PATRIOT’S BEST SEASON EVER? Tim Baldwin and the Pioneers polished off Hylton 35-6. Page 9
November 20, 2019 | Vol. 18, No. 47 | 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.
Fauquier supervisors call to halt gas pipeline expansion Board wants more extensive state review By Daniel Berti
Times Staff Writer
The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors are calling for a moratorium on a 7.7-mile natural gas pipeline expansion in Fauquier and Prince
William counties set to begin construction in January, though it’s unclear whether local officials can stop the project from moving forward. The supervisors voted unanimously Thursday on a resolution calling for a more extensive state review of the project because of its impact on local surface waters as well as safety and environmental concerns. Prince William Board of
County Supervisors hasn’t taken a position on the pipeline expansion. The new pipeline is part of the Williams Partners Southeastern Trail expansion project. The project received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in October. Construction on the pipeline expansion is slated to begin January 14, 2020, according to a company spokesperson, and will run adjacent to the
existing Transco mainline in Prince William and Fauquier counties. In addition to the new pipeline, the project will add horsepower to three existing compressor stations in Virginia – located in Manassas, Scottsville and Chatham – and modify 21 existing facilities in South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana. See PIPELINE, page 2
Torian to lead Va. House budget committee By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
happened next. “He gave me socks. It was amazing. I learned there were people who could love me when I couldn’t love myself,” he said. Mitchell also remembers when the Rev. James Gould of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church came to talk to inmates. “He talked to me like I was a human being.”
Del. Luke Torian has been chosen to lead one of the Virginia House of Delegates’ most powerful committees: that which helps hammer out the annual state budget. Torian, D-52nd, will chair the House Appropriations Committee, Speaker-Elect Eileen Filler-Corn, D-41st, announced Thursday, Nov. 14. Torian, 61, will be the first African-American and likely the first Prince William County delegate to serve in the role in the state’s history. “It’s just a humbling experience and a good opportunity,” Torian said in a brief interview. “I’m humbled by the opportunity to serve in this capacity and humbled that the speaker-designee would recognize the work I have done.” Torian has served on the House Appropriations Committee since 2014. He has served as a budget conferee – a member of a smaller group of delegates charged with negotiating the final budget with state Senate leaders – since 2016.
See HOPE, page 2
See TORIAN, page 4
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/ROBIN EARL
The crosses in the White Marker Project memorialize the 3,500 Virginians lost to drug abuse in 2017. The crosses were pounded into the ground and placed on a fence erected for the display.
Former addict shares lesson of hope White Marker Project remembers those lost to drugs By Robin Earl
Times Staff Writer
When Nathan Mitchell was an inmate in the Fauquier County Adult Detention Center on a drug posses-
sion charge in 2017, he remembers buying coffee and sweets at the canteen. “For me, it was all about instant gratification. It was February and I didn’t have socks -- but I had candy and coffee.” Mitchell remembers when someone at the jail -- who was there working with a drug rehab program -- looked at his feet and said, “You look cold.” After more than two years, Mitchell is still surprised by what INSIDE Business.............................................12 Calendar.............................................13 Classifieds...........................................16 Lifestyle..............................................11
Obituaries...........................................15 Opinion.................................................7 Puzzle Page..........................................8 Real Estate..........................................14 Sports...................................................9
86 WARRENTON, VA