WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- Elected officials in Prince William decided to take another crack at getting information from the Federal Government.
Officials want to know the status of illegal immigrants who were arrested in the county and processed through Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through a special program called 287 (g). It’s a partnership between county law enforcement and ICE customs officials.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, as he has done in the past with the weight of the county government behind him, will once again filing a freedom of information act (FOIA) request to ICE looking for information on the whereabouts of those arrested and then turned over to ICE. Stewart has threatened to sue the U.S. Government if he doesn’t get what he wants.
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Lorin Maazel, a world-renown composer and founder of the Castleton Festival – a regular performance at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas – has died.
Maazel, 84, passed away at this Virginia home this morning following a bout with pneumonia, according to the Castleton Festival website.
Maazel on Thursday was scheduled to perform at the Hylton Performing Arts Center alongside Denyce Graves as part of the Castleton Festival. An audience member told Potomac Local News he was unable to conduct to his respiratory issue.
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My husband and I have just celebrated four decades of marriage.
We had a rough start as a couple. Both of us had been married previously, both those relationships were disastrous. I was only sixteen the first time and married a man seven years older than I.
I’m going to spare you most of the sordid details, but let it suffice to say we started our lives together with two children, in debt, on a Buck Sergeant’s pay. (At the time, that was $414.20 a month. We received an additional $128.10 for housing allowance.) We had to be married to get the housing allowance!
We were so broke when we married that we used our wedding bands from the first time around. We didn’t know anyone in Maryland and got married by a Justice of the Peace with witnesses provided by the court.
We don’t have any photographs to commemorate that day, but since there were no friends, family, fancy dress or reception, I don’t think we really miss having photos.
We had another ceremony in church later so we could raise our children Catholic, but still no money, so still none of the things and people that create a memorable event. The only difference between our church wedding and our civilian wedding was we now had two neighbors attend, so we actually knew our witnesses the second time we married!
My husband was stationed at Bolling AFB and we lived in Oxon Hill, Md. I didn’t know much, but I knew I was a long way from Jeffersonville, Ind. I was a long way from the friends I’d known, the family I had, the town I was born and the life I had lived.
I was celebrating my 7th wedding anniversary before IBM shipped the Acorn in 1981. The first computer to be termed a “PC” held a now laughable 16K memory. (Our back up drive holds 2 Terabytes, the equivalent of the memory of 134,217,728 of those first PCs!)
In that time, we’ve been together through a lot of mile-marker events. Some were incredibly sad, like the deaths of our grandparents and our parents.
Now I find younger people are asking, “How have you stayed happily married for forty years?” My answer is, “We haven’t!” There have been years we didn’t even like each other. We’ve had tumultuous, angry, door-slamming arguments. We’ve hurled insults and threats, broken dishes and each other’s hearts.
I am not against divorce. If you made a mistake, admit it, get out and get on with your next life. We, nor our siblings managed to get it right on the first try, so divorce was absolutely the second best thing that ever happened to me.
Use your faith, your family and your friends to guide you, but only you and your spouse can decide whether you want to aim for 40 years or more. (…and don’t expect all those years to be happy!)
Update 8 a.m. Sunday -- The AMBER alert for missing 15-year-old Dustin Wade Shaver has been canceled. The teenager was found in North Carolina, according to Virginia State Police.
The agency did not say if any charges have been filed.
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Good morning  – It’s time for Christmas in July! You won’t want to miss the fun activities to benefit our Un Trim A Tree Holiday Gift program for needy kids living here in our community. Christmas in July is a two day event starting at 5pm on July 24th with Old Town Manassas Restaurants collecting toys and donating a portion of their receipts to the program so this is the perfect way to treat your family to dinner out on a Thursday night in Old Town. Please visit your choice of the following restaurants: City Square, Mackey’s, Philly Tavern, Malone’s, Bad to the Bone, Siam Classic, Grounds Central Station, Old Town Sports Pub, Monza/Carmelo’s, El Cactus, or Katerina’s!
On July 25th please join the wonderful folks at the Columbus Grill in Manassas for their Annual benefit event including dinner, drinks, dancing to a live band and DJ, Santa and tons of fun for just $35 and two toys for the kids. Columbus Grill throws a super party! Reserve your seats today at: columbusgrill.net – On Dasher . . .
· Can you help deliver food on July 17? Habitat for Humanity Prince William County is partnering with Greystone Corporation to participate in community development projects at four locations. If you can volunteer to deliver lunches that have already been prepared and donated to feed these hard working volunteers please call 703-369-6708.
· Keep Prince William Beautiful invites you to their 1st Summer Friend-Raiser! Meet some really nice people from 6-8pm at the Bungalow Alehouse on Prince William Parkway on July 19th. The cost is $50. Call 571-285-3772 to learn more about this environmental nonprofit.
