Seniors go for the gold, Senior Living, page 10
August 22, 2024 | Vol. 23, No. 35 | 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.
Search continues for missing Manassas Park mom As her baby turns 1, Mamta Kafle’s mysterious disappearance drags on By Cher Muzyk Staff Writer
Mamta Kafle’s baby daughter turned 1 on Tuesday, Aug. 20 — nearly three weeks from the day friends and family last heard from the 28-year-old mother and pediatric nurse who went missing on July 31. Friends say Kafle is a loving mother who dotes on her daughter and would never miss her first birthday. “Happy Birthday to you, sweet baby Neema!” wrote Nadia Navarro, on the Facebook page she
launched to help find her friend and former roommate. As of Tuesday, the page had 7,000 followers. “You have so many people who love you and will not forget you on your special day. We are planning to bring gifts and cake later today to celebrate with you.” Kafle has celebrated Neema on the 20th of every month since she was born and posted pictures of her on social media, Navarro wrote. “So, we will continue this tradition for her today in her absence.” Navarro’s post said. Kafle routinely called her own mother in Nepal twice a day to share details about Neema as she grew, friends say. But Kafle didn’t call her mother on July 31, according to The Washington Post. See KAFLE, page 2 The Gainesville High School marching band, cheerleaders and dance team perform Monday, Aug. 19, the first day of school. STAFF PHOTO BY JILL PALERMO
H.S. graduation rates on the rise
Prince William schools begin new year with good news By Jill Palermo Managing Editor
Prince William County Schools launched the new school year Monday by celebrating a bit of good news about last year: The graduation rate rose 2.6% across the county’s 13 high schools from 91.7% to 94.3%. For students who are new to the country or still learning English, the graduation rate rose more dramat-
ically — from 71% to an all-time high of 80.6%. Superintendent LaTanya McDade said she believes the gains result from a focus on tackling chronic absenteeism and offering extra supports to vulnerable students, including English language learners and those at risk of not graduating. See GRADUATION, page 2
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Sports: Brentsville High golf season preview, page 7 News
SUBMITTED
Mamta Kafle, 28, pictured with her daughter, has been missing from her Manassas Park home since July 31.
Officials clash on dirt-dumping law Some supervisors push for enforcement while county staff say their hands are tied By Peter Cary
Piedmont Journalism Foundation
As dump trucks filled with dirt and debris, mostly from data center construction sites, clog Prince William County roadways, menacing residents and tearing up the pavement, people say: “There ought to be a law.” Actually, there is. But county officials hardly enforce it. They say its wording ties their hands. Others, however, including a county supervisor, say the problem really is a lack of will. Enforcement will slow down development, and the county is in development mode. And therein lies a dilemma that Prince William County officials are hard-pressed to solve. Meanwhile, the trucks continue to haul dirt to farmers and landowners, paying $50 to $100 to dump each load. The farmers make money and get free fill, and the truckers pay far less than they would to dump at landfills. This problem is not new. The
STAFF PHOTO
Dump trucks carrying fill dirt come and go along narrow Burwell Road in rural Nokesville. origins date back to at least June 20, 2012. On that date, Nick Evers, who was Prince William County’s then-zoning administrator, proposed to the county planning commission that it change the zoning law. He said that for years residents had been plagued by “dump trucks, the volume of dump trucks and near See DIRT, page 4
Area sees 450 fatal overdoses since 2018, page 3
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