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Prince William

Planning Commission Denies Bristow Substation, Removes Road Widening and Extension Plans Citing Noise, Health, Farmland, and Historic Concerns

By Uriah Kiser
[Photo: American Public Power Association/Unsplash]

In a marathon March 11, 2026, session that stretched past midnight, the Prince William County Planning Commission sided with western county residents on two high-stakes land-use matters, denying a major power substation tied to data-center growth and stripping three long-planned road projects from the Comprehensive Plan’s Mobility Chapter.

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Stafford

Stafford Supervisors Advance Land Conservation Efforts with PDR Program Update and New Tank Creek Easement

By Uriah Kiser
Widewater State Park in Stafford County. [Photo: Virginia State Parks]

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors on March 17 received an update on its long-running Purchase of Development Rights program and unanimously approved a resolution accepting a co-holder open space easement on a forested preserve in the Widewater area, actions aimed at protecting rural lands and waterways.

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Prince William

Mapledale Rezoning Approved to Revitalize Dale City Shopping Plaza with 208 Homes, Despite Traffic and School Worries

By Uriah Kiser

The Prince William County Planning Commission on March 11, 2026, voted 7-1 to recommend approval of rezoning application REZ 2024-00045 for the Mapledale residential project in Dale City’s Neabsco magisterial district.

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Stafford

Stafford Faces Tax Rate Showdown: State Budget Delay, “Tens of Millions” in New Mandates, and 40%+ Tax Hikes Spark Audit Push

By Uriah Kiser
Stafford County Administrator Bill Ashton presents the proposed FY2027 budget to the Stafford County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 17, 2026, at the Government Center.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors must set its real estate tax rate on April 21 without a final state conference budget, forcing a decision amid unresolved funding for schools, teacher pay, and constitutional officers, county officials heard March 17.

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Prince William

PWCS Redirects Millions from Scrapped 14th High School into Renovations, Sustainability, and Equity Projects

By Uriah Kiser

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) is redirecting approximately $256 million in projected savings from the discontinued 14th high school into targeted facility upgrades, energy-efficiency initiatives, and program equity measures across the division.

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Stafford

Stafford Residents Air Fears Over Possible ICE Detention Center; Board Declines to Pass Opposing Resolution

By Uriah Kiser
A 62-year-old man from Virginia was arrested by CBP officers. [Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection]

Fears of a large-scale ICE detention facility in Stafford County dominated public comment at the March 17 Board of Supervisors meeting, with more than a dozen residents citing a Dec. 24, 2025, Washington Post article that listed the county as a possible site for a 5,000- to 10,000-bed center.

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Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg Resident Calls for Return of Slave Auction Block, Citing Lessons in Discomfort and Remembrance

By Potomac Local News
Photo: Fredericksbrug City Government

At the Fredericksburg City Council meeting on March 10, 2026, a local resident delivered a plea to reinstall the historic slave auction block removed from its prominent location six years earlier, drawing a stark analogy to Holocaust memorials while council members honored a longtime volunteer for her work in guiding the city’s approach to painful historical sites.

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Traffic

OmniRide weighs new direct routes to D.C., Vienna Metro against rising capital expenses

By Uriah Kiser

OmniRide is poised to offer Prince William County commuters faster, more direct express bus options into downtown Washington and Northern Virginia job centers, but federal tariffs on new commuter buses are adding tens of thousands of dollars in unexpected costs and highlighting broader funding strains on local transit.

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Manassas

MCPS Deepens Museum Ties While Weighing FY27 Budget

By Potomac Local News
[Courtesy of the City of Manassas]

Manassas City Public Schools (MCPS) continues to make local history a living classroom through its growing partnership with the Manassas Museum, offering students hands-on, place-based learning that connects curriculum to the community right in their backyard.

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Manassas Park

Manassas Park Extends Tax Relief Application Deadline to June 30 as New Treasurer Reports Progress and Challenges in Collections

By Potomac Local News

The Manassas Park Governing Body approved an ordinance on March 3, 2026, permanently extending the annual deadline for real estate tax relief and exemption applications from April 1 to June 30, providing residents—particularly elderly, disabled, and 100% disabled veterans—more time to file paperwork amid a broader discussion of tax collections led by newly appointed City Treasurer Donald Shuemaker.

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