NOKESVILLE, Va. – Burnside Farms is gearing up for its 2025 Summer of Sunflowers, opening Friday, July 11.
Located at 11008 Kettle Run Road in Nokesville, just 40 miles west of Washington, D.C., Burnside Farms is a family-run business known for its vibrant flower festivals. Founded by Leslie and Michael Dawley, the farm has been welcoming visitors since 2012, offering seasonal events like the Festival of Spring and the Summer of Sunflowers.
This summer, guests can explore over 70 acres of sunflowers, featuring more than 30 varieties planted in successive crops to ensure continuous blooms. The farm operates with split hours to help visitors avoid the midday heat: weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon and 4 p.m. to dusk, and weekends from 6 a.m. to noon and 4 p.m. to dusk. The farm is closed daily from noon to 4 p.m.
Tickets are available for purchase online starting today at noon. Visitors can enjoy activities like pick-your-own sunflowers, sunflower mazes, and the new 4,400-square-foot Tulip and Sunflower-themed playground. The farm also hosts events such as the Tribute to Summer Saturday Concert Series and Foamy Fridays, featuring live music and bubble-filled fun.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Burnside Farms’ website.
Officers responded to the intersection of Portsmouth Road and Ashland Avenue at 8:58 p.m. on July 9, where a 2020 Dodge Journey collided with a Ninebot KickScooter. According to police, the Dodge was making a left turn onto Ashland Avenue when the e-scooter, traveling southbound on the sidewalk along Portsmouth Road, entered the intersection without stopping.
The operator of the scooter, identified as 40-year-old Eric Corrales of Manassas, was not wearing a helmet. He was taken to a hospital, where police were notified of his death the following day.
The driver of the Dodge and the adult passengers were not injured. Investigators determined the driver, 37-year-old Little David Arris Bowser Mason, also of Manassas, did not have a valid driver’s license. He was charged with driving without a valid operator’s license and released on a court summons. A court date is pending.
Police say the investigation is ongoing as they determine whether to file additional charges.
OCCOQUAN, Va. – There was excitement in the air in Occoquan on Friday, July 11, 2025, as FOX 5 brought its popular “Zip Trip” morning show to the historic riverside town. The live broadcast transformed Mill Street into a street fair filled with residents, shopkeepers, and visitors eager to show off their community to the D.C.-area audience.
Among the crowd was David Bloxsom, who drove in from Charlottesville to take part. “It gets me to communities I’ve never been before,” he said, adding that he’s also attended Zip Trips in Solomons and Annapolis. “Gets me out of the house. Gets me a nice day. Nice summer day”.
The day’s events included a live wedding, officiated by Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk Jacqueline Smith, with flowers and a romantic backdrop donated by Brandon’s Flowers of Woodbridge. “We did some beautiful silk flowers in whites and pinks,” said Jo Gale, assistant manager and wedding coordinator for the flower shop. “It’s great to bring the town together and really get a bunch of people in town when a lot of people are on vacation”.
Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta spoke with the FOX 5 crew during the broadcast, highlighting the town’s unique charm. “We consider ourselves to be an oasis of calm in an otherwise really busy Northern Virginia area,” he said. Porta noted the appeal of the six-square-block historic business district, which features restaurants, boutique shops, and historic buildings.
Sherry Mangus, owner of Ballywhack Shack Café, reflected on the town’s unique charm and sense of community. “You feel like you’re in an enclave,” Mangus said. “You’re in the D.C. area, you’re in NoVA, but you are in a very, very special place. Time warp. Absolutely”
FOX 5’s visit was part of its popular Zip Trip series, which highlights communities across the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Later this month, the show will head to Fredericksburg, with a live broadcast scheduled from 7 to 11 a.m. at Riverfront Park, located at 713 Sophia Street.
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VFW Post 1503 in Dale City, known as the General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller Post, has been named Virginia’s National Community Service Post Award recipient for 2024–2025. This honor recognizes the post’s outstanding service to veterans and the broader community over the past year.
According to a memorandum from the VFW National Programs Office, the award is based on a post’s “total impact,” which includes volunteer hours, mileage, and financial contributions toward community service efforts. Post 1503 stood out for its extensive outreach, including school supply drives for local elementary schools, support for youth sports, and assistance to veterans filing benefit claims.
The post also hosted events such as the Department of Virginia’s 3rd Annual VFW Riders Rally and multiple VFW Day of Service projects. Notably, Post 1503 partnered with Mr. Handyman to provide home improvement services to a veteran family in need.
