Preserving Mental Health as People Age
Experts say diet, exercise and mental stimulation are key.
“Exercise [is] the ‘lifestyle’ factor with the strongest effect. A number of different research groups have found benefits of aerobic exercise on both brain structure and function and on cognitive performance.” — Pamela Greenwood, Ph.D., George Mason University
Wrecking Ball Budget Includes Four New Schools in the Coming Decade
Three elementary schools to be demolished; one new school at a site to be determined.
Over the course of the next decade, Alexandria school superintendent Morton Sherman wants to spend $357 million in an ambitious plan of demolition and construction - replacing existing facilities with new buildings and adding a new school.
Expanding the First Aid Battlefield Toward Mental Health
Legislators to consider $2 million for Mental Health First Aid.
The idea of first aid dates back to Order of St. John, a medieval society of knights that offered training in how to treat common battlefield injuries.
Week in Alexandria
Two properties at the heart of Alexandria’s controversial waterfront plan went on the market this week, opening a new chapter in the ongoing saga about redevelopment in Old Town.
Huntington Residents Remain Unprotected in the Face of Flooding
$30 million floodwall is at least two years away.
Fairfax County voters may have approved a $30 million floodwall for Huntington, but neighbors in this working-class neighborhood don’t seem particularly satisfied.
Public Information Comes at a Price in Arlington
Billing system includes $30 charge for six-line summary of secret investigation.
Want a booking photo in a high profile case? Prepare to pay $24.
February Is Heart Month
Diet and fitness experts offer suggestions for maintaining a healthy heart.
When Mary Elizabeth O’Conner enters a supermarket, she is careful stay within the outer perimeters of the store. “Most grocery stores are designed so that the healthiest and non-processed food, like fresh vegetables and meat are kept on the outer edges,” she said. She looks for heart-healthy foods like whole grains and fresh fruit.
Column: A Complicated Answer
And a further explanation and corollary to last week’s column: “A Simple Question,” which attempted to sort through my reactions to being asked an extremely innocent, appropriate, well-intended and always appreciated courtesy: “How are you?” and the problem that it sometimes causes me. That problem being: a question which had it not been asked would then not require an answer. An answer that I’ll always give, but not before I’ve given it some thought, which if I hadn’t thought about, wouldn’t have bothered me in the least
West Springfield Grad Robinson Excelling at Duquesne
Freshman point guard is Dukes’ second-leading scorer.
West Springfield graduate April Robinson has helped the Duquesne women's basketball team to a 17-4 record this season.
Making the Difference Between Struggle and Success
Carmen Jordan of Reston has been a mentor for Fairfax Families4 Kids for six years. She is considered one of the most experienced mentors in the program. In addition to working full-time as a marquee account manager at Deltek in Herndon, Jordan makes herself available to “trouble-shoot” for the children and families she mentors. In the following column, she details her experiences with the program, and at-risk foster youth.
Inspiration For a Poem
Poem by Geri Baldwin
'Stuff the Bus’ Campaign Helps Feed the Hungry
Donations continue to increase as campaign enters third year.
Local grocery stores were packed this weekend with shoppers stocking up on Super Bowl snacks for the annual football fan party. At the Wal-Mart in Fairfax, shoppers were greeted with colorful displays of chips, dips and other party favorites. They were also greeted by volunteers from Our Daily Bread (ODB), who were handing out flyers and encouraging shoppers to donate gift cards or specific items to restock ODB’s pantry shelves. A Fairfax nonprofit for nearly 30 years, ODB provides food and other critical services to the working poor, the elderly and the disabled. More than half of ODB’s clients are local children.
Lake Braddock’s Butler Too Much for TC
Senior totals 29 points, 22 rebounds in OT victory.
The Lake Braddock girls' basketball team on Tuesday beat T.C. Williams for the second time this season.
Roundups February 6
Roundups for February sixth.
A Gift of Dictionaries
Colonial Republican Women donates to Hybla Valley Elementary School.
A delegation from Colonial Republican Women presented Hybla Valley Elementary School staff with a donation of 100 dictionaries on Dec. 20.
Preparing for ‘Reach the Beach’
The West Potomac Dance Team and students from the recent dance team workshop performed at half-time at last Friday’s basketball game.
Multicultural Fair
Hollin Meadows Elementary School will hold its annual Multicultural Fair on Saturday, Feb. 9 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
‘The Pink Panther Strikes Again’
Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre, now in its 32nd season, will present “The Pink Panther Strikes Again,” directed by John Waldron and performed by a cast of 18 local actors ages 12-18.
‘They’re Coming to America’
Rocky Run students ‘become’ immigrants at Ellis Island.
Sitting on the floor, jammed together in a narrow locker area, the Rocky Run seventh-graders pretended they were immigrants packed into a boat from Europe to America. They watched a video of the approach to New York Harbor while listening to Neil Diamond sing, “Coming to America.”
Holy Child Offers ‘Minimester, Volume II’
Fourteen topics fill innovative program.
Tea was served and whist was played as if Jane Austen herself were in the room. Links between Harry Potter, World War II and Christianity were explored. Students delved into personal finance, creative writing, performing arts audition techniques — and even visited the “Little Butterfly of the Caribbean” — the island of Guadeloupe.