The updated practices are the result of a multi-year review and planned phase-in process that included research, comparison with neighboring school divisions, analysis of current grading practices and feedback from students, families, teachers, principals and central office staff.

The updates emphasize mastery of learning standards, meaningful feedback and academic growth while aligning the division鈥檚 grading practices with neighboring schools and many colleges and universities, according to school officials.

As the updates are introduced, students and families can expect the following changes, the school system said:

Updated grading scales for grades 6-12, including the introduction of 鈥渕inus鈥� letter grades.

Clearer expectations for assessments, with consistent weighting by school level, including: elementary school 鈥� 40% formative (practice and feedback) / 60% summative (demonstration of learning); middle and high school 鈥� 30% formative / 70% summative.

Clearer guidance for reassessment opportunities, homework practices, gradebook reporting and final grade calculations

Continued alignment with student supports and accommodations, including Individualized Education Program, 504 Plans and English learner services

Greater consistency in grading practices across schools

At both the middle and high school level, under these changes, the penalty for late work will not exceed a letter grade, however, late work will not be accepted after two weeks barring unique exceptions.

The scorecard is below.

The introduction of 鈥渕inus鈥� letter grades for grades 6-12 is intended to create a third band of 鈥渄istinction鈥� for more accurate modeling and is also in alignment with most peer divisions and post-secondary institutions.

The school system aligned many of the grading practices for the middle and high school levels in an effort to help prepare students as they enter the high school years.

鈥淩ight now our students hit a cliff in ninth grade 鈥� much more rigorous standards, much more expectations, and we don鈥檛 want that to be the first time they experience it,鈥� said Stephanie Soliven, the associate superintendent for teaching and learning.

Source

Crews were called to the blaze at 302 E. Davis St. by the Depot with reports of a roof collapse and smoke that could be seen for miles. The Culpeper Police Department first issued a traffic alert about the fire at 6:40 a.m. No one was injured.

In a聽, owner聽Miguel Pires said the fire caused catastrophic damage to the building.

“While the restaurant is a total loss, we are grateful beyond words that no one was injured and that everyone appears to be safe,” he wrote, extending “our deepest thanks” to the Culpeper Fire Department, emergency responders and law enforcement.

“Their professionalism, courage, and tireless efforts helped contain a very difficult situation, and we are incredibly thankful for everything they did,” Pires wrote.

Source

Students will no longer be able to access YouTube directly on their school division-issued devices, both in school and at home. This includes Youtube.com and the YouTube app.

鈥淲hile online video can be a valuable instructional resource, there is not an effective, reliable way within YouTube to consistently limit students to a single video within the YouTube platform,鈥� Superintendent LaTanya McDade at the School Board鈥檚 May 20 meeting. 鈥淎s a result, this change is intended to better support student engagement and appropriate technology use, supporting both teachers and families.鈥�

The shift does not, however, eliminate the use of videos in instruction. Teachers will continue to incorporate video and multimedia resources aligned with curriculum, and students will still be able to view teacher-selected videos through approved instructional platforms, officials said.

Local resident Kate Olson-Flynn spoke at the May 20 School Board meeting to advocate for even further limitations on technology in classrooms.

鈥淐hildren in elementary school, at least, do not need to learn on iPads or computers. Solely taking away YouTube will not change the outcome,鈥� Olson-Flynn said. 鈥淭he problem is the computer itself.鈥�

Instead, Olson-Flynn advocated for a return to the times before technology was prevalent in school, with paper, pencils and physical copies of books.

鈥淧WCS has spent millions of dollars on tech programs, online curriculum, iPads, with the mistaken belief that this technology would be the panacea for test scores and to prepare students for the digital age,鈥� Olson-Flynn said. 鈥淭he reality is that our kids are struggling more than ever.鈥�

Olson-Flynn said kids are struggling to focus and are overstimulated because 鈥渢hey are now spending much of their time on computers, their free time on computers, isolated with headphones on, in classrooms staring at screens.鈥�

She pointed to research that shows watching or reading a computer or iPad is not the same as reading a book or being read to by a teacher or parent holding a book.

鈥淐ounting actual manipulatives is not the same thing as watching a video count for you,鈥� she said.

