Pet Connection
Our readers submitted photos of their adorable pets.
Take a look at some of the adorable pet photos our readers sent in for our Pet Connection.
Irving Theatre Presents ‘The Secret Garden: The Musical’
The Washington Irving Theatre Society will present “The Secret Garden: The Musical” on Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1. Both performances start at 7 p.m. at Washington Irving Middle School, located at 8100 Old Keene Mill Rd in Springfield.
‘Something Completely Different’
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester come to Center for the Arts.
And now for something completely different for the Northern Virginia area entertainment scene. All the way from Europe to tantalize.
Professionals Offer Theater Workshops
Broadway actress and audio/visual tech coming to Fairfax High.
Broadway comes to Fairfax with the arrival of actress Candi Boyd, currently appearing on Broadway in the play, “Jersey Boys.” On Sunday, March 9, she’ll present a musical-theater workshop, “Broadway: Behind the Curtain,” at Fairfax High – and it’s open to all area high-school students.
Locals Receive Governor’s 2013 Fire Service Awards
Stilwell, Hollingsworth, Wais and Rosenthal are honored.
Four local people were among those honored last Saturday, Feb. 22, with Governor’s Fire Service Awards for 2013. They were feted during the Virginia Fire and Rescue Conference at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. This year marked the 12th anniversary of these awards, which formally recognize excellence in Virginia’s Fire Services. Award recipients included Renee Stilwell, Capt. George Hollingsworth, Hassibullah Wais and Philip Rosenthal. Below are the details of why they were honored:
Assistance Dogs: Making Connections
Service dogs and their “handlers” are teamed up through paws4people.
I was already one of those embarrassingly crazy dog people, when I first met Kyria and Terry Henry, founders of paws4people.org. But I had no idea how little I truly knew about the bonds possible between animals and their people. After photographing puppies coming home for the first time, dogs sharing their favorite pastime and pets who are older and/or ill, I really thought I knew all about the animal/people connection.
Local Author Publishes ‘Meditations of the Heart’
Q and A with Burke resident Deborah Gibson.
Deborah Gibson is a professional counselor and pastor at Sup of the Lord Church, a bilingual church in Springfield. She has lived in Burke for 28 years. Gibson recently published a book, “Meditations of the Heart,” and shares her story below.
Koinonia Foundation Provides Emergency Assistance
New executive director uses sales background to help others, increase awareness
The Koinonia Foundation, located in a building behind Franconia United Methodist Church, has been serving the Springfield area since the early 1960s. Many area residents, however, are unaware of Koinonia’s role in the community of providing assistance to those in need.
Hayfield Senior Excels in Automotive Technology
Danielle McCarther will compete in state competition in April.
When automotive technology instructor John Terrien saw the name of Hayfield Secondary School senior Danielle McCarther on his class roster this year, he was thrilled. “I was happy to have her in the class,” Terrien said.
Lorton Landfill May Operate Until 2040
Debate over EnviroSolutions application continues.
South County Federation members began discussing the closure of the Lorton landfill with EnviroSolutions, the landfill’s owner, in 2006.
Listening Tour Concludes at Lake Braddock
Superintendent listens as community members voice their concerns.
Lake Braddock Secondary School hosted Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza for the final stop of her listening tour.
Virginia Laws Help Local Governments Conceal 911 Calls from Public
Police agencies refuse to release audio from 911 calls, prompting questions about transparency.
When city officials in Alexandria released the audio of a 911 call in a high-profile murder case, many people interpreted the move as a step forward for transparency in a commonwealth known for opaque government.
News Brief: Applicants Sought For Planning Board
The Montgomery County Council is seeking applicants to fill a position on the Montgomery County Planning Board for the expiring term of Democrat Françoise Carrier. Her term will expire on June 14. Carrier, who serves as the Planning Board Chair, has indicated that she will not apply for reappointment. No more than three members of the Planning Board may be from the same political party, and each member must be a resident and registered voter of Montgomery County when appointed. Members serve four-year terms and are limited to two full terms. The position can be filled by a Democrat, Republican, a voter who declines to affiliate with a party, or a member of another party officially recognized by the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
Chantilly One-Act Heads to States
The cast and crew of Chantilly High’s production of “Vocal Work” will compete Saturday, March 8, at the VHSL State One-Act Play Competition in Charlottesville. Written and directed by Chantilly Theater Director Ed Monk, it’s a comedy set in a sound studio. The audience sees a hectic day in the life of Amanda, working at her sound studio which specializes in creating radio spots. According to the show’s publicity blurb, “The schedule is screwed up, the mattress girls have yet to be cast, the car girl doesn't know how to sound sexy, the diarrhea ad isn't finished, and time is running out.” Chantilly won the Concorde Conference Championship with “Vocal Work” on Jan. 30. In the Northern Region competition on Feb. 8, Chantilly came in second behind West Springfield High. Both schools then advanced to the state finals, where they’ll compete against additional high schools.
