Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Police charge Manassas man with peeping/spying into home.
Officers caught a Manassas man as he was climbing down a tree outside a neighbor's home, apparently spying on her, Manassas City Police said. Milton Omar Garcia Sorto, of Calypso Drive, is now charged with peeping/spying into an occupied dwelling. Police responded to a report of a prowler at 11:14 p.m. Friday on Calypso Drive and saw Garcia Sorto climbing down a tree to the rear of a residence. A resident inside the home told police that she saw a person sitting in a tree and looking in her bedroom window. Garcia Sorto is held on bond at the Prince William County jail pending a June 18 court appearance. The information in this article was provided by the Manassas City Police Department. Where arrests are mentioned, it does not indicate…
Recent inspection reports from local restaurants and food vendors.
You may want to know how area restaurants performed in their last Virginia Department of Health inspection. Restaurants in the Commonwealth are inspected between one and four times a year. There are two types of violations: Critical and non-critical. What's the difference? Critical violations, unless corrected, can contribute to "food contamination, illness or environmental degradation," according to the state health department. "In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website. The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given …
Monday, May 20, 2013
The latest crime headlines on Patch.
Every day, Patch covers crime and fire in the Manassas and Manassas Park area. Below is a collection of today's headlines. See more coverage and share your comments at each post. Naked Man Walking Around in Manassas. Witnesses have spotted a man strolling through a Manassas neighborhood, in nothing but his birthday suit, at least four times over the last few weeks. Peeping Tom Caught in Tree Outside Women's Bedroom. Officers caught a Manassas man as he was climbing down a tree outside a neighbor's home, apparently spying on her, Manassas City Police said. More recent crime news:
Manassas eighth grader Christopher Shoemaker will compete in the famed Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington DC this month.
Manassas middle school student Christopher Shoemaker will be among the spelling elite when he travels up the road to Washington D.C. for the Scripps Spelling Bee next week. Christopher, an eighth grader at Grace E. Metz Middle School, competed in the Prince William Spelling Bee on March 8 and defeated 23 other top spellers for first place. He spelled the word "Arcane" correctly for the win, landing him a spot at Scripps. City officials said Christopher lasted through 24 rounds of spelling over a two-hour period. He was recognized by Manassas City Council and the Manassas City Public School Board for his accomplishments. "It is an individual accomplishment, as well as the accomplishment of our school system," Manassas Mayor Hal J. …
After almost nine years on the school board, Chairman Michael Wine said he feels it's time to move on.
Longtime school board member Michael Wine said he will not return to his post for another three-year term. Wine term expires on June 30, but he told Patch earlier this month he has no intentions of pursuing the position again. The term of incumbent board member Brenda Foster also expires in June, but she seeks to keep her position. Five applications, including Foster's, were received by the May 15 deadline, said Lana Conner, Manassas Park clerk to council. "It's time for me to move on," Wine said. " ... I hope I've done some good." It was his decision to move on, he said. No one asked him to step aside, Wine said. "No it's the opposite," he said. "Everybody is clamoring for me to stay (but) it's time for somebody else to have a shot." …
Incumbent board member Brenda Foster is seeking to retain her seat which expires on June 30.
Five residents are seeking to fill the two open seats on the Manassas Park School Board. The city accepted applications earlier this month for the expiring terms of school board Chairman Michael Wine and school board member Brenda Foster. Both terms expire June 30. Manassas Park school board members serve three-year terms. Wine said he is not seeking his position again, while Foster has reapplied for her position. This is her sixth year on the school board, said Foster who works full-time for a Washington D.C. public relations firm. City officials will review applications beginning this week. School board members are interviewed and appointed by the Manassas Park City Council.
The company said it will work to place the laid-off employees in positions elsewhere in the company.
Telecommunications giant Comcast is set to cut 80 jobs later this year from its Manassas facility off University Boulevard, InsideNova reports. Also reported last week in the Washington Business Journal, the company also plans to move 78 Manassas sales jobs to its offices in White Marsh, MD. Comcast spokeswoman Aimee Metrick said the changes are part of the company's efforts to make it easier for its customers to do business. About 110 jobs will remain in Manassas, company officials said. Meanwhile laid off employees can apply for the 400 jobs Comcast has available in the Washington DC metro. Read more of the reports from InsideNova and the Washington Business Journal.
The small college in Lynchburg held its commencement this month.
Two Manassas residents earned degrees from Randolph College in Lynchburg, Va. this month. The college held its commencement on May 12 in the Mabel K. Whiteside Greek Theatre, a place known as "The Dell" among alumni, students and staff. The Manassas graduates are: Justin DeSmith who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies. Luisa Poveda Bautista who earned a Bachelor of Arts Environmental Studies. Randolph College is a private, liberal arts and sciences institution. It was founded 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Randolph is known its academic program, diverse close-knit community, faculty and growing NCAA D III athletics program. Got a graduate you want recognized? Publish it for free in the Patch announcements section.
Have an extra million bucks — or more — to spare? If not, here are some pictures of some of the region's most expensive properties to help when you dream.
Maybe you don't need 10 bathrooms. Or even nine. Maybe you don't need a boat dock in your back yard. Or a fully equipped gym. Some people, though, apparently do. And if you're not looking for much more than a roof over your head — and even if you're not looking at all — we can all dream, can't we? Well, we can do more than that: We can take a peek inside some of the most expensive homes for sale in Virginia and D.C. Just click on the links below to see what's for sale in some of our 31 Patches around the region. WOW: $1.3 Million Home Features Hot Tub WOW: Home Features Skylights, Library WOW: Annandale $1.3 Million Home Features Wrap-Around Porch WOW: Own a Barn in Leesburg Lakefront Contemporary on Upper Lake Drive Wow' House: …
The top news from your Patch sites in Virginia and DC.
Patch has 31 community sites in Virginia and D.C. Here are some of the top stories from around the region over the past week. 21. Council Approves Plans to Replace Layton Hall Apartments The Fairfax City Council approved a developer’s plans to replace the Layton Hall garden style apartments with a 360-unit complex. Councilmembers, developers, and residents debated on the issue in a five-hour meeting Tuesday evening before the council ultimately approved the plans despite passionate pleas from current residents who resisted the move. 20. Are Cicadas Safe to Eat? Cicada Recipes and Cooking Tips If you're brave enough to eat them, cicadas are apparently a surprisingly good source of protein, according to nutritionists, and they can be tasty. …
