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IN THIS ISSUE
• Opening Note
• Weather
• The Lead
• Weekly News Brief
• Community
• Events & What’s On
• Save the Date
OPENING NOTE
Thank you to Kim, a reader who suggested we follow Prince William Water, the utility that serves most of the county, and share the community events it posts on Facebook and Instagram. Great idea. We’ll be keeping an eye on its calendar, and if you know of an event we should list, reply to this email or write to [email protected].
November is almost here, and we’d love to share some of your recipes. If you have a family favorite for Thanksgiving or the cooler weather, send it our way with a line about why it matters to you, and we may feature it in an upcoming issue.
One more thing: we’re on Instagram at @WoodbridgeGazette, and we would appreciate it if you would follow us. It’s where we share local news and event reminders between issues.
WEATHER
A dry, sunny stretch heads into Halloween. Highs from Tuesday through Saturday run from the upper 60s to the upper 70s, peaking at 78° on Friday, and rain chances stay under 10% all the way to Halloween Saturday, which looks mild for trick-or-treating. Clouds build Sunday with a 21% chance of rain.
• ☀️ Mon, Oct 26 — Sunny, high [high]°/low [low]°, 10% rain
• 🌤️ Tue, Oct 27 — Mostly Sunny, high 72°/low 47°, 6% rain
• ☁️ Wed, Oct 28 — Mostly Cloudy, high 68°/low 47°, 8% rain
• 🌤️ Thu, Oct 29 — Mostly Sunny, high 73°/low 49°, 9% rain
• ☀️ Fri, Oct 30 — Sunny, high 78°/low 49°, 8% rain
• ⛅ Sat, Oct 31 — Partly Cloudy, high 76°/low 53°, 8% rain
• ☁️ Sun, Nov 1 — Cloudy, high 75°/low 58°, 21% rain
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THE LEAD
Dominion Energy filed suit Thursday in Prince William County Circuit Court over the Board of County Supervisors’ unanimous denial last month of a special use permit to expand the Vint Hill substation. The project would add 500-kilovolt transformers and a gas-insulated substation on Dominion-owned property. Dominion says the upgrade is needed to keep the regional grid reliable as electricity demand grows, and that the county’s denial is unlawful. Supervisors cited the site’s closeness to homes and school grounds, and nearby residents raised noise and environmental concerns. Dominion says it answered community questions and met with supervisors multiple times. The county told WTOP it does not comment on active litigation.
Source: WTOP
WEEKLY NEWS BRIEF
PWC UPDATES
Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s testimony, filed Oct. 19, asks that the merger include a six-year freeze on residential rate increases and bill credits tripled to $29 a month for four years. State Corporation Commission staff has recommended rejecting the deal, and commissioners face a mid-January deadline. A roundtable on the merger is set for Woodbridge on Wednesday; see the third item below.
Joshua Lee Named Permanent Director of Area Agency on Aging
County Executive Chris Shorter has appointed Joshua Lee permanent director of the Prince William Area Agency on Aging, effective Monday, Oct. 26. Lee has led the agency on an acting basis since January 2024 and has worked there since 2018. The agency runs more than 30 programs, including Meals on Wheels, congregate meals, transportation and caregiver support, and serves Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park.
Source: Prince William County
Demolition of the metal drydock structure at 411 Mill St. in Occoquan began Thursday, Oct. 22, and is scheduled to run for several weeks, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Work is limited to the drydock and contained on the site, though the adjacent sidewalk may close for a few hours on some days while crews remove metal that overhangs it. The town expects modest truck traffic and no major disruption beyond noise. Questions go to Town Hall at 703-491-1918 or [email protected].
Source: Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta’s e-newsletter
Prince William County’s Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Update begins with an online community kick-off Monday, Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. More information is on the county’s PWC Works website.
Source: Prince William County Development Services
We Are CASA and the American Economic Liberties Project, two groups that oppose the proposed NextEra-Dominion merger, will host a bilingual roundtable Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. at We Are CASA’s Prince William Center, 2359 Research Ct., Woodbridge. The advisory lists Dels. Elizabeth Guzmán and J.R. Henson Jr., former FTC commissioner Alvaro Bedoya and former Connecticut utility regulator Marissa Paslick Gillett as speakers.
