After a week marked by tragedy and intense emergency response, Riverside Center for the Performing Arts offers a night of respite to those serving on the front lines. The center is giving away 200 free tickets to local first responders and teachers for Friday night’s performance of Jesus Christ Superstar on April 11, 2025.
The offer is open to area educators, fire and rescue personnel, law enforcement officers, and other first responders. All seats are first come, first served, and must be claimed in person at the Riverside Center box office. Valid credentials are required.
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Prince William County could soon see a significant shift in its meals tax policy, as several key members of the Board of County Supervisors support cutting the tax in half and eventually phasing it out.
Board Chair At-large Deshundra Jefferson told Potomac Local News she supports reducing the county’s meals tax from 4% to 2% in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which takes effect July 1, 2025. Jefferson also wants the Board to consider a plan to phase out the tax entirely over the next few years.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted 5-2 on April 1, 2025, to approve a conditional use permit (CUP) for the construction of a solar energy facility on a 36-acre parcel located at the southeast corner of Enon Road and Truslow Road in the Hartwood District.
The applicant, Enon Road Solar Farm and its representatives from Energy Systems and Applications (ESA), sought approval for two items: the CUP to operate a solar facility in the A-1 Agricultural zoning district, and authorization for the county to enter a decommissioning agreement.
According to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, a resident of the Olde Greenwich Circle neighborhood witnessed part of the incident and intervened in self-defense. The man told investigators he heard what he described as “rapid gunfire” outside his home around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8. When he looked out, he saw two individuals with long guns firing in the parking lot.
The resident instructed a family member to call 911, then retrieved a weapon from his home. When he stepped outside, the suspects were still shooting. The resident fired his gun, striking one of the suspects.
Federal prosecutors have dropped a criminal charge against Henrry Villatoro Santos, a 24-year-old Dale City man once named by Trump administration officials as MS-13’s East Coast leader. Despite headlines and official statements, court records reveal no confirmation of a leadership role, and the charge was dropped without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled. Villatoro remains in custody.
In this episode of the Potomac Local News Podcast, we sit down with Rob Orrison, Manager of the Prince William County Historic Preservation Division, to talk about the Buckland Historic Center, also known as Buckland Mill—one of the county’s most historically rich and least-known treasures.
Located just off Route 29 near the Fauquier County line, Buckland was once a bustling mill town dating back to the 18th century. Today, it’s the focus of ongoing preservation efforts aimed at restoring its historic charm and opening it up to the public.
A small plane crashed Wednesday afternoon in a residential area of Spotsylvania County, marking the third major emergency response in the region this week.
Virginia State Police say the crash occurred around 3:08 p.m. in the 11000 block of Scarlett Oak Road, in the Chancellor area of the county, about six miles west of the Spotsylvania Towne Centre mall.