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Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) denied clemency for John Allen Muhammad on Tuesday, clearing the way for the sniper to be executed by lethal injection at 9 p.m. and putting an end to one of the most trying local criminal cases in U.S. history. Muhammad, 48, was convicted of capital murder in the slaying of Dean Harold Meyers on Oct. 9, 2002, at a gas station outside of Manassas, part of a spree that left 10 people dead in the Washington area and included shootings in several other states. A jury in Virginia Beach, where the trial was moved...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to block the execution of John A. Muhammad, the sniper who terrorized the Washington area seven years ago. The step cleared the way for Mr. Muhammad to be put to death on Tuesday unless Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia intervenes. The court did not comment in refusing to hear Mr. Muhammad’s appeal, but three justices objected to the relative haste accompanying the execution. Justice John Paul Stevens complained that “under our normal practice,” Mr. Muhammad’s petition for the court to take his case would have been discussed at the justices’ conference scheduled...

In 2003, several counties in Northern Virginia banded together to form a joint task force to crack down on illegals and gangs. Then in March of last year, Prince William County made national headlines by upping the ante even further. They passed an ordinance that required County police to verify the immigration status of any criminal or traffic suspects when there was probable cause to think they were in the country illegally. The suspects were held and transferred to ICE, irrespective of the disposition of the underlying charge.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The mastermind of the 2002 Washington, DC-area sniper attacks will die by lethal injection next month, Virginia officials said Tuesday. John Allen Muhammad declined to choose between lethal injection and electrocution, so under state law the method defaults to lethal injection, Virginia Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor said. Muhammad is scheduled to be executed Nov. 10 for the October 2002 slaying of Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas gas station during a string of shootings. The three-week killing spree in October 2002 left 10 dead in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad will die by lethal injection when he is executed next month, Virginia officials said Tuesday. Muhammad declined to choose between lethal injection and electrocution, so under state law the method defaults to lethal injection, Virginia Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor said. Muhammad is scheduled to be executed Nov. 10 for the October 2002 slaying of Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas gas station during a string of shootings.

Space could be tight in Virginia's death house Nov. 10, with victims' family members seeking to attend the execution of Beltway sniper John Allen Muhammad. Muhammad, 48, and Lee Boyd Malvo, 24, were convicted of crimes committed during a three-week shooting rampage in October 2002 that killed 10 and wounded three in Virginia, Washington and Maryland. They also have been linked to woundings and slayings in other states. Muhammad was sentenced to death in Virginia for the Oct. 9, 2002, slaying of Dean Harold Meyers, 53, who was shot at a Manassas-area service station where he stopped for fuel while...

Prince William County decided not to join Arlington County in its lawsuit against high-occupancy toll lanes on Interstates 95 and 395, citing what it characterizes as race-baiting and class warfare in the suit. The county considered joining the suit because it shared concerns about the HOT lanes’ proceeding without a proper environmental study and their effect on traffic, but Board Chairman Corey Stewart, R-At large, said the board unanimously agreed Arlington’s suit raised too many concerns. “The board had a closer look at the suit and there are allegations in there about Pierce Homer, the secretary of transportation, and about...

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Monday he can't think of any reason he would stop the execution of Washington, D.C.-area sniper John Allen Muhammad. Muhammad is scheduled to be executed Nov. 10 for the October 2002 killing spree that left 10 dead in the nation's capital, Virginia and Maryland. "I know of nothing in this case now that would suggest that there is any credible claim of innocence or that there was anything procedurally wrong with the prosecution," Kaine said on his monthly call-in radio show on WTOP. Kaine said he would review Muhammad's petition for clemency when he...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - A judge in Virginia on Wednesday set the date of execution of Washington sniper John Allen Muhammad to Nov. 10. The decision of Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Mary Grace O'Brien will send Muhammad to the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt for lethal injection. Muhammad's lawyer said he plans to appeal the ruling before the U.S. Supreme Court or seek clemency from Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D).Muhammad was sentenced to death in 2003 for the killing of Dean H. Meyers in 2002. He and accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo sniped 13 victims in the Maryland, the...

Court sets execution date for Washington, DC sniper mastermind A Virginia judge has ruled that the mastermind behind the 2002 sniper attacks in Washington, DC that left 10 people dead will be executed on November 10. John Allen Muhammad is expected to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and ask Governor Timothy M. Kaine for clemency. Muhammad was sentenced to death for the slaying of Dean Meyers, one of 10 people shot to death during a 2002 rampage that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area. uhammad and teenage accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo killed six people in Alabama and Louisiana before moving...

