At the Monday night meeting, Manassas City Council unanimously approved its fiscal year 2026 budget, totaling more than $512 million and following months of meetings.
The budget will take effect on July 1; though the real estate tax rate will remain flat at $1.07 per $100 of assessed value, property assessments are increasing an average of 8%. The average increase for a homeowner’s tax bill is expected to be about $406 starting July 1.
TRIANGLE, Va. – A rusted WWII-era tank gun barrel, likely left behind by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during secretive wartime training exercises, has been recovered from a remote section of Prince William Forest Park.
Interpretive Park Ranger Melissa Weih said the discovery was made in an archaeological site deep in the woods, in an area once used by the OSS — the forerunner to today’s CIA — during World War II. While the exact location is being kept confidential to protect the historical site, Weih confirmed it’s a low-traffic, off-trail part of the park where old training grounds still exist.
SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – Spotsylvania resident Barbara Ucman was working in her garden when she heard commotion across the fence. She thought it was a dog, and but then, to her surprise, she saw a bear paw grip the top of her wood fence.
Join us for an in-depth, inspiring conversation with Mayor Derrick Wood of the Town of Dumfries, Virginia’s oldest continuously chartered town. Hosted by Uriah Kiser, publisher of Potomac Local News, this live podcast dives deep into the major transformations reshaping the town—making it a destination rather than a drive-through.
Sharon L. Bassarab (Age 80)
Sharon Louise Henderson Bassarab, 80 of Orchard Park, entered into rest on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 in her home. She was born on October 8, 1944 in Houston, Texas to the late James and Shirley Ward Henderson. Beloved wife of the late Joseph James Bassarab; devoted mother of Laurisa (Mark) Goergen and the late Erik Graybill; stepmother of Joanne Smith and James Bassarab and one daughter-in-law, Kristy Graybill; cherished grandmother of Andrea Goergen, David Goergen, Katrina Goergen, Vanessa Goergen, Hayden Graybill, Tiffany (Mark) Bowers, Daniel (Robyn) Hayzlett, Joshua (Aaris) Hayzlett, Connor Smith, Jenifer (Jonathon) Griffith, Hanah Bassarab, and Emma Bassarab; adored great grandmother of Devon Goergen, Makenzie Bowers, Logan Bowers, Makayla Hayzlett, Madison Hayzlett, Haley Hayzlett, Hannah Hayzlett, Kyleigh Hayzlett, Evie Griffin, Allie Griffin, Gabriel Griffin, and Michael Griffin; dear sister of Linda (Stephen) Jenkins, Candy Henderson, and Kim Henderson and three sisters-in-law, Margaret (Frank) Grabiec, Wilma (Peter) Stevens and Linda (Walter) Bassarab; also loved by numerous nieces and nephews.
HAYMARKET, Va. – The Haymarket-Gainesville Kiwanis Club has proposed installing a Little Free Library in the town park near the bulletin board, a plan shared during the Haymarket Town Council work session on May 27, 2025.
Carl Davis and Terry Flight, representing the Kiwanis Club, introduced the idea to councilmembers as part of the club’s mission to support literacy and education in the community. “We’re just starting and we want to start with Haymarket,” said Flight, noting that the club is just two and a half years old. “Our focus is on children and families, health and nutrition, education and literacy, and youth leadership development.”
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – A political postcard-writing session hosted by the Fredericksburg Republican Committee at Wegmans ended prematurely on Sunday, June 8, after store staff asked the group to leave, citing company policy.
According to a statement released by Fredericksburg GOP Chair Scott Vezina, several members of the committee gathered at the 2nd-floor market café in the Fredericksburg Wegmans to eat, socialize, and write postcards in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Sears. Vezina said a Wegmans employee had given verbal approval beforehand, provided the group remained non-disruptive and refrained from soliciting.
