Stafford County leaders will crack at reversing course on its downtown development project.
During the Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting at 3 p.m. Tuesday, September 6, three elected leaders — Crystal Vanuch of Rockhill, Meg Bohmke of Falmouth, and Darrell English of Hartwood — aim to repeal a zoning decision Supervisors made during a 4-3 vote in June 2021 to allow more than 5,400 homes in Downtown Stafford, an area stretching between the county courthouse and Stafford Hospital.
Free dinner? Free parking? Northern Virginia transportation leaders exploring creative options to incentivize commuter behavior — Imagine you’re getting ready to drive to work and suddenly an alert comes across your phone: There’s a disruption on your route causing back-ups, but if you alter your plans – maybe you take the bus or Metro, or you delay your trip slightly – you get free dinner on the higher transportation powers that be. [Insidenova.com]
Independent Hill Library story trail is a hidden gem — The Independence Hill Library’s story trail, which opened in the spring, is the first permanent story trail in Prince William County. The project was a collaborative effort between Prince William Public Libraries, Prince William County’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and Keep Prince William Beautiful. [Prince William Times / Subscription Required]
On Sunday, September 4, one of the men shot during the multi-agency narcotics task force operation in the 14700 block of Fox Glove Court in Dale City on Thursday, September 1, died from his injuries at an area hospital.
The second individual, identified as a 30-year-old man, remains hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries and is expected to survive.
Overlooking Fredericksburg, the Chatham Bridge, and the Rappahannock River.[/caption]
The Fredericksburg City Council has amended the criminal blight rules to align with state legislation.
The previous city codes related to criminal blight were first adopted in 2012 and were known as "drug blight" provisions. Those provisions were used to designate a building or structure blighted due to unlawful activity such as sales or the use of drugs on an individual property.
Since then, the General Assembly has made many amendments to the criminal blight rule, numbered 15.2-907 in the state code.
The ordinances were designed as a tool to protect public health, safety, and welfare in the circumstances that they addressed and apply to all properties in the Fredericksburg area. However, according to the city's Public Information Officer, Sonja Cantu, this ordinance has never actually been used in the over 10 years it has been in place.
The revised ordinance has also been expanded to include using the property in the use of commercial sex acts and the use of a firearm in the course of a criminal action.
According to the ordinance, property owners have 30 days to take action to prevent the property from being designated a criminal blight. If Fredericksburg were to take such action, it would also include the expenses of that action to be charged to the property owner. Property owners could also ask for an additional 30 days to deal with the issues.
The amended ordinance was read at the Fredericksburg City Council meeting on August 9.
We’re taking today off to enjoy some time with our family and friends. Please feel free to comment below and sound off on recent news coverage or tell us how we’re doing in our ongoing effort to bring you the local news that matters to you.
We’ll be back tomorrow, Tuesday, September 6, with more local coverage from our area. The Boards of Supervisors of Prince William and Stafford counties resume meetings tomorrow after a summer break.
The FredNats put two aboard in the ninth but ultimately could not overcome a 3-2 deficit late Friday at Virginia Credit Union Stadium vs. the Delmarva Shorebirds.
Andry Lara got the start for the FredNats and allowed just three hits and one run (one earned) in six innings. He struck out six in a no-decision. The FredNats trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh before a pair of RBI doubles by Trey Lipscomb and Geraldi Diaz netted the team a 2-1 lead.
Aquia Harbour Host Lions President Joe Miller and Treasurer Christ Scott presented a $6,200 check to the domestic violence shelter, Empowerhouse.
The funds will support the Fredericksburg-based non-profit following a fire at the shelter.
Police found a car believed to be involved in a shooting on the Capital Beltway we first told you about earlier this week, burned out near Quantico.
Shortly before 4 a.m. today, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, the Prince William police Department said fire and rescue crews found a car ablaze in a wooded area of Prince William Forest Park, off Joplin Road near Quantico Marine Corps Base.
Those of you that have lived around here know our growing season ends in early October, with the arrival of crisp mornings, warm days, and cool nights.
Even though the calendar says it’s over, there are still many more warm days to come. I hope you do something fun over the holiday weekend.
