BATTLE TOUGH: The Battlefield wrestling team rolled to the Cedar Run title. Sports, page 11
February 6, 2019 | Vol. 18, No. 6 | www.PrinceWilliamTimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Local officials united on Northam: Resign By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
PHOTO BY GEORGIA GEEN, CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE.
Gov. Ralph Northam (D), standing beside his wife, Pamela, speaks at a Feb. 2 press conference at the Governor’s Mansion in response to the racist photo on his medical school yearbook age. Northam said he would not resign.
Scandals rock Richmond
Governor, Lt. Governor navigate controversies By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
Despite calls for his resignation from elected officials of both parties from across the commonwealth, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam stubbornly clung to power this week, refusing to resign over a racist photograph that appeared in his 1984 medical school yearbook and vowing instead to lead an effort toward racial reconciliation. “I cannot in good conscious choose the path that would be easier for me in an effort to duck my responsibility to reconcile,” Northam (D) said in a 40-minute news confer-
ence from the governor’s mansion Saturday. “I believe this moment can be the first small step to open a discussion about these difficult issues and how they contribute to the greater racism and discrimination that defines so much of our history.” Northam sought to explain Feb. 2 why he first apologized Friday for appearing in the offensive picture in his Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook, which depicted one person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan hood, and then decided he wasn’t in the picture after all. See SCANDAL, page 4 INSIDE Calendar.............................................15 Classified............................................21 Lifestyle..............................................13 Obituaries...........................................17
A photo from Gov. Ralph Northam’s Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page.
In an almost unprecedented show of unity, Prince William County’s elected officials issued statements this week calling on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign over the offensive photograph that appeared in his 1984 medical school yearbook. The sentiments came from all levels of government and across the political spectrum – from the local board of supervisors to the county’s representatives in Congress. Democrats make up the majority of Prince William’s delegation in the state legislature – holding 10 of the 13 seats that represent parts of the county – and led the charge to demand that Northam step down despite the governor’s denial Saturday that he appeared in the photo, which depicted one person in blackface and the other in a Ku Klux Klan hood. Northam issued an apology Friday, Feb. 1, saying he was “deeply sorry” for appearing in one of the costumes – he didn’t say which one– but then changed his position on Saturday, saying he is now convinced he was neither person in the picture. State Del. Luke Torian, Prince William County’s most senior Democratic state delegate, joined the Virginia Black Legislative Caucus in calling for Northam’s resignation Friday, as did Dels. Hala Ayala, D-51st, Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-2nd, See RESIGN, page 4
Opinion.................................................9 Puzzle Page........................................10 Real Estate..........................................16 Sports.................................................11
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Naked man bites dog, FBI agent A 31-year-old man found walking naked around his Independent Hill-area neighborhood Tuesday, Jan. 29 is behind bars, accused of biting both his dog and an off-duty FBI agent who was trying to apprehend him. Prince William County police officers were called to the 15300 block of Nottingham Drive at about 8:35 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, to investigate a man “walking around the neighborhood naked,� according to Officer Nathan Probus, spokesman for the department. When an officer arrived, he located the man standing (naked) in the middle of Nottingham Drive and determined he was under the influence of an unknown substance, Probus said in a news release. When the man ignored the officer’s commands, the officer deployed pepper spray. The man then
“advanced towardâ€? an off-duty FBI agent who had stopped to assist the officer, and a struggle ensued between all parties.  During the Cory Michael Phillips struggle, the accused bit the FBI agent, a 51-yearold male, on the neck causing a minor injury, Probus said. Upon further investigation, officers determined the man had been smoking marijuana earlier that morning at his residence and started acting erratically.  At some point, the man picked up his 5-year-old dog, a Labrador-boxer mix, and squeezed and bit the dog
on the ears and chest, causing minor injuries to the dog. The man then went outside, where he eventually pushed a neighbor, a 60-year-old woman, to the ground after she attempted to intervene before officers arrived. The neighbor was not injured, Probus said. The accused was transported upon his release from the hospital to the Prince William Adult Detention Center, where he was being held without bond Wednesday. Cory Michael Phillips, 31, of 15301 Nottingham Drive, in Manassas, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding, animal cruelty, possession of marijuana, assault and battery, obstruction of justice and intoxication in public in connection with the incident. He has a March 5 court date.
