Manassas

The Manassas City Council began its three-day retreat on Thursday at James Madison’s historic Montpelier, located over 80 miles south of the city. The event quickly raised concerns about public access after members of the public who traveled to attend the meeting discovered the venue was locked and inaccessible.

Virginia law mandates that government meetings remain open to the public unless they are specifically classified as legal closed-door sessions. According to Virginia’s open meetings laws, the Council’s work session and retreat did not qualify as a closed-door meeting, raising questions about compliance.

Former Councilwoman Lynn Forkell Green attended the event and confirmed the gate to the complex was locked. “I couldn’t get in. Had I not had the cell numbers of council members, I would not have gained access because the meeting space was more than a mile past the gate, and the complex was closed,” Forkell Green said. While she was able to contact a council member who provided the entry code, she noted that most members of the public would not have such relationships or access.

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Originals

OmniRide has reached a significant milestone, serving 1 million passengers in FY2024. This achievement signals a post-pandemic recovery for the regional transit provider and sets the stage for even greater success, with projections to double ridership to 2 million passengers by June 2025, according to agency officials.

During soon-to-be released Potomac Local News Podcast episode, OmniRide Executive Director Bob Schneider shared insights about the agency’s new routes and its vision for the future. He highlighted the introduction of new services to Warrenton and Front Royal as a pivotal step in expanding OmniRide’s reach and addressing regional transportation needs.

“These new routes are about connecting communities and providing meaningful transit options,” Schneider said. “We’re seeing positive feedback from passengers in Warrenton and Front Royal, and while it’s still early days, these routes are running on time, and riders are happy with the service. We’re excited to watch these areas grow into key parts of our system.”

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Manassas

Jesus Enrique Ramirez Cabrera, 23, of Manassas, appeared in a Prince William County court Thursday, January 23, for a preliminary hearing related to his arrest last fall after he was accused of abducting a Manassas City school girl at a city bus stop.

Initially, Ramirez Cabrera was charged with Abduction of a Minor, Robbery using Force, both felonies and misdemeanors, Petit Larceny, and Impersonating an Officer.

After a delay to consult with the victim, Assistant District Attorney Elena Ventura announced that the Commonwealth was dropping the two misdemeanor charges. Nebye Kahssai of the Public Defender’s Office told Judge Lisa Baird that Ramirez Cabrera waived his right to a preliminary trial.
Initially, Ramirez Cabrera was charged with Abduction of a Minor, Robbery using Force, both felonies and misdemeanors Petit Larceny, and Impersonating an Officer.

After a delay to consult with the victim, Assistant District Attorney Elena Ventura announced that the Commonwealth was dropping the two misdemeanor charges. Nebye Kahssai of the Public Defender’s Office told Judge Lisa Baird that Ramirez Cabrera waived his right to a preliminary trial.

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Event

Join us for an awesome Trunk or Treat at the most popular self-defense school in Manassas, at American Drengr Krav Maga, on October 24, 2025 from 6-8 PM. We are located at 10079 Market Circle, Hastings Marketplace in Manassas

Indoor games, creative trunks, great costumes, contests, raffles, and candy!


News

Changing the name of Dulles International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport has been proposed by freshman Congressman Addison McDowell, a Republican from North Carolina.

Rep. McDowell, 31, who represents the 6th Congressional District, introduced the bill alongside Reps. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), Brandon Gill (R-Texas), and Guy Resand Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.).

“It is only right that the two airports servicing our nation’s capital are duly honored and respected by two of the best presidents to have the honor of serving our great nation,” McDowell said.

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News

Legislation to provide free breakfast to public school students across the state is moving forward in the General Assembly with committees set to review the cost, Virginia Mercury reports. 

Sen. Danica Roem, D-Manassas, and Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, D-Alexandria, are leading the charge after a similar effort fell short last year. Bennett-Parker’s bill was shelved by the House Appropriations Committee due to competing priorities while Roem’s Senate bill was following an amendment by Gov. Glenn Youngkin directing a work group to evaluate the program’s potential impact.

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News

More than two weeks after a power outage set off a series of events that crippled Richmond’s water treatment plant, Virginia regulators are putting the city on notice that it may have violated state law and are launching their own investigation into what went wrong, the Richmonder reports.

“The water crisis should never have happened and was completely avoidable,” wrote an official with the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water in a notice of alleged violation issued Thursday. “The City of Richmond could have prevented the crisis with better preparation.”

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Fredericksburg

A majority of the residents who spoke during Wednesday’s public input session about Fredericksburg’s proposed Technology Overlay District acknowledged or even supported the city’s pursuit of data centers.

Rather, it’s the terms and timetable governing said pursuit that comprised most of their questions asked during a joint meeting of the Planning Commission and City Council.

More than one speaker noted that adjacent jurisdictions, such as Stafford County, have taken up to six months from initiating the public process to voting for a data center. By contrast, Fredericksburg’s city council first discussed a Technology Overlay District in detail on Dec. 10 and could vote on related resolutions and ordinances as early as its Feb. 25 meeting.

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News

On Thursday, January 23, 2025, the Fredericksburg Fire Department responded to a fire at 227 Germania Street in the Mill District. Firefighters arrived within minutes to find smoke coming from the basement of a one-story building housing a barber shop and beauty salon on the first floor and apartments in the basement.

Crews extinguished a kitchen fire within five minutes, searched the building, and found no occupants. Three cats were located unharmed. Two residents were displaced as Dominion Energy disconnected the power for safety. No injuries were reported. Due to icy conditions, City Public Works sent a sand truck to treat the street after the fire.

Earlier that day, the Fredericksburg Fire and Rescue Water Rescue Team conducted ice rescue training at Twin Lakes Community, utilizing recent sustained low temperatures that allowed waterways to freeze. “We are rarely able to conduct this training, as the temperatures have to be low for a sustained amount of time for the waterways to freeze enough,” the department shared on Facebook.

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News

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