Fellow parent and school system staff member Megan Feaman also spoke about the change. While she said she was appreciative action was being taken to remove access to YouTube, she wished these concerns had been recognized sooner.

鈥淥ne of my own students was using YouTube during the school day to search for things like Lego and hockey videos,鈥� Feaman said. 鈥淥ver time, the algorithm began suggesting disturbing and inappropriate content. I did not consent to that exposure.鈥�

鈥淲hen I review the device for a school day, it is alarming to see how much time is spent not only on the device itself but specifically on YouTube during school hours,鈥� Feaman said.

She said the school system is increasingly reliant on screens for instruction despite growing evidence about the 鈥渁ddictive鈥� nature of technology and its impact on learning and development.

Like Olson-Flynn, Feaman pointed to research that shows the negative impacts screen time can have on attention, reading development and overall learning.

In her part-time role as a support nurse in the school system, Feaman said she has treated students for headaches that are directly attributed to school screen time use.

鈥淭echnology will continue to be a part of our students鈥� lives, but we must find a healthier balance that allows students to learn, build relationships and develop healthy habits,鈥� Feaman said.

McDade said the school system will continue to evaluate and refine how 鈥渋nstructional technology鈥� is used in the classrooms to ensure it is 鈥減urposeful, age appropriate and supports student success.鈥�

Source

Quantico Ridge, a proposed data center project in the Potomac District that was set to come before the board during Tuesday鈥檚 meeting, was removed from its scheduled public hearing at the request of the applicant, Highland Properties Manassas LLC.

The proposal had taken the form of a comprehensive plan amendment that would have altered the property鈥檚 long-range land-use designation from office mixed use, residential neighborhood and parks and open space to industrial and parks and open space. The land is on the south side of Dumfries Road near its intersection with Minnieville Road.

Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey declined to comment for this story via a representative for her office.

In a statement provided to InsideNoVa, Kyle Hart, Mid-Atlantic senior program manager at the National Parks Conservation Association, hailed the withdrawal.

鈥淭he proposal to build data centers adjacent to Prince William Forest Park remains one of the greatest threats facing the park today,鈥� the statement read. 鈥淒ata centers do not belong next to national parks 鈥� not now, not ever. The developer must abandon this poorly conceived proposal and the Prince William County Board of Supervisors must remain steadfast in opposing any data center development near our national parks.鈥�

According to county documents, the amendment contained four caveats for the proposal, including:

• A conservation easement on the portion of the property remaining as parks and open space within the concurrent rezoning application request
• A reduction of the visual impact of the data center buildings from the public right-of-way through measures such as increasing the front buffer and/or front setback
• Locating the electrical substation behind the data center buildings to minimize visibility from the public right-of-way
• Coordination with the Planning and Sustainability Office to reduce environmental impacts and energy consumption of the data center through more sustainable site and building design practices.

Ann Bennett, land use chair for the Sierra Club鈥檚 Great Falls chapter, expressed similar concern at the proposal and called protection of the park a 鈥渘o-brainer.鈥�

Source

Following its Nov. 18 approval by the Board of County Supervisors, the interchange is set to provide heightened access to the nearby Quartz District development, a new commercial center planned on a 145-acre site at the northwest corner of the intersection.

With over 1,000 housing units, including 610 townhouses and 405 multifamily units, the Quartz District-related interchange will help alleviate traffic concerns in the area, according to county officials.

The Quartz District will include the county鈥檚 first Whole Foods grocery store, among other dining and retail establishments.

According to a county news release, the interchange project is tabbed at over $81 million. $80 million is expected from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, $190,582 of county general funds and $44,670 in proffered funds from Buchanan Partners, the Quartz District’s developer.

“The project will route Prince William Parkway under Minnieville Road, increasing capacity at a key intersection and improving movement through an area that serves significant daily traffic,” the release said. “The new interchange will support future growth associated with the Quartz District, a planned mixed-use, walkable commercial center with surrounding residential development at the intersection鈥檚 northwest quadrant.”

Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry, whose district includes the property, led the groundbreaking ceremony and addressed the need to modernize that corridor, calling the project a “game changer.”