Source: We Are CASA and American Economic Liberties Project media advisory
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🏬 NEW AT VIRGINIA GATEWAY Nine New Businesses Coming to Virginia Gateway in Gainesville Frye’s Famous Crab Cakes, Talkin’ Tacos and LaserAway are expected before the end of 2026, with six more, including Paris Baguette and Orangetheory Fitness, set to open in 2027. |
📣 HAVE AN EVENT? Send Us Your Community Events Hosting a fall event, fundraiser or class in Prince William County? Reply to this email or write to us with the date, time, location and a link, and we’ll consider it for Events & What’s On. |
EVENTS & WHAT’S ON
Mon, Oct 26
Wed, Oct 28
• Halloween Story Time and Parade — Dale City Library, 10:30am; library Halloween story times continue through Oct. 31
• Salute to the Armed Forces — Prince William Chamber Foundation luncheon, 11am–2pm; reservation required
• Sleepy Dragon Books Book Club — Honey + Ivy, 6–7:30pm; $8 includes snacks and drinks
Thu, Oct 29
• PWC Trunk or Treat — Chinn Aquatics & Fitness Center, 13025 Chinn Park Dr., Woodbridge, 4–6pm; free, ages 6 months–12 years; staff from several county agencies greet families at the trunks
Fri, Oct 30
• Old Fashioned Friday — KO Distilling, Manassas; $5 old fashioneds on Fridays, with Halloween specials "The Blob" and "Creature From the Cerulean Lagoon"; limit 4 oz per patron
• Halloween Story Time and Parade — Bull Run, Haymarket Gainesville and Montclair libraries, 10:30am
• HAUNT: Dark Encounters — Workhouse Arts Center, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, 7–10pm; $35 a night for timed-entry admission to the trail; box office closes at 9:50pm and the trail closes at 10:30pm; the Grooveyard music and night market outside are free
• Historic Flashlight Tours — Workhouse Arts Center, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, 7–10pm; a guided after-dark walk through the history of the former Occoquan Workhouse grounds
Sat, Oct 31
• Halloween at the Market — Manassas Farmers Market, 8am–1pm; trick-or-treating, photo booth by Fokal Point Imagery, face painting and glitter tattoos by Lu Magic, and a scavenger hunt; costumes encouraged
• Old Town Manassas Fall-O-Ween — Manassas Museum Lawn, 9101 Prince William St., Manassas, 10am–3pm; kids’ and pets’ costume parades and contests, a festive marketplace and holiday treats
• Town of Occoquan Costume Parade & Contest — Occoquan, 10am
• HARVEST: A Common Ground Celebration — Wyndham Garden Manassas, 10800 Vandor Ln., Manassas, 10am–2pm; free, family-friendly fall festival and small business celebration
• OmniRide Halloween Bus — Triangle Plaza (18050 Triangle Shopping Plaza, Dumfries) and Prince William Plaza (14490 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Woodbridge), noon–3pm; giveaways, snacks, candy, games, face painting
• Mall-O-Ween Boo Bash — Potomac Mills, 2700 Potomac Mills Cir., Woodbridge, 1–3pm; store-to-store trick-or-treating (look for the pumpkin sticker in participating retailer windows), roaming Halloween characters and a photo station in Grand Court
• Trunk or Treat — Garrison Park, 17749 Main St., Dumfries, 5–7pm; free, candy while supplies last
Still Running
• Pumpkin Patch at Lake Ridge Nursery — 3705 Old Bridge Rd., Woodbridge; fall hours 9am–7pm Monday through Saturday and 9am–6pm Sunday
• Halloween Sale at House of Mercy — 8178 Flannery Ct., Manassas, Mon, Oct. 26–Sat, Oct. 31, 10am–6pm; all black and orange casual clothing and Halloween costumes are $1
Farmers Markets This Week
• Haymarket Farmers Market — 15000 Washington St., Haymarket, Sun, 9am–1pm; season runs through Nov. 15
• Dale City Farmers Market — Dale City, Sun, 8am–1pm; producer-only, open every Sunday
Your fall escape awaits
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SAVE THE DATE
• Manassas Ballet Theatre: Nutcracker — Hylton Performing Arts Center, Dec. 16–23; 7:30pm shows Dec. 16–20 and 3pm shows Dec. 19–23; tickets start at $50 through the Hylton box office, 703-993-7759; streaming begins Dec. 24 via [email protected] or 703-257-1811
THANKS FOR READING
See you next week.
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