VIRGINIA OLYMPIANS SHINE IN PARIS: Huske wins gold, soccer teams excelling. PAGE 7
August 1, 2024 | Vol. 23, No. 31 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | $2.00 Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Honoring local Black history, a cup at a time The Culture Cup aims to share untold stories, foster community By Megan Rudacille Contributing Writer
As a coffee shop that combines signature flavors with a historical homage, The Culture Cup in Gainesville’s Madison Crescent aims to serve up untold stories of local Black communities with every order. Nikki Brown opened the Black history-themed cafe last September with community-building as a central focus of the business. “My main purpose and mission are to preserve, honor and celebrate African American history, art and culture,” Brown said. The Culture Cup is dedicated to “The Settlement,” a historically Black Gainesville community established along Carver Road after the Civil War. Brown worked with descendants of The Settlement, as well as the Coalition to Save Thoroughfare, advocates for a historically Black community in Haymarket, to preserve local Black history in her shop. See CULTURE CUP, page 4
PHOTO BY DOUG STROUD
Nikki Brown launched The Culture Cup in Gainesville last fall with a focus on highlighting local Black history and fostering community.
Plans to fix Va. 28 intersections net $40 million in regional funds Discussions continue on the larger $300 million Va. 28 bypass
within Senate District 30 while reducing idling, which is better for the environment,” Roem said. The first phase of the project, which runs from Manassas Drive to Spruce Street, received $350,000 in 2022 and nearly $24.5 million in 2023 from the Virginia Highway Safety Improvement Program. The recent $40 million award is for the second phase, which runs from Spruce Street to Orchard Bridge Drive. Construction is slated to begin in 2027.
By Evelyn Mejia Staff Writer
It will take a few years, but by about 2032, traffic should be moving a little faster on Va. 28 through Manassas and Manassas Park. The City of Manassas Park recently won about $40 million in new funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for upgraded intersections along the infamously congested roadway. The Route 28 Centreville Road improvement project will revamp intersections, create a raised center median and build a nearly 2-mile stretch of sidewalk in the Yorkshire area. State Sen. Danica Roem, who’s
Va. 28 bypass still under discussion STAFF PHOTO BY CHER MUZYK
Cars line up at the intersection of Va. 28 and Manassas Drive. Intersection improvements aimed at moving traffic more efficiently from there through Orchard Bridge Drive should begin in 2027. been working for years to fix traffic congestion on Va. 28, said the $40 million awarded for phase two of the
88 DULLES, VA
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project will help commuters. “It will greatly improve the safety and speed of residents’ commutes
The intersection work is separate from the $300 million plan to build a Va. 28 bypass. It remains at a standstill as Fairfax and Prince William County officials mull their next steps. See VA. 28, page 7
First Friday for the dogs, page 5
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