鈥淪o for years, we’ve heard from the residents about development,” Angry said in the release. “And as we develop, we’ve heard that one thing that we haven’t done well is infrastructure. The interchange behind you … was rated at a D rating, which is one of the worst in VDOT. But the upgrades that we’re doing … will take it from a D rating to a B rating. And at the same time of doing this project, it ties very much closely to the Quartz project that you see behind us, as well.”

Chair Deshundra Jefferson mirrored Angry’s support.

鈥淭his interchange is truly the foundation that makes the Quartz District possible,鈥� Jefferson said in the release. 鈥淭he interchange will reduce congestion, improve traffic flow and increase safety for drivers and pedestrians alike. Projects like this continue to exemplify why we are a vibrant, growing and diverse community.鈥�

County Executive Chris Shorter spoke to the improved traffic flow expected to result from the project.

鈥淭his project is our response,” Shorter added in the release. “It is about reducing congestion and improving travel times for families. It is about enhancing safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists alike. And it is about supporting continued growth in a way that is smart, that is strategic and that is aligned with our long-term vision.”

Chantilly-based Lane Construction Corporation was awarded the $61.4 million construction contract for the interchange and started work in early March after Rinker Design Associates concluded design work.

Source

Canvas, a platform owned by Instructure, is used by school divisions, colleges and universities for course content, assignments and grades.

On its website, Instructure said the outage is related to unauthorized activity in Canvas detected on April 29. On May 7, Instructure identified additional activity tied to the same incident.

The company said it temporarily shut down Free-For-Teacher accounts, but Canvas is 鈥渇ully back online and available for use.鈥�

While Instructure said Canvas is fully online, an alert on Prince William County Public Schools’ website indicates users in the school system are still having difficulty accessing the platform.

鈥淲e are aware of the error appearing when accessing Canvas and are actively working with the vendor to resolve it,鈥� the alert says. 鈥淭he issue is not just impacting PWCS and is widespread and national in scope. We will provide updates when the vendor has resolved the issue.鈥�

As for what kind of user information was accessed during the data breach, Instructure said the data taken in the April 29 incident includes 鈥渃ertain personal information of users at affected organizations.鈥� That information includes names, email addresses, student ID numbers and messages among Canvas users.

Instructure said it has no evidence passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers or financial information were involved. Based on the investigation to date, Instructure said it has not found evidence that data was taken during the May 7 activity.

In a letter sent to students, parents and staff on Friday, Prince William County schools said it had restored access to Canvas for students and staff.

The school system underscored student and staff passwords are managed with division systems and not shared with Canvas.

While access to the platform has been restored, the school system temporarily advised teachers not to rely on it.

“At this time, Canvas and Mastery Connect access may continue to be unreliable. As a result, teachers have been advised temporarily not to rely on Canvas or Mastery Connect for submitting or collecting student work and to prepare alternative instructional and assignment submission plans should Canvas become inaccessible again,” the letter said.

Based on information provided by Instructure, the school system said, there is no evidence student or staff login credentials were accessed, no indication student or staff data was taken, and that the activity appears to have been limited to changes in page appearance only.

The school system said it will continue to assess the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.

Source

The Digital Gateway near Gainesville at full buildout would be the largest data center campus in the world. It would include over 22 million square feet of data centers spread out across 2,000 acres along Pageland Lane.

The legal cases hinge on the December 2023 county rezonings intended to pave the way for the data center campus鈥� development.

Next up, a 鈥渨rit panel鈥� consisting of three Virginia Supreme Court justices will hear a 20-minute session in late May or early June with two brief arguments from the defense, QTS, for each of the two legal challenges to the Digital Gateway, according to people familiar with the proceedings. The challenges were spearheaded by plaintiffs Oak Valley Homeowners Association and the American Battlefield Trust.

Plaintiffs鈥� attorneys do not appear before the writ panel, which will take place in Richmond and be open to the public, attorneys said. The writ panel schedule is available on the Virginia Supreme Court website.

The state Supreme Court鈥檚 decision whether to hear the appeal is entirely discretionary, Mac Haddow, president of the Oak Valley Homeowners Association, told InsideNoVa. There is no set timeline as to how soon after the panel the Supreme Court will make a decision.

The plaintiffs in each case have until May 21 鈥� three weeks from QTS鈥� April 30 petition for appeal 鈥� to file opposition to the QTS petition.

