Traffic

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — In order to pay for increased operations costs, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) will be increasing fare prices by an average of 3% starting July 1.

“VRE works hard to control internal costs but there are some costs over which we have little control and that rise every year. A good example is track access fees. Because we do not own the tracks on which our trains run, we need to pay CSX and Norfolk Southern to run on them. We recognize the potential impact a fare increase has on household budgets, which is why we strive to control costs, keep increases modest, and avoid annual fare increases,” said VRE spokeswoman Karen Finucan Clarkson.


Obituaries

Howard Curtis Melton passed away in the morning of June 21, 2019 at home under the care of Capital Caring Hospice and his wife, Jill. He had a massive heart attack May 8 and began to decline after that.

Howard was born in Andalusia, Alabama, grew up in the Norfolk area and went to high school in Great Bridge, VA. An alumni of Virginia Tech, in the Corps of Engineers and a civil engineering major, he was very proud of his alma mater for all of his adult life. He earned his MS at The George Washington University in engineering.


From Prince William police:

Homicide Investigation *VICTIMS IDENTIFIED – On June 23, detectives identified the deceased bodies that were found in the wood line near the area of Featherstone Rd. and Blackburn Rd. in Woodbridge the previous morning. Detectives with the Homicide Unit have confirmed the identity of the deceased as Jairo MAYORGA, 39, and Milton LOPEZ, 40, both of Woodbridge. The deceased were known to frequent the businesses in the area. More information about this investigation will be released when available. The investigation continues.Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Prince William County Police.


Originals

WOODBRIDGEApparently, people liked riding to work on a double-decker bus.

In April, OmniRide temporarily added a double-decker bus to its fleet and conducted an eight-day test run on several different routes, including a route from Gainesville to Washington D.C.


Originals

WOODBRIDGE — When it comes to Interstate 95, Ruth Anderson is once again is refusing to apply oil to that proverbial squeaky wheel.

In fact, she’s once again pushing for a fix to I-95, this time to the northbound lanes between Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge and Route 123 at Occoquan.


Obituaries

David Scott Vice, 59, of Ashburn, VA passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, June 22, 2019 in Fairfax.

Since 2016 Dave had been serving as the Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy in Ashburn, VA. He dedicated his career to law enforcement and law enforcement training. Dave retired in 2008 as a Captain with the Fairfax County Police Department where he served with distinction for 25 years. He held leadership positions with the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy as well as the Rappahannock Criminal Justice Academy before being named the Director at NVCJTA. Dave enjoyed golf, woodworking and the beach. He cherished the time spent with family and friends and is remembered for his integrity, devotion and fun loving spirit.


Prince William

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has awarded a $50,000 grant for a Medical School Feasibility and Planning Study by George Mason University this month.

The Claude Moore Foundation has contributed $200,000 and Mason will cover the remaining costs and conduct the study, with preliminary results anticipated in early fall.


News

STAFFORD — Many of Stafford County’s two-lane rural roads date back 70 years, with narrow lanes, no shoulders, and sharp curves.

Now county residents will have the opportunity to authorize the Stafford Board of Supervisors to borrow cash to fix some of them. Supervisors voted to move forward with a plan to hold a referendum on the November ballot that, if approved, would allow officials to borrow up to $70 million for transportation fixes.