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia is seeking a Nov. 9 execution for John Allen Muhammad, mastermind of the deadly 2002 sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area. A prosecutor requested the execution date in a letter sent on Wednesday to Prince William Circuit Court in Manassas.

Via Greg L. at BVBL, it looks as if the "For Lease" signs are already up in what is/was the Deeds campaign offices in Prince William County: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIl9Gia6er8&feature=player_embeddedUPDATE: The WashPo's Monday Labor Day edition does little to dispel the notion that Deeds is pulling out of PWC, citing his struggle "against anonymity in Northern Virginia" which has led him to a strategy of shoring up what should be his natural constituency in small towns. The amount of time Deeds spends in rural Virginia has also worried some Northern Virginia supporters, who say it would be a mistake to assume that...

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Christopher Blakeney, age 21, of Prince William County, Va., was sentenced to 384 months in prison today for his involvement in a string of armored car robberies that occurred in Prince William and Fairfax Counties. Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Joseph Persichini Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge James C. Cacheris. Blakeney had entered a guilty plea in United States District Court in Alexandria, Va., on May 13, 2009. Blakeney and his conspirators stole approximately $360,000...

The coffee was still brewing when Chris Ann Cleland got her first reminder of the day that voting for Barack Obama might have been a mistake. The Prince William County real estate agent was sitting at a long wooden table covered with paperwork. Her clients, a young couple who had brought their 2-week-old baby, were finalizing a short sale on a townhouse that they were anxious to unload, even if it meant ruining their credit, because they had maxed out their credit cards trying to make the payments. For Cleland, it was another example -- one of many this day...

A year before Prince William County police say he raped an 8-year-old girl, court documents show an illegal immigrant from Honduras was released by Montgomery County police after being arrested for second-degree assault. Marcos Banegas has been on the run since Feb. 16 when Prince William County police charged him with forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual battery of a Woodbridge girl. But before moving to Prince William where police say he cut hair at a local salon, the 26-year-old was arrested by Montgomery County police. Banegas was accused of “violently” grabbing a stroller, causing the child inside to be shaken,...

Prince William County Tea Party Yesterday was cold and wet. A constant rain, not a driving rain, but a constant rain coupled with dark skies and cold temperatures. There were three Tea Parties in Northern Virginia that I was aware of. The first one was in Prince William County and scheduled to begin at noon. The location was the James J. McCoart Administration Center. This building is located in Woodbridge, Virginia next to the busy Prince William Parkway. I live in a neighboring county and anticipated it would be difficult to find. It was easy to find and I arrived...

Report confirms aggravated assault down by 36.5 percent. BY ALYSSA FARAH Following a crackdown on illegal immigration, officials in Prince William County in northern Virginia are reporting their numbers reveal a significant decrease in violent crimes committed. The violent crime rate in Prince William County plummeted 22 percent in 2008, according to new reports. In recent years, the county had experienced a steady influx of illegal immigrants that led to its development of one of the most aggressive immigration policies in the nation.

Police say one burglar was shot and another stabbed breaking into a Woodbridge home Sunday night. James Baumann Jr., 28, and Jason Lewis Presley, 32, are accused in a burglary in the 15100 block of Georgia Road about 11:30 p.m. Police say one of them was armed with a knife. The 41-year-old resident of the house heard the burglars and went to investigate, said Erika Hernandez, Prince William police spokeswoman. When the victim saw the two men, a fight ensued. Police said the resident grabbed a knife from one of the burglars and stabbed him. Baumann suffered stab wounds and...

Immigrants rally in Prince William County against an alleged incident of police brutality.

-------------cut-------------- The incident happened shortly after 10 a.m. in the 3300 block of Dondis Creek Drive, police said. When an alarm sounded at a home in the 3300 block of Dondis Creek Drive after 10 a.m., the 47-year-old woman inside the home discovered three men trying to break in, grabbed a handgun and confronted the group, according to police. The three men fled, but one turned and began to approach the woman, who fired the handgun, police said. A patrol officer responding to the scene saw two men walking in the neighborhood and stopped them, police said. One was suffering...

As Property Values Plunge, Tax Bills Might Not Follow By Ashley Halsey III Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, December 26, 2008; B01 Homeowners whose property values have plummeted as much as 40 percent are unlikely to see a corresponding drop in their real estate taxes next year, and some might face a tax increase as the counties surrounding the District struggle with huge budget shortfalls. Nearly every county in the region is deep in red ink, with some of the most populous jurisdictions looking at overwhelming budget gaps: Fairfax County faces a $650 million shortfall; Montgomery County, $450 million; and...

