Virginia

‘Melting pot’ Dumfries is affordable, historical

Published

1 year ago

August 23, 2023

‘Melting pot’ Dumfries is affordable, historical

A small Prince William County community less than two miles north of the U.S. Marine Corps base at Quantico keeps an eye on the past while it looks to the future.

Dumfries was once the most important Virginia port along the Potomac River. Mentioned in Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, its harbor on Quantico Creek thrived in the 18th century and rivaled the busy ports of New York and Boston as area farmers grew rich exporting tobacco. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Dumfries was bordered by the thriving Black community of Batestown.

Today the 1.5-square-mile home to 5,755 features affordable apartments, townhouse communities and single-family houses and a diverse majority-minority population whose population is roughly 39 percent Hispanic, 34 percent Black and 21 percent White, Mayor Derrick Wood said.

“It’s a melting pot of America,” said Charlie Reid, a retired Dumfries police officer who lives in Orange County but remains active in the community.

Dumfries Elementary School, which provides PreK to fifth-grade education, was built on the site of the Dumfries Academy, founded in 1760, said Edward Coulson, vice president of Historic Dumfries Virginia, the town’s historical society.

“It’s a nice, quiet town. It is close to D.C., but it’s not too close. The housing is more affordable than further north. It’s a nice community. It’s a friendly community. It’s generally a low-crime area,” Coulson said.

Bordered by more affluent communities to the north and east, Dumfries offers an affordable entry into homeownership. In August a three-bedroom, one-bath single-family house was selling for $309,900 while a nearby four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath single-family house is on the market at $599,000. Townhouses in Dumfries recently sold for $285,000 and $570,000.

The median housing price in the greater Dumfries area is $412,050, with 15 houses sold in the past year, according to Redfin.

Realtor Dana Tran said Dumfries attracts aspiring home buyers looking for something not too far from Washington. “The market in Dumfries is very affordable for first-time home buyers,” she said. “It’s right on their price point.”

Many neighborhoods are stable, with little turnover through the decades, said former mayor Butch Rawner, 78, a lifelong resident of the town who has lived for 55 years in the same house. “We’ve got people here,” he said, referring to his neighbors, “who’ve been here longer than us.”

Richmond Highway runs through the center of the compact community. Small businesses line the thoroughfare with residential areas on either side of the highway.

It’s been like that for decades, but big changes are coming. An Arlington developer won approval in May for a 280-unit apartment and condominium project that Wood said will “beautify and transform our Main Street.”

Behind an 18th-century tavern and lodging house located on Richmond Highway that today houses the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation, heavy equipment readies construction of a $370 million gaming and entertainment complex. The Rose will be operated by Colonial Downs Group and is projected to employ 500 people, the company says, when it opens next year.

In its early days, Dumfries ranked among the most important municipalities in Virginia. The colonial assembly in Williamsburg granted Dumfries a charter in 1749, making it one of the oldest towns in Virginia and the first to get a charter. George Washington and George Mason were frequent visitors.

Mason Locke Weems, the bookselling parson whose biography of Washington mythologized the life of the first president, made Dumfries his home and the headquarters of his publishing business in the early 19th century. Today, the Weems-Botts House serves as a museum, genealogical research library and focal point for community-wide historical activities, including events for children and adults.

Neighboring Batestown flourished in the late 19th and early 20th century as an unincorporated community where residents raised vegetables on truck farms and livestock, said Reid, who grew up there. Its residents came to Dumfries to shop and contributed to its political and economic life. In 1963, John Wilmer Porter, who grew up in Batestown and was Reid’s cousin, became Virginia’s first Black municipal official elected after Reconstruction when Dumfries voters put him on the Town Council. The Dumfries town hall is named after Porter.

Tobacco was the engine of Dumfries’s growth in the 18th century, but it also proved to be its downfall. In the 1780s, silt resulting from the overproduction of tobacco on area farms clogged the harbor and choked off its booming trade. Farmers abandoned tobacco for wheat and sent their crops north to Alexandria for shipping, Coulson said.

Dumfries went into a slow, prolonged decline in the decades that followed. City officials believe a revival is at hand.

“We’re working to become a place where people just don’t drive through, but people drive to,” Wood said.

Transportation: Dumfries is near Exit 152 on Interstate 95. The Virginia Railway Express links Dumfries with Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia with stations at Rippon and Quantico. A new station is under construction at nearby Potomac Shores. Local bus service connects Dumfries with the OmniRide Transit Center in Dale City.

Schools: Dumfries Elementary, Graham Park Middle School and Forest Park High School.

Source link

Virginia

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

Published

8 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

At 3-0 with marquee victories over #6 Missouri (23-10) and #21 Rutgers (26-11), as well as a second-place finish in the Keystone Open with just a handful of starters competing, Virginia Tech has swept through a tough November and is prepared for a difficult December.

The Hokies, #12 in Flo’s team tournament ratings but top 10 in various dual-meet rankings, are next scheduled for an annual trip to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational, featuring 27 teams, of which 14 are among Flo’s top 25. And then it’s another trip west to Stillwater on Dec. 19 to challenge #5 Oklahoma State in a rare Thursday match.

The early key thus far for the Hokies has been the ability to win the bouts they’re supposed to win and grabbing a fair share of so-called toss-up bouts.

To wit, Tech’s #18 Sam Latona downing Missouri’s #13 Josh Edmond (4-2) at 141, or #25 Rafael Hipolito majoring the Tigers’ #32 James Conway (11-3) at 157 and #15 Jimmy Mullen stopping #20 Seth Nitzel (4-2) at heavyweight.

