SIGN(S) OF OUR TIME? As new sign rises over Potomac Mills, we look back at earlier versions. PAGE 9
April 10, 2019 | Vol. 18, No. 15 | www.PrinceWilliamTimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Report: Homeownership drives health By Karen Chaffraix Times Staff Writer
Prince William is a healthy place to live, according to the recently released national report, but the county outranks its nearby neighbors mostly because of measures of income and homeownership. The “County Health Rankings & Roadmaps” report, issued by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin
Population Health Institute, analyzes factors that contribute to the overall health of every county in the U.S. Of 133 counties in Virginia, Prince William ranked ninth. Its two independent cities, however, did not fare as well. Manassas City ranked 27th, while Manassas Park ranked 59th. Why the discrepancy when Prince William and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park are more alike than different?
The three rank similarly on several health factors included in the report: smoking; obesity, “excessive drinking” (almost one out of five adult residents); education; proximity to and money to buy healthy food; long solo commutes (55 to 63 percent); insufficient sleep (more than one in three are sleep-deprived); and children in single-parent households (more than one in five children). They most differ, however, in in-
Homeownership = healthy Percentage of home-owning households: Loudoun: 78% Prince William: 72% Manassas City: 64% Manassas Park: 67% Virginia: 66% come and other related measures, including homeownership; percent of income used to pay for housing; and percent of residents who lack health insurance. See HEALTHY, on page 4
Neabsco race one for the history books Victor Angry wins special election in supervisor’s race By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
Victor Angry made history Tuesday by becoming the first African American elected to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in the board's 150-year history. Angry, a Democrat and a retired Army National Guardsman, won a decisive victory in the April 9 special election to fill the remaining eight months of the late Supervisor John Jenkins’ term on the county board. Angry, 50, beat his Republican opponent, Devinder Singh, with more than 74 percent of the 1,717 votes cast. Angry garnered 1,281 votes to Singh's 435, according to unofficial results posted on Prince William County Office of Elections website at about 8 p.m. Tuesday night. During an interview before the polls closed, Angry said "it still hasn't hit me" when asked how he felt about making history in Prince William County, his home since the latter part of his military career. The Altamonte Springs, Florida, native is already a demographic trailblazer, having been the first black soldier promoted to the post of command sergeant major of the Army National Guard. "It makes me feel good. It's good to be back in a position to make a positive difference," said Angry, See SUPERVISOR’S, on page 4
PHOTO CREDIT DELIA ENGSTROM
Prince William County Supervisor - Elect Victor Angry, right, greets voters outside Minnieville Elementary School with Ernestine Jenkins, widow of the late Neabsco District Supervisor John Jenkins. INSIDE Calendar.............................................12 Classified............................................17 Business.............................................11 Obituaries...........................................15
Opinion.................................................7 Puzzle Page..........................................8 Real Estate..........................................14 Sports...................................................9
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