A teenage neighborhood burglar broke into a Dale City home last week, shot and killed a former schoolmate he unexpectedly found asleep on the couch and then killed the teen resident's mother when she got home and tried to call police, Prince William County authorities said yesterday. In the end, police officials said, the 17-year-old left the house with personal items worth less than $1,000.

Staff Published: December 22, 2008 Prince William County police have charged a 17-year-old in the double slayings of a Dale City woman and her teenage son. Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert said Monday that Jean C. Smith, 39, and her son James Smith, 19, were killed during an attempted burglary at their home on Langford Court on Friday afternoon. The 17-year-old, who lives in the neighborhood, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, burglary and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Neighbors and sources identified the teen as Xavier Pinckney. His girlfriend, 22-year-old Jacqueline Munoz,...

A man charged with vandalizing houses and businesses last week in the Gainesville area with messages targeting Republican Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign was not motivated by politics, and the acts don't qualify as hate crimes, Prince William County police said today. Daniel Marion Jackson, 23, of Gainesville, has been charged with 21 counts of misdemeanor destruction of property and is being held without bond. He turned himself in Nov. 6 after police obtained warrants for his arrest. Prince William police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez declined to comment on why investigators concluded the vandalism was not politically motivated. The graffiti also...

Brack Obama will be holding a rally tonight at the Prince William County Fairgrounds in Manassas.This is NoVa Freepers' last chance to make your best argument in person against an Obama presidency.Details from WDBJ-TV:Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama will appear in Virginia again on Monday. The rally will be held at the Prince William County Fairgrounds in Manassas. The program begins at 9 p.m. The gates open at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

Manassas police officers will begin checking the residency status of everyone arrested starting Dec. 1, the city announced Tuesday. The policy is intended to bring the department's immigration laws into "lockstep" with Prince William County's recently revised law, officials said. Under the policy, Manassas police officers will ask about the immigration status of anyone arrested for violation of a state or local law. However, as in Prince William, police will be able to ask about a person's residency before arrest if the officer thinks the person may be in the country illegally. "I think the [City] Council is certainly in...

Never have I ever seen a display of disgusting vile grafitti Twenty-five residents of a Gainesville neighborhood woke up this morning to discover their homes had been spray-painted with an obscene comment about the 2008 presidential race. Several businesses were hit as well. “This is clear voter intimidation,� Corey A. Stewart, At-Large Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, said. “The residents targeted by these hoodlums all had McCain for President yard signs in their front yards.� “Having your home defaced with obscenity because of political beliefs is a hate crime� Stewart said, “This is terrorizing the community.�

First I need to credit "Mrs L" at Hillary Clinton Forums for this post on the thread of the same name. Today In The Gulag Of Manassas Park ObamaManiacs Show Their Class I guess rabid supporters of Barack Obama aren’t too concerned about losing the Christian vote, now that they’ve deployed satanist vandals to spray paint expletive-ridden denunciations of John McCain on people’s houses in Virginia Oaks. As campaign operations go, this is pathetically stupid, although not too terribly surprising. For more Obamamania goodness, go to the jump…

At a John McCain rally in Woodbridge, Virginia, three people handed out "Obama for Change" bumper stickers with the Communist sickle and hammer and the Islamic crescent, saying Obama was a socialist with ties to radical Islam. Several moderate McCain supporters, Muslim and Christian alike, struck back - relentlessly bombarding the group distributing the flyers until they left the premises.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain on Saturday accused Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama of pursuing a socialist agenda and seeking to hide his intention to redistribute wealth as part of a massive government welfare program. Mr. McCain repeatedly cashed in on the October surprise of Joe the Plumber on the campaign trail Saturday, and also used his radio address to make the taboo "socialism" charge against Mr. Obama based on his candid admission to the Ohio blue-collar worker that he wants to "spread the wealth around." "Joe, in his plainspoken way, said this sounded a lot like...

JOIN JOHN MCCAIN & JIM GILMORE THIS SATURDAY Join John McCain and Jim Gilmore this Saturday, October 18th at 2:00 pm for the Road to Victory Rally at Sean Connaughton Plaza in Woodbridge. What: Road to Victory Rally When: Saturday, October 18th at 2:00 pm Where: Sean Connaughton Plaza Prince William County Complex (Located off the Prince William County Parkway) 1 County Complex Court Woodbridge, VA Click here for a map and directions Come out and show your support for John McCain, Jim Gilmore and your Republican ticket.

