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.

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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.

July will be a fun and (hopefully less) warm month around Prince William County and Manassas with dozens of activities scheduled. Take a look at some highlighted events and meetings.

Thursday (July 3)

• Teen Pocky and KitKat Taste Test, 2 to 3 p.m. (Chinn Park Library)

Friday (July 4)

• Celebrate America, 3 to 10 p.m. (Manassas City)

July 7

• Mini Mandalas, 2 to 3 p.m. (Potomac Library)
• Teen Bunny Cuddle, 4 to 5 p.m. (Haymarket Gainesville Library)
• A Dicey Affair, 5:30 to 7:45 p.m. (Potomac Library)
• Summer Scares Book Tasting, 6 to 7 p.m. (Haymarket Gainesville Library)

July 8

• Bugman, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. (Chinn Park Library)
• Hawaiiana, 10:30 to 11::30 a.m. (Central Library)
• Animal Therapy Petting Zoo, 11 a.m. to noon (Potomac Library)
• Prince William Board of County Supervisors Meeting, 2 p.m.
• DIY Soapmaking for Teens, 2 to 3:30 p.m. (Chinn Park Library)
• TAG Makers – Summer Edition, 5:30 to 7 p.m. (Central Library)
• Manassas City School Board Meeting, 6 p.m.
• Acoustic Tuesday (Enslow Duo), 7 p.m.

July 9

• Friends Book Sorting, 1 to 3 p.m. (Montclair Library)
• CASA Health Navigators, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. (Potomac Library)
• Miniature Painting Sessions, 5:30 to 7 p.m. (Potomac Library)

July 10

• Sidewalk Chalk Day, 10:30 a.m. to noon (Central Library)

July 11

• BUG Fest, 10:30 a.m. to noon (Central Library)
• Fascinating Fossil, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. (Independent Hill Library)

July 12

• Tiny Art, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Dale City Library)
• Beautiful Binding Basics, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Manassas City Library)
• Latin American Artisans & Entrepreneurs Expo, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Manassas City)
• Swift Escape, 1 to 2 p.m. (Montclair Library)
• Drawing 101, 1 to 3 p.m. (Central Library)
• Murder Mystery, 2 to 4 p.m. (Potomac Library)

July 13

• NVA Thai Street Food & Culture Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Manassas City)

July 14

• Paper Clip Washi Jewelry Take and Make, All day (Dumfries Library)
• Winnie-the-Pooh, 2 to 3 p.m. (Chinn Park Library)
• Stuffie Taxidermy, 2:30 to 4 p.m. (Potomac Library)
• Manassas City Council Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

July 15

• 8-Bit Art with Perler Beads, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. (Bull Run Library)
• Murder Mystery: Teen Edition, 2 to 3 p.m. (Chinn Park Library)
• Ransom Note Bookmarks, 2 to 7 p.m. (Central Library)
• Acoustic Tuesday (Kevin Koa), 7 p.m.

July 16

• Retro Horror Movie Night, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Haymarket Gainesville Library)

July 17

• Cryptid Party, 2 to 3 p.m. (Chinn Park Library)

July 19

• Kinderquarium, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. (Haymarket Gainesville Library)
• Ghost Talk with Old Spirit Investigations, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Central Library)
• Twilight Trek, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. (Woodbridge)

July 21

• Melodic Adventures: Our Colorful World of Feelings, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. (Potomac Library)
• Once Upon a Crime, 2 to 3 p.m. (Montclair Library)

July 22

• Wildlife Center of VA, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. (Central Library)
• Cup of Cozy Mysteries, 11 a.m. to noon (Nokesville Library)
• Manassas City School Board Meeting, 6 p.m.
• Acoustic Tuesday (Grayson Moon Duo), 7 p.m.

July 23

• Not Just a Pretty Face, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. (Potomac Library)

July 24

• Alcohol Ink Art Night, 2 to 4 p.m. (Central Library)

July 26

• Circuit Court Clerk’s Seals on Wheels, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Potomac Library)
• Murder Mystery, 11 a.m. to noon (Lake Ridge Library)
• Nature’s Palette, 2 to 3 p.m. (Potomac Library)

July 27

• International Food & Culture Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Manassas City)

July 28

• Pipecleaner Dragonfly, All day (Dumfries Library)
• Teen Stipple Art, 2 to 3 p.m. (Chinn Park Library)
• Manassas City Council Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
• Books Alive, 6 to 7:30 p.m. (Virtual)

July 29

• Halloween in July Story Trail, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Haymarket Gainesville Library)
• Prince William Board of County Supervisors Meeting, 2 p.m.
• Manassas City School Board Meeting, 6 p.m.
• Acoustic Tuesday (Shane Gamble), 7 p.m.

July 31

• Intro to Glass Fusing, 2 to 4 p.m. (Central Library)

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. – Prince William County is making it easier for local business owners, contractors, and developers to connect with experts—without leaving the job site or office.

On June 30, 2025, the Department of Development Services and the Fire Marshal’s Office launched a new Virtual Appointment Scheduling System. The system allows users to schedule meetings online, 24/7, and speak directly with county staff via Microsoft Teams at a time that works for them.

“We are continuously looking at our process and procedures to enhance customer services, accessibility, and convenience,” said Ginny Person, a county spokeswoman. “This latest service builds on previous efforts like SolarAPP+, our Inspection Timeframe Service, and new two-hour service email notifications.”

The virtual system opens the door for up to 34 appointments per week across three service areas:

• Commercial Walk-Thru Plan Reviews with the Fire Marshal’s Office
• Early Assistance for Commercial Project Management, which helps users assess sites and feasibility
• Plan Intake Quality Control, offering guidance on development rules and the permit process

While appointment types and availability vary by project and department, the system is designed to make it easier to ask questions, get immediate answers, and move projects forward faster.

According to Person, the county doesn’t track the number of customer meetings, only overall project cases. But officials say the virtual model is designed to increase capacity over time. Feedback from businesses during pilot testing was positive, with users citing the flexibility and convenience of meeting virtually.

“Increased customer satisfaction is a high priority for the Department of Development Services,” said Person. The department has listed customer satisfaction as one of its key performance indicators for the upcoming fiscal year.

And while the service currently focuses on commercial projects, the county may expand to include residential development and other services in the future. “As we monitor customer experiences and feedback from the launch, we will investigate new service expansion options that may be possible,” Person said.

To learn more about the virtual appointment options or to schedule a session, visit PWCWorks, call 703-792-6930, or email [email protected].