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Senators requesting $30 million to support national security operations

By Uriah Kiser

“The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is facing a looming budget shortfall, and Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen are hoping to ease operational costs related to national security and counterterrorism efforts, reports Sarah Roderick-Fitch at The Center Square. “The four congressmen penned a letter to President Joe Biden requesting his administration include at least $30 million in the FY25 budget to offset expenses stemming from supporting counterterrorism and national security concerns.”

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I-95 bypass: Van Buren extension headed to $8 million design phase

By Uriah Kiser
Route 234 and Van Buren Road near Dumfries [Photo: Google Maps]

Engineers will work on designing a planned Van Buren Road extension near Dumfries. 

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Stafford sheriff withholds ID of man deputies shot and killed

By Uriah Kiser
Decatur [Photo: Stafford County Government]

“This is still an active investigation, and we do not currently have any further information to release. Out of respect for the family and their request, the victim’s name will not be released at this time,” sheriff’s spokesman Ryan Wilbur told us.

A string of questions we sent to the department about this story have gone unanswered.

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Full steam ahead: VRE board approves Saturday service, fare increase; Challenges loom

By Steven Gorski
A Virginia Railway Express train pulls into the Fredericksburg train station. [Photo: Uriah Kiser/PLN]

In what Virginia Railway Express management called the first step in transforming the state’s only commuter railroad, the VRE Operations Board approved its Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

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Driver busted in front of sheriff’s office, more in our Stafford DUI file

By Uriah Kiser
A Stafford County Sheriff's' patrol car.

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents.

“Ford T. Humphrey Public Safety Building, 1225 Courthouse Road, 12/16, 11:42 p.m. Deputy C.R. Newman responded to a suspicious vehicle call. The caller advised they were being followed by another vehicle. Deputy Newman located the vehicle in front of the Sheriff’s Office and made contact with the driver. The driver had signs of being intoxicated and admitted to consuming tequila prior to driving. He was arrested for driving under the influence and was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail until sober.”

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Stafford deputies shoot, kill man wielding rifle

By Uriah Kiser
A Stafford County Sheriff's' patrol car.

Updated 3:30 p.m. — “At 12:20 a.m., deputies responded to a disturbance in the 2400 block of Richmond Highway (Route 1).  As deputies made contact with the complainant, an adult male resident of the home brandished a rifle towards the deputies.  Deputies repeatedly ordered the man to drop the weapon, but he failed to comply.  Deputies fired their weapons, and the suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene,” Stafford Sheriff’s Office reports.

“There were no other injuries at the scene, and southbound Richmond Highway was closed this morning for the investigation. Deputies are on routine administrative leave while the case is investigated,” it adds. 

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Lane closures suspended statewide for Christmas, New Years

By Uriah Kiser

VDOT: “To help make end-of-year holiday travel more enjoyable, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Friday, Dec. 22 until noon on Tuesday, Dec. 26 and from noon on Friday, Dec. 29 until noon on Tuesday, Jan. 2.”

“While lane closures will be lifted in most locations, motorists may encounter semi-permanent work zones that remain in place during this time. Check VDOT’s Travel Advisories for the latest travel alerts in your area and around the state.”

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Stafford sheriff suggests speed camera study

By Uriah Kiser
Stafford County Sheriff’ David Decatur (right)

Stafford County Sherrif David Decatur discussed the possibility of introducing traffic cameras and speed cameras to his deputies’ traffic enforcement toolkit.

During a meeting of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee today, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, Hartwood District Supervisor Darrell English voiced concerns brought to him by residents who say speeding is out of control along a seven-mile stretch of Route 17, from the Fauquier County line to a Walmart on Village Lakes Parkway.

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OmniRide expands south; Offers new service to Spotsylvania via E-ZPass lanes

By Mike Salmon
What’s a ribbon cutting without oversized scissors and elected officials? [Photo: Mike Salmon for Potomac Local News]

Fredericksburg area commuters have three more options for the trip up Interstate 95, including launching three new OmniRide Express buses to the Pentagon, Arlington, and the State Department in Washington, D.C.

The buses are fully funded by the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and they will provide a commuting option for residents south of the newly extended I-95 Express Lanes. It’s the first time since OmniRide’s founding in 1986 that it has provided service to Spotsylvania County and southern Stafford County, bolstering the agency’s status as a regional bus operator.

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