10/18/2008 8:00:00 AM - Concord, NC Road to Victory Rally in Concord, NC Please join Senator John McCain for a Road to Victory Rally in Concord, NC on Saturday October 18th. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/18/2008 8:30:00 AM - Lancaster, PA Road to Victory Rally in Lancaster, PA Please join Governor Sarah Palin for a Road to Victory Rally in Lancaster, PA on Saturday October 18th. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/18/2008 1:00:00 PM - Woodbridge , VA Road to Victory Rally in Prince William County, VA Please join Senator John McCain for a Road to Victory Rally in Prince William County, VA on Saturday October 18th....

John McCain Visiting Prince William County This Saturday! John McCain Needs You to Show Up! McCain Rally DATE: Saturday, October 18 TIME: Gates Open at 1:00PM, Rally begins at 2:00PM LOCATION: Sean Connaughton Plaza Prince William County Complex 1 County Complex Court (Located located off the Prince William County Parkway) Woodbridge, VA 22192 MORE: Tickets are available Online by visiting Here. You can also pick up your tickets at the Fairfax County Republican Committee HQ, located at 4246 Chainbridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030. Our office is open 9AM-9PM. Any questions, please e-mail: virginia@johnmccain.com or by calling 703-766-4467. Tickets are available...

An Alexandria woman who apparently had been abducted from a shopping mall and forced into her own car by robbers was killed yesterday in Prince William County when the car crashed as the robbers fled from pursuers, authorities said. The woman was identified as Barbara Jean Bosworth, 61, of White Post Court. She was killed about 3 p.m. near Route 1 in the Woodbridge area when the speeding car went out of control and crashed into trees, according to Prince William County police. Police said two men who were in the car with Bosworth were critically injured and flown to...

If you ever ran into Nokesville dad Thomas S. Vander Woude, chances are you would also see his son Joseph. Whether Vander Woude was volunteering at church, coaching basketball or working on his farm, Joseph was often right there with him, pitching in with a smile, friends and neighbors said yesterday. When Joseph, 20, who has Down syndrome, fell into a septic tank Monday in his back yard, Vander Woude jumped in after him. He saved him. And he died where he spent so much time living: at his son's side.

MANASSAS, VA — Joe Biden’s had a lot of praise for Alaska Governor Sarah Palin — maybe too much praise. He’s said all day that Palin did “a good job” in her convention speech last night, and calling her a tough debate opponent, he seems to be raising expectations for her debate performance next month. But he can also sounds a bit patronizing. At a sparsely attended discussion at George Mason’s Prince WIlliam County campus, Biden went a step further in at the same time praising and denigrating Palin — demoting his Republican rival in remarks about last night’s big...

For years immigrant entrepreneurs have taken over small stations with relatively weak signals, providing what for many Caribbean and Latin American immigrants is a key source of information about their local communities, U.S. life and politics, and news from the homeland. When Carlos Aragon, a native of El Salvador, founded Radio Fiesta six years ago on the second story of a strip mall in Woodbridge, he intended it to play just that role for Hispanics in Prince William County. "The intention was to create a bridge between the Hispanic and the Anglo community, interviewing politicians and informing the community and...

The family that planted corn in the front yard of their $500,000 home is gone from Carrie Oliver's street. So are the neighbors who drilled holes into the trees to string up a hammock. Oliver's list goes on: The loud music. The beer bottles. The littered diapers. All gone. When she and her husband, Ron, went for walks in their Manassas area neighborhood, she would take a trash bag and he would carry a handgun. No more. "So much has changed," she said in a gush of relief, standing with her husband on a warm summer evening recently outside a...

Prince William County (VA) officials Friday attributed a 19.3 percent decline in crimes against people from 2006 to 2007 to last year’s crackdown on illegal immigrants. Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart said the major difference between Prince William and other counties where crime is on the rise is the county’s “very aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration...” But Nancy Lyall of Mexicans Without Borders, an immigrant advocacy group, said that the declining crime rates are misleading....Prince William’s homicides declined by 43.8 percent, from 16 to nine, the incidence of rape increased by 33.3 percent, from 21 to 28, robberies declined...

Exactly 15 years ago this week the world first heard the story of John Wayne and Lorena Bobbitt. John Wayne, an ex-Marine, was accused of coming home drunk and raping his wife. Lorena was accused of retaliating by cutting off her husband's penis while he was asleep. Lorena went from anonymous to notorious - her story the subject of countless newspaper and magazine articles. Now in her first ever network morning show interview she discusses how she's using her notoriety to help others. "All of a sudden, my private life is out in the open and it's an open book...