That trend continued at Tech’s Moss Arts Center match against #21 Rutgers when Latona used a late takedown to defeat Joey Olivieri 7-5, #4 Lennox Wolak pinned veteran Jackson Turley at 174 and #9 Andy Smith slipped past #17 John Poznanski 4-3 at 197.

Hokies coach Tony Robie only took a few regulars to the Keystone Open in Philadelphia and, led by championship efforts by #1-ranked Caleb Henson at 149 and heavyweight Hunter Catka, Tech placed second behind Lock Haven. Latona placed third at 141 and Sam Fisher did the same at 184.

Robie opted to use the Hokies’ roster as freshmen Dillon Campbell (125), Matt Henrich (157), Luke Robie (157) and Jack Bastarrika (133) competed as did redshirt juniors Jackson Spires (165) and Ty Finn (174). Spires placed second.

Who’s Ready For Change?

With legislation on the NCAA’s table affecting scholarship and roster limits — unlimited scholarships and a roster cap — as well as revenue sharing, some college wrestling programs likely have a serious dose of trepidation while others are confident they can deal with whatever happens.

Virginia Tech sits in the latter category.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about that,” Robie said earlier this month. “I think a lot of it probably will happen. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad for the sport; that’s not really for me to say. What I will say is you have to adjust with what the rules are and what the landscape of college athletics looks like, and that’s what we intend on doing.

“Is it good for the overall health of the sport of wrestling? The kid that’s the 35th kid on your roster? Probably not. But I think definitely there were probably some things that needed to change; the pendulum was starting to swing significantly the other way. At some point, it’ll probably start to go back to the middle.”

Robie said all anyone can do is wait for the final decisions.

“We have some contingency plans based on what we think is going to happen and we’ll move forward with our plan and try to execute it,” he said.

A Pretty Good Gig

Robie, in his eighth year as head coach, has been at Tech since 2006 and as each season passes, the commitment and enthusiasm remain the same.

“Well, you get to do what you like to do. And it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to coach wrestling for a living and be a part of a pretty good program, and work with some great people and try to affect the lives of the kids in your program,” he said.

“I think anybody would want to do that. For me, I’m not young anymore. I turned 50 … who knows how long I’m going to do it, but I’m going to give it the best I can while I’m doing it and hopefully continue to improve as a program and try to try to help these guys as much as possible. But it’s good, Virginia Tech’s a great place to work, it’s a great place to live. I’ve got a great staff and it makes my life pretty easy.”

Source link

Virginia

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

Published

15 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

With the game of year looming this weekend, members of the Virginia football team were made available to to the media after practice on Tuesday morning to talk about the regular season finale against Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday night in Blacksburg. Watch the video below to hear what UVA senior safety Jonas Sanker, graduate tight ends Tyler Neville and Sackett Wood Jr., and graduate defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter had to say ahead of the Virginia Tech game:

Sanker is the team’s leader in tackles with 89 total tackles and also leads the ACC in solo stops with 60 unassisted tackles. He has racked up 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception as part of a strong senior campaign that should earn Sanker some serious consideration for a First-Team All-ACC selection.

A transfer from Harvard, Tyler Neville is Virginia’s second-leading receiver with 35 catches for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Sackett Wood Jr., meanwhile, has recorded three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown this season. Between the two of them, Neville and Wood have combined to appear in 83 college football games and make 48 starts.

Saturday will be the 55th game in the five-year career of Jahmeer Carter, who has started nearly every game for the last four seasons at Virginia. This season, Carter has 30 total tackles, including nine solo stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, and a pass defender. For his career, Carter is up to 131 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss.

Saturday night will be the first time Virginia plays at Lane Stadium in front of fans since the 2018 season, as the 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Clash was played in front of only 250 fans due to COVID-19 restrictions and then the 2022 Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game was canceled due to the shooting tragedy at UVA.

Virginia is seeking its first road victory at Virginia Tech since 1998, as the Hokies have won the last 11 Commonwealth Clash games played at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech has won 17 of the last 18 overall games against Virginia and leads UVA 61-38-5 in the all-time series that dates back to 1895.

Both Virginia and Virginia Tech bring a 5-6 overall record into the regular season finale and both need to win the game in order to reach the six-win threshold required for bowl eligibility. There is only one other game this weekend between FBS teams who are battling for bowl eligibility (Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan). Virginia and Virginia Tech played each other for bowl eligibility at the end of the 2014 season.

UVA Football: Players to Watch in Virginia vs. Virginia Tech

UVA Football Week 14 Injury Report: Kobe Pace, Kempton Shine, Trell Harris

Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. Virginia Tech | Takeaways, Analysis

Virginia Football Opens as Touchdown Underdogs at Virginia Tech

UVA Football Report Card: Handing Out Grades for Virginia vs. SMU

Source link

Virginia

Virginia Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Night results for Nov. 26, 2024

Published

23 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 26, 2024, results for each game:

Mega Millions

Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

05-22-24-39-42, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 7-3-0, FB: 2

Day: 7-2-1, FB: 5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-6-6-8, FB: 5

Day: 7-4-5-8, FB: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 0-5-4-9-9, FB: 2

Day: 6-9-5-3-2, FB: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash4Life

Drawing everyday at 9 p.m.

04-11-13-30-39, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Pop

Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.

Coffee Break: 04

After Hours: 05

Prime Time: 06

Rush Hour: 09

Lunch Break: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash 5

Drawing every day at 11 p.m.

12-22-31-38-44

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link