Fellow Digital Gateway developer-defendant Compass elected to end its appeal of the Digital Gateway lawsuits聽聽before QTS opted to move forward. That move followed Prince William County鈥檚 decision to end its legal challenge alongside the developers. The county spent over $1.7 million defending the rezonings for the mammoth data center campus.

Source

惭补濒诲辞苍补诲辞听聽she is stepping down, effective May 31. She did not give a reason for her departure.

V谩squez Luna said she hopes to make an announcement by Friday. She said she is making calls and gauging community support.

Source

The third-term Democrat, 57, has represented the 20th House District since 2024. She represented the 50th District from 2022-24.

Maldonado, whose current term would have ended on Jan. 12, 2028, did not give a reason for stepping down.

“It has been a profound honor to serve the constituents of District 20,” Maldonado said in her resignation letter to Speaker Don Scott 鈥� without providing a concrete reason for her exit. “My departure is bittersweet for me but also is done with great respect for this institution and confidence in its continued service to the people of the commonwealth.”

The 20th House District includes Manassas, Manassas Park and surrounding areas.

It will be up to Scott to call a special election to select Maldonado’s successor.

Maldonado thanked her fellow delegates, proceeding to credit “our many community and collaboration partners whose engagement has strengthened the work of this body.”

Maldonado further praised her constituents in the brief accompanying post on X.

“Yesterday, I submitted my resignation to the Speaker of the House,” she said. “Serving the people of District 20 has been the honor of a lifetime. I thank our community, voters, partners, volunteers, & fellow legislators & electeds for their trust in me & for their dedication to Virginians.”

Yesterday, I submitted my resignation to the Speaker of the House. Serving the people of District 20 has been the honor of a lifetime. I thank our community, voters, partners, volunteers, & fellow legislators & electeds for their trust in me & for their dedication to Virginians.

鈥� Michelle Maldonado (@MichelleforVA)

In 2024, Maldonado was among a crowded field of Democratic hopefuls in the race for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She ultimately received 3.2% of the vote in the Democratic primary, losing out to current Rep. Suhas Subramanyam 鈥� who prevailed with 30.4%.

Virginia Del. Michelle Maldonado to resign May 31

Virginia Del. Michelle Maldonado announced she will step down from her House seat effective May 31, prompting a future special election.

Source

Multiple sources told InsideNoVa Tuesday night Compass Datacenters will not formally contest a聽聽that upheld an August 2025 Circuit Court decision voiding the project鈥檚 rezoning.

At full buildout, the Digital Gateway near Gainesville would be the largest data center campus in the world. It would include over 22 million square feet of data centers spread out across 2,000 acres along Pageland Lane. The project would include 37 data centers, roughly the size of 144 Walmart supercenters.

Compass Datacenters has been spearheading the Digital Gateway along with QTS. It was not immediately clear whether QTS will continue the court fight to salvage the project.

In August, Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving ruled the initial rezonings were void due to improper public notice ahead of the county’s December 2023 hearing and eventual vote on the matter.

There were two primary lawsuits challenging the project, one involving the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and another from the American Battlefield Trust, which was involved given the proposed Digital Gateway would be built out adjacent to Manassas National Battlefield Park.

The two cases were heard together on appeal, and the state Court of Appeals upheld the August ruling on March 31.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted earlier this month to end the county鈥檚 appeal of judges鈥� rulings 鈥� this after spending over $1.7 million in taxpayer funds siding with the developers.

To secure property for Digital Gateway, the developers entered into sale agreements with nearly 100 local residents. One of them, Mary Ann Ghadban 鈥� a Pageland Lane landowner who rallied many of her neighbors to help create the land assemblage 鈥撀犅爄n federal court.

Bill Wright, a former Prince William resident and outspoken Gateway critic who has documented the saga since its early days through a community newsletter, celebrated the news Wednesday morning.

