Submitted NewsÂ
On Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. join the Manassas City Police Department, the Prince William County Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in preventing pill abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. In Manassas, residents can participate at Prince William Hospital, 8700 Sudley Road. Other locations include Heathcote Health Center in Haymarket and Sentara Lake Ridge in Woodbridge. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
In its four previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners collected over two million pounds of pills. Nearly 1,018 tons of prescription drugs are now out of circulation. This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—pose potential safety and health hazards.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
Submitted News
On March 29, a group of students and parents from several local high schools visited the Manassas Campus of Northern Virginia Community College for the Biotechnology Open House.
Students from Annandale, Battlefield, Chantilly, Osbourn Park and Westfield high schools enjoyed an informative hands-on session with Biotechnology Program Head Ia Gomez and Biology Professor Alias Smith. The two faculty members were assisted by three biotechnology students: Michael Sibilo (of Manassas), Jenny Nguyen (Manassas) and Amanda Harbison (Annandale).
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
Submitted News
MANASSAS, Va. -- Now in its 27th year, the Prince William Valor Awards honors the men and women in public service who protect the people, homes and businesses of the greater Prince William area. This year's ceremony takes place on April 24, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at Heritage Hunt Golf & Country Club. The awards are a program of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce. Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center returns as the main event sponsor. NBC4 anchorman Jim Vance will narrate the tales of bravery.
"The Prince William Chamber takes great pride in recognizing those who perform extraordinary acts of self sacrifice and bravery in the line of duty. As leaders in the business community, we take this moment to pause and honor those who risk so much to protect our lives, our livelihoods and our quality of life," said Chamber President & CEO Rob Clapper.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
By PAUL MILDE
Stafford Aquia District SupervisorÂ
Last fall, the Board of Supervisors narrowly voted to tear down the current 285,000 square foot Stafford High School and replace it with a new 275,000 square foot Stafford High School. The estimated cost to Stafford’s taxpayers for this proposal: $66 million.
At the time the Board of Supervisors was considering this venture, two of my Board colleagues and I argued for a different approach. We promoted renovating Stafford High School instead of tearing it down and rebuilding. To us, this made sound economic sense. Why tie up $66 million in County borrowing capacity to build a new school when renovating the existing facility would fulfill our needs for about a third of that?
Believing and trusting in the wisdom and sound judgment of the people of Stafford County, I even proposed putting the question to the people in a referendum. The reaction to my proposal – as voiced in letters and a lead editorial in The Free Lance-Star – was negative. I responded by submitting an opinion piece detailing my reasons for supporting renovating over demolishing and building a new Stafford High.
Now, just a few months after the decision was made to build a brand new Stafford High School, we are seeing one of the downsides of that choice.
As Stafford County has been working through the process of preparing its budget for Fiscal Year 2014, there have been calls for teacher pay raises. In some cases, school system employees have submitted letters to the editor in The Free Lance-Star calling for pay increases. Their arguments for higher pay are substantive and persuasive. But, the decision to build a new Stafford High School clearly demonstrated that teacher pay was not the school system’s top priority.
The teacher pay debate – and the scarcity of resources to fund it – is the first real consequence of the costly decision to rebuild instead of renovate. Stafford County has effectively prioritized having a brand new facility over strengthening the compensation for the people charged with the responsibility of delivering a quality education for our children inside that facility.
In my view, those priorities are entirely backward.
Although Stafford has one of the best economic environments in Virginia, we still are in the midst of a tenuous and struggling recovery. And with many of our residents directly affected by the consequences of the federal sequester, County government must tread cautiously when it comes to setting tax rates. Now is not the time to raise taxes. We should instead be looking for ways to make our tax code more effective in aiding the growth of our local economy, as the Board is doing.
Submit your open Letter to the Editor by emailing it news[at]potomaclocal.com
Submitted News
The following area students are among the cast of the University of Mary Washington's upcoming production of "The Tempest":
Jen Furlong of Stafford, Va., has been selected to play Caliban. Furlong is a 1989 graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Furlong is a senior theatre major in the bachelor of liberal studies program. She is an instructor at the Stafford House of Yoga. (22554)
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
Submitted News
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. -- Congressman Gerry Connolly will partner with Prince William County Schools to host a “Military Service Academy Night” on May 1 for area students interested in attending one of the five U.S. Service Academies. Students may also attend to learn about scholarships available through the the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.
Connolly’s Military Service Academy Night will take place on Wednesday, May 1 at Freedom High School, located at 15201 Neabsco Mills Road, Woodbridge, VA 22191. The program will begin sharply at 7:00 PM. It will include presentations from Service Academy Liaison Officers and ROTC representatives and a detailed explanation of the Congressional nomination process. The Service Academies and ROTC programs will also have representatives at informational booths to address individual questions from attendees.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
Submitted News
Breastfeeding mothers in the area now have multiple options for taking care of their babies’ needs in comfort and privacy. The Prince William Health District (PWHD) and the Prince William Health Partnership have created dedicated breastfeeding rooms at key facilities throughout the greater Prince William area. The Obesity Prevention Through Healthy Communities grant has funded the rooms at these locations:
· Prince William Health District Clinics in Manassas and Woodbridge
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
Submitted News
QUANTICO, Va. — In light of the tragic events at Officer Candidates School on March 21 and in response to the lessons learned from a similar incident at Ft. Hood in 2009, the Marine Corps is implementing a new Violence Prevention Program in order to prevent violence on its installations and throughout the service.
