Local

  BRISTOW, Va. (AP) - Prince William County police say an officer has died after his motorcycle struck a minivan in Bristow.

 

     The crash occurred around 2 p.m. Monday. Police say 35-year-old Officer Chris Yung was on his way to the scene of another accident and was heading south on Nokesville Road when his motorcycle struck the minivan, which was making a left turn into a shopping center. Yung was taken to a hospital, where he died. No one else was injured.

 

     Officer Jonathan Perok, a police spokesman, says the details of the crash remain under investigation.

 

     Yung was a 7-year veteran of the department and worked for the traffic unit.

 

SPRINGFIELD, Va. (AP) - Virginia State Police say three people were killed when the pickup truck they were in crashed into the rear of a tractor trailer on and Interstate 495 ramp leading to Interstate 95.

 

  It happened about 7 p.m. Thursday. Troopers say the tractor-trailer in the travel lane was stopped in traffic when the pickup truck hit it. All three occupants of the pickup died at the scene. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not hurt. 

The driver of the pickup truck was Peter Stesney Jr, 87, of Allentown, Penn. The two passengers were Bernice Supinski, 85, of Bath, Penn., and Laura Kordelski, 51, of Allentown, Penn. All three were related and traveling to Florida to attend a relative’s funeral.

 

     The accident is under investigation. 

 

     

 

The deadline for an exciting opportunity for kids to be in the limelight at King's Dominion is fast approaching. 

Spokesman Gene Petriello says they are taking applications for the KidCaster for "Planet Snoopy" through January 7th.

The ideal candidate should be between the ages of six and ten, be outgoing and excited about "Planet Snoopy opening next year and not afraid of a camera. Once selected next month, they will be brought to the park three times from January to March to watch and report on construction progress of the new kid's area. 

They will be broadcast via the Kings Dominion Facebook and Twitter page and on the park's You Tube channel. The unique prospective will be sent out to kids all over the world with the hope of putting a first-ever kids thoughts on the park.

Applications will be accepted on www.kingsdominion.com.

 

Emergency personnel and law enforcement had all they could do to keep up with the rash of wrecks this morning due to the mix of rain, sleet and snow that has fallen.

At numerous times accidents were reported within several hundred yards along the same stretch of roadway. 

No serious injuries have been reported thus far.

Traffic Monday along I-95 Northbound near Baltimore./Photo:Kathy Lang Wiedemann

The North American Aerospace Defense Command year round is in charge of keeping the skies safe. On Christmas Eve its mission also turns on-line to www.noradsanta.org.

Lieutenant Commander Bill Lewis with NORAD says the Santa Tracker will is live from Monday morning until 5:00 a.m. on Christmas Day.

People may also call 1-877-HI-NORAD for the latest. More than 1,000 volunteers will be on hand, with the help of Santa cams, to answer questions and give updates on his exact location.

     WASHINGTON (AP) - Metro says its rail service will stay open late to accommodate Washington Redskins fans attending the rescheduled Dec. 30 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

 

     The game was moved from an afternoon start time to 8:20 p.m. because of its playoff implications. The game will decide the NFC East.

 

     Metro says its trains will run an hour later than usual. The last blue line train to Franconia-Springfield from the Morgan Boulevard Station near FedEx Field will leave at 12:25 a.m. The last blue line train to Largo Town Center will depart at 1:33 a.m.

 

     Passengers will be able to transfer to other lines at the Stadium-Armory, L'Enfant Plaza and Metro Center stations.

 

     Metro says the extended service is funded through an agreement with the Redskins.

     TYSONS CORNER, Va. (AP) - The cost of a one-way trip on the Dulles Toll Road will rise by 50 cents starting Jan. 1.

 

     The higher tolls will help pay for Metrorail's $6 billion expansion to Washington Dulles Airport.

 

     The Washington Examiner reports that the cost of a one-way trip for cars will go up from $2.25 to $2.75. That means commuters who rely on the road daily will pay about $260 more in 2013.

