Prince William Times 10/12/2023

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FREEDOM-WOODBRIDGE FOOTBALL: Defending state champs down Colgan 66-0. SPORTS, PAGES 12-13

October 12, 2023 | Vol. 22, No. 41 | 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.

Jefferson, Lawson square off in race for county board chair Both disapprove of the PW Digital Gateway but differ on other issues By Shannon Clark Times Staff Writer

Deshundra Jefferson

Deshundra Jefferson, the Democratic nominee for chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, envisions a county with more affordable housing, that attracts more businesses to reduce residential tax bills and offers programs to keep youth on the right track. Jeanine Lawson, the Republican nominee, envisions a county that restores former protections to the “rural crescent,” repeals the 4% meals tax and provides more funding to hire police officers to crack down on rising crime. The two are on opposite sides of the political spectrum but share common positions on the most controversial development projects before the board, including the Prince William Digital Gate-

way, a plan to open 2,100 acres on the border of the Manassas battlefield to up to 34 new data centers. Both Jefferson, 47, and Lawson, 54, say they are against the PW Digital Gateway. Both also say they are opposed to the Devlin Technology Park, a plan to bring up to 11 data centers to the Linton Hall corridor in Bristow, as well as the Potomac Technology Park, a proposal to open land adjacent to Prince William Forest Park to data centers. Over the last four years, Democrats have held a 5-3 majority on the board. Now, all eight seats are up for re-election, and Republicans are trying to retake control or flip at least one seat, resulting to a 4-4 partisan split and the need for more compromise. See COUNTY BOARD, page 2

Jeanine Lawson

Va. Attorney general issues ‘cease and desist’ order on false election flyers By Cher Muzyk

Times Staff Writer

held on the latest proposal to add one somewhere along the Interstate 95 corridor— possibly by 2025. The facility could feature an indoor pool, a hydraulic running track and multiple hard-surface courts for everything from basketball to volleyball to pickleball and gymnastics.

Threatening criminal penalties, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Tuesday ordered an advocacy group to stop distributing “intimidating, threatening or coercive” election flyers. The move was prompted by reports last week that residents in Prince William, Fauquier and Loudoun counties received mailers falsely threatening that they could lose their Social Security income, bank accounts and even their child custody rights if they did not vote in the upcoming Nov. 7 election. In an Oct. 10 letter, Miyares (R) called the flyers “patently false” and demanded that the group sending them “cease and desist” their distribution of misinformation to voters in Virginia. Prince William County General Registrar Eric Olsen contacted

See SPORTS FACILITY, page 4

See FLYERS, page 10

COURTESY

A rendering of the 240,000-square-foot indoor track facility being considered by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

County board mulls $100M-plus indoor track, sports hub Supervisors hear from students, coaches during 1st public hearing By Shannon Clark and Jill Palermo Times Staff Writers

Olympian Benita Fitzgerald-Mosley wants Prince William County to build an indoor athletic facility, and she’s not the only one. Pickleball fans, high school athletes and coaches spoke during a Tuesday public hearing the supervisors

Fall is pickyour-own apple, pumpkin season, page 8

COURTESY

These false and threatening doorhangers were found on homes in the Bristow area on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin urges GOP to vote early, page 6

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88 DULLES, VA


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