As part of the award, Post 1503 will receive a commemorative street sign and be featured in an upcoming issue of VFW Magazine. The post, which is the largest VFW post in the world, continues to embody the VFW’s mission of “Veterans helping veterans” through its dedicated community service.
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PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. – A decorated Prince William County police officer known for his work in DUI enforcement has been arrested on charges of stalking and unlawfully accessing law enforcement databases.
Godson Vondee, 42, was taken into custody on July 9 following a month-long investigation launched by the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators say Vondee accessed the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) without authorization on five occasions—once in 2023 and four times in 2024—to obtain personal information about a man known to a woman he was acquainted with. Each incident allegedly occurred while Vondee was on duty and without a criminal justice purpose.
Police say Vondee was also found to have been near the victim’s residence multiple times over a 15-month period.
“This is a betrayal of our oath of office and not reflective of the values and professionalism expected of the members of this agency,” said Police Chief Peter Newsham. “Such actions violate the trust within our community, and I expect the accused to be held accountable.”
Vondee has been placed on administrative leave and was stripped of his police authority when the allegations came to light. He is charged with one count of stalking and five counts of using a computer to obtain identifying information. He is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on August 19, 2025.
Vondee was previously celebrated by the department and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) for his work in traffic enforcement. In both 2023 and 2024, he received WRAP’s Law Enforcement Award of Excellence for Impaired Driving Prevention and Enforcement. Social media posts from the department noted he had made more than 80 DUI arrests in 2024 alone and more than 40 the year prior.
The Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards and Criminal Investigations Division led the investigation.
HAYMARKET, Va. – Police Chief Al Seibert told the Town Council on July 7 that while the number of calls to police is up this year, it’s the complexity of those calls that’s stretching his department.
“It wasn’t necessarily a larger call volume — it’s a more complex call volume,” Seibert said. “We’ve had the robbery, we’ve had the stolen vehicle, we’ve had other health or issues on the mental health crisis with certain individuals.”
Councilwoman Mary Ramirez said data in the report showed increased dispatch and officer-initiated calls. “Our officers are really, really working hard,” she said.
Seibert said the department is keeping up with added training, legal updates, and proactive steps. “We’re doing the things that we need to do to make sure that we stay up to date and prepared,” he said.
Ramirez also noted lower DMV grant usage in the second quarter. Seibert explained the latest quarter had just ended, and that officers were covering more shifts in-house. “That is partially correct,” he said. “We did purchase equipment in the first quarter as well, so that’s an anomaly.”
She urged council to consider hiring more officers to protect community policing. “I want to make sure that we’re not letting the community policing piece slip out from under us,” she said.
Seibert also highlighted his department’s use of a speed-monitoring sign, participation in Click It or Ticket, and mentorship of two interns. He said the sign will move from Jefferson Street to Fayette to collect additional traffic data.
“It has been very influential on reducing the speed in that area to where we like it,” Seibert said.
WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Prince William County’s first Juneteenth celebration was largely paid for by Supervisor Victor Angry, with additional support from a developer seeking county approval for three data center projects.
According to Prince William Times, Angry spent about $47,000 from his campaign funds on the June 19 event, covering expenses like entertainment, security, cleanup, and promotion. A $20,000 fireworks display was funded by JK Moving Services, owned by Chuck Kuhn—who has three data center projects awaiting votes by the county’s planning commission and board of supervisors.
Kuhn’s proposals include a data center at Innovation at the Parkway, 11 data centers on the Hunter property in Bristow, and five more on the Gardner property in Gainesville. All would exceed the county’s by-right height limit of 60 feet and require rezoning or special exceptions.
Angry, a consistent supporter of data center development, said he’s willing to use campaign donations from industry sources for community events. “I’m not driving a Mercedes off that money,” Angry told Prince William Times. “But when the community needs money, I have it.”
County officials didn’t publicly discuss funding for the festival or raise ethical concerns about developer involvement. Board Chair Deshundra Jefferson said while developers should invest in the community, she remains opposed to data centers near homes or schools.
Prince William Times first reported this story.
WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Nearly six months after the grand opening of Prince William County’s first commuter parking garage, new data shows the facility is being used far below capacity while operating costs continue to climb, renewing questions raised even before construction began.
