Prince William Times 11/18/2021

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SPORTS: Colgan volleyball charges into state final; football playoff preview. Pages 21-22

November 18, 2021 | Vol. 20, No. 46 | 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.

Opposition mounts against ‘rural crescent’ data center plans By Daniel Berti

Times Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY MIKE BEATY

Curtis Porter, chair of Prince William County’s Human Rights Commission, speaks during a Nov. 15 town hall meeting on “culturally responsive instruction.” Maria Burgos, Prince William County’s equity and inclusion officer, left, was also a panelist for the event.

‘Culturally responsive instruction’ town hall draws a crowd

Debate continues on local schools’ efforts to promote equity

A coalition of local, regional and national conservation groups are organizing the opposition against a plan for data centers and other industrial uses in Prince William County’s “rural crescent,” laying the groundwork for what may become a major land-use brawl in the coming months. The Prince William Conservation Alliance, The Coalition to Protect Prince William County, the Piedmont Environmental Council, a regional nonprofit – as well as the American Battlefield Trust and the National Parks Conservation Association, two national associations – held an informational event at Sunshine Ridge Winery in Gainesville on Wednesday, Nov. 10, attended by around 130 people. The organizations are sounding the alarm about the impact of “industrial sprawl” on rural communities, historic sites, wildlife and the Occoquan watershed in Prince William County, where thousands of acres are being considered for potential data centers and other industrial uses. See DATA CENTER, page 6

By Daniel Berti

Times Staff Writer

The debate over public school policies that aim to create more inclusive classrooms continues to churn in Prince William County. Nearly 100 people showed up to a town hall and panel discussion about “culturally responsive instruction” at the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center on Monday evening. The event drew dozens of supporters and detractors of new policies promoting diversity in public school teaching. Some parents voiced their frustration and confusion about a new state law that requires teachers to be evaluated on culturally responsive teaching in the classroom. The event was hosted by Prince William County School Board member Loree Williams (Woodbridge) and moderated by Makya Little, a Prince William County parent who served on the Virginia Commission on African American

Battlefield High School student Abdullah Usufzai was a student panelist for the Nov. 15 town hall. History Education in the Commonwealth. The panelists were Prince William County Equity and Inclusion Officer Maria Burgos, county Human Rights Commission Chairman Curtis Porter, Battlefield High School student Abdullah Usufzai and Enterprise Elementary School English language teacher Janira Collado-Toro. See TOWN HALL, page 9

Special Section: Senior Living See Page 16

COURTESY PHOTO

“We should not be building roads in rural Prince William County where we don’t want them. We should not be putting water lines out to data centers in rural Prince William County where we don’t need them, and it’s extremely expensive,” said Julie Bolthouse, deputy director of the Piedmont Environmental Council.

Local nonprofits kick off holiday toy, gift drives See Page 13

88 DULLES, VA

It’s all about people . . . and always will be. www.vnb.com


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