Prince William Times October 24, 2018

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CHEERFUL TIGERS: Brentsville competition cheer team wins Class 3 Northwestern District championship, Sports, Page 10

October 24, 2018 | Vol. 17, No. 43 | 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

Wittman, Williams clash on health care, tariffs in first debate By Karen Chaffraix and Jill Palermo Times Staff Writers

By his campaign’s own count, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman has voted more than 50 times to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act. But during his first debate with his Democratic challenger Vangie Williams Monday night, Wittman said he now supports retaining the ACA’s most significant achievements: mandating coverage for pre-existing conditions, allowing young adults to remain on their parents’ policies until age 26 and forbidding lifetime caps on medical coverage. Williams, meanwhile, insisted health care is a “human right” and

U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R) and challenger Vangie Williams (D) said she supports “Medicare-forall-plus-plus,” a public health-insurance option that includes dental and vision. Williams said it was her own family’s struggle to pay for her daughter’s health care that prompted her run for Congress and said

Republicans “have done nothing” to improve the issue despite holding the majority in Congress since 2011. Wittman countered by saying he opposes more government intrusion in health care. “People trust themselves and their doctors for healthcare decisions, and they don’t want a government takeover,” he said. The nation’s health-care law – and what should be done about it – is among the issues that most divide Republicans and Democrats ahead of the Nov. 6 election. It’s no different for Wittman, a Republican and five-term incumbent, and Williams, a government contractor and Democratic newcomer who’s launched a long-shot campaign to be the first

woman of color to represent Virginia in the U.S. Congress. The 1st District, which includes parts of Fauquier and Prince William counties, has been solidly Republican in recent decades. The seat hasn’t been won by a Democrat since 1974. In 2016, President Donald Trump won the district with 53 percent of the vote. During the Oct. 22 debate at Mary Washington University, the two candidates also clashed on defense spending as well as the Trump administration’s tariff policies and subsequent $12 billion bailout for U.S. farmers. See DEBATE, Page 2

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The Manassas summer estate Alexandria brewer Robert Portner built for his family in 1892 will soon become a new park, City of Manassas officials announced Friday, Oct. 19.

Annaburg Manor to become a new public park Novant agrees to sell the 126-year-old home to the City of Manassas By Jill Palermo

Times Staff Writer

Eight months after Novant Health-UVA Health said it would put Annaburg Manor up for sale, City of Manassas officials delivered some surprising

and welcome news for those hoping to preserve the stately, 126-year-old home for public use. City officials announced Friday, Oct. 19 an agreement to buy the manor and its 3.6 acres along Maple Street and Portner Avenue to create the city’s 16th public park. The Prince William Hospital Corporation, part of Novant Health, has agreed to sell Annaburg Manor to the City of Manassas for $846,000. The price reflects the current tax assessment of the property, according to Manassas Town Councilman Ian Lovejoy (R). The sale will not affect the adjacent Caton

INSIDE Calendar.............................................13 Classified............................................16 News....................................................3 Obituaries...........................................15

Merchant House, an assisted-living facility behind Annaburg Manor, which is also owned by Novant Health, said Lovejoy, who serves on the Caton Merchant House Board of Directors. To fund the purchase, the city will use some of the $8 million it has already collected from selling city-owned land being developed as “The Landing at Cannon Branch.” The mix of townhomes, restaurants and commercial space is coming to fruition near Va. 28 and Va. 234. See ANNABURG MANOR, Page 2

Opinion.................................................8 Puzzle Page..........................................7 Real Estate..........................................14 Sports.................................................10

86 WARRENTON, VA


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