Press Release

Every person deserves to feel loved, respected, and valued. Simply for being here. But not every person has that opportunity. On August 22, one area couple, Sultana and John Jones, will show that love to some of those forgotten due to circumstance.

Beverly Williams Hess has been named the next executive director of the Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory on 9410 Battle Street, Manassas.

Hess is currently the director of the Youth Orchestras of Prince William. She will take over management of the Center August 17, after 10 years with the Youth Orchestras, an award-winning non-profit youth organization in Woodbridge, Virginia. Hess replaces Sally Lay who is retiring after leading the Center for 28 years.

Listen to the world premiere of a Ben Bernstein original performed by up-and-coming musicians.

Since 2005, students in grades 4-12 have been gathering at PWC Orchestra Camp for fun and a chance to strengthen their skills. Led by Lake Ridge Middle School Orchestra Director Karen von Bernewitz, the camp has seen steady growth and now welcomes more than 100 students each year.

The Potomac Nationals Baseball team will upgrade the clubhouse at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge.
Prince William County taxpayers will foot the 230 thousand dollar cost for the improvements at the 30-year-old stadium. Since 2012, the team has talked about building a new stadium at Potomac Town Center behind Wegmans in Woodbridge. The project has yet to break ground.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has activated the new traffic signal located at the intersection of Primmer House Road and Leeland Road in Stafford County.   The signal will become fully operational on Tuesday, August 4.   Motorists are urged to be alert to the new traffic pattern at this intersection.   Motorists can […]

First an Acura slammed into the front of a seven eleven store about noon on Tuesday.

Sentara Healthcare merged with Pratt Medical Center of Fredericksburg. Sentara is a major medical provider in Hampton Roads, and owns the Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge — formerly Potomac Hospital.
Pratt Medical serves 66,000 patients in Fredericksburg, Stafford, King George, and Dahlgren.
The new company will operate under the name Sentara Pratt Medical Center.

Volunteer Prince William will host a special dinner Saturday night for their “Un-trim-a-tree” project.

Diners are asked to bring an unwrapped toy to Philadelphia Tavern in Manassas between 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, July 25 will receive a discount on their dinner bill. The toys will be donated to the “Un-trim-a-tree” campaign and will be given to a child in need at Christmastime.

The exhibit explores common childhood experiences of the era, and wartime experiences that varied dramatically depending on where children lived.  “The Yankees behaved very rudely,” wrote an eight-year-old girl living in Fredericksburg to her cousin. “They broke open the meat house and took all the meat but four pieces; they killed two of the cattle right before our eyes.” A ten-year-old boy in New York did not see soldiers at his home, but he was nonetheless annoyed by the War’s consequences. “Peanuts were rare and wormy, and sticks of candy were reduced to the size of pipe stems,” he later wrote.

The exhibit also examines the portrayal of the Civil War to children in juvenile literature and entertainment during the wartime era, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights period, and the present.

Transurban, the operator of the 495 and 95 Express Lanes, announced today that three local organizations – Coles Elementary School, Lake Jackson Volunteer Fire Department and Mount Vernon and Lee Chamber of Commerce – will receive grants this quarter through the Express Lanes Community Grant Program.  The grant program supports organizations located within the 495 and 95 Express Lanes corridors that undertake projects that sustain, enhance and protect the local community.

“As a long-term partner to Northern Virginia, Transurban cares about the environment, safety and wellbeing of the communities in which we operate,” said Nic Barr, Vice President of Operations, Transurban.  “We strive to be good neighbors in the region and are committed to giving back to our community.  Through our grant program, we deliver funds, which enable organizations to complete projects for the public good.”