Rebecca Barnes lives in Prince William County but on Jan. 4, 2022 was traveling home from Orlando where she spends a lot of time, especially around the holiday season. She told DC News Now she was stuck in the standstill for approximately 17 hours.

"We had just gotten off the highway earlier, used the bathroom, gotten food, filled up with gas," she said. "We couldn't have been in a better situation, in a bad situation."

Barnes described the sequence of events that led to the traffic jam the "perfect storm, no pun intended."

This year, several Virginia agencies and officials are preparing for the worst, even as the forecast continues to give clarity on the storm.

The Virginia Department of Transportation told DC News Now it brined in all four of its Northern Virginia counties, Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, and Loudoun counties in addition to all interstates and primary roads. It also said 780 trucks will be on standby.

VDOT also outlined a few procedural changes since the 2022 shutdown, including more road monitors to lessen reliance on traffic cameras.

Barnes said she's hopeful the state is better prepared, especially after two reports outlined critical errors back in 2022.

"Let's face it, if they set aside a whole bunch of money for a snowstorm and it didn't snow that year, people would be crying out about waste of taxpayer dollars," she said. "But on the flip side, when something like [the 2022 shutdown] happens, people get upset and say, 'poor planning.' Right? So it has to be somewhere in between."

Barnes, who was in Orlando on Friday night, said she's not traveling during the impending winter weather. "I drive in all kinds of situations, and if I have to come back, I would come back," but describing the importance of keeping as many cars off the road as possible.

Barnes also serves with an area fire department as a volunteer. She said while local crews have some lessons they could learn, namely how they can offer aid or check in on travelers, most of the impetus for preparation falls on the statewide agencies, given the magnitude of a winter storm.

The City of Fairfax Police Department said in a news release Friday that the new lights are part of an initiative "aimed at increasing public safety and visibility of our officers on patrol."

The police department said that the "cruise mode" lights are low-intensity and steady burning -- unlike the flashing lights and siren that indicate an emergency response and urgent situation.

Police said that if you see a vehicle with "cruise mode" lights on, there is no need to stop or yield unless an officer directs you to do so.

The Fairfax County Government Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery released some safety tips for paw parents.

• Bring outdoor pets inside: Bring outdoor cats and dogs inside during periods of extreme cold and prepare a comfortable space for them. Make sure outdoor shelters are protected from wind and are well-insulated.
• Provide plenty of fresh water: Maintain fresh and unfrozen water outdoors for pets as dehydration may occur. Water consumption can increase with drier air from indoor heating.
• Feed extra calories for warmth: Cold weather may cause pets to need more calories to generate body heat and maintain a healthy metabolism. Consider high calorie supplements such as animal fats or oils.
• Watch for signs of Frostbite and Hypothermia: If frostbite or hypothermia is suspected, wrap your pet in warm blankets and take them indoors or to a vet immediately. Do not warm the affected areas too quickly as it may cause more damage.

For more information, click here.

One of the more popular resolution is to quit drinking for the first month of the year, otherwise known as Dry January.  

It started as a social media movement that has exploded in popularity. Dry January is meant to encourage people to rethink their relationship with alcohol, take a break from it and become aware of their drinking habits.

The month-long feat to be sober has health benefits, according to Dr. Elspeth Ritchie, chair of Psychiatry at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. 

“It's going to depend on the person, but there's really no downside unless you're heavily addicted, in which case you should consult a medical professional so you'll feel better about yourself.

Ritchie said it could also help with weight loss.

"You'll likely have more of a spring in your step and you'll know that you can do it,” she said.

Ritchie said there are challenges, though, for some people partaking in Dry January.

“One [has] the ability to stop drinking. That can be harder than you think, especially if it's built into your social life or into a habit," she said. "Another challenge can be difficult to get into sleep. Often when people stop drinking, it becomes tough for them to fall asleep."

Dry January can be dangerous for some who give up booze, particularly heavy drinkers who can experience withdrawal. Symptoms include tremors in the hand, shakes and sweating.

