“Virginia is the only state that has built a government-wide platform that includes permit applications,” said Reeve Bull, Director of Virginia's Office of Regulatory Management. “Executive Order 39 takes this pioneering work to the next level, tasking agencies with bringing the few remaining permit types online and with speeding up processing times across the board.”

Sample farm life of yesteryear at Brentsville Courthouse, #1 stop of the 12th free western Prince William County Farm tour. There will be goats and chickens in the nearby pens to visit and feed. They will be able to pet the goats through the fence and offer feed to the chickens, said Mike Riley, manager of the Brentsville property. There will be apple butter making. Hours are 10-4 Saturday, 12-4 on Sunday.

Catch a hayride to the Christmas trees, organic produce and pumpkin patch during the 12th free Prince William County Farm Tour Sept. 29-30. Visit one farm or several. Talk to the farmers. Learn about local produce and see animals. A preview of stops #3 and #4 on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

Under a new Virginia law, “Mandate reporters who fail to report suspected abuse or neglect as soon as possible, but no longer than 24 hours after having reasons to suspect abuse, can be charged anywhere from $500 and higher in fines. In the case of suspected acts of rape, sodomy, or object sexual penetration, a person who knowingly and intentionally fails to make the required report shall be guilty of a Class 1 Misdemeanor.”

Manassas VA CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is the city’s local program that teaches ordinary people how to safely help in their neighborhoods when an overwhelming emergency requires more than regular 911 responders. The fall series of CERT training sessions starts Thursday, Oct. 4, and there are a few more spots for volunteers, according to Bob Keller, the city’s CERT volunteer coordinator.

Heritage Festival at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle VA on Oct. 13 will feature woodworkers, blacksmiths, and masons demonstrating the crafts that the 2,000 members of the Civilian Conservation Corps used to build the 15,000-acre park in the 1930s. Learn about spy training and Morse Code. Exhibits will highlight the development of the park as a depression-era recreation area and many aspects of 1930s and '40s pop culture.

Woodbridge VA, Gainesville VA and Haymarket VA residents were among the gold medal winners in recent Northern Virginia Senior Olympics swimming competition. Swimming and diving events attracted a record number of competitors, according to Judy Massenby, NVSO spokesman.

Haymarket VA-based Helping Haitian Angels works to help orphans in this country. It will host its second Annual Wine Festival at Barrel Oak Winery on Sept. 22. There will be music, barbeque, a silent auction and, of course, wine. Barrel Oak Winery is located at 3623 Grove Lane in Delaplane, VA.

Prince William County Public Schools has cancelled all after school and evening events Sept. 18 due to potential severe weather.