Apparently, public information doesn’t come cheap in Dumfries.
The town collected $24,000 in revenues from Freedom of Information Act requests, and other miscellaneous fees in the Fiscal Year 2020, which ended June 30. The line item amount represents a 944% increase over what the town had anticipated for the year, which was $2,500, according to a preliminary budget report provided to the town council.
Dynamic speed signs have been set up on the E-ZPass Express Lanes on Interstates 95 and 495.
Transurban, the Australian-based transportation company that operates the express lanes, installed the new speed signs for a trial run. Much like traffic radar signs that drivers see along the roadside in neighborhoods, dynamic signs will show how fast a vehicle is going within the express lane.
A grand jury has handed down indictments have been handed down in the case of a homicide that occurred at a Denny’s restaurant on Sudley Road near Manassas, in the early morning hours of the day after Christmas in 2019.
The Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office announced it has gone over interviews with victims and witnesses of the shooting that took the life of 56-year-old Yusif Ozgur, a delivery driver who was picking up food from the eatery when he was shot and killed.
Transportation officials in Prince William are looking at altering and adding new service to some of the county’s busiest local bus routes.
At its public meeting on Thursday, July 9, OmniRide will ask PRTC commissioners for permission to study, and to take public comments on a plan to increase the number of local bus routes it has in the Woodbridge, Lake Ridge, and Dumfries areas from four to seven. The transit agency, which already services the Route 1, Dale Boulevard, and Old Bridge Road corridors with regular local bus service, seeks to add more bus stops in more places.
The Prince William County School Board is making plans to reopen schools, a process teachers at a recent rally have claimed is lacking transparency.
With the coronavirus pandemic still ongoing, and the new school year starting August 25, the Prince William County School Board has been holding meetings to discuss how to safely reopen schools.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors wants input from county residents to help develop the county’s 2021-2024 Strategic Plan. Residents will have the opportunity to participate in several ways, including via an online survey and virtual community conversations.
“Community engagement is a vital component of the strategic planning process, and the input provided will be key in selecting goals and priorities that will guide the county’s vision for the future,” said Kaye Wallace, the county’s strategic plan coordinator.
The body of a Herndon man who went missing while swimming in the Potomac River was recovered over the weekend.
Prince William police tell us:
Tiziana Bottino, an elected Director of the Prince William County Soil and Water Conservation District, issued an apology after making a comment on a post on Facebook some deemed to be racist.
On Sunday, June 28, Bottino commented on a story that appeared on the Potomac Local News Facebook page, about the election of Tim Parrish as the new chairman of the Prince William County Republican Committee.
The wait is nearly over for those seeking an answer regarding the reopening of schools in Prince William County and Manassas.
On July 7 and 8, both school boards will hold separate meetings to hear community input on the reopening of their school divisions, review survey data collected from their staff and school communities, and discuss the matter, according to press releases from both school divisions. Manassas is set to vote on their reopening plans on July 14, and Prince William is set to do the same on July 15.
OmniRide has resumed operations of all routes and has increased service levels on OmniRide Express buses which began in mid-June.
Weekday Express service to destinations in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. are running on a Friday schedule, which is one step down from full-service. The increase in service levels was based on the improving COVID-19 conditions, and the Governor’s order to begin reopening the state.
