Animal Shelter Shines in 2013
Fairfax County Animal Shelter adoption initiatives resulted in the shelter having its most successful year yet, saving a record number of animals’ lives.
CYA Collects Presents for Pediatric Party
CYA and DC Candlelighters united to make the holidays brighter for pediatric oncology patients at Inova Fairfax Hospital. CYA collected more than 300 presents for the DC Candlelighter families whose children are fighting cancer.
Burke Target Employee Killed by VRE Train
A cashier at the Burke Target was hit by a Virginia Railroad Express Train traveling from Washington to Manassas on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
Churches, County Organize Blanket Drive to Aid Syrian Refugees
Blankets collected in Northern Virginia’s Blanket Drive for Syrian Refugees will soon be arriving in Turkey, where a local relief agency will distribute them to Syrian refugee families in the Adana refugee camp. More than 18,000 blankets were collected. These blankets were donated by residents of Northern Virginia through grass-roots efforts organized by local elected officials in conjunction with the Fairfax County Interfaith Council. Residents were asked to drop off clean and folded blankets at locations throughout Northern Virginia. In Fairfax County, seven meetinghouses of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) served as donation collection points, as well as two Islamic Centers, and offices of several members of the county Board of Supervisors. Chairman Sharon Bulova joined volunteers at one LDS meetinghouse and publicly thanked the church for its efforts in supporting the effort.
City of Fairfax News
News in the Fairfax area.
Engagement Announcement
Mr. and Mrs. Craig S. Wagner of Fairfax Station are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lindsey Ann to Matthew Edward David Witham, son of Mr. and Mrs. Christopher J. Witham of Newark, Del.
Hybrid Tax Repeal On Its Way
Commentary
The General Assembly is now in full swing with action on major bills starting to move through. The first bill I introduced was the repeal of the $64/year tax on hybrid vehicles – HB4. In the last few days, the Senate approved the repeal of the Hybrid Tax. A vote by the full house comes later this week.
Letter: Don't Frack the GW
The Forest Service is under intense pressure from the oil and gas industry to lift the ban on fracking on the George Washington National Forest.
SSSAS Latin Students Excel
A group of St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School classics students took home more than 100 awards at the annual Virginia Junior Classical League state convention, held in Richmond in November. During the convention, junior Daniel Marshall was elected VJCL vice president, becoming the third state officer in a row from SSSAS.
Work on Display
Local woodworker participates in Sugarloaf Crafts Festival.
Alexandria woodworker Benjamin Leatham will be among the more than 250 jury selected artists showcasing their works at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival from Jan. 24-26 at Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly.
Into the Budget Fray
Bulova highlights accomplishments, challenges in annual address.
Despite the lingering impact of an anemic economy, and the regional ripple effects of federal sequestration, Fairfax County residents will see some concrete signs of progress this year.
‘Ella’ Opens at MetroStage
“Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song” opens this week at MetroStage. It is the story of young Ella literally dancing in the streets and winning a talent contest at the Apollo Theatre when she was 15 years old. She headlined with Chick Webb and his Orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom, performed Live at the Cote D’Azur and so much more. She discovered that she could “scat” and mastered a new art form called “bebop.” It is a fascinating journey of a legendary artist.
Editorial: Extend Health Coverage in Virginia
Standing on what is essentially scorched earth, Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly have condemned hundreds of thousands of poor Virginians to living without health coverage even though it would be fully funded by Federal money for the next three years, and with Virginia paying 10 percent after five years.
Friends Forever
Since it had been more than a few months, today I summoned up the courage to Google my long-time friend and fellow stage IV lung cancer survivor, Suzanne. Suzanne and I had been years out of touch (for no real reason other than initiative and the geographic consideration that she lived in Barnstable, Ma. and I live in Burtonsville, Md.) and recently back in touch – due to our identical cancer diagnoses. I learned that she had succumbed to her disease back in October, 2013. We last had contact electronically back in the summer. She was extremely weak then, she said, too weak to talk, so e-mailing was best. In that e-mail, ultimately her last, she wrote that the most recent chemotherapy drug with which she was infused was no longer effective and that her oncologist had no other drugs left to recommend. Not that she said it in so many words, but at that point her prognosis was grim. She offered that her two boys were with her and from them she would gain great comfort. The news was very unsettling to me and I was afraid that this e-mail might be our last – and so it was.
Roundups for 1/22/14
The editor presents the roundups for the week of 1/22/14.
Council Escapes History Buffs
A couple of weeks ago news broke that Councilman Justin Wilson, of historical Del Ray, the city's sin capital a century ago, introduced a bill that some old-timers thought would banish naming city streets for Confederate generals who many consider heroes. Second reading on Mr. Wilson's proposal is scheduled this Saturday (Jan. 25). Along with the no naming, council will also eliminate an old ordinance preventing lewd co-habitation in the city. No squawks on this.
Letter to the Editor: Reconsider Fee Increase
I was recently made aware of the fact that ACPS was raising the fees for community use of school facilities. Why ACPS would do this without considering the full spectrum of implications is mind-boggling. An email was sent out by Alexandria Little League stating that they were canceling their six-week winter baseball clinic due to the inflated prices.
Two-Alarm Apartment Fire Displaces Family
The Alexandria Fire Department, assisted by Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Metro Washington Airports Authority Fire Departments, responded to the report of smoke and fire showing from a top floor balcony of a townhouse on Jan. 19 at approximately 11:20 a.m.
Free Tax Preparation for Qualifying Residents
The City of Alexandria is offering free tax preparation to qualifying residents. Taxpayers are eligible if their income is below approximately $35,000 for individuals and $51,000 for families. Expert volunteers from Community Tax Aid, Inc. will ensure that taxpayers apply for all applicable credits and deductions, especially the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, which people often don’t realize they are eligible to receive.
Obituary: Ronald Alan Bordeaux
Ronald A. Bordeaux, 51, of Washington, D.C., died on Jan. 15, 2014. Before moving into northwest D.C. over 10 years ago, he and his family lived in Arlington then Alexandria for over 15 years. A native of Peoria, Illinois and a graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Bordeaux was a distinguished international tax partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers for nearly two decades. All who knew him will long remember his powerful intellect, his boundless curiosity and his great zest for all things tax, tennis, and family.