Community Meetings on Later Start Times Concluded
Final recommendation will be presented to School Board in July.
Parents and community members were presented with information regarding later start times in Fairfax County at a public meeting on June 10 at West Springfield High School. Leading the presentation were Danny Lewin and Judith Owens, doctors from the Children’s National Medical Center and experts on sleep medicine.
Pirates’ Day Kicks off Summer
Fifth annual celebration followed by summer of camping, fun.
For the fifth year in a row, complete with cannons, ships and swords, pirates stormed the beach at Pohick Bay Regional Park in Lorton last weekend.
Housing and Restaurants Coming to Prison Site
Board of Supervisors approves Laurel Hill Master Development Plan.
The site of the former Lorton prison will soon get a makeover, complete with townhouses, restaurants, apartments and single-family homes. Inside the renovated cell blocks and guard towers will be housing and businesses on 80 acres in Lorton, home to the D.C. prison that closed in 2001.
Fundraising and Connections Help Former Lieutenant Governor Emerge Victorious
Don Beyer edges out six competitors in crowded filed of candidates.
When asked about animals rights, former Lt. Gov. Don Beyer quotes author Peter Singer. He describes his wife as the "sine qua non" of his life. During his victory speech in the hotly contested Democratic primary to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8), he quoted St. Augustine and Winston Churchill. He reads widely and has five policy proposals for every issue before Congress.
Summer Fairs and Festivals Calendar 2014
Your guide to this summer's hottest events in the area.
Your guide to this summer's fun festivals and events.
Celebrate Fairfax! Returns In Grand Fashion
Citizens enjoy variety of entertainment at Festival in spite of heat, difficult parking.
The Celebrate Fairfax! Festival returned to the Fairfax County Government Center grounds for its thirty-seventh year last Friday through Sunday. According to about.com, this year’s Festival saw the participation of over 120 musical performances on eight stages, as well as more than 400 exhibitors, venders and craters in the Community Marketplace.
New Ultrasound System Comes to Fairfax
First medical facility in the nation to have the technology that drastically improves breast cancer detection.
Upon learning she had stage three metastatic breast cancer, Nancy Cappello was shocked, she said.
Chief Rick Rappoport: Taking a Look Back
Led City of Fairfax police more than 13 years.
Rick Rappoport finished one job and began another without missing a beat.
‘People Can Identify with Characters’ Humanity’
Local woman writes book, ‘A Season’s Assemblage.’
A new author has emerged on the literary scene with an anthology of short stories called "A Season’s Assemblage." Her name is Cleo Magwaro, and she’s a resident of Fair Oaks’s Penderbrook community.
Column: Time to Do the Right Thing
Once again Virginia is in the spotlight on an issue of economic progress and social justice. Marketplace Virginia is a Senate of Virginia plan to provide 400,000 Virginians who do not qualify for the Affordable Care Act to gain health insurance through federal Medicaid expansion. It is before the Virginia Legislature and the House of Delegates is standing in the way, putting Virginia behind the times and on the wrong side of history.
Column: To Fairfax County Graduates - Do Not Lose Sight of Community
To the graduates of Fairfax County Public Schools: This month you will don caps and gowns to mark the end of your high school career. Your accomplishment is the product of hard work, perseverance, and the support of many. While you are reflecting on your accomplishments, consider how you will begin your new chapter. As you set off into the world, I ask you not to lose sight of your community and to seize the opportunity to be an active, engaged citizen. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) lists many responsibilities of American citizenship, perhaps the most important of which being a citizen’s obligation to "participate in the democratic process." In the 2012 election, just 38 percent of 18 through 24 year olds voted. That number is much lower for state and local elections. As real challenges face the young people graduating today, I encourage you to become educated about the election process and to vote for candidates you believe will represent you well.
Animal Shelter Holds ExtravaCATza!
Residents are invited to visit the Fairfax County Animal Shelter this June to take part in ExtravaCATza!, a celebration of cats and kittens. The shelter’s at 4500 West Ox Road in Fairfax and, all month long, adoption fees on all cats and kittens will be just $10.
Cappies Awarded for High School Theater
The 15th Annual Cappies Awards Gala for high school theater was held Sunday, June 8 at The Kennedy Center. Nine Cappies went to West Potomac High School for “Spamalot,” including the coveted Best Musical award. The Best Play award went to Langley High School for “The Children’s Hour.” The Cappies’ show season extended from October 2013 to May 2014, and Cappies shows were attended, on average, by 45 student critics. This year’s event included 58 public and private high schools from Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Montgomery and Prince William counties, the cities of Falls Church, Alexandria and Manassas, and Washington, D.C. The event was hosted by Judy Bowns, Janie Strauss and Ed Monk.
Creating Private, Restful Retreat
Designers offer suggestions for decorating the perfect bedroom.
While most people crave a good night’s sleep, it remains a dream for many. A bedroom that is both chic and comfortable can help the overworked find that restful slumber.
Column: Something New – or Old, to Consider
And therein lies the anxiety. Although, all things considered – and as you regular readers know, I like, maybe even need, to consider all things – the medical assessment of the most recent CT scan of my upper torso and thorax/lungs showed a new object in my left lung, “approximately the size of a silver dollar,” according to my oncologist. What this object is, exactly, cannot be determined at this juncture; technology prevents such clarity, unfortunately. Nevertheless, its appearance and location are possibly cause for concern, possibly not.
Eat. Drink. Pay?
Fairfax County task force debates voters’ appetite for another meals tax referendum.
It has been 22 years since Fairfax County asked voters to approve a tax on restaurant meals, an issue that ignited protests, caused deep divisions among community leaders and threatened to melt down several political careers. The reverberations of that epic failure — what many consider the third rail of county politics — continue to echo in the ears of county politicians.
Comfort Women Memorial Highlights Human Trafficking
New Peace Garden a beacon of hope for victims.
When members of the Washington Coalition for Comfort Women Issues unveiled a new memorial on May 30, they also illuminated the issue of local human trafficking in Northern Virginia. Elected officials including Supervisor John Foust, Japanese and Korean representatives, and human rights activists gathered to remember the women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery during WWII. Now the memorial stands sunlit on the back lawn of the Fairfax County Government Center, as a reminder for today’s community to take a stand against these crimes against humanity in their own neighborhoods.
Why Education Needs Its Foundation
More than 100 business leaders attend luncheon.
Approximately 33 percent of Fairfax County Public Schools kindergartners are living in poverty.
100,000 Homes Fairfax Wins Blue Ribbon Partnership Award
The 100,000 Homes Fairfax campaign was presented with a Blue Ribbon Partnership award from the Fairfax County Office of Public Private Partnerships (OP3) as part of its "Celebrate Partnerships" awards ceremony held on May 29.
Opinion: Transitioning to Summer
Summer is a time of change — always welcomed by students. The break during the hottest months gives a chance for kids to de-stress and prepare for their next grade on their short path to adulthood. After five summers at FACETS, I’ve had the opportunity to watch many children make this transition. What’s fun for kids though, can be a huge struggle for their parents. Finding appropriate and affordable care, providing enough meals during the day, and incurring the extra costs of entertaining children can be an enormous challenge for families that FACETS serves.