n LOUDOUN
4 | n LEESBURG
8 | n PUBLIC SAFETY
14 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
Community-Supported News. Free to all.
VOL. 10, NO. 24
26
APRIL 24, 2025
Purcellville Council to Retain Police Department BY HANNA PAMPALONI
hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
In the face of strong community opposition, the Purcellville Town Council on Tuesday night reversed plans to disband the police department. During an unprecedented showing of public support with more than 300 people packed into Town Hall, the Town Council voted to fully fund the Police Department in fiscal year 2026. The council chambers were standing room only as residents overflowed into the lobby, conference rooms and upstairs office. The meeting was streamed into each of the locations and cast via a projector onto a large screen to a community members gathered on the lawn outside. The decision to fund the department was in opposition to the draft motion included in the council’s agenda, which would have adopted an ordinance eliminating Chapter 42 of the town’s code which lays out the roles and responsibilities of the Police Department. That effort was put in motion two weeks ago by Councilmember of Susan Khalil. Since then, elected officials and community members have raised concerns about the action and voiced support for the agency. PURCELLVILLE POLICE continues on page 38
Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now
Commuters ride the bus home from Washington, DC, to Loudoun County after a day of work.
Bus Ridership Doubles as Federal Workers Return to Office BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
Loudoun County’s commuter bus ridership levels have doubled since January, bringing the projected March total to 30,781 and sharply increasing the number of buses with standing room only
capacity – causing the Board of Supervisors to reverse action taken last year to reduce the number of bus routes each day. Supervisors in July last year – in response to a post-COVID period of continuously declining ridership level — voted to reduce the number the bus routes by 10. After the decision to scale back the
service, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order mandating that all department heads and agencies within the executive branch terminate remote work and require in-person work instead, once again changing the landscape of COUNTY BUSES continues on page 39
ECRWSSEDDM Permit #1374 Merrifield VA
PAID
PRESRT STD U.S. Postage