Transportation Survey
<bt>The Dulles Area Transportation Association on behalf of the Loudoun County Office of Transportation Services is conducting a survey on the Route 50 corridor.
People living in the areas of South Riding, Stone Ridge and Kirkpatrick Farms are being asked about their current commuting patterns and whether they would use public transportation, such as a bus service, if the service was available to meet their commuting needs. The survey may be
filled out online at www.datatrans.org through the end of July.
The survey results will be used for future planning of transit services to serve residents in the Route 50 corridor. State grant funding may allow for the purchase of additional buses that would make this service expansion possible.
More information about the Loudoun County Commuter Bus
Service is available on the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/bus.
<sh>Suspicious Incident
<bt>Around 9:28 a.m., Thursday, July 21, Loudoun County Fire-Rescue received a call for a report of two unconscious persons inside a manhole at Stone Springs and Zircon near South Riding, according to the Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services. Upon arrival, rescue crews found that the two persons had been rescued from the manhole by coworkers.
A total of three patients were treated by fire-rescue personnel. One of the patients was flown by helicopter to Washington Hospital Center, one patient was flown by helicopter to Fairfax Hospital and a third patient was transported by ambulance to Fair Oaks Hospital.
The incident is under investigation by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
<sh>Meetings Canceled
<bt>The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will take a recess for most of August, with the exception of a joint public hearing with the Planning Commission Monday, Aug. 1, followed by a Board public hearing.
The Board has canceled the Aug. 2 and Aug. 16, business meetings; the Aug. 9 public hearing; and all Board committee
meetings in August.
The Board's joint public hearing with the Planning Commission will begin at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 1, in the Board Room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., S.E. in Leesburg. The topic of the public hearing will be the opt-in requests by property owners in the Rural Policy Area who wish to retain their AR-1 or AR-2 zoning classification.
The Board public hearing will immediately follow the joint public hearing to consider items which need to be addressed before the Board's public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 13.
<sh>Free Bike Helmets
<bt>The Loudoun Sheriff's Office is working to make sure children in the county are properly equipped when they take to their communities this summer on their bikes.
The agency's Community Policing Unit recently initiated a safety program where children who qualify for assistance can obtain bicycle helmets for free while supplies last. The Sheriff's Office obtained 40 helmets from the Bell Bike Helmet Company and has issued them to four pediatric centers across the county.
The pediatric doctor's offices participating in the program include Ashburn Pediatrics, Loudoun Pediatrics in Leesburg and Purcellville and Kids First Pediatrics in Sterling.
<sh>Fleeing Suspect Caught
<bt>A Sterling man who nearly hit a deputy with his truck while fleeing a Sterling parking lot struck a vehicle nearly
head-on as he traveled westbound on Waxpool Road, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Quillie Edward Belle, 22, was charged with driving under the
influence and driving on a suspended license.
According to the report, the incident began around 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, when a sheriff's deputy noticed a man slumped over in the driver's seat of a GMC pickup in the parking lot of the Church Plaza shopping center on Church Road. The deputy attempted to wake the subject who was unresponsive. The man eventually came to and put his vehicle into gear as the deputy ordered him out the vehicle. The
suspect then put the truck into reverse nearly striking the deputy.
The suspect fled the parking lot at a high rate of speed and out of sight. The deputy did not locate the suspect until he crested the hill on Waxpool Road where the pickup is alleged to have struck a four-door Saturn at the intersection of Pacific Boulevard.
The suspect's vehicle apparently ran the traffic light at the
intersection and struck the car that was attempting to make a left hand turn onto Waxpool Road from Pacific Boulevard. The pickup rolled over and came to a rest on its roof in the median of the roadway.
The suspect was airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital where he was listed in good condition. The driver of the Saturn, Darnese Steiner, 35, of Ashburn, was taken to the Lansdowne Campus of Inova Loudoun Hospital where she was expected to be released Tuesday night. The deputy was not injured in the incident.
Members of the Sheriff's Accident Reconstruction Unit remained at the scene until 5 a.m. Wednesday morning; and the findings of their investigation will be reviewed with the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney to determine if there will be further charges.
Witnesses who have not already been interviewed by deputies should call DFC J. Kenna of the Sheriff's Office Accident Reconstruction Unit at 703-771-5798.
<sh>Program Results
<bt>Two programs offered by the Loudoun County Department of Animal Care and Control during the month of June allowed 384 cats to receive free spay/neuter surgery.
In honor of Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat month all cats adopted from the Loudoun County Animal Shelter during the month of June received free spay/neuter surgery.
As a result, cat adoptions increased 31 percent over June of last year. In total, 71 cats and kittens were adopted.
In addition, Animal Care and Control partnered with 10 local veterinarians to offer free cat spay/neuter vouchers for Loudoun County residents. Vouchers were available at the Loudoun County Animal Shelter throughout the month of June and are redeemable at the veterinarian of the owner's choosing until Aug. 1.
The Animal Shelter distributed 313 vouchers total in the month of June.
Funding for these programs came through sales of the Virginia Animal Friendly license plate. As a revenue sharing plate, a $15 non-tax-deductible contribution is made to the locality in which the vehicle is registered.
Animal Care and Control is working on plans for similar spay/neuter programs for dogs during Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month in October.