 

     In 2014, the rates will jump again, to $3.50.

 

     Some commuters and rail line opponents have protested the toll increases. But officials with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority say tolls are the only way to finance the rail line if Virginia and the federal government can't contribute more to the project.

Many areas will have a White Christmas this year, but it does not look promising for the greater Fredericksburg area. A "white Christmas" is defined by the National Weather Service as an inch or more of snow on the ground. Parts of western Maryland and the midwest are being blanketed in snow. Virginia is experiencing its' third warmest December since the weather service starting keeping records. 

Meteorologist Andy Woodcock says it will likely be a wet Christmas across this region. The evenings will be colder though, dropping into the mid 30s over the weekend, Christmas Eve and Christmas night.

 

In accordance with a verbal directive earlier this week, Governor Bob McDonnell issued Executive Order 56 Thursday. It establishes a task force to review school and campus safety, in light of the horrific Connecticut shootings. 

Spotsylvania County Schools Spokeswoman Kathy Smith says they are pleased with the action. Already this week, they have created a local taskforce including the School Superintendent, Sheriff and County Administrator offices. She says they started meeting, with the goal of enhancing already strong security and improving communication in emergency situations.

Several Virginia lawmakers, including area Speaker Bill Howell has vowed to introduce legislation for more funding of school safety and security. 

 

Several local school systems have been dealing with rumors about threats of school violence Friday, in relation to the unfounded "end of the world," as predicted by the Mayan calendar.
In Stafford County, Superintendent Randy Bridges sent a letter home to parents to reassure them about security and a stepped up police presence. In Stafford, like some other localities, the student code of conduct addresses disciplinary action regarding "threats of catastrophic events, regardless of an intent to carry out the threat." A spokeswoman there says what may seem like a funny prank will have serious consequences. 

 

The Charles County Sheriff's Office is trying to solve a bizarre case of a Fort Washington woman, found dead on a vacant lot in Waldorf this week.
Police say the woman was found pinned under the front tire of an SUV. It was parked on a vacant lot that is under renovation. The homeowner says he goes everyday to check on progress and found the woman Wednesday afternoon.
Darcie Leilani Stanback-Kelton's body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy.  

 

If the crowds at Virginia's airports last weekend and this week are any indicator of how busy this holiday travel season might be, you better pack your patience. 

"The start of the busy travel season will last for the next few days," says Rob Yingling with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. More than 1.1 million people are expected to flow through the doors of Reagan National and Dulles Airports in Virginia.

As usual, make sure you arrive early and prepare for delays, including extra security checks by the Transportation Security Administration.

 

All designed around the "Peanuts" comic strip, the new "Planet Snoopy" kid's area at King's Dominion in Doswell will be the largest of its' kind in the world. 

The 14 acres will hold 18 total rides, eight of them brand new. Unlike the old area, this will be completely about a family immersion. Spokesman Gene Petriello says in some of the rides, parents and other adults can accompany kids on the rides.

From Snoopy's Rocket Express and the Linus Launcher to Lucy's Tugboat and the revamped Woodstock Express, Spokesman Gene Petriello says there will be something for everyone. 

Though there will be no high soaring new additions, the expansion presents a bit of a challenge for building crews. Petriello says that each of the rides has its' own electrical system and other infrastructure and that has to be linked together throughout the 14 acres. 

He says items for revamped rides and parts for the eight new ones start arriving in February and continue in phases, through the end of March. If everything goes according to plans, the new area should be ready for anxious kids next March. The official opening is planned for March 29th, the beginning of Spring break, when the park is open every day for ten consecutive days.

What first looked like food to customs and border protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport over the weekend turns out to be drugs.
Officials say the cocaine was stuffed inside the double walls of the jars, filled with stew. The man, who requested entry as a courier on business, arrived on a flight from El Salvador. The combined weight of the two plastic bags of cocaine was a little over 1 kilogram, or 2 pounds, 4 ounces.
After extensive interviews, the man was not criminally charged. He did express fear to return to Guatemala and was held, scheduled for an interview with an asylum officer. 

