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Voters send Lee Carter packing, nominate political newcomer Lopes-Maldonado

By Uriah Kiser
Carter [Facebook]

Democrats showed Lee Carter the door during today’s Primary Election, deciding not to send Virginia’s first self-described democratic socialist back to Richmond.

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Free motorcycle class to be offered at NOVA Manassas Campus

By Potomac Local News
The Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally rolls through Dumfries on Memorial Day weekend 2011. (Mary Davidson/PotomacLocal.com)

The Virginia State Police is offering a free motorcycle riding class for new or inexperienced riders.

The class will be held Saturday, June 12 at the Northern Virginia Community College Manassas Campus, from 8 a.m. to noon.

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Reporter’s notebook: More with Gina Ciarcia, on family, faith, and the helping power of the church

By Uriah Kiser
Potomac Local News President Publisher Uriah Kiser

Sometimes not everything from an interview makes the news. 

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Dominion awarded utility contract for Quantico Marine Corps Base

By Rick Horner

Dominion Energy was awarded a utility energy service contract to upgrade the power infrastructure of Marine Corps Base Quantico.

The contract's length runs for 22 years and will bring in $47.9 million to the Virginia-based power company. Dominion's responsibilities for this contract will include the installation of new generators, meters, and other improvements that are designed to provide greater energy resiliency and efficiency to the base.

According to the press release from Dominion, Quantico expects to realize an average annual savings of $1.6 million due to the contract.

Dominion will also have contracting and technical support from the Naval Facilities Engineering System Command in order to carry out the contract.

According to Captain Allison Burgos, Communications Strategy and Operations Officer for Marine Base Quantico, there are no immediate issues with the base's power infrastructure but will allow them to modernize systems and reduce energy consumption.

The base's power systems have been constantly upgraded since it was installed when the Quantico base was first built in 1915.

"As new buildings and new grid technology becomes available, standard updates have been performed accordingly throughout the years," states Burgos.

Potomac Local News recently reported that Marine Corps Base Quantico is also in the process of building a new wargaming center designed to train soldiers in cyber defense. The center is scheduled to be completed and opened by 2023.

Burgos tells PLN that the upgrades to the base's power infrastructure and the building of the wargaming facility are unrelated matters.

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Dumfries Town Council meeting recap: Pay raises all around

By Uriah Kiser
Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood

If money was a deterrent, running for a seat on the Dumfries Town Council now just became more lucrative.

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Virginia drops case against restaurant that defied governor’s coronavirus orders

By Rick Horner
Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, and Gourmeltz restaurant owners Maria and Matt Strickland. [Photo: Rick Horner/PLN]

The state dropped its case against a Fredericksburg-area restaurateur that defied orders to comply with Gov. Ralph Northam's coronavirus pandemic protocols.

The move comes after Spotsylvania County Circuit Court Judge Richard Rigual in March ruled in favor of the restaurant after the stated tried to shut it down for defying Northam's Executive order which, among other things, ordered restaurants to operate at 50% capacity, prevent anyone from bellying up to the bar, and to require customers and employees wear masks.

Gourmeltz, the diner known for its oversized grilled cheese sandwiches, defied the governor during the duration of the pandemic. Northam lifted the mask mandate for unvaccinated people on May 15 and all remaining coronavirus restrictions on May 28.

At a press conference held at the Gourmeltz restaurant today, owner Matt Strickland, his wife Maria, and their attorney former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, of Georgia, now the head of Liberty Guard, said the restaurant's health department license would soon be restored.

"I'm glad that things went the way they did," said Strickland," We stood up for our rights against the government, for the rights of other restaurants, for the rights of the community."

Stickland's attorney Bob Barr, whose organization Liberty Guard funded the defense, claimed victory in the case saying that if the Virginia Government decided to go after Strickland again on these matters that they were prepared to fight again. Liberty Guard provided pro-bono legal services to the restaurant, Strickland told PLN. 

Strickland, an Army veteran, refused to comply with the state's orders, calling them unconstitutional. In court, the state described the restaurant as a threat to the community. 

"So, last week, I was a 'substantial and imminent threat to the community,' and this week I'm good to go," said Strickland.

Gourmeltz received regional attention in February when hundreds of people, coming from as far away as Baltimore, lined up to dine at the restaurant, to support Strickland's business. 

Gourmeltz is located at 10013 Jefferson Davis Highway in Spotsylvania County.

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Rock Hill volunteer fire company second to vanish in recent weeks

By Rick Horner

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors dissolved its relationship with the Rock Hill Volunteer Fire Department  Rescue Squad due to a lack of membership.

The department had provided fire and rescue services in the Rock Hill area since 1976. However, over the last three months, the department has been unable to function due to the "non-participation of at least 20 effective members," according to information provided during a recent Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Today, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors will vote on a plan to lease the old department's building, at 2133 Garrisonville Road, for $1 a year for 1o years. Meanwhile, paid career fire and rescue staff members from the Stafford County Government will fill the space once occupied by volunteers.

Under a lease between the county and the members of the volunteer fire rescue squad corporation, the taxpayers will foot the bill for all insurance and utilities on the building. They'll also be on the hook for $300,000 in needed building repairs.

The Rock Hill Volunteer Rescue Squad Fire Company, located about a mile from the station, is still in operation.

The Rock Hill Volunteer Fire Department is the second volunteer company to be dissolved in recent weeks. Rock Hill rescue joins the Stafford Volunteer Rescue Squad which has been defunct since 2018 but has now been officially shut down.  While the department's volunteers are gone, a crew of paid career staff now occupied the building.

*This post has been corrected. 

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Lessons learned during Occoquan Artisan Market; 2 more markets planned

By Uriah Kiser
Photo: Town of Occoquan – Government Facebook page

You can call it a successful test run.

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Move ahead with capitol riot commission, anyway, Connolly urges Biden

By Potomac Local News

Rep. Gerry Connolly says President Joe Biden should push ahead and create his own version of a January 6 commission to investigate a riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“In light of the GOP’s cowardly filibuster of a bipartisan January 6th Commission, I urge President Biden to form and appoint a Presidential Commission to fully investigate the insurrection at the United States Capitol, to identify the individuals and organizations who plotted or were involved in those violent acts, and to make recommendations to prevent such an attack from ever recurring,” Connolly penned in an email.

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