Pedestrian Killed On Richmond highway
William Godfrey Jr., 68, of Alexandria was struck as he crossed Richmond Highway near the Backlick Road intersection on Feb. 20. A 58-year-old woman driving a Honda Civic struck Godfrey as she was traveling north on Richmond Highway. Godfrey was pronounced dead at the scene. Alcohol may have been a factor on the part of the pedestrian, police said.According to Fairfax County’s pedestrian safety information website, 10-20 people on average are killed every year, with another 300 injured. In 2012, there were 201 pedestrians involved in accidents in Fairfax County, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. As of July 2013, there were 98 pedestrians involved in crashes. In June 2013, a pedestrian crossing two lanes of still traffic Richmond Highway was hit by a marked police car traveling in the southbound left turning lanes. According to police, the 60-year-old Alexandria man was not in a crosswalk. The man received non-life threatening injuries. Fairfax County operates a Fairfax County Pedestrian Program. The following information is advice given from their Pedestrian Safety portion of the website at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/pedestrian/pedsafety.htm
Letter to the Editor: A Call to Action: Jefferson-Houston School’s Future
Within the next few weeks the Alexandria City Public School (ACPS) Board plans to decide on a way forward for Jefferson-Houston (JH) School. The School Board discussed three options at its Feb. 20 meeting for the school’s future. You may be saying, I don’t have a child in school, why should I care? Because the city (and you as a tax payer) has invested $44 million for a new JH school building to open this fall which will double the school’s capacity. Meanwhile, everyone is working hard to reverse more than a decade of low achievement.
‘Mamma Mia, Here I Go Again’
Chantilly’s Emily Price has come a long way. In 2006, at age 14, she played Dorothy in The Alliance Theatre’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.” Now 22, she’s performing in the Broadway national tour of “Mamma Mia!” The hit musical will be at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., March 4-9. In the story, a young woman named Sophie is getting married in Greece. She wants to learn who her father is, so she invites three former suitors of her mother’s to the wedding. “I play Ali, one of Sophie’s best friends, who’s come to the Greek island as a bridesmaid,” said Price. “Ali’s quirky, funny and excited to be reunited with Sophie. I love it; I get to jump around and have a blast every night with wonderful performers. The audience loves the show — we always get a great reaction.” Price was drawn to acting as a child. “I was shy, so this was a great outlet for me,” she said. “I also fell in love with the idea of diving into someone else’s shoes and getting into their feelings and lives on stage.” Her first show was Alliance’s “Oliver” in 2003, followed by “The Music Man” in 2004. “I grew up with [Alliance founder] Elaine Wilson as my director,” said Price. “She allowed the ensemble members to work together to create something artistic. I remember having a lot of fun — it was like theater camp for me. I was also a counselor during their summer production of ‘Willy Wonka.’”
Fifth Graders Create Animated Movie
While many movie lovers will be watching to see who wins the Oscars in Hollywood this weekend; a world premiere movie debuted here in Potomac. Ninety-eight Beverly Farms Elementary School fifth graders and their parents sat down to watch an animated film on Monday, Feb. 24. Their eyes were glued to the screen with good reason: they created the film themselves. The film is titled “The Extraordinary Fifth-Grade Field Trip," a 14-minute film composed of 6,438 drawings. Each second of the movie equals 10 drawings. Inspired by their reading of adventure stories and tall tales, the students gave free rein to their imagination as each came up with his or her own animated field trip adventure. Working with artist-in-residence Leila Cabib, each student designed a storyboard illustrating the key scenes of their animated segment and then created and filmed numerous sequential drawings to bring the story to life.
Fighting over Medicaid Expansion
This past week we began the process of amending the House budget proposal. I joined a number of my colleagues in objecting to cuts to public safety and economic development programs as well as to the proposal to spend $450 million on a new office for the General Assembly at a time when we are not adequately funding core state services.
Brief: Back to Two Middle Schools
Following a six-month study by its Middle Schools for Tomorrow Workgroup, the Alexandria School Board unanimously approved restructuring the city’s five middle schools on two campuses back into two middle schools. As part of a plan to improve student achievement, George Washington Middle School would be formed from the current GW 1 and 2 middle schools and Francis C. Hammond Middle School would be formed from the current Hammond 1, 2 and 3 middle schools.