Loudoun County law enforcement officials said yesterday they will start routinely checking the immigration status of all people arrested in the county if deputies suspect they are in the United States illegally, implementing a policy similar to one that set off controversy in neighboring Prince William County. Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson (I) told the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors that he had reached agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to participate in a program that ultimately seeks to deport illegal immigrants convicted of serious felonies.

The U.N. plans to examine Prince William County's aggressive crackdown on illegal immigrants during a visit next week. Jorge Bustamante, the United Nation's special rapporteur on migrants' rights, plans to receive briefings on local enforcement measures, and meet with local officials. County Chairman Corey Stewart said he is willing to meet with Bustamante, but sharply rebuked the international body for what he called an anti-American agenda. But the UN should not have a role, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. "Our immigration policy is not a subject for the U.N. or any foreign institution, pure...

WASHINGTON-The United Nations plans to examine Prince William County’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigrants during a visit next week. Jorge Bustamante, the United Nation’s special rapporteur on migrants’ rights, plans to tour Manassas and Woodbridge, receive briefings on local enforcement measures, and attempt to meet with local officials. He contacted immigrant leaders in the county two months ago to begin preparing for a visit, saying he was interested in the landmark nature of the county’s actions. Special rapporteurs are tasked with reviewing human-rights issues of international concern to raise political pressure and shape public opinion, but cannot issue sanctions. The...

 From: Obama for America [mailto:info@barackobama.com] Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 5:19 PMTo:Subject: Thursday: Barack Obama in Prince William County  Please join Barack Obama for a Rally in Prince William County, where he'll talk about his vision for bringing America together and creating the kind of change we can believe in.Rally with Barack ObamaNissan Pavilion7800 Cellar Door DriveBristow, VAThursday, June 5thDoors Open: 3:00 p.m.Program Starts: 6:00 p.m. http://va.barackobama.com/bristowThe event is free and open to the public. Tickets are NOT required, but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal...

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Business at Pedro Vargas' store, Club Video Mexico, has slid so steeply that only eight people walked through the door one day last month. One thing he has been selling, however, are one-way bus tickets from northern Virginia to Texas and Mexico. Soon he'll be getting his own ticket out of town – seeking a friendlier and more lucrative place to do business. “The last few months have been very, very bad for us,” said Vargas, who plans to move this summer from Prince William County, about 25 miles southwest of Washington, to Utah, where he recently...

The linked video attempts to portray the dire consequences of Prince William County's anti-illegal immigration ordinance, and it includes pans of the inside of two empty restaurants in the area. I'm trying to "bust" the filmmakers; see my earlier discussion of the video here. Note that they've been promoted by both the Washington Post and Youtube. Could someone in the area look into whether these restaurants are really as empty as claimed, or whether this was a setup, and then post their findings here? The restaurants are El Portal Restaurant in Woodbridge and the Casablanca restaurant/dance club on Route 28...

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors last night approved an addition to its 2-month-old crackdown on illegal immigrants, considered one of the most aggressive in country. With the board's decision, county police can verify the immigration status of anyone they arrest, even for minor infractions such as speeding or jaywalking.

WASHINGTON -- Prince William County's illegal immigration crackdown appears to be spurring some families to send their children to schools elsewhere in northern Virginia. According to the Prince William school system, enrollment in English as a Second Language classes dropped by 759 students from September through March. During that same period, 623 ESOL students from Prince William enrolled in Fairfax County schools, compared with 241 in the same period the previous year. Eighty-three enrolled in Arlington County, 75 enrolled in the city of Alexandria and 23 signed up in Loudoun County. Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart...

Hundreds of foreign-born families have pulled their children from Prince William County public schools and enrolled them in nearby Fairfax County, Arlington County and Alexandria since the start of the school year, imposing a new financial burden on those inner suburbs in a time of lean budgets. The school-to-school migration within Northern Virginia started just as Prince William began implementing rules to deny some services to illegal immigrants and require police to check the immigration status of crime suspects thought to be in the country illegally. ... According to the Prince William school system, enrollment in the English for speakers...

Federal immigration officials acknowledge that they have failed to keep pace with the number of illegal immigrants arrested in Prince William County and are meeting with county leaders to resolve the problem. "Both parties recognized that due to the dramatic increase in the number of aliens being sent to [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] beyond the originally projected caseload, closer coordination will be required," said agency spokeswoman Ernestine Fobbs. "It's a large influx. We are removing them as efficiently and quickly as we can." Miss Fobbs did not further explain the extent of the delay or the process. In July,...