Press Release

On Sunday, February 15th, the Commonwealth’s 4:00 p.m. burn law goes into effect. The law remains in effect until Thursday, April 30th. Approved burning may take place between 4:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight only.

The law prohibits open air burning before the hours of 4:00 p.m. daily if your fire is in or within 300 feet of the woodland, brushland or fields containing dry grass or other flammable materials. During this time, winds can be elevated and the relative humidity is lower; the forest floor fuels are extremely dry, having “cured” without tree leaves to shade them. Typically, by 4:00 p.m. the winds are calmer and the relative humidity begins to increase. This ban applies to all open burning, including campfires. For more information on open burning please call the Fire Marshal’s Office at (703) 792- 6360 or visit us online at https://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/FR/fmo/Pages/Burning-Regulations.aspx.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, along with lead sponsors USAA and University of Phoenix, will host Hiring Our Heroes – Quantico, a hiring fair for veterans and military spouses. More than 60 employers are expected to participate with jobs available for veterans and military spouses of all ranks and levels of experience. Companies range from America’s biggest employers to dozens of small companies from the region.

The event will include a free Hiring Our Heroes employment workshop at 8:30 a.m. focusing on resume writing, interview skills, and job search techniques for all military members and their spouses. Employers are also invited to attend a Brunch & Learn sponsored by USAA from 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. prior to the hiring fair.

Motorists will encounter brief travel delays tomorrow at the intersection of Route 3, Elys Ford Road, and Old Plank Road in Spotsylvania County as work crews install new traffic signal equipment.

Weather permitting, work will be underway from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The intersection will remain open to traffic, however, the traffic signal will be out of operation and law enforcement officials will provide traffic control. Motorists are asked to stay alert, reduce their speed, and follow law enforcement direction at the scene.

The public is invited to attend a design public hearing for proposed intersection improvements at Route 606 (Ferry Road) from Route 3 to Mount Vernon Avenue in Stafford County.

The design public hearing will be held:

Compton & Duling, L.C., a leading area law firm serving clients in the areas of real estate, business, domestic relations, estate planning and civil litigation, today announced recent additions to their Prince William office, in response to their growing client base. The firm welcomes Lauren E. Gallo, Margaret H. McEvoy and Krista N. Yancey to their practice.

“We’re excited to bring Lauren, Margaret and Krista to our firm,” says Jason Hickman, the firm’s Managing Member. “Their remarkable track records and breadth of experience will allow us to better serve our clients.”

Bridging the Gap Family Services, a new provider of mental/behavioral health services, is opening a new office in Manassas, Virginia, to accommodate identifiable at-risk children, adolescents and families of Prince William County and surrounding localities of Northern Virginia.

Plans to develop operations in Manassas, Virginia were initiated by the growing population of mental health service needs within the Prince William County area. Bridging the Gap Family Services founders Jerome Hood, Rahmell Dash and Jerry Dominique; serves as catalyst assisting with serving the mental health population to help reduce the drop out, suicide and recidivism rate of troubled and misguided youth. Research has shown that taking part in community based treatment programs achieve positive outcomes in behavioral and emotional health.

Learning to focus on strengths instead of flaws is the focus of this year’s 9th Annual Regional Youth First Event. Charlie Applestein, an internationally known youth care specialist and author, will give the keynote address highlighting his methods of using positive and inspiring practices to help young people build on their strengths and past successes. The event will be held at the Riverside Convention Center in Stafford on Friday, February 6, 2015.

The theme of this year’s Youth First event is “Find Your Strength.” Hosted once again by Stafford County, this annual collaboration of representatives from youth services organizations in the community provides Human Services professionals from the greater Fredericksburg area with the opportunity to network with other youth service agencies and listen to talks by experts in the field.

General Manager Rick Coulson and Community Captain Belkis Ermis of the BJ’s Wholesale Club in Woodbridge present Helen McCormick of The House, Incorporated with a $3,750 BJ’s Charitable Foundation grant.

The House will use the funds to purchase five new computers for its Student Leadership Center’s technology learning lab. The Student Leadership Center is a before and after school program where students in grades 4-12 receive homework assistance, career exploration, and leadership development with additional daily programs. The Student Leadership Center molds character and teaches essential skills to transform at-risk students into valuable, fulfilled citizens.

Police in Prince William County want to remind residents a reward is still available for information related to the January 2014 murder of Glenda Marisol Coca-Romero in Woodbridge, Va.

More in a press release from last year, re posted on Feb. 4, 2015: