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News

Manassas councilwoman praises interim city manager, high employee satisfaction

By Uriah Kiser

Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis provided insights into the ongoing search for a new city manager and discussed the results of a recent city employment satisfaction survey.

According to Coates Ellis, the city’s current state has significantly improved, with Police Chief Douglass Keen serving as the interim city manager. “They’re a lot better now with Chief Keen on board as the interim. That was the best thing we could have, mean to get through a very, in my opinion, unstable time.”

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Schools

Stafford schools superintendent urges action on teacher shortage amidst soaring enrollment

By Sarah Romero
Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor addresses business owners at Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Stafford County, Virginia.

Stafford County Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor addressed the pressing need for additional teachers as student enrollment in the school division continues to climb.

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Business

Exclusive: Fredericksburg’s Historic Kenmore Inn reimagined as Ironclad Inn and Bourbon Tasting Room; Soft Opening Set for Feb. 20

By Uriah Kiser

Ironclad Distillery Co., renowned for its bourbon whiskey production in Newport News, has made waves in the hospitality industry with its recent acquisition of the historic Kenmore Inn in Fredericksburg.

Under Kara King’s stewardship of Ironclad Distillery, the inn is set to undergo a transformation, including a name change to the Ironclad Inn and Bourbon Tasting Room.

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Features

Fredericksburg prepares for annual ‘Coldest Night of the Year’ fundraiser to support homeless

By Kelly Sienkowski
Participants gather for "Coldest Night of the Year" 2023 in Fredericksburg. [Photo: Clay Murray]

Area churches and local supporters will gather on Feb. 24, 2024, for its annual fundraiser, “Coldest Night of the Year,” a family-friendly walk to benefit Micah ministries. Micah is a coalition of area churches dedicated to helping Fredericksburg city residents with unmet needs.

According to its website, city congregations have supported the homeless since the 1980s. They banded together in 2005 to establish a permanent location and organization to continue serving the community. Micah and its partnering churches address the community’s needs by offering a hospitality center, meals, job assistance, cold weather shelters, and housing options to residents in need.

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News

Time’s up for Stafford schools’ ‘power hour’ lunch; Division reverts to 3-bell lunch schedule amid safety concerns and student incidents

By Uriah Kiser
A reporter interviews Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor.

The school division announced it will revert to a three-bell lunch schedule starting Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. Potomac Local was the first to tell you administrators were scrutinizing the extended “power hour” lunch period following the arrest of at least 10 students involved in an early-morning fight at Brooke Point High School on January 29, 2024.

Later that day, police placed the school on lockdown after students assaulted two Brooke Point teachers in a separate incident.

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Features

Mammoth pancake, not Civil War, celebrated at Battlefield Restaurant

By Mike Salmon
Deadman’s Curve on one side and a genuine artifacts store on the other. [Photo: Mike Salmon]

The Battlefield Restaurant has a pancake on the menu that’s the size of a medium pizza and more than enough for a breakfast entrée. The question is, how do you flip it on the grill?

“I can do it with one spatula,” said diner owner and operator Cindy Jenkins, who claimed it’s all in the wrist. “My son uses two.”

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Prince William

Speed camera enforcement pilot program launches in Prince William County school zones

By Uriah Kiser

The Prince William County Department of Transportation is set to initiate the Automated Traffic Enforcement Pilot Program, which will place speed cameras in selected school zones across the county. The program aims to enhance residents’ safety by implementing measures to reduce severe injuries and fatalities on county roads.

The initial school zones where automated enforcement will be deployed include Battlefield High School on Route 15, Woodbridge High School and Old Bridge Elementary School on Old Bridge Road, Fitzgerald Elementary School on Benita Fitzgerald Drive, and Patriot High School and T. Clay Wood Elementary School on Kettle Run Road. More school zones will be added to the program in the coming months.

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Opinion

Manassas City School Board Members call for grading policy reevaluation to boost Metz Middle School performance

By Letters to the Editor
A Manassas City Public Schools teacher and students [Photo: Manassas City Public Schools]

We write to you as individual members of the Manassas City School Board regarding the recent article “Metz Middle scores decline…” and the significant online discussion that ensued.

However, we reject the notion that a high share of ESOL students inevitably condemns Metz to its current level of performance. To move forward, we must thoughtfully and accurately identify the problems facing our middle school, and we firmly believe that our students can achieve at a higher level.

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Features

Exclusive interview: Taylor family welcomes I-66 Express Lanes miracle baby, thanks emergency crews for roadside assistance

By Mike Salmon
Baby Audrey and “Trooper Teddy,” a gift from Virginia State Police. [Submitted photo]

“It was crazy,” said Brandon Taylor, the father who helped with his wife, Joan, as the express lanes traffic whizzed by. “You hear the stories, but you never know someone that went through it.”

It all started about 5:45 on Tuesday morning, January 30, 2024, when Joan could feel the baby stirring. She woke up, woke Brandon, and he went into his pre-rehearsed motions, grabbing the baby bag they had ready and getting their three-year-old son out of bed. “Twenty minutes later, we were on the highway, and it was happening,” Brandon said.

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News

Stafford school officials scrutinize ‘Power Hour’ following lockdown

By Uriah Kiser
Yellow Stafford County Public Schools bus parked at a school curb with the door open as a student walks on the sidewalk
A Stafford County Public Schools bus. The School Board on Sept. 8 deferred any high school schedule change for 2027–28 after nearly 90 minutes of public comment focused on electives.

Stafford County Public School officials are reviewing the division’s “Power Hour” lunch periods. High school students can walk around campus to have lunch with friends, study, meet teachers and guidance counselors, or attend workshops during these periods.

Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor said the power hour lunch was an idea introduced by students and allowed for the first time by the school division for the 2022-23 school year.

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