鈥淭he Prince William Digital Gateway, which was rapidly melting down, has now vaporized into a putrid puff of smoke,鈥� Wright wrote in his email. 鈥淎s corks pop all over western Prince William County, a bitter brew is being poured on Pageland Lane.聽 Hundreds of landowners will be asking how promise turned into pratfall and who led them up this stinky creek.鈥�

Source

Supervisors voted to set the county’s real estate property tax rate at 86.5 cents per $100 of assessed value and maintain the food and beverage, or “meals,” tax at 3% in order to fund local schools following聽聽from the school division. Schools were set to have $31 million slashed from the previously agreed upon budget and revenue sharing agreement.

After extensive debate, the board voted along party lines for the adjustments, with a 5-3 vote settling the real estate and meals tax changes while also raising the computer and peripherals, or “C and P,” tax at $4.50 per $100 of assessed value. The computers tax generates over $550 million in revenue from data centers.

The county’s over $2 billion budget sends $1.1 billion to the school system.

Entering Tuesday’s meeting, county schools were set to lose the $31 million under County Executive Christopher Shorter’s recent budget proposal at an 85-cent tax rate. That was coupled with the board’s initial decision to exclude the additional computers tax revenue from the schools.

Ultimately, however, the board voted 5-3 along party lines to keep the additional $0.35 per $100 in assessed value in C and P revenue 鈥� from the $4.15 tax rate in fiscal 2026 鈥� subject to the revenue-sharing agreement with the schools, which remains unchanged with the schools receiving 57.23% of county revenue.

The school system will receive a $123.5 million increase in funding from last year.

The board’s three Republicans 鈥� Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy, Woodbridge Supervisor Jeannie LaCroix and Coles Supervisor Yesli Vega 鈥� cast the dissenting votes on the tax rates, lamenting a lack of meaningful tax relief聽 and changes from the聽

The average homeowner will see $56 in real property tax relief, according to Budget Director David Sinclair. At the 85 cents per $100 of assessed value, which the supervisors signaled last week, homeowners would have seen an average $145 decrease in their tax bill.

Other last-minute additions to the budget on Tuesday included two full-time equivalent employees for the commonwealth attorney’s office and $1 million for firefighter physicals.

The 2027 fiscal year begins July 1.

Source

Congressman Eugene Vindman, who represents Virginia鈥檚 7th Congressional District, submitted a statement to the Congressional Record honoring Wise鈥檚 鈥渙utstanding service鈥� to the community.

Wise, 18, has been working as an EMT at the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department for over a year.聽聽in a front-page story earlier this month.

In the Congressional Record, Vindman recounted an experience Wise had when he was just two months into training as an EMT. In January 2025, Wise was at the fire station in Woodbridge completing training on intubation skills when a call came in for a 73-year-old woman who had stopped breathing.

When Wise arrived, another unit on the scene had already started chest compressions, and Wise was given the opportunity to put in an airway, which consists of placing a tube down the patient鈥檚 throat and attaching a breathing device to it.

鈥淪o I go ahead and I place it in, and it works well, I get a good response on the ventilations,鈥� he said聽. Eventually, they loaded the patient into the ambulance and drove her to the hospital. During the drive, Wise said, he sat by the patient鈥檚 head, 鈥渂reathing for her, making sure that her chest is rising adequately.鈥�

The patient was later discharged from the hospital, healthy.

鈥淭his experience didn鈥檛 deter him, instead it strengthened his commitment to public service and deepened his understanding of what it truly means to serve, no matter how big or small the call could be,鈥� the Congressional Record reads.

Vindman also recognized some of Wise鈥檚 other achievements, including his membership of the Trail Life USA scouting program for over 11 years, serving in multiple leadership roles, including first officer and high school chaplain. Wise took on the responsibility of assisting the troop master in management and communicating with the committee chair to discuss ways to improve the organization.

Wise is also a varsity basketball player with the Northern Virginia Homeschool Athletic Association.

鈥淚 want to personally thank EMT Wise for his dedication to serving his community and I wish him continued success as he works toward becoming a crew leader within his EMT team,鈥� Vindman concluded. 鈥淚 ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing EMT Wise for his courage, leadership and selfless service, which stands as an inspiration to us all.鈥�

Source

LeDoux鈥檚 brother Patrick LeDoux was killed Nov. 16, 2024 by a聽聽on Interstate 95 near Quantico.

“It has been a rough few years for the family, that hit us very hard, and this one is bringing all of that back 鈥� since we really just started to be able to grieve Patrick鈥檚 loss,” their sister Nicole Pope told InsideNoVa.