Triangle man arrested in heroin investigation
The arrest followed “a controlled purchase of heroin� that also occurred Wednesday at Fauquier County location that is being kept under wraps because the investigation is ongoing, Hartman said. Officers with the Blue Ridge Narcotics and Gang Task Force were involved in the investigation. Steven Shay Malloy, 29, of Triangle, Virginia, was charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, possession
of paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, driving on a suspended license and providing false identification to law enforcement in connection with the incident. Malloy was Steven Shay Malloy also wanted out of Arlington and Stafford counties on probation violations, Hartman said in a news release.
A Prince William County man was being held without bond Thursday after Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested him on several charges related to possessing and distributing heroin and marijuana. The arrest took place late Wednesday, Jan. 31, in the 3300 block of Catlett Road, Sgt. James Hartman, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said Thursday.
Police investigate gunfire in Montclair
Two homes were struck by a bullet in the Dumfries area early Monday morning, Prince William County police said in a news release. Officers responded to the area of Southlake Boulevard at 2:26 a.m. on Feb. 4 to investigate a report of shots fired, the police news release said. Several people had called police to report hearing gunshots in the area, police said. Officers arrived and located multiple shell casings in the roadway, police said. Officers canvassed the area and determined that two occupied homes on Trisail Court had each been struck by bullets, the police news release said. No injuries were reported.
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ISSN 1050-7655, USPS 188280 Published every Wednesday by Piedmont Media LLC How to reach us ADDRESS: 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, Virginia 20186 PHONE: 540-347-4222 FAX: 540-349-8676 HOURS: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 24-hour answering service Publisher Catherine M. Nelson, 540-300-4780 cnelson@fauquier.com NEWSROOM Managing Editor Jill Palermo, 540-351-0431 jpalermo@fauquier.com Web/Copy Editor Amanda Heincer, 540-878-2418 aheincer@fauquier.com
14-year-old assaulted in Woodbridge
A 14-year-old boy was assaulted and briefly knocked unconscious Tuesday afternoon while walking outside apartments in the 16600 block of Flotilla Way in Woodbridge. Officers responded to the area about 1:28 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29, after residents who witnessed the assault called police, according to Officer Nathan Probus, spokesman for the Prince William County Police Department. The investigation revealed the teen victim was walking in the area when he was approached by a large group of juvenile males, Probus said.  During the encounter, the suspects assaulted the victim and knocked him unconscious. The suspects then took the victim’s property before fleeing the area on foot, Probus said.  Officers arrived and searched the area for the suspects who were not located. The victim was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries and was later released. The investigation continues.
Mall employee sprayed with ‘caustic substance’
A man sprayed an employee at the Victoria’s Secret store in Potomac Mills mall with a “caustic substance� after the employee confronted him for shoplifting, Prince William Could police said. Officers responded to the store, inside the mall at 2700 Potomac Mills Circle, at 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, to investigate the incident, Prince William County police said in a news release. Police said store employee observed an unknown man and woman shoplifting in the store and confronted them as they attempted to exit the business. A struggle ensued and one of the suspects sprayed the employee with “an unknown caustic substance� before running from the store, police said in the news release. The employee was treated and released at the scene, police said. The first suspect is described as a black man in his late teens to early 20s. He was last seen wearing a blue and black jacket. The second suspect is described as a black woman with a thin build, who was last seen wearing a gray skullcap, a dark jacket and maroon pants.