· The Prince William Conservation Alliance has upcoming events for all you outdoor enthusiasts: Sunday, July 27 from 8-10am is weed and water day at K9 Gunner Dog Park buffer area Colby Drive and Minnieville Rd. – this area was transformed with over 200 trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Now it is time for some maintenance work! If you want to help with this project or become a regular volunteer at Merrimac Farm contact Karen at [email protected] or call 703-499-4954.
· The American Red Cross is looking for volunteers to provide administrative support to their leadership councils and special events. Duties include database management, communication with donors and typical administrative tasks. Minimum age is 18 and this position promises to be very helpful to your resume. Please call Pamela at (703) 584-8444 to learn more.
· Capital Caring is starting a new program and is need of artists and regular, amazing people with time to share to bring wonder of creating something beautiful to their patients. Contact Rachael at 703-957-1785 or [email protected].
· Coming August 12-14! It is National Health Center Week and the Greater Prince William Community Health Center will hold its 6th annual celebration under the tents at Ridgewood Health Center between 8am and 2pm. Volunteers are needed to help. Please call Richard at 703-680-7950 Ext. 3107.
· Saved Hands Foundation offers a number of services to homeless individuals in Woodbridge. Volunteers are needed to teach Microsoft Office during traditional business hours. They also need a grant writer to help solicit resources to help their clients. Come be part of this expanding team. Please call Pamela at (703) 895-6681 to learn more.
· Transitional Housing BARN needs adult volunteers to help sort and organize donations for their monthly yard sales. Come join the team that works during the week between 8am-2pm. They also need volunteers the second Saturday of each month to set up from 6am-8:30 am and then take down late morning. This is perfect for all the early birds out there and then you can get your round of golf in. Please call Tammy at (703) 369-1325 for more info.
· SERVE in Manassas has an urgent need for food donations this summer. A food drive would be a GREAT summer project for youth on summer break! Please contact Pam at 571-748-2537 or [email protected].
· The Manassas Department of Family Services has a special request of food donations for homeless individuals. These folks do not have the ability to cook or prepare meals as we do at home so items needed include tuna and chicken in pouches, pop-top fruits, cup of soup where you pour the hot water over and let it sit, trail mixes, hand wipes and other fun things you come across in the grocery store. Please drop off your donations at Family Services- 9324 West Street Manassas during traditional business hours of 8:30-4:30pm.
· BEACON Adult Literacy needs volunteers to work with ESL adult learners. No prior experience is needed as you will be given all the tools needed to make a successful partnership with your student. The next training is August 23rd. Please call Caroline at (703) 368-7491 to learn more.
· If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Coleen can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 207, Shelley can help with any individual or group project and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 201, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 202. Please visit our newly re-vamped website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. -- The effort to add toll lanes to a 29-mile stretch of highway in Northern Virginia is entering its final phase.
Construction crews plan to work day and night over the next six months to put the finishing touches on the 95 Express Lanes, converting the High Occupany Vehicle lanes from Dumfries to the Pentagon to toll lanes, and adding new lanes from Dumfries south to North Stafford.
The express lanes run in the center of Interstate 95 and are slated to open in early 2015. They will allow drivers with three or occupants in their cars to ride free while single drivers will be able to pay a toll by using an EZ-Pass transponder.
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NORTH STAFFORD, Va. -- A child found lifeless in a swimming pool and later taken to a hospital for treatment has died.
A patron of the Aquia Harbour swimming pool pulled 4-year-old Rico Rivera-Brayshaw from the water at 7:34 p.m. Sunday after he was found floating the pool, said Stafford sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy. Lifeguards at the pool began CPR on the child and fire and rescue crews summoned to the pool then took over, added Kennedy.
The child was later taken to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond where he died on Tuesday. A witness told Potomac Local News the child appeared to be lifeless once pulled from the swimming pool.
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WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- A bi-partisan town hall meeting quickly turned to debate over Medicaid expansion in Virginia.
State Senator George Barker (D-Fairfax, Prince William) and Delegate Richard Anderson (R-Prince William) on Wednesday night got an earful of opinions from Prince William County residents who support or oppose growing the federal healthcare mandate, known as Obamacare.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2013 campaigned for office on a plan to vigorously expand Medicare in the state only to come up short after the General Assembly session that concluded earlier this year. The move would have put Virginia on a list of states like Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. that are already expanding their Medicare programs.
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MANASSAS PARK, Va. -- The project that leaders hope one day will bring people and downtown development to Manassas Park will get a second look Thursday.
Known as City Center, construction of the mixed-use development located across from the Manassas Park City Hall and a Virginia Railway Express station began in 2006. It has 291 apartments that have renters in nearly every one, says Manassas Park Planning and Zoning Director Vanessa Watson.
But tenants for the street-level retail shops have been slower to come, and it’s that kind of development that is wanted – and needed – to create a walk-able downtown.
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OCCOQUAN, Va. -- There are over 100 specially designed license plates that Virginia residents can choose from.
Whether you’re allegiance is to the military branch you serve, your college, or a special interest group, drivers in our state have their pick of specially designed plates.
Now residents of Occoquan want to add their plate to the list of special plates offered by Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
