Prince William

Prince William County sold out the first event of their Fatherhood Initiative relaunch this weekend following a pause from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prince William County Department of Social Services aims to relaunch this initiative to “help fathers more effectively engage with their children.”


Prince William

Summit School Road Extension

Following a groundbreaking ceremony, Lake Ridge’s Summit School Road project is now underway and marks the county’s infrastructure development. This 1.2-mile extension stretches from Kinnicutt Drive to Telegraph Road and will be transformed into a four-lane divided roadway. The project will widen Telegraph Road from Caton Hill Road to Prince William Parkway, increasing it from two to four lanes. Enhancements include a raised grass median, a five-foot sidewalk, and a ten-foot shared-use path to accommodate additional pedestrian traffic.


Breaking News

Updated 1 p.m. Friday, July 19 — A Spotsylvania man faces multiple charges after being found passed out in a car with controlled substances in South Stafford. Despite attempts to flee and resist arrest, deputies subdued him with OC spray. They took him to the hospital for evaluation before taking him into custody at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

A Spotsylvania man collected a plethora of charges during an incident in South Stafford yesterday afternoon. On July 18th at 3:14 p.m. Deputy D.S. Jett and Deputy C.S. Harding responded to Argyle Heights subdivision for an unknown medical emergency. A resident had contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report a stranger passed out in a black Chevy Impala completely blocking the ingress and egress to her residence. The deputies observed the 46-year-old male passed out behind the wheel with suspected controlled substances next to him.


Event

Dreaming about your next vacation? Join Cruise Planners Beth Borrego and Rod Rodriguez for an inspiring day devoted to ocean and river cruises, guided tours, luxury travel and unforgettable destinations!

Meet representatives from AmaWaterways, Collette, Oceania Cruises and Premier World Discovery. Hear informative presentations, ask questions, explore exciting vacation possibilities and discover which travel experience may be the perfect fit for you.


News

Route 636 (Hood Drive) in Spotsylvania County will reopen to two-way traffic on the morning of Friday, July 19. The reopening will allow southbound traffic to travel from Route 208 (Courthouse Road) to Route 1. Westbound Courthouse Road traffic can turn left onto southbound Hood Drive or make a U-turn to eastbound Courthouse Road.

Hood Drive had been limited to northbound traffic only since July 2023 for construction. Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) says two road improvement projects are nearly complete, with full completion expected by August 2024. The projects involved adding new turn lanes, a raised median, sidewalks, and pedestrian crossing equipment. Hood Drive sees about 11,000 vehicles daily.


Prince William

The Board of County Supervisors awarded a contract to Verizon to expand high-speed internet access throughout the county in an effort to reduce the percentage of county residents without it. According to a county press release, the goal is to reduce the number of residents without access to less than 1.5%.

A National Institute of Health study shows that between 2018 and 2022, 96% of Prince William County residents had high-speed access; in comparison to counties in the Northern Virginia region, Prince William ranks among Fairfax City and Fairfax County (96%), Falls Church City (97%), Loudon County (96%) and Manassas City (96%).


Prince William

“Guests will take part in a mock trial where we take court cases from the 1800s and we give everyone different roles,” Paige Gibbons Backus, historic site manager at Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre & Lucasville School, said in a press release. “They go through the court case, hear the evidence and then decide if someone is innocent or guilty and we tell them if they changed history or not.”

The jail was built in tandem with the Brentsville Courthouse in the 1820s and served as the “center of law and order” for the county until 1893, the release stated. The county seat moved to Manassas, so the jail transitioned to a women’s dorm for the teacher’s college in the defunct courthouse. It was then renovated to become a private residence then the county park authority’s jail space.


Prince William

The Dumfries Town Council seeks to amend the town’s charter, which dates back to 1749, making Dumfries the oldest continuously chartered town in Virginia. The proposed changes were discussed during the council’s July 3 meeting.

According to a town spokeswoman, the amendments, which must be approved by the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond, are primarily administrative and aimed at promoting greater clarity concerning the existing text. One substantive proposal would empower the Mayor to declare a local emergency if neither the director of emergency management nor the town council is available.


Health

Mary Washington Hospital has been named a High Performing Hospital by U.S. News & World Report for 11 adult procedures and conditions in its 2024-2025 Best Hospitals rankings. The hospital was recognized for excellence in procedures and conditions such as COPD, diabetes, heart attack, hip replacement, lung cancer surgery, and more.

“This recognition is a testament to our physicians and staff’s unwavering commitment to patient care,” said Dr. Mike McDermott, CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare.


Business

On Friday, July 19, 2024, the Prince William Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of Urban Air Adventure Park in Woodbridge. The event will occur at 4:30 p.m. at Urban Air Woodbridge, 14173 Crossing Place, Woodbridge.

Urban Air Adventure Park offers a variety of attractions for visitors of all ages. These attractions include trampolines, an indoor sky rider, a ropes course, climbing walls, and the Warrior Course. Additionally, the park features Spin Zone Bumper Cars, Laser Tag, Virtual Reality experiences, Mini-Golf, Bowling, and indoor Go-Karts. Younger visitors can enjoy the Tubes Playground and Flash Pads, while those seeking more thrill can try the Leap of Faith, Twist Tower, and Trapeze.