From December 13 to December 20, the level of community transmission on the Prince William Health District (PWHD) COVID-19 Dashboard has risen significantly.

The Prince William Health District has advised that with travel at near pre-pandemic levels, the continued spread of the Delta variant, and the rise of the Omicron variant, the Public Health Communications Collaborative has created A Ticket to COVID-19 Safety. This graphic resource, located below, outlines travel tips and requirements for U.S. travelers, including the latest CDC updates on testing requirements for international travel.

The BOCS adopted the Plan 2 Magisterial District (issue 96) map. Redistricting is required by the Constitution of Virginia every 10 years. Based on the Code of Virginia, precincts must be wholly located within local, state and congressional election boundaries.

Once the Supreme Court of Virginia, which is responsible for redistricting the state and congressional boundaries, adopts these, the County will have to reprecinct again in early 2022 to ensure that precincts are wholly located within all election boundaries.

The BOCS commended retiring County Executive Christopher E. Martino for his nearly 40 years of public service, including 26 years to PWC. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Mr. Martino graduated from White Plains High School before earning a bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He began his tenure with PWC government as Director of Finance in 1995 and was promoted to Deputy County Executive of General Government in 2010. He has served as County Executive since 2016.

During his tenure, Mr. Martino is credited for regularly empowering employees at every level of government by enhancing the culture of the organization resulting in improved engagement and performance of the workforce. Personnel policies, procedures, and practices were aligned with key principles of equity and inclusion. Classification and compensation studies were completed and implemented to help with recruitment and retention of county employees. The Board’s principles of sound financial management and achieved the triple AAA bond rating status in existence to this day.

Mr. Martino has called PWC home for well over two decades and vocally celebrates the community as the ideal place to live, work, and raise a family having raised three sons here himself with his dedicated wife, Kim. Best wishes to him and his family as he looks forward to continued years of service to community through countless acts of volunteerism.

The BOCS commended Major Dawn Harman for 30 years of dedicated service to the community as a member of the PWC Police Department. Major Harman is a life-long resident of the County and graduated from Gar-Field High School. After graduating from West Virginia University with a bachelor's degree in Animal and Veterinary Science, she was hired by the Police Department as a Deputy Animal Warden and then promoted to Police Officer in January 1994.

Throughout her career, Major Harman served in numerous assignments that included Animal Control, Patrol Operations, Crime Prevention, Accreditation, and Support Service. She served as the Director of the Animal Control Bureau and the Western District Commander before being promoted to the rank of Major in September 2014. She holds the distinction of being the first female Assistant Chief in the Department’s history.

Major Harman made it a priority throughout her career to mentor and develop the next generation of leaders to ensure the continued success of the Department. Her husband Mark is a retired member of the Police Department, and they have four children, two are also members of the Police Department, carrying on Dawn and Mark’s legacy of public service.

The BOCS commended Captain Philip J. Cecere for 34 years of dedicated

service to the community as a member of the PWC Police Department. Captain Cecere grew up in PWC and graduated from Gar-Field High School in 1984. He graduated from Bluefield College with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and earned his master’s degree in Public Administration from George Mason University. He was hired by the Police Department as a Police Officer in September 1987.

During his career with the Police Department, Captain Cecere held assignments that included Operations, Criminal Investigations, Special Operations, and the Criminal Justice Academy. He also served on numerous committees including the Department’s 50th Anniversary Committee and Succession Planning Committee, as well as the Regional High Threat Response Committee, Northern Virginia Major Crimes Terror Coordination Committee, and Community Criminal Justice Board.

Captain Cecere is a Valor Award recipient and received numerous awards and commendations throughout his career. He made it a priority throughout his career to instruct and develop our officers to ensure the continued success of the Department. Throughout his career, Captain Cecere has made a positive impact in every assignment, always looking for ways to improve the Department’s ability to provide quality services to the community.

Have a great location for a new trail in PWC? The County wants to hear about it and has created an interactive Trails Comment Map as part of the Pathway to 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update Non-Motorized section of the Mobility Chapter. The map is intended to gather comments about the future of the trail system and NOT about existing trail conditions, maintenance, or facilities issues. 

The County libraries will also be closed on Saturday, January 1.

PWC Public Schools (PWCS) has launch PWCS Vision 2025, a strategic plan with the vision that every student will graduate on-time with the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind necessary to create a thriving future for themselves and their community. More than 4,000 stakeholders, that included parents, students, teachers, administrators, and community leaders. engaged in shaping this plan.

Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and is observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent (issue 94), or the Nativity Fast for Eastern Orthodox churches, and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night.

As recounted in the New Testament, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then spread the word.

Kwanzaa is a celebration of African-American culture that is held from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually held on the 6th day. It was created based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of Africa, including West and Southeast Africa and was first celebrated in 1966. The name Kwanzaa is believed to be derived from the Swahili phrase meaning "first fruits".

A candle-lighting ceremony each evening during the seven days of Kwanzaa. This provides the opportunity to gather and discuss the meaning one of seven associated principles, which are: Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Strength.