Marine Corps Base Quantico, as the crossroads of the Corps, is a pioneer installation and is slated to conduct the training April 2 to April 12 as set forth in Marine Corps Order 5580.3.
The order reads: “Human factors continue to be a leading cause of mishaps and suicides. Personnel are often under stress from personal or professional factors that are not apparent to the command’s decision makers. In many instances, the individual’s risk factors were known by various leaders and peers as isolated pieces of the whole picture preventing appropriate assistance. The FPB will provide a process to combine those factors into one composite picture.”
The loss of one’s own is a hard blow for any leader, but a threat to the well-being of a unit from the inside has leaped to a top priority.
“Last week’s incident stands as a reminder of how real the insider threat is to the Marine Corps,” said Pete Russett, director of Mission Assurance. “Though no one can accurately predict the behavior of others, this program is designed to allow base personnel to recognize and report behavior that may be indicative of potential violence.”
All service members and Department of Defense civilian employees across the base are required to attend one of the three types of courses.
For the majority of the base population, the Violence Prevention Awareness and Recognition Course is required. It focuses on teaching small unit leaders how to recognize and report potential threats.
This course is available at the following times and locations:
LOCATION: Little Hall Theater (3 CLASSES EACH DAY)
DATES: April 9 – 12
TIME: 8 – 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., and 2 – 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: The Clubs at Quantico (3 CLASSES EACH DAY)
DATES: April 10 – 11
TIME: 8 – 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., and 2 – 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: The Basic School, Heywood Hall, Building 24164 Classroom #1 (2 CLASSES)
DATES: April 12
TIME: 8 – 10:30 a.m., and 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
“In an infantry battalion, the lance corporals would have corporals to look out for them, and the corporals would have sergeants, and those sergeants would have staff sergeants — so on and so forth — up the chain.” said Russett. “In that traditional structure, everyone’s covered. Here in Quantico, where the same lance corporals may have a civilian officer-in-charge, it’s not so easy to make sure everyone is taken care of. The VPP plugs that hole.”
For command level DOD employees and service members, such as officers-in-charge, executive officers and sergeants major, there is the Violence Prevention Officer Course. The course will instruct these senior leaders how to respond to incoming violence prevention reports to best solve issues on a case-by-case basis as well as influence their units.
This course will be held at the following time and location:
DATES: April 2 – 4
TIME: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
LOCATION: Liversedge Lodge, 2nd Floor Small Conference Room
“This is the Marine Corps answer to deal with inside threats,” Russett said. “Even though those small unit leaders may report potential threats, the commanders are vital.”
Finally, for those holding specialized billets, such as the Staff Judge Advocate, the Sexual Assault Prevention Officer and Substance Abuse Control Officer, there is the Violence Prevention Team Course. The course will instruct these key leaders on how they may influence a commanders’ response to a particular incident and advise a course of action relative to their position.
This course will be held at the following time and location:
DATE: April 4
TIME: 8 a.m. – noon and 1 – 5 p.m.
LOCATION: Breckenridge Auditorium, Building 2076
The Violence Prevention Program is not a replacement for small unit leadership but is a viable resource to make sure Marines are taken care of.
Submitted News
MANASSAS, Va.  – Habitat for Humanity Affiliates of the National Capital Area recently partnered with Bank of America to support Neighborhood Revitalization projects across the DC metro region. Bank of America awarded a $50,000 grant to benefit area projects including new construction, rehabilitation of vacant or distressed properties, weatherization and critical repair projects.
Habitat for Humanity of Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park was one of five DC area affiliates to receive $10,000 from the $50,000 grant. This generous contribution is helping us rehab a home on Copeland Drive in Manassas for a deserving, hard-working family. The donation also included two volunteer worksite days which were held on March 16 and 23.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
Submitted News
MANASSAS, Va. -- Georgetown South Early Head Start Child Development Center is the first center in the state to earn Virginia Star Quality Initiative’s highest star rating of five stars. Georgetown South, located in Manassas, Virginia, is a program of the Northern Virginia Family Services organization. Georgetown South and NVFS have been working with The Early Childhood Partnership, a non-profit early care and education organization that manages a VSQI Star Grant, to provide centers and programs with support during and after the rating process.
“We’re proud to have earned the mark of quality from VSQI, and to be recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards,” said Isha Barrie, Director, Georgetown South. “This rating lets families in our community know that children in our program are getting the best care and early learning experiences possible.”
