Central Rappahannock Regional Library’s Deputy Director Rebecca Purdy has been elected to a 2-year term as Secretary on the Virginia Library Association Executive Committee.
Rebecca Purdy has worked at CRRL in several Youth Services roles, including Youth Services Coordinator, since receiving her Master’s of Science in Library and Information Science from The Catholic University of America in 1995, and becoming the library’s Deputy Director in 2016.
Prince William County Public Schools has a new brand from its CEO.
Prince William County Schools Superintendent Dr. LaTanya McDade displayed the new logo for Virginia’s second-largest school division.
Virginia parents could face a felony or misdemeanor charge if they do not affirm their child’s sexual orientation and gender identity, according to a state lawmaker with plans to introduce the legislation in Virginia’s upcoming legislative session.
Seniors in Manassas Park have a new way to get around town.
The city launched its Senior Day Out bus service on Wednesday, October 12. The bus will provide rides for up to 14 seniors, who will be picked up between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. and dropped off between noon and 2 p.m. every Wednesday.
A small-scale replica of Aerodrome No.5, a lighter-than-air craft launched near Quantico in 1896, seven years before the famed Wright Brothers flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C. [Photo: Rick Horner][/caption]
Updated -- The Stafford County Board of Supervisors could use coronavirus money to help tell the story of Aerodrome No. 5, now believed to be the first case of unmanned flight.
The Langley Foundation has sought American Rescue Plan Act funding to create a new exhibit at the Stafford Regional Airport, a replica of Aerodrome No. 5, flown by Samuel Pierpont Langley on May 6, 1896, in Stafford County.
dThe foundation's president Chris Hornung hopes to raise $300,000 to build the exhibit. The funds from the county would be a one-to-one match with the foundation responsible for raising the other $150,000.
Some members of the Board expressed disapproval over the potential funding. Hartwood District Supervisor Darrell English said there would be little return on the investment. The regional airport is located in the Hartwood District. English later stated that the funds would be better suited to establish a museum in the county.
"I don't think this is a good use of funding," said English. "I think we have other needs that we need to take care of and I can't support it."
Aquia District Supervisor Monica Gary responded with her support of the project, believing it could bring tourism to the county.
"I see this as an investment," said Gary. "A small investment compared to the return we could see, such as education opportunities and what this would do for our tourism."
According to county documents, Director of Economic Development and Tourism John Holden said ARPA funding could be used to aid planned expansion or upgrade of tourism, travel, and hospitality facilities delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The county's consultants are still reviewing the project to meet compliance for eligibility.
The Aerodrome No. 5 project has been in the works since 2019 and was hampered by the pandemic. The foundation has contracted with the Warrenton-based Wright Experience to construct the exhibit.
The goals of the Aerodrome Initiative include bringing national attention to the Aerodrome No.5 event as the first heavier-than-air mechanical flight in history, the first successful aircraft carrier launch, and the first unmanned aerial vehicle. Other goals include the development of an aviation STEAM-related curriculum for county students, attracting the aviation industry to the area, and promoting employment opportunities in the aviation field.
The Board of Supervisors has yet to approve the funding and could do so soon.
The Langley Foundation is obligated to raise funds to build the exhibit by December 31, 2024, and have it completed by December 31, 2026.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the Stafford County Board of Supervisors had resolved to use coronavirus money to fund the Aerodrome No. 5 project.
Stafford County residents celebrated the arrival of fall on October 11, 2022, with the Sheriff’s Office National Night Out.
Police are searching for a Fredericksburg man who they say ignored commands to stop his car, drove off, and grazed two officers.
On Thursday, October 13, at 12:44 a.m., police were on patrol in the area of Kilmer Lane and Jurgensen Drive in Triangle when they saw two men inside a suspicious car.
Columbus Day is no more in Prince William County.
A federal holiday since 1937, the Board of County Supervisors nixed the holiday during its October 10, 2022 meeting, which celebrates the Italian explorer, the first European to land in North America.
