn the location of your polling place.

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Stafford will consider new fees to fund its FOGs program

By Rick Horner
Stafford County is posting photos like these, of grease-clogged water pipes, to social media in hopes residents won't pour hot grease down the kitchen drain.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing to adopt a program to deal with fats, oils, and greases in the county.

According to county documents, if the Board of Supervisors approves a mitigation program, it would collect fees to fund the inspections of commercial kitchens that have the highest potential for releasing fats, oils, and grease (affectionately referred to by county public works crews as FOGs) into the county sewer pipes.

Stafford County has had a long history of trying to deal with FOGs and the issues it causes for its infrastructure. The county estimates that 50 percent of sanitary overflows and backups are caused by the substances settling in the county's sewer system, as well as other related issues which cost Stafford $1.5 million annually to treat.

County leaders could charge $100 for an annual permit, and a re-inspection fee of $50. The Board would be able to set these fees to fund the set-up and operation of the program as long as they are considered reasonable under Virginia State Law.

County documents also estimate that Stafford will have to spend $66,178 in the fiscal year 2022 to fund the program. Stafford estimates that the costs of field staff and administrative costs would total $86,178, the county does expect to offset some of that spending with revenues taken in from the program which it estimates to be $20,000 during FY2022.

Stafford has dealt with the FOG issue in the past. In November 2019, the county created the #canyourgrease campaign which was launched across social media platforms in order to convince Staddord residents to can their FOGs instead of dumping them down the sink drain.

This was in response to the previous FOG issues the County experienced in 2018 when it had to deal with 13 sanitary sewer overflows and 191 sewer main backups.

The Board will hold the public hearing at its August 17 meeting, if the program is approved then it would go into effect on Jan.1, 2022.


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