🌱 City Decal Enforcement Begins Feb. 20 + School Bomb Threat Arrest

Hello all! I'm Danielle Fallon O'Leary and I'll be your new source for everything you need to know about what's in Manassas Park. In today's issue, you'll find news about:

• 2023 city decal enforcement beginning Monday, Feb. 20.
• An arrest in connection with a January Manassas-area school bomb threat.
• Local job listings for the City of Manassas Park.

But first, your local weather:

• Thursday: A few afternoon showers. High: 66 Low: 57.
• Friday: Windy; a bit of morning rain. High: 63 Low: 25.
• Saturday: Sunny and cooler. High: 51 Low: 28.
• Sunday: Clouds and sun; not as cool. High: 58 Low: 40.

Business owners and marketers in Manassas Park: Do you want to build awareness with local customers? I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top five stories today in Manassas Park:

1. The City has announced that Manassas Park Police will begin enforcing the display of the 2023 city decal on Monday, Feb. 20 at 12:00 a.m. Due to supply chain issues and allowing time for decals to be mailed out to residents who paid online, Enforcement of the city decal requirement had been delayed because of supply chain issues and to allow time for decals to be mailed out to residents who paid for them online. The 2023 decal is purple and should be displayed inside the windshield of all Manassas Park vehicles, to the right of the official Virginia inspection sticker when viewed from inside the car. City guidelines dictate that there should be no more than a quarter-inch of space between the decal and the state inspection sticker. (Manassas Park Virginia)
2. On Wednesday, police announced that a 15-year-old male juvenile was arrested in connection with a bomb threat that led to the lockdown of Unity Reed High School in Manassas on Jan. 26. Detectives from the Prince William and Manassas City police departments discovered that the same phone number was used to call both schools and identified the suspect as a former student. The juvenile was taken into custody by Richmond City police on Feb. 15 and will remain in the Richmond area until transferred to Prince William County. (PotomacLocal.com)
3. A 48-year-old woman was reportedly stabbed in the neck and died at the Regency Apartments in nearby Manassas. On Monday, authorities arrested victim Jennifer Nicole Marshal's 24-year-old son, Darrion Hunter Wilds, who has been charged with second-degree murder and stabbing in commission of a felony. The suspect was apprehended after refusing to stop when he was spotted walking along the train tracks on Bristow Road. He is being held without bond at the Prince William County Adult Detention Center and is scheduled to appear in court on Apr. 25. (Manassas Patch)
4. Looking for a new job opportunity that lets you serve your community? The City of Manassas Park recently posted several new open positions, including a Commercial Building Inspector, a General Services Administrator, a Community Development Building Official, and more. Visit the city's website for full job details and to learn how to apply. (Manassas Park Virginia)
5. Residents of the greater Prince William County area are concerned about the constant high-pitched whirring noise coming from the Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center in nearby Great Oak. "Once you hear this sound, you can never unhear it," said Lori Haskell, an administrator for the city of Manassas. Prince William County currently has 83 million square feet of operational and planned space for the massive, humming, air-conditioned server farms. Last month, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced plans for AWS to invest $35 billion for further more data center development across Virginia by 2040. (Inside Climate News)

Coming up in Manassas Park:

Thursday, February 16

• Worry Less, Color More: For Tweens & Teens At Park Central Library (5:30 PM)

Friday, February 17

• Teen Valentine's Day Paint Night At Manassas Park Community Center (4:00 PM)
• Game Night At Park Central Library (5:30 PM)

Saturday, February 18

• Storytime At Park Central Library (2:00 PM)

Sunday, February 19

• Manassas Park Urban Line Dance At Manassas Park Community Center (2:30 PM)

Wednesday, February 22

• Canva Training 101 At Park Central Library (5:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Valentine's Day may be over, but your teen can still get in on the holiday fun at Manassas Park Community Center! Tomorrow (Feb. 17) at 4:00 p.m., the Teen Center is hosting a free teen Valentine's Day-themed paint night with light refreshments and creative canvas painting. Registration is required and can be done online or by contacting the Community Center. (City of Manassas Park Parks & Recreation)
• Late last week, Moody's Investors Service upgraded Manassas Park's GOULT rating to Aa3 and its lease rating to A1. This is the fourth upgrade to the city's credit since 2016-2017, when the city was experiencing financial and audit challenges. "The City has rebounded since and is now on its way up the credit ladder to a much stronger financial position," the City wrote on its website. (Manassas Park Virginia)
• Are you proud of your community? Does sharing the inside scoop with others bring you satisfaction? Interested in earning extra income while providing a valuable resource for your neighbors? If you answered yes to any of the above, we invite you to apply for a role as a Patch community newsletter curator. Visit the link for further details. (Manassas Park Patch)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Thursday. See you all soon for another update!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.