"The best thing to do is to talk to your physician or other medical professional If you're going to do it and are worried that you might have withdrawal. You might be able to get some medications to help with withdrawal. There's also medications that help with craving, and that might be right for you as well,” Ritchie said.

For 30 days, users of ClassPass will receive credits to use toward palates, yoga, boxing and gym visits on your own, according to their website.

Promoted as a "credit-based membership" granting access to "gyms, salons and spas," ClassPass terms and conditions indicate consumers can get 43 credits to use in one month for free, (an $89 value) but consumers are limited to a studio or gym visit just once; no double-dipping allowed.

ClassPass' online locator lists many courses and gyms in the metro Washington region.

A recent Forbes survey found that on average, New Year resolutions last just shy of 4 months.

Rather than feeling burn-out from one workout, ClassPass could offer a shakeup in your regiment by using available credits for different workouts.

Other local fitness discounts to start the year include Montgomery County's free fitness passes for residents to access gyms, game rooms and community recreation centers.

Fairfax County says consumers can receive 15% off annual memberships for their rec centers, tracks, classes and more; a discount that lasts through January 31.

It's been a year since the classroom shooting in which a 6-year-old shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.

The incident that occurred on Jan. 6, 2023, shook the whole community. A 6-year-old boy, using his mother's handgun, pulled the gun out while inside his first-grade classroom and fired one shot at Zwerner, his teacher. The bullet went through her hand and into her chest.

Zwerner said not only does she have physical scars from that day, but also emotional scars that will never go away.

The mother of the child and owner of the firearm, Deja Taylor, was sentenced back in November in connection with the incident. Zwerner is now suing the school for not taking action that could've prevented the shooting.

The former first-grade teacher said that since that day, it has felt as though her life has been put on hold.

"I was moving forward in my career and looking forward to continuing my career year after year, then it just stopped," Zwerner said.

The trauma she experienced because of the incident affected her both mentally and physically. Her memory of that day has been the same.

"The same thing that stuck out to me is the student's look on his face when he pulled out the firearm and pointed it right at me," Zwerner said. "That look — and the look after the firearm went off. Traumatic. Horrifying."

She was looking forward to continuing her career, but that changed one year ago.

"I had to basically sit back and, you know, observe all of my friends continuing their careers and continuing their lives, and I feel like I had setbacks — but not fair setbacks,” Zwerner said.

To this day, Zwerner still has physical reminders of the incident.

"I still have a bullet — bullet fragments — that remain in my upper left chest and, you know, still some scars that those won't go away either,” Zwerner said.

The lawsuit against Richneck Elementary School

Zwerner didn't return to the classroom after that day.

In June, Nexstar's WAVY obtained from Newport News Public Schools an email exchange between Zwerner and the NNPS Human Resources Department. The two identical emails were sent on March 20 and May 22 with the subject line of “Exit Letter.” They stated that “NNPS has processed a separation of employment for you effective the close of business 06/12/2023.”

The one-page email from the Human Resources Department explained exiting information, per standard NNPS policy. The email outlined what items Zwerner was to turn in, where to address questions regarding leave balances, paychecks, VRS retirement plans and insurance benefits, and invited her to complete an exit questionnaire.

Zwerner's attorney, Jeffrey Breit, said then, “I don’t think you can read this any other way than you’ve been fired."

However, according to NNPS spokesperson Michelle Price, Zwerner notified the school system in March that she would not be returning. In part of an email exchange between Zwerner and the division’s Human Resources Department, Zwerner said, simply: "I wish to resign. Thank you.”

The school district's statement in part said, "Ms. Zwerner was an employee of Newport News Public Schools until June 12, 2023, the last day of her contract."

According to Breit, Zwerner hadn't been paid from February until June. He claimed they tried to make her take worker's compensation, but when she wouldn’t take it, they just stopped paying her.

Zwerner is proceeding with a lawsuit against the school system over claims of negligence by the school administrators. A judge ruled on Nov. 3, 2023, that the former teacher could proceed with her $40 million lawsuit despite the school's argument that her incident falls under worker's compensation.

