SPORTS: POTOMAC BOYS BASKETBALL FALLS IN CLASS 6 CHAMPIONSHIP, Page 8
February 25, 2021 | Vol. 20, No. 8 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | $1.00
See PrinceWilliamTimes.com for coronavirus updates
Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Local COVID-19 deaths spike in February Post-holiday surge of cases is to blame, officials say By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
PHOTO BY ROGER SNYDER
Tim’s Rivershore Restaurant and Crabhouse has operated on the banks of the Potomac River outside Dumfries for 28 years.
Last call for Tim’s Rivershore? Iconic summertime hangout faces closure over lease dispute
See COVID-19, page 2
More than 20 guns removed locally via ‘red flag’ law
By Aileen M. Streng Contributing Writer
It didn’t take long for fans of Tim’s Rivershore to respond after hearing Monday that their favorite summertime hangout could be closing next month. Owner Tim Bauckman shared the stunning news via Facebook mid-afternoon on Feb. 22, that the restaurant would have to shut its doors in March after operating for 28 years on the banks of the Potomac River. Bauckman blamed Potomac Shores, which owns the property on which the restaurant operates, saying it had declined to renew the lease. In just a few hours, news stories about the restaurant had been shared thousands of times. Then came the Change.org petition, the “Save Tim’s Rivershore!” Facebook page and the SaveTims.org website. By Tuesday morning, all had thousands of signatures, hits and visits, making clear that Tim’s Rivershore would not leave Dumfries without a fight. “Tim’s isn’t just a local restaurant. It’s a family: sea dwellers, land lubbers, friends and families came from near and far to visit and support this place, share stories, have a meal, pick some crabs and enjoy the atmosphere,” Wendy Lane wrote in part when she established the Change.org petition, which had garnered more than 6,000 signatures by Tuesday afternoon. “Tim’s is the reason I chose to retire in Virginia,” wrote Brian Boyles on the “Save Tim’s Rivershore” Facebook page. He said he met his wife at Tim’s and their son worked there earning money for college. “Yet Tim’s isn’t just a hangout or (to use Potomac Shores’ droll words) merely a ‘dining experience’ to me. It’s a vital organ,” he wrote.
A post-holiday-season surge of COVID-19 cases has turned into a post-holiday surge of COVID-19 deaths. The Prince William Health District has reported 44 more local fatalities due to COVID-19 since Feb. 15, bringing the total death toll for the month so far to 58. With four days left in what is the shortest month of the year, February 2021 now leads all other months in reported local COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began. Up until this week, January had the most reported local deaths with 57. Virginia has now lost a total of 7,807 people to the pandemic. The surge in deaths – amounting to an average of 106 reported a day – reflect the surge of cases reported in both December and January. On its website this week, the Virginia Department of Health noted it is now processing 2021 death certificates related to those spikes.
By Daniel Berti
Times Staff Writer
Tim Bauckman owns Tim’s Rivershore in Dumfries as well as three other waterside restaurants in Virginia. “Got to have Tim’s Rivershore! Wouldn’t be summer in Woodbridge without it,” wrote Denise Dunlap on the same Facebook page. “Shame on you Potomac Shores! No new windows or paved roads will ever compare to what Tim and my sister have done for Prince William County,” wrote Johnna Champion-Brandt. “The Bauckman name will remain in the history and yours will be forgotten.” Bauckman said Tuesday he was overwhelmed by all the support. “At first I thought there wasn’t a lot they could do,” he said. The efforts have already resulted in a online community meeting, planned for Thursday, Feb. 25. There is also talk of taking the fight to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors within the next couple of weeks to voice their support for “the Rivershore” and to vow not to support any restaurant built in its place, Bauckman said. Tim’s will remain open on weekends in March with a smaller menu to give everyone a chance to say goodbye, Bauckman said. At this time of year, Tim’s is usually closed for the season. “I wish we had another year to finish up,” he added. See TIM’S, page 4
INSIDE Classified............................................12 Lifestyle................................................7 Obituaries...........................................10
At least eight Prince William County residents and one Manassas City resident have had their firearms confiscated by local police since Virginia’s “red flag” law took effect last July. In every instance, the law was used to remove firearms from people who were either involved in violent domestic disputes or were experiencing a severe mental health crisis. The new law allows a commonwealth’s attorney, law-enforcement officer or judge to petition to have a person’s firearms removed using an emergency substantial risk order, or ESRO, if they believe the person poses a threat to themselves or others. It also bars the person from purchasing any new guns until the order is removed. Court records show that local police officers petitioned the court to confiscate residents’ firearms in all nine instances. Four followed domestic disputes and five were in response to people experiencing a severe mental health crisis, including people threatening to take their own lives or to commit “suicide by cop,” according to court records. Police have confiscated more than 23 guns in connection with the orders. Firearms range from semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols. Prince William County police officials say weapons have not been returned in at least four of the eight cases but declined request for comment about the remaining four cases. See RED FLAG, page 4
One of the guns removed from Bryan Sniffen, 42, in January after he allegedly assaulted a woman and threatened to kill police officers during a standoff outside a home in the Ashland subdivision, according to court records.
Opinion.................................................5 Puzzle Page..........................................6 Real Estate............................................9 Sports...................................................8
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