Prince William Times 08/17/2023

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It's that time again: Vote for the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards. See Page 6 for more details.

August 17, 2023 | Vol. 22, No. 33 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | $1.00 Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Data centers drive search for new power corridors Regional data center plan calls for several new transmission projects costing billions By Peter Cary

Piedmont Journalism Foundation

Surging power demand in Northern Virginia, driven by the proliferation of data centers to support the internet, will mean lots more power lines and likely conflicts over who gets them in their backyards. Dominion Energy will have to navigate around a web of conflicting interests: historical and cultural sites seeking protection; businesses that fear towers and wires will ruin their aesthetic; and landowners who don’t want them on their property. Already the projects have hit snags. In Prince William County, opposi-

TIMES STAFF PHOTO

These transmission lines near Manassas National Battlefield Park were one impetus for the proposed Prince William Digital Gateway. But while the lines would help feed the controversial data center complex, additional transmission projects are needed in the corridor to ensure power reliability as data center demand increases overall.

‘Keep moving’ says 100-year-old Lake Ridge gold medalist

tion to a proposed new transmission line near Prince William Parkway and Nokesville Road arose because the new overhead line would traverse the county’s premier commercial zone, Innovation Park, where business owners had all agreed to bury their electric distribution lines. In Fauquier County, Dominion Energy was recently denied an initial permit to dig up Warrenton streets for manholes that would serve an underground power line needed to feed the proposed Amazon data center. While this is for a new distribution line, and not a high-powered transmission line, it was one more sign of resistance. Yet, the electric utility insists that the projects need to be built – not just to feed power to energy-hungry data centers but also to comply with regulatory rules designed to guarantee reliability for all. See POWER, page 4

Police: 2 arrested in teen’s fatal shooting

17-year-old arranged to buy a gun before he was slain By Jill Palermo

Times Staff Writer

PHOTO BY ANDREW RUSH/AP IMAGES FOR HUMANA INC.

SENIOR LIVING: Runner Roy Englert, 100, of Westminster at Lake Ridge, won the gold medal at the 2023 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh in the for the men’s 400-meter run in the 100+ category. Englert was one of 28 athletes selected as a Humana Game Changer, which celebrates athletes’ commitment to healthy aging and their encouragement, motivation and inspiration to people of all ages to get active. See Senior Living Section, pages 7-10. New butchery offers locally grown beef in Nokesville, page 10

A 17-year-old boy who was fatally shot in the Winding Creek subdivision Saturday afternoon had allegedly arranged to purchase a gun. Instead, he was robbed and shot in the head, according to court documents. Two men have been arrested in connection with the teen’s homicide and were being held without bond Tuesday morning, according to police. The teenage victim, who is not being identified in compliance with Virginia law, was found at about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12, inside his parked vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body. The car was parked in the 5800 block of Moonbeam Drive near the Winding Creek swimming pool and tennis courts. The teen was taken to an area hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries, police said. Gainesville High Football Preview: Second-year Cardinals eye winning season. Sports, Page 12

PHOTO BY JOHN CALHOUN

The victim of a fatal, Saturday afternoon shooting in the Winding Creek subdivision was killed while sitting in this vehicle, parked near the swimming pool and tennis courts, when he was shot. On Monday, Aug. 14, two men were arrested in connection with the fatal shooting, according to 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok, a Prince William County police spokesman. The investigation revealed the teen victim made arrangements “to conduct a firearms transaction,” in the Winding Creek neighborhood. During the deal, the teen was shot, and his money was stolen, Perok said in a news release. See SHOOTING, page 2

88 DULLES, VA


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