The Neabsco-Potomac Mills Commuter Garage, a $53.5 million project located near Opitz Boulevard and Interstate 95, officially opened in November 2024. Since then, the county has spent $186,016 on operational expenses, according to recently released county records. The seven-story facility features 1,400 parking spaces, resulting in a construction cost of $38,214 per space.
Cost Breakdown
Records from Prince William County show:
- Electricity (Aug 2024 – May 2025): $21,508
- Water (Sept 2024 – May 2025): $558 (only one month of recorded usage)
- General maintenance work orders: $101,645
- Custodial services (since Dec): $20,459
- Groundskeeping and cleanup: $17,654
- Security guard services: $13,997
- Estimated snow removal: $10,000
- Porta-john rental: $195
Garage Usage Still Low
Despite being fully operational, usage of the garage remains modest.
- November 2024: 187 visits
- April 2025 (peak month): 4,902 visits
- May 2025: 4,488 visits
Assuming one visit equals one space used per day and accounting for 30 days per month, the April utilization rate is only about 11.7% (4,902 of 42,000 possible daily space uses). Average parking durations have increased over time—from 1 hour, 55 minutes in November to 5 hours, 40 minutes in May—indicating the garage is primarily used by long-term parkers such as commuters.
The third floor is the most heavily used, registering over 2,300 visits in May and average parking durations exceeding 9 hours. The usage of the ground, fourth, and fifth floors has also increased, although it is far from being complete.
OmniRide Relocates to Garage
In December 2024, one month after the garage opened, OmniRide officially relocated its eastern transfer hub to the Neabsco facility. The move included rerouting several Express, Metro Express, and Local bus routes to begin and end service at the garage. Previously, these routes served the OmniRide Transit Center at 14700 Potomac Mills Road.
This relocation was part of a significant service overhaul aimed at creating a true multimodal hub with seamless connections to the nearby I-95 Express Lanes, which now feature a dedicated ramp at Opitz Boulevard. The strategy, according to transportation planners, is designed to support long-term growth and reduce single-occupancy vehicle traffic.
Early Warnings Realized?
The data appears to validate concerns raised during the project’s approval phase.
In September 2022, when the Board of County Supervisors approved the final design, Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega cast the lone dissenting vote. She pointed to a Virginia Department of Transportation study showing nearby commuter lots were only 20% full, questioning the financial wisdom of constructing a massive parking structure.
“Help me understand how this makes good fiscal sense,” Vega said during the meeting, addressing Transportation Director Rick Canizales.
At the time, officials stated that abandoning the federally funded project would result in financial penalties and the forfeiture of funding. Canizales defended the garage as a forward-looking investment, noting the county was already under contract with a construction firm and that future transit usage was expected to grow.
County Officials Offer No New Comments
Potomac Local News contacted all members of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors for comment on the garage’s current usage and cost. None responded, except for Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey, who replied via email with a brief “No comment.”
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OCCOQUAN, Va. – Supervisor Kenny Boddye will host a town hall next week to hear from residents about a rezoning proposal that could bring 80 new townhomes to the site of the former Kids Choice Sports Center, which was destroyed by fire late last year.
The meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 9, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 314 Mill Street in the Occoquan Historic District. Residents can RSVP online and submit questions in advance.
The developer is requesting to rezone 7.5 acres at 13000 Sport and Health Drive from suburban residential to planned mixed residential to construct homes, including eight affordable units. The plan also requests waivers to increase building height and reduce setbacks. County planning and transportation staff, along with the project applicant, will attend the meeting.
The land in question was once home to the Kids Choice Sports Center, a popular community hub for sports, swimming, and birthday parties. In December 2024, flames from a nearby house fire jumped to the sports center, destroying the 56,000-square-foot facility.
Supervisor Boddye said the rezoning request has drawn interest from those who live along and near Devil’s Reach Road, adjacent to the site. Wednesday’s meeting is designed to give neighbors a chance to speak directly with decision-makers before the proposal moves forward.
DUMFRIES, Va. – Fireworks will light up the sky over Garrison Park this Sunday as the Town of Dumfries hosts its annual Independence Fireworks Show.
The event takes place on July 6, 2025, from 5 to 10 p.m. at 17749 Main Street and promises an evening full of family fun. According to a news release from the Town of Dumfries, attendees can enjoy live music, food trucks, games, vendors, and a fireworks show starting at 9:30 p.m.
The town says the celebration is a chance for residents and visitors alike to gather in the spirit of community and patriotism.
Click here to see more Independence Day events happening across the region.
