Prince William Times 09/14/2023

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FIELD HOCKEY FACEOFF IN HAYMARKET: Battlefield downs rival Patriot. SPORTS, PAGES 14-15

September 14, 2023 | Vol. 22, No. 37 | 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.

Alleged shooter’s release prompts police union to endorse Lowery Ashworth says she opposed judge’s decision to let teen suspect out of jail By Cher Muzyk

Times Staff Writer

Prince William County’s police union is endorsing Matt Lowery, the Republican challenger for commonwealth’s attorney in the Nov. 7 election, citing concerns about incumbent Amy Ashworth’s decision to dismiss charges in a high-profile fatal shooting earlier this year involving a teen suspect who later shot at a police detective. Ashworth, 52, a Democrat, is seeking a second term as the county’s top prosecutor. Her opponent

Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth

Lowery, also 52, is a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor who has repeatedly blamed Ashworth’s prosecution choices for what he calls “out of control” crime. The police union endorsed Lowery in May, School buses line up outside Osbourn Park High School on the first day of school in August. PHOTO BY DOUG STROUD

Prince William schools show slight improvement on state tests 7 schools not fully accredited By Anya Sczerzenie Times Staff Writer

Newly released results on Virginia Standards of Learning tests local students took last spring show a slight improvement in passing rates, but some schools are still lagging behind — especially in science. According to results released on Sept. 7, Prince William County students achieved pass rates of 75% in reading, 71% in writing, 71% in math, 70% in social studies and 66% in science on state standard-

Matt Lowery

ized tests taken near the end of the 2022-23 school year. The county outscored the state average in every subject except science, where the state’s average passing rate was slightly higher at 67%. Passing rates were up three percentage points in math since the 2021-22 school year, while the county’s passing rate on science tests improved by four percentage points among Prince William County students. Superintendent LaTanya McDade attributed the uptick to the county’s focus on “STEM” subjects — science, technology, engineering and math — over the past year. See SOL, page 2

School board chair candidates spar in 1st debate, page 3

three months before it issued any other endorsements. The union has 511 members and is the exclusive bargaining unit for the Prince William County Police Department, which recently won collective bargaining rights. “The catalyst for the early vote for the commonwealth attorney endorsement was a case in which charges were dropped on a violent offender. Within days, he was rearmed and shooting at a detective and the witness in the case,” said Officer Katherine Zaimis, the police union’s president, in a statement. “Unfortunately, this type of incident seems to be a pattern, and our members are tired of it. We are concerned about our community and the safety of its residents,” the statement said. See POLICE UNION, page 4

Supervisors extend deadline for car tax bills to January By Shannon Clark Times Staff Writer

Citing calls and complaints from residents about high car tax bills, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the deadline for payments this year by three months. The payments are now due Jan. 3, 2024, providing some extra time for county residents to pay what supervisors acknowledged has become a burdensome tax bill. “(This tax) is very frustrating, and we have to find a solution that can work for everyone in Prince William County,” said Supervisor Victor Angry, D-Neabsco. The extension comes after a motion by Supervisor Margaret Franklin, D-Woodbridge. Franklin noted that all the supervisors have been receiving calls and emails regarding this year’s personal property tax payments. “I think that it is an opportunity to stop and listen and to pay attention to what citizens are saying,” said Supervisor Andrea Bailey, D-Potomac, in agreement with Franklin’s motion.

Personal property taxes this year for many residents were higher because the county assessed vehicles at 100% of their value, up from only 80% last year. The bills were discounted in 2022 because the pandemic pushed up used car values due to supply-chain issues. The county’s finance department thought that issue would be resolved by the time this year’s payments came due, but used cars have not yet returned to their normal depreciation rates, Prince William County Finance Director Michelle Attreed told supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Residents are seeing higher car tax bills this year both because values remain high due to the pandemic and because they are seeing less of a reduction in bills from Virginia’s car tax relief law. The law allocates $950 million in car tax relief across the state, but that money is divvied up between localities, and Prince William County is receiving the same reimbursement it received when the law first took effect 20 years ago, Attreed said. See CAR TAX, page 6

Fall Arts & Craft Show returns to Occoquan, page 11

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