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Virginia’s population sees booms, declines Prince William among top 10 growing counties By Andrew Gionfriddo Capital News Service
So far this decade, Virginia has grown — and shrunk — in population. Seventy of the state’s 133 cities and counties gained population between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2018, according to data released this week by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. The population of Loudoun County, in Northern Virginia, jumped 30 percent, to more than 406,000. But the remaining 63 localities — largely rural areas in the southern and western parts of the state — saw population declines. The population of Buchanan County, in the Appalachian Mountains bordering West Virginia and Kentucky, dropped more than 10 percent, to fewer than 21,600 residents. Overall, Virginia’s population has grown by 6.5 percent since the 2010 census, passing 8.5 million residents last year, according to the Weldon Cooper Center, which generates the state’s official population estimates. Of the 10 fastest-growing localities in Virginia, eight are part of the Washington, D.C., metro area. Besides Loudoun County, they include Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Arlington, Manassas Park, Stafford County, Prince William County and Alexandria. The other localities in the top 10 are New Kent County, between Richmond and Williamsburg, which grew 22 percent — second only to Loudoun County; and Charlottesville, which grew 13.5 percent. On the other hand, every Virginia county bordering North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky lost population this decade. Besides Buchanan County, the population declined
Prince William GOP to hold firehouse primary May 4 The Prince William County Republican Committee voted Monday, Feb. 4 to hold a “firehouse primary” on Saturday, May 4, to select their candidates for countywide offices as well as the 2019 race for the board of supervisors. All eight seats on the board of supervisors are up for re-election, as are the two countywide constitutional officers, which include the commonwealth’s attorney and sheriff. The firehouse primary will include polling places in each of the county’s eight magisterial districts as well as Manassas. But that will be scaled back if the GOP does not
Seventy of the state’s 133 cities and counties gained population between 2010 and 2018, new statistics show. But the remaining 63 localities — largely rural areas in the southern and western parts of the state — saw population declines. 9 percent in Dickenson County and 7 percent in the counties of Wise, Tazewell, Alleghany and Surry and the cities of Emporia and Galax. Tazewell and Wise counties each lost more than 3,000 residents. Even so, the state’s annual population growth this decade is the lowest since the 1920s, the center said. During the past five years, the commonwealth’s population has grown more slowly than the nation as a whole. Hamilton Lombard, a demographer who prepared the annual estimates, said Virginia’s population growth has slowed largely because of “domestic out-migration” — more people moving out of Virginia than into the state. “Over the last five years, 80,000 more Virginians moved out than residents from other states moved in,” Lombard said. “Many were young families, which helped cause Virginia’s public school enrollment to decline last fall for the have a two candidates running in particular races, said GOP Chairman Bill Card. Republican candidates and incumbents who have announced they are running in November 2019 include Sheriff Glen Hill and incumbent Prince William County Supervisors Pete Candland (Gainesville), Ruth Anderson (Occoquan), Jeanine Lawson (Brentsville) and Supervisor Marty Nohe (Coles) who is running for board chairman. Three GOP candidates are vying to replace Nohe in the Coles District: Patrick Sowers, Paul O’Meara and Yesli Vega. One Republican has announced his candidacy in the Potomac District: Doug Taggart.
first time since 1984.” The center’s estimates show that Northern Virginia’s population has grown about 13 percent since 2018. Augie Wallmeyer, author of the book “The Extremes of Virginia,” attributed the population decline in southern Virginia to a multitude of overlapping conditions. The most glaring reason is financial insecurity, Wallmeyer said. With the decline of the coal, textile and agriculture industries, Southside Virginia has struggled to provide jobs and economic opportunities, especially for young people. As a result, they move out of the state or to northern parts of Virginia to find work and settle down. Wallmeyer said other reasons people are leaving could include drug problems in the southern part of the state, lack of higher education and a lack of quality health care. “The state has known about these problems for quite some time and is taking efforts to put programs in
place to make better opportunities available, particularly for young people,” he said. One effort involves the move by Amazon to invest $2.5 billion in Northern Virginia and open a headquarters in the area. With that initiative, the state will help community colleges provide trade and technical training so that workers can qualify for jobs in today’s more modern economy, Wallmeyer said. “A big part of that package deal is a significant commitment by the state to drastically increase its training of computer engineering people,” Wallmeyer said. “That’s going to help all of Virginia, not just Northern Virginia.” He is optimistic that such initiatives can revitalize the economy and stabilize the population in rural areas. “It’s not going to happen to happen today or tonight or tomorrow, but the seeds are planted,” Wallmeyer said.
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