The lawsuit alleges that the school ignored multiple warnings that the student had a gun and was in a violent mood.

"Abby relied on the protocol," said attorney Diane Toscano. "She did what she thought was right. The school was put on notice multiple times that day, and they failed each and every single time.”

Zwerner said she didn't call 911 because she "did what [she] was expected to do."

Despite the lawsuit moving forward, Toscano said nothing has really changed.

"The judge in November ruled that this is not worker's compensation, but the Newport News School District is still maintaining, to this day, that it's worker's compensation — that being shot by a 6-year-old is just a mere hazard of the job,” Toscano said.

Even if Zwerner wins this lawsuit and gets the $40 million, she said her life won't go back to how it was before, and the amount of money won't reverse the effects of that day.

"I now live with trauma in my life," Zwerner said. "I live with PTSD, and that changes people. No matter what terror a person might go through, it always stays with them, and I know it'll always stay with me.”

Breit said that no teacher should have to "expect this kind of violence" in the classroom. Breit said the school board needs to fix the issue and not expect these incidents to fall under worker's compensation.

"It needs to be fixed," Breit said. "This is just one teacher of many who face problems in our school system. The school system needs to fix the problem.”

As they prepare for the lawsuit, Breit said that a lot of problems regarding the school board are probably going to come out soon. He said they will be ready to put pressure on the school board and expose the issues in court.

"If they want to try this case, we'll be ready to try this case," Breit said. "Hopefully, they'll reach their senses and want to talk. So far, that hasn't happened."

Zwerner was given the opportunity to read a victim impact statement during Deja Taylor's sentencing, both at the state and federal level, and said it made her feel as though she had a voice. She said she tried her best to keep private, but this was a chance for her to speak out.

"I enjoyed writing it," Zwerner said. "... that was a chance for me to be able to share some of the thoughts that I've been having, some of the feelings that I've been having, some of the hardships that I've had. So it was hard to read it, you know, with people in the courtroom. It's always hard with an audience, but it was a nice thing for me to do."

Zwerner declined to comment on the mother or the child during her interview.

Trial against mother of the 6-year-old

The mother of the 6-year-old had her own court case after being charged with child neglect since it was her gun used in the Richneck shooting.

Deja Taylor was sentenced to five years behind bars with three years suspended on Dec. 15, 2023. The sentence was given despite the prosecutor's recommendation of six months.

Taylor initially told investigators she had secured her gun with a trigger lock, but investigators said they never found one. She is currently serving a 21-month sentence in prison for a November conviction for using marijuana while owning a gun. Investigators found nearly an ounce of marijuana in Taylor’s bedroom after the shooting.

She pleaded guilty to both the marijuana use as well as the child neglect charge in her two separate, but related, cases. She is expected to serve her two years after the completion of her 21-month sentence.

Taylor’s son told authorities he got his mother’s 9mm handgun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the firearm was in his mom’s purse. He concealed the weapon in his backpack and then his pocket before shooting his teacher.

The child who shot Zwerner told a reading specialist who restrained him, “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to search warrants.

Taylor will not be allowed to have unsupervised visits with her child until he is 18 years old. He is currently 7.

Looking back to look ahead

In an attempt to replace a bad memory with a good one, Zwerner said she has forced herself to return to the school.

“I went to get my stuff and the reason why I kind of forced myself to go or made myself to go was I felt like I needed a somewhat good memory," Zwerner told WAVY. "Rather to leave the school, rather than the last memory I had of being there, and definitely wanted to see some of my teacher friends — my coworkers.”

Her students are another thing Zwerner said she misses since leaving the school. She said it's hard to think about the last memory they had of her before she left, but she is hopeful for their futures.

"I am very hopeful," Zwerner said. "I am hopeful that I know they're doing well in second grade, they're all very smart and kind. So I hope that they're still, you know, I hope that they're moving forward with their lives in the best way that they can."

She said she will always miss teaching but doesn't feel comfortable being an educator again anytime soon.

"I think that has to do a lot with the anxiety that I still have about it, the fear that I still have about it," Zwerner said. "I can't answer about the future, you know, but I know right now and for a long time, I am not planning on going back.”

