It seems that convicted killer Paul Powell has filed for clemency.  His lawyers say even though he has been bizarre and obnoxious he doesn’t deserve  to do.  His execution has been set for March 18. 

The boom boom boom we have all heard is coming from Quantico.  The News and Messenger reports the following:

Quantico Marine Corps is blasting this week.

Residents in the area have been hearing loud booms today as a result munitions training that is expected to last all week. The overcast skies are increasing noise and vibrations, base officials said.

The training continues through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day.

The BOCS met yesterday.  I believe they voted to restrict parking long Coppermine Drive off Williamson Blvd.  I sure hope so.  It is a blight.  I do wish the BOCS would read out what they are voting on and what yea and nay means in the case of the vote.  I often am unsure what the vote is.  It would add more transparency to county government.

Please add to the news.

26 Thoughts to “Manassas Area News and Updates”

  1. Captain Idiot-Face

    We were wondering all day yesterday where that booming was coming from. We were debating between Belvoir and Quantico

  2. It really was nerve-racking. I wish that if that were going on we would get advanced notice. I always wonder if we are being invaded.

  3. Lafayette

    My husband looked at me like I was crazy yesterday morning when I told him I’m sure it’s Quantico. He’s still a “newcomer” and had never heard Quantico here. Back in the day we also, had the pleasure of ARC and it’s testing that would rock the house too.

    Powell’s day is coming. Fire up “Ole Sparky”. Clemency will be DENIED!!! His day is LONG overdue.

  4. Gainesville Resident

    Quantico frequently does training drills that involve large explosions. I’ve seen press reports of that often whenever unusual booming sounds come from there. Usually they put out a notice to people that there is going to be some training exercise going on.

    As to Powell – I can’t see how anyone would grant him clemency. Maybe he may manage to delay it AGAIN, but sooner or later – he’ll be getting zapped! Good riddance to him when he does – all he’s done is waste a lot of taxpayer money in his endless appeals and so on. He did himself in with that stupid nasty letter he sent to the prosecutor – and now he wants to claim he shouldn’t be put to death? He’s living in a fantasy land…

  5. Gainesville Resident

    For future reference (I know this does not help now) – but Quantico does usually post on their website about noise advisories.

    The website is at http://www.quantico.usmc.mil/

    Right at the top of that page there’s a link to the following article: http://www.quantico.usmc.mil/Sentry/StoryView.aspx?SID=3880

    Of course, that says you have to keep an eye on their website. So, it is kind of a pain to do that obviously, but just throwing that out there. And, it doesn’t help those who were surprised by this latest noise!

  6. Gainesville Resident

    Also, the bottom of that article states: “All questions regarding this training should be directed to the Quantico Public Affairs Office at: (703) 784-2741 — [Fax (703) 784-0065]”

    I suppose if you called that number, maybe they could tell you a more automated way to find out, I wonder if they might set up a mass e-mail to concerned people who’d like to be notified of future events. Maybe it already exists? I don’t know. I have a feeling Quantico would feel it is in their best interests to make sure residents around the base are forewarned of these activities, and maybe they already have a system in place and not many people know about it?

    Someone who really is interested probably should call that phone number and ask them some questions like that.

    I’ve been around bases enough so booming sounds don’t bother me. But I can see how it is scary to those who don’t know – and it is amazing how far those things travel – given that they made it all the way to Manassas from Quantico. That doesn’t surprise me however.

  7. Gainesville Resident

    One last thing I found interesting – that article states “** Please Note: Effects of training vary depending on weather conditions. Overcast conditions may increase noise and vibrations. **”

    That makes sense to me. It was overcast yesterday so indeed, the noise would bounce off of the cloud deck, and could travel much further than on a clear sunny day! I guess that means, be prepared for more noise today up in Manassas!

    I think tomorrow is supposed to be sunny though (the training seems to end this weekend, or maybe tomorrow – the notice is a little confusing reading about that).

  8. Gainesville Resident

    Lafayette :
    Powell’s day is coming. Fire up “Ole Sparky”. Clemency will be DENIED!!! His day is LONG overdue.

    I do hope it doesn’t get delayed anymore – and he gets it on Mar. 18. He has managed so far to get several delays or “stays of execution”. I thought though, he had already asked for clemency but maybe I’m confused about that. He has zero chance of getting it, but I guess he could manage to delay the inevitable once again! Sooner or later though, he’s going to totally exhaust all legal avenues of appeal! At that point, he’ll be facing the music…

  9. Gainesville Resident

    I know this is kind of morbid, but I hope they have a press report there to cover the execution. They usually do on “infamous” murderers when they get the lethal injection. I don’t know about the electric chair – seems to me the details will be a bit more grisly! Still, it’s like a train wreck – I want to look away but I can’t. Someone as bad/evil as he is, I have a curiosity about how his time in the electric chair will go!

  10. Gainesville Resident

    Meant to say “press reporter” in my first sentence – otherwise it kind of doesn’t make sense what I wrote.

  11. GR has his Fry Baby party planned on March 18. That sure is one I won’t have misgivings about. Paul Ebert is supposed to attend this frying isn’t he? I hope he laughs.

    Yea, GR, it is like a train wreck. Grisly but I cannot turn my head with this creep.

  12. Where is the birthday boy? Are spankings in order?

    Happy Birthday C-Idiot face!!! or the name I call you by.

