Woodbridge

IKEA Woodbridge will host its annual Stuff the Cruiser backpack and school supply drive Saturday, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the store at 2901 Potomac Mills Circle. The event partners with the Prince William County Community Foundation Inc. and the Prince William County Police Department to collect new backpacks and school supplies for local children ahead of the new school year.

Donors will receive a sweet treat, and last year’s drive helped provide more than 6,500 backpacks to children in the community, according to a recent report.

Woodbridge District Supervisor Jeannie LaCroix’s new Adopt Route 1 initiative scored a strong start over the weekend with what Keep Prince William Beautiful called the biggest Route 1 cleanup ever.

On Saturday, July 11, 32 volunteers collected more than 20 large bags of trash while covering three miles of the corridor (a mile and a half in each direction).

Pokémon Trading Card Game enthusiasts turned the Sam’s Club parking lot on Worth Avenue in Woodbridge into an impromptu campground Monday night, July 20, as they waited for an exclusive member-only release on Tuesday, July 21.

Photos from the scene show groups of collectors with folding chairs, snacks, and gear settling in under the lights, hoping to secure the Ascended Heroes Focused Fighters Premium Collection. The bundle, available to Sam’s Club Plus Members (limit 2 per membership), includes 14 booster packs and foil promo cards for about $55.

Virginia Military Institute named Abduhu Chauhdury of Woodbridge as the new first battalion commander for the 2026-27 academic year.

Chauhdury, an electrical and computer engineering major, attended Forest Park High School. He said his high school calculus teacher, a VMI Class of 2002 graduate, inspired him to apply only to the institute. As a third-class cadet, he served as an S3 corporal, and as a second-class cadet, he was an S3 operations sergeant.