Flu Summit
<bt>The Loudoun County Health Department will hold a Pandemic Flu Summit for the general public Thursday, Aug. 10, from 7-9:30 p.m., at the Loudoun Public Schools Administration Building, 21000 Education Court in Ashburn. The meeting will include information on the history of pandemic flu, the current status of avian flu worldwide, pandemic flu symptoms, the potential impact of a pandemic flu outbreak on your work organization or family, and steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.
More information, including an online registration form for the summit, is available on the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/flu.
<sh>Road Improvements
<bt>The Virginia Department of Transportation opened a new section of the W&OD bicycle trail under Church Road Aug. 1. Crews removed the at-grade crossing and built a trail under Church Road so that cyclists and trail enthusiasts will no longer have to cross paths with vehicles.
In the fall, VDOT and the Route 28 Corridor Improvements team will finish widening Church Road to four lanes and building a new bridge over the W&OD Trail. The widening is the final component of the new interchange at Route 28 and Route 625.
<sh>Wanted: Crossing Guards
<bt>The Sheriff's Office needs responsible and energetic people to become crossing guards to help students cross busy streets safely.
Some of the duties of a crossing guard include escorting children across busy crosswalks and/or intersections, monitoring the flow of traffic to ensure safe passage and interacting with parents, school personnel, city employees, and others.
The Sheriff's Office has a number of openings countywide and is looking for people who are available between 7:20 a.m. and 8:35 a.m. and again at 2:30 p.m. and 3:50 p.m. on weekdays during the school year.
For more information contact Willy Stevenson at 703-771-5735 or obtain an application online at www.loudoun.gov and click on jobs.
<sh>One Arrest
<bt>More than 1,600 vehicle passed through a sobriety checkpoint held Friday night near Loudoun Heights with one person arrested for driving under the influence.
The checkpoint was held on Route 340 and Harper's Ferry Road and saw 1,678 vehicles pass through with 10 vehicles pulled to the side for further screening.
<sh>Cyclists Collide
<bt>Two cyclists were injured after their bicycles collided along the Washington and Old Dominion Trail near Ashburn Wednesday, July 26.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the two men were traveling in opposite directions on the W & OD trail approximately a mile east of where the trail crosses Ashburn Road. The collision occurred shortly after 6 p.m.
Ryan Sherry, 28 of Herndon, and Francisco Porras, 43, of Ashburn, were both taken to the Lansdowne Campus of Inova Loudoun Hospital with serious injuries.
Both of the men were wearing helmets and were riding racing-style bicycles.
<sh>County Recognized
<bt>Loudoun County has again been recognized as one of most technologically advanced county governments in the United States.
The Center for Digital Government and National Association of Counties (NACo) conducted a national survey of how county governments are evolving in their use of information technology to deliver services to their citizens. The 2006 Digital Counties Survey placed Loudoun among the top-10 counties in its population category. Loudoun also ranked in the top 10 in the 2004 and 2005 surveys.
More information about the survey and the Center for Digital Government is available online at www.centerdigitalgov.com.
<sh>Fatal Crash
<bt>A two-vehicle crash Sunday, July 30, on Charles Town Pike (Route 9) has taken the life of a Manassas Park man.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Juan Marcelo Sanchez, 21, of Manassas Park, died Monday morning from injuries he sustained in the head-on collision. The crash occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. when an eastbound 2006 Infiniti crossed into the westbound lanes of Route 9 just west of Route 7. According to the Sheriff's Office, the Infiniti, driven by Michael Montecinos, 24, of Falls Church, struck head-on a 2001 Audi driven by Heidi Lanzelin, 39, of Lovettsville.
Three of the four passengers in the Infiniti, including Sanchez, Ronald Montecinos, 20, of Falls Church, and Roy Nina Patino, 21, of Falls Church, were airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital. Lanzelin, Montecinos along with a fourth passenger in the Infiniti, Sergio Jimmy Perez, 25, of Falls Church, were taken to the Cornwall Campus of Inova Loudoun Hospital for treatment.
None of the persons in the Infiniti were wearing seat belts, however the airbags did deploy. In the Audi, Lanzelin, was wearing her seat belt and her airbag did deploy.
The cause of why the Infiniti crossed into the oncoming lane is still under investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed this incident take place, but who has not already spoken to crash investigators, is asked to contact Deputy Specialist J. M. McClintic at 703-771-5798 or 703-777-1021 with further information.