York's Former Aide Joins PEC
<bt>Chairman Scott York's former legislative aide, Bob Lazaro, announced this week that he has taken a position as chief communications officer with the Piedmont Environmental Council.
Lazaro resigned as York's aide last month among criticism that he supported a secessionist movement in western Loudoun while serving as a paid county employee. At the time, Lazaro did not announce the details of his new position, but said that he had been planning to leave for the private sector for some time.
Lazaro will retain his seat as a councilman on the Purcellville Town Council.
<sh>Constituents Chat
<bt>Frank Sadler, the regional representative for U.S. Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), will have local office hours April 27, from 1-2:30 p.m., at the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., Leesburg, to discuss issues facing the area and to help anyone having problems with a federal agencies. Call Sadler, 703-966-6036 for more information.
<sh>Library Receives Awards
<bt>Loudoun County Public Library has received three awards from the Library Public Relations Council. Only 20 libraries are selected nationally to receive this honor, given for originality, visual impact, effectiveness, clarity and content.
The library won for Brown vs. Board of Education brochure, a seminar presented by Loudoun County Public Library and sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities; Storytellers in Concert brochure, a three-part series of multi-cultural and bilingual master storytellers, presented in connection with the Loudoun county Public LibraryÕs One Book-One Community project; and Loudoun county Public LibraryÕs Calendar of events, September-October 2004.
<sh>Man Found
<bt>A 68-year-old man who has Alzheimer's and had been missing since early Sunday afternoon was located outside of
Leesburg.
The man had last been seen around 1 p.m. Sunday in the area of the Giant grocery store in the Cascades Marketplace in Sterling. He was located on Whites Ferry Road and is said to be in good condition.
<sh>First Warrant Executed
<bt>Loudoun County authorities have executed the first administrative search warrant obtained since the Board of Supervisors adopted portions of the Statewide Building Code dealing with enforcement of occupancy limits in existing dwellings.
The search warrant was executed April 5, in response to an
overcrowding complaint in Sterling. Working with officials from the county's Divisions of Building Code Maintenance and Zoning Enforcement, Loudoun County Deputy Sheriffs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents found 13 people living in a 1,000-square-foot home at 315 N. Argonne Ave.
The investigation began in late February when enforcement program manager Keith T. Fairfax received a complaint regarding overcrowding and excess trash at the home. Enforcement staff observed the single-family dwelling for several weeks, noting as many as 19 individuals entering
and exiting the home. Loudoun County officials say the property owners, Min Xing Li and Yan Feng Chen of Sterling, failed to respond to a notice of violation and a Loudoun County Magistrate issued the administrative search warrant so that authorities could enter the house.
Upon searching the home, authorities found 13 men and women in the house, which contained 20 beds, two bathrooms and one kitchen. Immigration officials made arrests when four of the residents could not demonstrate they were in the United States legally. Three of the tenants stated that they were related.
According to Overcrowding Inspector Jacob Hambrick, the Building Code would allow a total of six persons in the home, while the Zoning Ordinance would permit the family members plus two roomers. Consequently, Hambrick says, in this case, only five persons could legally reside at the Sterling home: the three related residents and two roomers.
Following the search, Fairfax and Hambrick provided the property owners and the tenants with information about emergency housing.
The property owners face up to $5,000 in fines and a misdemeanor criminal conviction if they fail to address the violations found at the home.
Anyone who has a complaint about an overcrowding situation in the county is encouraged to call the Overcrowding Hot line at 703-737-8190.