Joseph LeDoux took care of his mother and special needs sister and his death is “more than complicated for the family and questions regarding their security,鈥� Pope said.

The crash happened about 2:30 p.m. April 10 on Harbor Drive in Lake Ridge. Police said LeDoux, driving a 2014 Hyundai Sonata, “entered Harbor Drive from a private road” and was hit by a 2018 Dodge Durango traveling south. He died at the scene, according to Prince William County police Sgt. Justin Adams.

The crash remains under investigation.

Pope said the family recently went through the court case for the drunken driver involved in the 2024 crash that killed Patrick C. LeDoux, who was 25.

Patrick’s southbound 2014 Chevrolet Cruze was struck by a 2018 Volvo XC90 traveling the wrong direction on I-95, state police said at the time. The Volvo’s driver, Jibril N. Ibn Jeter, 48, of Fort Washington, Md., pleaded guilty to aggravated involuntary manslaughter and a felony DUI charge, according to court records. He was sentenced in September to 15 years in prison.

础听聽is helping the LeDoux family with funeral costs and had raised more than $7,000 as of Thursday morning.

Source

In a unanimous vote after a closed session, the board opted to remove the county from the appeals.

The board narrowly approved the Digital Gateway rezoning on Dec. 13, 2023, under then-Chair Ann Wheeler, a Democrat and data center proponent, following a marathon 27-hour public hearing.

Chair Deshundra Jefferson, also a Democrat, succeeded Wheeler in January 2024 and presented a contrasting viewpoint as a data center critic.

The PW Digital Gateway was again halted in a unanimous聽聽Virginia Court of Appeals ruling that consolidated the two major legal challenges to the project 鈥� with the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and American Battlefield Trust as chief plaintiffs, respectively.

Issues of improper public notice were front and center at a聽聽Court of Appeals hearing on the Digital Gateway matter.

Developer-defendants Compass and QTS can still appeal the ruling to the Virginia Supreme Court, but the county itself will not appeal.

At full buildout, the Digital Gateway near Gainesville would be the largest data center corridor in the world, with over 22 million square feet of data centers spread out across over 2,100 acres in western Prince William. The project would include 37 data centers, roughly the size of 144 Walmart supercenters.

According to Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry, the county may still respond to pleading orders or any other requests made by the Virginia Supreme Court or the Virginia Court of Appeals despite no longer actively appealing.

In a statement, the Coalition to Protect Prince William County lauded the vote.

鈥淣ever before has such a small group of people made such a difference to their community and to their state than Prince William County residents,鈥� the statement read. 鈥淭he Oak Valley lawsuit plaintiffs withstood the onslaught of the storm that QTS and Compass brought to their front door.聽 They were able to bend and never break.聽 The American Battlefield Trust and the four remaining citizen plaintiffs in the parallel lawsuit never gave up and are a testament to their love of their community.鈥�

鈥淭he Coalition to Protect Prince William County is forever grateful to the residents and to this board for stepping through the door that we worked so hard to open,鈥� the statement added.

The Oak Valley Homeowners Association opined that the case entailed a universal impact.

鈥淭his case has never been just about Oak Valley,鈥� a news release stated. 鈥淭he real victims were the citizens of Prince William County, who would have suffered 鈥� each in varying degrees 鈥� from the unchecked and predatory expansion efforts of a multi-billion-dollar global data center industry. The residents of Oak Valley, along with our neighboring communities, are deeply grateful that the County will no longer expend taxpayer funds to fight against its own citizens. This litigation should never have happened.”

Mac Haddow, the association鈥檚 president, spoke to the efforts of Wheeler鈥檚 lame-duck board in the final weeks of 2023.

鈥淭he truth is, it is the taxpayers of Prince William County [who] were compelled to accept the financial risks for proceeding with a flawed rezoning hearing,鈥� Haddow said in the release. 鈥淭he obvious solution was to just readvertise the hearing, but with then defeated Ann Wheeler headed out the door, the County Attorney appears to have followed the data center operators in proceeding.鈥�

Concurrently, the American Battlefield Trust praised the board鈥檚 vote for its protection of Manassas National Battlefield Park.

