News

In an unusual move, the Town of Dumfries sued its Mayor because it alleges his business, Dyvine BBQ on Acts Lane, has consistently failed to comply with the ordinances the Mayor had voted to enact. The manager plans to take further action soon.

In a February 2024 complaint to Prince William Civil Court, the town of Dumfries says Mayor Derrick Wood’s business, Dyvine BBQ, violated 12 separate ordinances regarding permitting, signage, customer seating, trash removal, and insurance requirements.


Business

Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood announced the soft opening of The Rose, a highly anticipated resort and gaming venue, on Facebook today, ahead of any official statement from the operator, Churchill Downs.

“The soft opening of The Rose is in full effect!” Mayor Wood shared in his post. “On Monday, I had the pleasure of joining the Town Council, staff, family, and friends for a private tour of this exciting new addition to Dumfries. I even had the honor of taking the first spin on the machines!”


News

Greetings, Prince William: We have a breaking volunteer opportunity that’s short notice but would be great for groups! KABOOM!, AWS In Communities and Prince William County Parks & Recreation invite you, your family and friends to help build a new playspace during Build Week from Wednesday to Saturday at Fairmont Park, 9805 Fairmont Ave., Manassas 20109.

Lots of volunteer help is needed to complete this important project since building an entire playground is no easy feat. The schedule is Wednesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The ribbon cutting will be Saturday at 2:30 p.m.  This would be a fabulous opportunity for offices, groups, clubs, etc. to bring smiles to the faces of children in this neighborhood!  Visit the Prince William County events page for more information, which includes a link to the Eventbrite page where volunteers can sign up.


Event

StoryWorx: Workhouse's First Ever FREE Book Festival
Sat, Nov 14 | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Lorton, VA

Meet bestselling authors Angie Kim (Happiness Falls), 4× NFL Pro Bowler Ken Harvey (first-ever dramatic reading), and Emmy-winning WUSA9 anchor Wisdom Martin, plus Marcie Atkins, Omar Abed, Ellen R.B. Smith, and more for panels, signings, poetry, and workshops. Kids' Corner features author readings, crafts, and storytime. Browse the artisan market, catch a live Upstart Crow podcast, and explore the Workhouse galleries and artist studios—all part of Second Saturday.


Fredericksburg

At the Fredericksburg City Council meeting on October 22, 2024, residents of the Mayfield community voiced growing concerns over safety and environmental risks linked to CSX railroad operations in their area.

Representing the NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, Sabrina Johnson highlighted the relocation of a critical safety device, known as a derail device, near the Mayfield neighborhood. The device had been involved in a recent derailment in Cobblestone Square on July 19, 2024.


Features

Sheriff Roger Harris is honored to host our 3nd annual celebration in honor of Veterans of all military branches. The event will be held on November 9, 2024, between 10am and 2pm at the Spotsylvania Public Safety Building located at 9119 Dean Ridings Lane, Spotsylvania, Virginia 22553. Please join us at the opening ceremony at 10 am. A variety of guest speakers will help kick off our event. There will be performances by the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and the Kena Highlanders Pipes and Drums Team.

Multiple military equipment displays and various presentations from other military vendors will be on hand for attendees along with all military recruiter branches. This event is open to the public and we hope you and your family can join us to honor our military veterans.


News

Starting Wednesday, Wegmans Food Markets will kick off its companywide Check Out Hunger scan campaign to raise money for the company’s 48 Feeding America food bank partners. According to Feeding America, more than 47 million people in the United States face hunger, including 1 in 5 children. The annual Check Out Hunger campaign raises critical funds for local food banks who provide year-round assistance to food-insecure families.

From October 23 to November 30, customers can donate $2, $3, $5, or any amount at checkout, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to each store’s local food bank. In response to Hurricane Helene, Wegmans’ four North Carolina stores launched their campaign early on October 1 to raise money for local food banks assisting with disaster relief efforts. All donations made at Wegmans’ North Carolina stores will continue to go directly to the shared Feeding the Carolinas fund for local food banks.


Features

The ARTfactory’s building, which many believe is haunted, will be transformed into different levels of scariness for visitors to enjoy. Ahyrel Tinker, director of education at the ARTfactory, created the haunted house.

“There’s nothing like this downtown and our community of spooky season lovers need something Manassas strong to haunt them this season,” Tinker said. “We listened to the feedback from last year’s sold-out Haunted Hallows event, and decided to ramp up the scare factor.”