<sh>Narcotics Arrest
<bt>An 18-year-old Great Falls area man was charged with distribution of narcotics. On Monday, June 20 around 11 a.m., Michael Bernard, 18, of the 1000 block of Timber Creek Trail in Great Falls was arrested at Langley High School in McLean. After a six-month investigation, detectives obtained two felony warrants for distribution of marijuana and one felony warrant for distribution of opium. He was held on a $30,000 bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
<sh>Fourth of July Sober Ride
<bt>Free cab rides will be offered in Northern Virginia on July 3 and 4. Independence Day ranks as the second deadliest of holidays regarding drunk driving deaths. Offered by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the Independence Day Sober Ride program will be in operation from 4 p.m. July 3 to 4 a.m. July 4. Area residents can call toll-free 1-800-200-TAXI and be afforded a no-cost safe way home, up to a $50 fare.
<sh>Host Exchange Student
<bt>Local families can take in high school-age foreign exchange students next year through two grants from the U.S. Department of State. Aspect, a high school exchange student program, has been awarded grants for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program and the Partnership for Learning Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program.
The goal of FLEX and YES is to provide an opportunity for international high school students from Eurasia, the Middle East and Asia to experience life in a democratic society and learn about volunteerism and free enterprise. Foreign exchange students who participate in the two programs come to Northern Virginia to live with host families, attend school and engage in activities to learn about American society and values. They, in turn, educate Americans about their own countries and cultures.
The FLEX program is funded by Congress under the Freedom Support Act and administered by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. FLEX participants are high school students, ages 15-18 who come from the countries of the former Soviet Union — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
The Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs also funds the YES program, which provides full scholarships for a year or semester of living and studying in the U.S. to a select group of young people, ages 15-18 from Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, Syria, and Yemen.
The Aspect Foundation is also looking for families to host regular exchange students for the upcoming school year in the United States. These students come from Western Europe, South and Central America and Asia.
To learn more or to host a student, contact Robert Rawls at 703-409-9776, 703-433-0362 or coyote1437@yahoo.com.