  13. Rez

    hello :
    Missing report – has anyone seen this man, he is missing for about a year:
    http://www.breitbart.tv/obama-american-agenda-flashback-dems-should-not-pass-healthcare-with-a-50-plus-1-strategy

    Hello, thanks for posting this. Sure seems like HYPOCRISY to me. Let’s see, when you are a democratic senator trying to stop a republican president, reconciliation is absolutely wrong for major policy like health care.

    But when you are a democratic president, it is justified.

    HYPOCRISY ALERT

  14. You all haven’t been around politics much, have you? Rez, I would have thought you more …conditioned. Politics is full of hypocrisy. Both sides.

  15. Captain Idiot-Face

    It is I, slowpoke rodriguez, now 40 years old. No spankings, please. I tripped the other day and fell down for the first time in about 20 years the other day, and instead of bouncing right back up like I was spring-loaded, I lay there for a few seconds and had this overwhelming thought: “That is an entirely different kind of experience than it was 20 years ago.”

  16. Rez

    Moon-howler :
    You all haven’t been around politics much, have you? Rez, I would have thought you more …conditioned. Politics is full of hypocrisy. Both sides.

    Seems like some on here have made a habit of pointing out hypocrisy. I just thought I should help them, don’t you think?

  17. Yea Rez, help them. I don’t know who has been doing that. All politics is hypocrisy in my world. I don’t think I know of exceptions. I just get grouchy when one side is let off the hook. I want them all caught.

    No spankings for Slowpoke. About falling…the spring load soon turns into a forklift. Getting old sucks but it beats the alternative. Happy Birthday! Carpe Diem.

  18. Rez

    Well, looking in the Washington Post this morning, the republican party seems to have a very good 20-20 aim on their foot as usual. Seems they can’t just ride high in the polls to be satisfied, they have to give voice to disgusting fund raising.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030304158.html?hpid=topnews

    When will the different parties learn how to reign themselves in??

  19. I don’t think they ever will. Thanks for bringing this incident to our attention. I am going to try to imbed the video.

  20. Gainesville Resident

    Moon-howler :
    GR has his Fry Baby party planned on March 18. That sure is one I won’t have misgivings about. Paul Ebert is supposed to attend this frying isn’t he? I hope he laughs.
    Yea, GR, it is like a train wreck. Grisly but I cannot turn my head with this creep.

    I didn’t realize Ebert was attending it, but that makes sense – he definitely deserves to be there! I’m sure a lot of people will be celebrating on March 18 if things go on schedule! If not, well sooner or later he won’t be able to keep delaying the inevitable…

  21. Gainesville Resident

    Moon-howler :
    You all haven’t been around politics much, have you? Rez, I would have thought you more …conditioned. Politics is full of hypocrisy. Both sides.

    Yes, neither side has the monopoly on hypocrisy. Lately, both sides are doing a lot of things that are just very polarizing. It will be interesting to see what happens. If the Dems go the reconciliation route – it will make for a VERY VERY interesting 2010 election season, I think!

  22. Gainesville Resident

    I should actually have said, neither side has the monopoly on bad behavior, dishonest tactics, etc. etc.

    Both sides are full of politicians. By their nature, politicians are dishonest, engage in immoral/unethical conduct and tactics, and cause lots of conflict more often than not.

    That’s my own personal view. I always laugh when someone points out what one side has done and takes offense. More often than not, i can find examples of the other side doing exactly the same thing. At this point in time, both the Democrats and Republicans are just accomplishing nothing, and both are about equally to blame. Although, if the Dems go the reconciliation route – I would say in my book the scale will definitely tip to the Democrat side. They let it be known very early on (via good old Pelosi) that Republican ideas were neither wanted, desired, or encouraged. She set the tone for this mess a year ago, when she figured she had a majority in the House and the Senate, and could just ram anything she wanted through. She wasn’t savvy enough to anticipate what followed, with some moderate Dems breaking away, and then Kennedy’s death, etc. A smart politician would have realized “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”. Pelosi is not smart, and this is an example of that. While no one could have anticipated what followed, anyone with half a brain would have realized it was dumb to come out guns blazing and say “we don’t need or want any ideas from the Republicans and we will pass this healthcare reform no matter what”. I’m paraphrasing, but that’s what she said basically. Harry Reid also kind of made similar statements, to a lesser degree.

  23. Agreed, GR.

    Update on the news Pentagon is under lockdown. 3 people shot at the Pentagon Metro at rush hour.

    Plane taking off from Manassas airport crashes into a house in Louisa County.

  24. Gainesville Resident

    I saw both news items. I see this morning the Pentagon shooter did not survive. They are still trying to piece together what went on and the Pentagon Metro stop is closed, because they are still analyzing all the bullet trajectories, etc! Kind of scary how many crazy people seem to be out there these days. According to WTOP, this guy may have had some beef about the military doing something that led to some Marine’s suicide. Also, this guy may have been arrested for drug dealing in the past, or maybe for growing pot or somethng! I kind of heard this on the way into work this morning, but missed the exact details.

    The plane that crashed after first flying out of Manassas, that’s sort of spooky. Although, it did land at some airport near Richmond for refueling, and then crashed a few minutes after takeoff from that airport. Still, it originated out of Manassas airport. Manassas airport has had other crashes and tragedies over the years, unfortunately. I guess all airports do, however.

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