The park was the site of the Battles of First and Second Manassas 鈥� which resulted in nearly 27,000 casualties combined during the American Civil War, according to a release from the trust.

鈥淭oday, the Board listened to what their constituents, numerous judges, and we have said for years: the rezonings for the Prince William Digital Gateway mega-development were not only detrimental for Prince William County, but illegal,鈥� said David Duncan, the trust鈥檚 president, in the release. 鈥淲e are incredibly grateful the board arrived at this conclusion, and hope this signals the end for this nightmarish threat to the hallowed ground of Manassas.鈥�

Source

The city will now seek formal Federal Aviation Administration approval to implement the name change.

The resolution seeks to change the airport鈥檚 commercial name while retaining the airfield鈥檚 dedicatory name, Harry P. Davis Field, and its FAA location identifier, HEF. The action reflects the city鈥檚 effort to better position the facility within the competitive Washington aviation market and support its anticipated transition from a general aviation airport to one capable of handling commercial passenger service as early as 2027.

Assistant Airport Director Jolene Berry, speaking on behalf of Airport Director Juan Rivera, told the council the rebranding would enhance the airport鈥檚 visibility and better reflect how travelers search for flights.

鈥淲hen folks are looking for a ticket, they’re flying into the D.C. area, and so that’s why Washington would go first, and then Manassas,鈥� Berry said.

Berry said the change applies only to the airport鈥檚 commercial branding and does not alter the historic designation of the airfield.

鈥淭he name 鈥� we are proposing would be Washington Manassas Airport. The airfield is still Harry P. Davis Field. We’re not asking to change the airfield,鈥� Berry said.

The potential name change comes as the airport works toward adding commercial airline service, scheduled to begin in the first half of 2027.

City officials said the renaming aligns with industry naming conventions for airports near major metropolitan areas and is intended to improve recognition among airlines, travelers and businesses.

The Manassas Regional Airport Commission previously recommended three potential names: Washington Manassas Airport, Washington Manassas National Airport and Washington Manassas Regional Airport. The 鈥淣ational鈥� option was later removed following feedback from federal regulators and legal concerns, leaving Washington Manassas Airport as the preferred choice.

Berry said the commission undertook an extensive public and stakeholder engagement process.

Tenants and fixed鈥慴ase operators were notified, a public work session and town hall meeting were held, and the experiences of other airports that underwent similar name changes were studied. She added the estimated $500,000 cost for updating major signage would be funded through the airport鈥檚 budget, 鈥渟o there’s no taxpayer money being used.鈥�

Public feedback on the proposal was mixed.

An online survey received 159 responses, with 58% opposing the name change and 42% supporting it. Opponents expressed concerns about preserving the city鈥檚 identity and questioned the need for rebranding, while supporters said incorporating 鈥淲ashington鈥� would make the airport more recognizable and help attract airlines and economic investment.

Council member Theresa Coates Ellis acknowledged the limited number of survey responses but said the long鈥憈erm benefits justified the decision.

鈥淚 do appreciate the 159 responses from the community with the survey, but 鈥� that seems really low,鈥� Coates Ellis said. 鈥淚 am supporting Washington Manassas Airport 鈥� if we’re looking at trying to have a successful airport, it is the right thing to do.鈥�

Council member Sonia Vasquez Luna highlighted the airport鈥檚 role in Virginia鈥檚 aviation landscape and its future ambitions.

鈥淚 believe for years the airport has been 鈥� one of the busiest airports in Virginia when it comes to general aviation,鈥� she said, adding that she would support the name change in part because costs would not fall on taxpayers.

Council member Tom Osina framed the decision as part of the airport鈥檚 evolution.

鈥淥ur airport has had three names,鈥� he said, noting that each change was done 鈥渢o intentionally reposition the airport鈥� as it evolved from a small strip to a municipal and then regional facility.

According to the resolution, the airport opened June 8, 1932, and was renamed in 1994 to Manassas Regional Airport, Harry P. Davis Field, in honor of a former mayor who played a key role in its early development.

The incoming airport operator, Avports, has also endorsed the new name, calling it 鈥渁 meaningful and strategic step forward鈥� that would enhance the airport鈥檚 competitiveness and regional visibility.

Source