 

Marine, Major General James Kessler was joined by Virginia DMV Commissioner Rick Holcomb and others Monday morning at the National Museum of the Marine Corps to highlight the success of the program.

Parents of students at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut described the terror they faced as they raced to the school that was the scene of Friday's deadly shooting, hoping to find their children safe. Police eventually led students from the building, telling them to close their eyes as they walked away from the scene. In all, 20 kids under the age of 10 are among the victims.

University of Mary Washington Psychology Professor, Dr. Holly Schiffrin says parents need to hug their kids and stop sweating the small stuff. She says often parents yell about lunchboxes and backpacks and never think about the fact that they may not see their child at the end of the day.

She is urging parents to talk to their kids if they have questions, but to limit their exposure to media coverage of the tragic event. She says parents should lead by example, because kids often mimic their behavior.

Friday's tragedy makes the Connecticut school shooting the second worst in U.S. history, after the 2007 Virginia tech massacre. Alumni Ashley Oliver of Fredericksburg tells WFLS that she is saddened by the news and says it made memories from five years ago come crashing back. Oliver imagines that like then, these people will likely wonder how they as people, parents, teachers a school and even as a state can go on. She says that healing will come in time and sends her thoughts and prayers to the victim's and their families.

 

Parents in Stafford County Public Schools have until next Thursday to get copies of some student records that will be destroyed.
They are short-term retention documents from official student records of those who graduated or left a Stafford school in 2006 to 2007 or prior years. They might include special services, special education files and health files that will be shredded.
If you need a record from your child's file, call the school that your child left by Thursday. If they do not hear from you, the records will be destroyed.  Long-term documents will be kept, as required by the Library of Virginia. 

 

Fredericksburg police are investigating a series of tire slashings that happened in the early morning hours Thursday.
They say they all happened between 7:30 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. on Shepherd, Wolfe and Brompton Streets, downtown. In all, six tires were slashed and three cars were damaged.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fredericksburg Police Department.

 

The annual 3-D month is underway in Stafford County and other areas around the state. Stafford Sheriff's First Sergeant Lee Peters says the authorities will be out in force. They will be cracking down on drunk, drugged and impaired drivers with police saturation patrols and traffic stops and some stationary DUI checkpoints. 

He says they know people will go to parties and take part in holiday festivities, but want them to be responsible. They should designate a driver in advance, if they plan to drink, and stick with that plan. If they can't get a driver and do have too much, they should stay the night where they are, instead of getting behind the wheel.

The effort lasts through January 2nd and is designed to get people that are drunk or drugged off the roads. 

One in ten drivers on the roads nationwide after midnight is impaired.

 

The manager of Paul's Bakery on Lafayette Blvd says employees heard the sound of glass breaking early Tuesday morning and found the front window damaged. An employee's car in the parking lot also had two broken windows.

Fredericksburg Police are in search of the suspect or suspects that fired what is believed to be a bb-gun that caused the damage. She says anytime that such a gun is fired, the shot could miss the intended target and caused damage or injury and is illegal in the city limits.

Back in September a Fredericksburg teen was turned into juvenile intake for being suspected of shooting a bb-gun near an area school.

 

  ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Police have arrested a third man on federal charges in the 2010 slaying of a handyman at a home in Centreville.

 

     Forty-two-year-old Stacy L. Reed of Manassas, a Metrobus driver, was arrested Wednesday after pulling into a bus bay at the Pentagon.

 

     According to court records, authorities believe Reed was the getaway driver in a planned robbery of a Centreville home in May 2010. Two other men who entered the house encountered handyman Jose Cardona, who died of a gunshot wound defending the home.

 

     Two other men, Tasheik Ashanti Champean of Suitland, Md., and Reynard Prather of Oxon Hill, Md., have pleaded guilty to their roles in the killing. Prather was sentenced to 30 years in prison earlier this year. Champean awaits sentencing.

