SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. — The Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy has opened a new 9,000-square-foot indoor firearms range, marking a major upgrade to officer training in the region.
Located on Lee Hill Drive beside the academy’s main campus, the facility features 14 lanes, classrooms, storage, and the ability to simulate darkness for nighttime training.
SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares led a “One Pill Can Kill” town hall Tuesday evening at Salem Fields Community Church, joined by state and local leaders who warned that fentanyl remains the state’s most urgent drug threat.
Miyares told the audience that fentanyl is “100 times more powerful than heroin” and that his office has prosecuted enough cases to remove the supply that could have killed nearly seven million Virginians. He called the drug not an overdose but “poison, turned into murder,” and said just two cartels are responsible for most of the synthetic drugs entering Virginia.
A woman was stabbed during an attempted abduction in a Wawa gas station bathroom early Saturday morning.
Deputies responded to the store at 4527 Plank Road around 6:30 a.m. on August 16, where they found the victim with a knife wound to her hand. She told investigators the suspect, Austin Wayne Wilson, had hidden in a restroom stall and climbed into hers, displaying a knife and trying to restrain her. Her screams caused him to flee.
Virginia Railway Express is moving forward with improvements at two of its stations, one marking a long-awaited property transfer in Spotsylvania County and the other preparing for a major new parking facility in Manassas Park.
At its July meeting, the VRE Operations Board approved a contract with Espina Paving, Inc. of Woodbridge to mill and pave the Manassas Park Station parking lot. The work, set to finish before winter, aims to improve the lot’s appearance and safety after recent construction left it looking, as one board member put it, “like a war zone.”
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The folks at the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber just wrapped up their annual First Responders Appreciation Breakfast, and it was a big one. Held August 13 at the Fredericksburg Convention Center, the event spotlighted local heroes across law enforcement, fire, and EMS for their life-saving efforts and long-term service.
From snowy highway rescues to swift water saves and daring house fire rescues by everyday citizens, the awards covered a wide range of heroic acts. Citizen Valor Awards went to locals who jumped in to help during life-threatening situations, while police officers and EMTs were recognized for bravery, teamwork, and quick action in high-stakes emergencies.
InsideNoVa — A 19-year-old Arlington woman drowned in Lake Anna over the weekend. Deputies were called to Sandy Point Drive in Bumpass at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, where witnesses reported seeing the victim, 19-year-old Sally Bedell, jump from a structure into the water, resurface, and then go missing, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. More from InsideNoVa.
A man is recovering after being shot late Thursday night in Spotsylvania County.
Deputies were called to the 4500 block of Bancroft Road around 11:17 p.m. on August 7, 2025. They found the victim suffering from a single gunshot wound. Deputies provided medical aid until rescue crews arrived, and the man was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The folks at VDOT just gave Potomac Local News the heads-up: expect plenty of overnight lane closures and daytime work zones in Stafford County, Spotsylvania County, and the City of Fredericksburg from Sunday, Aug. 10 through Saturday, Aug. 16.
On I-95, crews will be milling and paving northbound between Thornburg (Exit 118) and Spotsylvania (Exit 126) and southbound between Courthouse Road (Exit 140) and Centreport Parkway (Exit 136). Police will direct traffic during the mobile paving operations.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Drivers in the Fredericksburg region should prepare for overnight lane closures this week as road crews carry out maintenance and construction along major corridors in Stafford and Spotsylvania counties and the City of Fredericksburg.
On I-95, paving and bridge inspections will cause single or alternating lane closures overnight between Exit 118 (Thornburg) and Exit 148 (Quantico). Route 1 and Route 3 in both counties will see daytime and nighttime closures for pavement marking, utility work, and intersection improvements. Fredericksburg’s Route 1 at Fall Hill Avenue and Princess Anne Street will continue to experience intermittent lane closures as part of long-term construction projects.
SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. – A new bill from Senator Tim Kaine and Congressman Eugene Vindman aims to restore federal funding cut earlier this year from a program that supported high school students with disabilities in Spotsylvania County and across the country.
The “Charting My Path for Future Success” program—launched in 2019—was canceled by the U.S. Department of Education in February 2025, halting services like tutoring and mentoring for more than 1,600 students nationwide. Spotsylvania schools say the funding loss put them in a $2 million bind, threatening over a dozen staff positions and programs for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