When the one-year mark hits on Saturday, Zwerner said she doesn't know yet what she's going to do — only that she doesn't want to be alone.

"I don't know what emotions will come over me," Zwerner said. "I don't know what flashbacks I'm going to have. But, you know, I've told my family that I at least don't want to be alone on that day.”

Instead of focusing on what was lost, and dwelling on the lost teaching career, Zwerner said she is making plans to travel down a new career path and not get weighed down by the lawsuit and the heaviness of the incident.

"I have to pick myself up," Zwerner said, "at least try to pick myself up and at least try to have a somewhat normal life again or try to somewhat feel like I have a normal life."

"A lot of people don't realize that Loretta Lynn was involved with the inception of this rodeo or the fact that there was many of times she would come in on a trailer and perform right here in this arena during the rodeo itself but as it grew, and her career grew," said rodeo spokesperson Kevin DeBusk.

When the Salem Civic Center came into existence in 1967, the Salem Stampede Championship Rodeo also was born. Over the more than 5 decades of the event, it is a special partnership.

"The Civic Center and the rodeo have really grown over the years together and that goes back to embracing each other and building those relationships this facility. This city has great leadership. They have people who are wanting to see the community grow and see community activities grow that they can bring in and continue to bring in and because of their passion for their community and the passion that we've developed for this community with the perfect team. Because we're looking for the end product to be the same one that at the end of the day. Anyone that attends in here leaves feeling that they've got their monies worth they've had a great time and they just wanna know when they can come back and do it again," said DeBusk.

Organizers say the rodeo will go on this weekend, no matter the weather conditions. On Friday and Saturday the event gets underway at 7:30pm. It starts at 2pm on Sunday. The gates open an hour before. You can get your tickets at the Salem Civic Center box office or online.

Roughly 12 members convened at the development site Thursday morning to discuss concerns about the deal coming together with no knowledge of the public, possible traffic and crime impacts and whether the plan could actually deliver economically.

The plan was announced in December 2023 by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson and Monumental Sports and Entertainment principal owner Ted Leonsis.

It would relocate MSE's Wizards and Capitals from D.C. to a new arena as early as 2028. According to lawmakers, the plan requires no upfront investment from taxpayers. A yet-to-be-formed stadium authority would hold tax-free bonds. The project would supposedly pay for itself through the tax revenue generated by new businesses and restaurants in the area.

Shannon Curtis, a Del Rey resident, said the group has consulted numerous sports economists about the proposal, and their findings suggest that lawmakers are overpromising on the MSE deal.

"The research pretty much universally says that sports venues do not provide a net economic benefit to their communities," Curtis said.

A study conducted by HR&A Advisors, a consultancy firm hired by the City of Alexandria, reports that the project could generate nearly $8 billion in revenue per year.

Curtis said there's too little detail included in the summary of the report, which was released to the public.

"A huge, huge amount of issues, a tremendous amount of unanswered questions," she said.

The group, which has amassed 1,700 signatures on a petition to thwart the project, plans to lobby members of the Virginia legislature as it begins its new session next week to encourage lawmakers to vote against the stadium authority bill.

Over 100 firefighters responded to commercial strip warehouse which was located at 4407 Wheeler Ave. around 9:20 p.m. It left one firefighter with minor injuries.

The structure collapsed and the city's structural engineers determined that the building was unsafe for entry. Special equipment, building engineers and drone technology were used to ensure the safety of investigators and to look through the collapsed portions of the structure.  

Crews will be working on replacing brick sidewalks on Chain Bridge Road between North Street and Main Street from Jan. 5 to Feb. 2.

Officials said that crews will be working between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, weather permitting.

Crews will start work on the northbound side of Chain Bridge Road at Main Street and work their way towards North Street. Once that side is done, they will start work on the opposite side.

Only one side of the sidewalk will be closed at a time, but pedestrians will be redirected towards University Drive sidewalks for safety. The lane closest to the sidewalk will also be closed.

You can find more information online.