 

   FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) - A pretrial hearing for an Army private charged with giving U.S. secrets to WikiLeaks has ended.

 

     The military judge recessed the proceeding at Fort Meade on Tuesday after hearing closing arguments on whether Pfc. Bradley Manning suffered illegal pretrial punishment. Army Col. Denise Lind didn't say when she will rule.

 

     Manning's lawyers say the conditions Manning was held in for nine months at a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., were so harsh the case should be dismissed.

 

     Prosecutors concede that Manning was improperly held on suicide watch for seven days and should receive seven days' credit at sentencing.

 

     Manning is accused of sending hundreds of thousands classified documents to the anti-secrecy website. The charges include aiding the enemy. That offense carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. 

 

     

 

 

A year and a half long undercover investigation and three simultaneous search warrants lead to two drug busts in Caroline County.
In all, detectives seized more than $1700 worth of drugs and more than $4,000 in cash. They also found guns and what they believe to be cocaine or heroin manufacturing equipment. Kevin Darnell Brown of Ruther Glen is charged with distributing cocaine. Norman Hergie Parker of Ruther Glen is charged with possessing cocaine.

 

     SUSSEX, Va. (AP) - Opponents of Virginia's proposal to use toll revenue to improve Interstate 95 plan to rally outside a public hearing.

 

     The rally is set for Monday night at Sussex High School before the hearing. Among the scheduled speakers at the rally are the mayors of Emporia and Stony Creek and state Del. Roslyn Tyler, D-Greensville. 

 

     The Federal Highway Administration is reviewing the state's application to place tolls on I-95.

 

     Other hearings to give the public an update on the proposal are scheduled for Wednesday night in Chester and Dec. 17 in Fredericksburg.

A house fire in the 10000 block of Lovett Drive in Spotsylvania County overnight Wednesday. 

Deputy Spotsylvania Fire Chief Scott Heckler says fire and EMS apparatus from four counties responded to battle the quickly spreading blaze. In the end, the house was completely destroyed. 

Heckler says the Red Cross and others are helping the family find somewhere to live. They were not home when the fire started and the cause remains under investigation, but it could be a long one. He says when a home is destroyed, investigators rely on statements from the homeowners, witnesses and first responders to the scene. Beyond that, members of the Fire Marshall's office could spend days searching through piles of ash and debris. 

 

 

Photo: Scott Shenk, The Free Lance-Star

 

A tractor trailer crashed early Thursday morning along Northbound I-95 in Spotsylvania County. 

The accident happened at mile marker 125 where the 18-wheeler overturned and ended up on the guard rail. 

A listener called WFLS and said he had seen the accident happened and helped the driver of the rig get out of it. 

The right lane and right shoulder were closed for a period of time as crews worked to upright the truck.

The driver , Nathaniel Lee III of King George, was taken to Mary Washington Hospital for treatment. A trooper charged him with reckless driving and fatigue appears to be a factor in the crash. 

Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi, The Free Lance-Star

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The Giant store at Eagle Village On Jefferson Davis Highway reopened just before 10 a.m. after a nearby gas leak forced its earlier evacuation. 

Brandon Bass, battalion chief for the Fredericksburg fire department tells fredericksburg-dot-com that at the hotel construction site next to the grocery store, crews hit a one and a half inch lateral gas line, leading off of the main line. 

Bass said the line was supposed to be dead, but crews realized immediately after hitting it that it was still active. 

No one was hurt due to the gas leak.

Just before 10 a.m. Columbia Gas took the lead on repairing the line.

Two teenagers have been arrested following a confrontation in a Massaponax High School classroom Wednesday morning. 

According to Spotsylvania Sheriff's Captain Mike Harvey, four students went into a classroom to confront a teacher as class was beginning. The four thought the teacher had information regarding a stolen jacket. They reportedly cursed her and made threats to beat her. 

An administrator escorted the students to the office where the conforntation escalated with sheriff's deputies. 

