Chair Ann Wheeler joined Virginia Delegate Hala Ayala, and Virginia Senator Scott A. Surovell in Prince William Colors' inaugural podcast. The conversation focused on understanding the significant and many ways county and state government impacts our daily lives. Listen to the engaging 20-minute dialogue on any podcast platform. Learn more about Prince William Colors and their future podcast episodes on their social media pages.

Governor Ralph Northam announced a new allocation of more than $220 million in federal CARES Act dollars to help K-12 public schools in Virginia. The funding will support COVID-19 preparedness and response measures for the 2020–2021 school year. The funds will be allocated based on fall enrollment, and PWC Schools will be receiving almost $16 million.

Governor Northam is directing $12 million additional federal CARES Act funding to Virginia’s Rent and Mortgage Relief Program for households and landlords to avoid eviction or foreclosure due to the pandemic. The initial $50 million federal CARES Act funds allocated to the program when it launched in June has been exhausted. Current state and federal eviction court protections do not prevent rent and mortgage payments from accumulating. 

Thanks to the efforts of Chair Wheeler's Service Authority Appointee, they are distributing a total of $2.7 million to customers as a bill credit. The specific credit amount will show as a separate line item on your current billing cycle between

September 29 and October 29. Use the hyperlink for more information on the Service Authority's COVID-related assistance programs.

PWC Government and PWC Schools, through a $2 million grant established by the BOCS from federal CARES Act funds, have created a Childcare Scholarship Program! Families impacted by COVID-19 by job loss, reduction in wages, new childcare expenses due to remote learning, or are teleworking without access to childcare may be eligible. The program is available for up to 1,000 students, Monday through Friday, from 6 am to 6:30 pm, at several Prince William County elementary schools. 

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Halloween will be different this year. To encourage the safety, health and wellbeing of residents, Prince William Health District officials recommend that families do not participate in traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating or other activities that risk transmission of COVID-19. 

The US Census Bureau has extended the window for self-reporting to Saturday, October 31. Please continue to encourage everyone you know to complete the census.

Tuesday, October 13 at 2:00 pm

The work session will be followed by a joint evening work session with the PWC School Board. Remote citizen comment time is not available and the meeting will not be broadcast live. The audio will be recorded and posted on the county website.

For the 13th consecutive year, the on-time graduation rate in PWC Public Schools has continued to increase according to a report released by the Virginia Department of Education. The 93% on-time graduation rate surpasses the overall rate in Virginia of 92.3%. The 2020 graduation rate marks our 13th consecutive year of improvement.

Remember PWC's new state of the art compost facility featured in Issue 32? Now through a combination of funding, including a $88,270 grant appropriated by the BOCS from a U.S. Department of Agriculture division, six schools will pilot a system to collect and divert their food waste to the facility. Then, in a true win-win, our Solid Waste Division will provide the schools with finished compost for use in existing school gardens to help students learn about ecological cycles, the environmental benefits of compost, and applying it to gardens.

PWC received two 2020 Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® Awards from the National Procurement Institute, Inc. The award was earned by 188 public and non-profit agencies in the United States and Canada. PWC Government and Schools received two of eight garnered in Virginia! The award serves to recognize procurement organizations that embrace innovation, professionalism, productivity, leadership and e-procurement.

Each year in October pink is in all sorts of places - NFL football players, airplanes, comic strips, and even The Wheeler Report! While the pandemic has impacted typical, normally in October you would also see a wide variety of walks, vigils, and fund raisers. It's all to put a spotlight on Breast Cancer. Odds are you or someone you know has been impacted by this disease.

The Prince William Historic Preservation Division YouTube Channel is full of great videos about the diverse history located right here. A division of Parks and Recreation, they bring history to life and light through interpretation, research, living history, special events, lectures, and exhibits. You can also visit their website to learn more about them.

Prince William Forest Park was home to many Native American people, including the Doeg and Powhatan tribes. Still today, archeologists can find evidence of stone tools, camping sites, and other traces of Native Americans there.

Looking for something to do with the family this weekend? National Museum of the Marine Corps has extended its display of the two flags raised at Iwo Jima through Monday, October 12. Note, the museum will be open as usual from 9 am to 5 pm on the 12th, Columbus Day.

Then PWC's free Fix-It Fair on Saturday, October 17 from 10:00 am 4:00 is for you! You'll consult with the repair person, drop off the item and pick it up when it's ready. Social distancing and masks are required. Repair work appointments and pre-registration are required.