If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Jan can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 1, Shelley can help with any individual or group projects and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 2, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 3. Please visit our website at volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.


Podcast

RICHMOND — Two delegates, both former journalists, introduced legislation Monday to protect student journalists from censorship and shield reporters from having to disclose confidential sources.

Dels. Chris Hurst, D-Montgomery, and Danica Roem, D-Prince William, urged the General Assembly to pass such legislation.


Originals

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — Hazardous construction from the “Transform I-66” project has citizens frustrated, but the Virginia Department of Transportation is working to fix unsafe conditions, according to a quarterly mobility report presented to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors meeting on January 8.

Windshields broken by debris, poorly painted lines and other road issues on I-66 are plaguing drivers, Jeanine Lawson of Brentsville District said during the meeting.


Event

Join me during this National Craft Open Studios weekend, a celebration of Amrican craft organized by the American Craft Council (ACC). Come visit my studio July 18-19th, 11am-5pm at 10449 Metropolitan Ave, Kensington, MD. Please drop in, see how my work is created, tour my studio and try your hand at hammering some metal.


News

STAFFORD — Rock Hill Supervisor Wendy Maurer will not be seeking re-election for her seat come November.

Maurer, currently serving her first term on the Board of Supervisors announced her decision during the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 8 meeting.


Politics

RICHMOND — Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (D-31 Fauquier, Prince William) filed legislation last week that would increase the age Virginians could smoke or use nicotine products with minors in motor vehicles. The proposed bill would raise the current age from eight to 16 years old.

“As a mother, it was of great surprise to me to learn that children over the age of eight can be exposed to second-hand smoke in vehicles,” Guzman said in a press. “Virginia needs to update its code to reflect the evidence-based results of medical studies.”


Politics

RICHMOND — The Family Foundation and other groups that oppose abortion are urging Virginia legislators to oppose ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They say the ERA, which is currently before the full Senate, is anti-women, anti-American and “a smokescreen for abortion.”

Conservative activists held a news conference and met with legislators this week to voice concerns about the ERA, which they refer to as the “Everything Related to Abortion Act.” They said the proposed constitutional amendment uses women as pawns to push forward an abortion-rights agenda.


Traffic

RICHMOND — Del. Karrie Delaney (D-Fairfax) and 14 other members of the Virginia General Assembly sent a letter Friday to state Transportation Secretary Shannon Valentine and other officials requesting toll relief for federal workers commuting without pay during the federal government’s shutdown.

“These residents are still going to work every day to ensure our nation’s operations continue, but they are not receiving a paycheck,” Delaney said. “They are trying to figure out how they are going to make ends meet, and here we have an opportunity to provide some relief from the tolls they incur during their commute.”