Recently, Historic Manassas, Inc. hosted a City Council Forum. A lot was said and a lot of ideas were raised. The conversation was on point and civil– until the closing remarks.
City Council candidate Rex Parr chose to use his closing statement to go decidedly negative, making inaccurate claims that in some cases play to our fears rather than hopes. When such false claims are made, it tarnishes our city’s reputation and the hard work done by our city staff and employees.
It’s that time of the year again! The 34th Annual Fall Jubilee will be held October 1 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
This highly recognized craft and artisan festival brings out nearly 30,000 people to visit Historic Downtown Manassas each year. Streets become lined with booths featuring unique crafters, non-profits, local community booths, and numerous downtown merchants. There is fun to be had for everyone at the Fall Jubilee!
LaVerne Leven-Berry worked in the carpet business her husband owned for 40 years. The business closed after her husband passed away in 2010 from lung cancer and LaVerne struggled to maintain what she had. Shortly after his death, doctors discovered that LaVerne also had lung cancer and removed a portion of her lung. Not one to be defeated, LaVerne fought back to health. She now works as a home health aide, caring for two individuals.
LaVerne and her husband bought their Woodbridge home 38 years ago. She raised two sons in the home and now watches three of her grandchildren in the mornings. LaVerne manages to work more than 50 hours a week in the healthcare business and still keep an impeccably neat and tidy home and lawn. She feels that keeping the home properly is an important legacy to the tireless energy and effort her husband made. She’s grateful for his pursuit to purchase the home and maintain it all those years.
Dee Vanterpool moved to her Manassas townhouse in 1992. A quaint townhouse facing the community pool, it is well-kept and Dee is content there. Dee retired from the Federal Government where she had worked at the Pentagon in Logistics as a General Supply Specialist. Today she lives quietly, enjoying her church in Burke, Virginia, playing Solitaire, watching Christian TV and walking at the mall. Her son lives in New Jersey. Her daughter and sisters all passed away in the last five years. Dee has suffered from arthritis since childhood and has experienced significant illnesses in her adult life so she could use Habitat’s assistance to correct some minor home issues.
Habitat for Humanity will relocate a bathroom vent that discharges improperly into the attic, rebuild a fence gate and strengthen its posts and paint the exterior trim on the front entry door. We’re looking forward to giving this deserving resident a hand up with home preservation services that will make her home safer and more secure.
It’s morning, and in various stations across Prince William County, police officers sit in roll call, waiting for their daily assignments.
The morning roll call is important for patrol officers like Kimberly Walton and Borys Vargas heading out to the streets. Roll call is a chance to catch up on incidents from the previous shift.
Ph.D. candidates studying at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government partnered with Habitat for Humanity Prince William County and the Prince William County Department of Public Works last weekend. The students are members of the Association for Public Policy Ph.D. Students (APPS) group.
You know you’re one of them when the concept of free time scares you.
The Prince William Chamber of Commerce has changed the name of one long-time event and added a fun new twist. Formerly known as State of Prince William, the newly formatted Direct Access: A Conversation with Local Leaders will be held on Thursday, September 29 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Red Rose Event Center (9705 Liberia Avenue, Suite 101; Manassas, VA 20110). Tickets to the luncheon are $40 for members of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and $55 for non-members. All are welcome.
“State of Prince William has always been a popular event for us, offering our members a look at how the three municipalities we serve—Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park—work together. Direct Access represents a change in format aimed at making the event more interactive. Audience members can expect to not only gain insight but also to find answers for their concerns in real time,” says Chamber President & CEO Debbie Jones. She went on to say that the business community has a “responsibility to work side-by-side with local governments to improve the economic climate and enhance the local quality of life if they want to see their businesses thrive.”