19-year-old Jonathan Milton and 18-year-old Darius Baker were charged and released after appearing before a magistrate. 

Two teenaged minor girls have also been served with petitions.

More people are shopping online this holiday season. At the same time Tom Gallagher of the better Business Bureau says there's more scams, spams and viruses than he's ever seen. 

He knows of a one where a person received an e-mail from FedEx. That person opened the e-mail and a virus attacked her computer causing it to crash.

Gallagher says people need to stay on top of updating their anti-virus software and be on your guard when opening e-mails. He says if you're not expecting an e-mail from someone, chances are something's wrong.

 

Joshua Rodriguez 22, pleaded guilty in Spotsylvania County Circuit Court to attempted robbery.

 

 

A 61-year-old Timberville man is charged following a chase that started in Stafford and ended in Spotsylvania with at least two damaged patrol cars.

According to fredericksburg.com the incident started with a traffic stop near U.S. 1 and U.S. 17 in Stafford. 

A chase began on U.S. 17 and onto I-95 South.

At least one Stafford deputy's cruiser was rammed according to Stafford Sheriff's spokesman Bill Kennedy and a State Police cruiser was struck twice. No one was injured in the crashes.

Francis Raymond Calewarts is charged by state police with two counts of hit-and-run and two counts of reckless driving. Charges are pending in Stafford.

Fredericksburg police are looking for a black man described as 30 to 40 years old and about six feet tall with short black hair.
He is accused of robbing a Fredericksburg resident around 9:00 p.m. Sunday night. They say the 27 year old victim was putting a box into his car trunk on Franklin Street when the man, wearing a bandana on his face, approached with a gun and demanded his wallet.
The victim quickly handed it over and the suspect ran off toward Sunken Road. Anyone with information is asked to call the Fredericksburg Police Department. 

 

A man from Reva, Virginia is in custody and charged with malicious wounding after a stabbing in a parking lot on Route 1, near Four Mile Fork, on Saturday.
Spotsylvania deputies responded to a reported fight and found a 27 year old man with a stab wound to the abdomen. he was taken to Mary Washington Hospital for treatment.
Robert M. Lucas apparently pulled a pocket knife on the victim after a fight started between the two. The Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office is still investigating the cause.

 

 

 

A traffic stop in Spotsylvania County leads to an unexpected drug bust over the weekend.
After the duputy stopped the Cadilac on Sunday, a drug dog searched the vehicle and found heroin. That led to a search of a suspicious nearby home. In all, they found 400 bags of heroin with a street value of $10,000.
Jamar James Mack and Amanda Michelle Hoy of Spotsylvania were both arrested and are charged possession with the intent to distribute heroin and conspiracy to distribute heroin.

 

Due to the enormous demand of Virginia Railway Express Santa Train event, the VRE withholds tickets from the online sales in case PayPal oversells them. As a result, they have a limited number of overstock tickets remaining for the following trains (All the trains in bold or an (*) have a limit of 6 tickets):

 

*Cupid Express Departing Burke at 10:30a

Elf Express Departing Burke at 12p

*Dancer Express Departing Manassas at 9:00a

North Pole Express Departing Manassas at 1:30p

*Prancer Express Departing Woodbridge at 10:30a

*Dasher Express Departing Leeland Rd at 8:30a

*Vixen Express Departing Leeland Rd at 10a

*Blitzen Express Departing Leeland Rd at 2p

Rudolph Express Departing Leeland Rd at 3:30p

 Rules for purchasing overstock tickets:

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, December 4th at 9am. Any ticket requests made before this time will not be honored.

Tickets will be $6 each.

In order to request tickets you must email your top 3 train choices to ecobb@vre.org. Please do not call. Also, requests will not be taken over the phone.

Tickets are sold on a first come, first serve basis. If you do not receive a Paypal invoice, the tickets have been sold out.

You must pick-up the tickets from our office at, 1500 King St, Ste 202, Alexandria, VA 22314 between the hours of 7am and 7pm. Due to the short notice, tickets will not be mailed.