AAA Hosts Free Car Check
A free car inspection might take some of the sting out of this winter’s weather.
Meteorologists look to the weather phenomenon La Nina for their winter predictions this year. AAA Mid-Atlantic Field Operations Manager Jeff Boone remembers something from The Farmer’s Almanac about the abundance of acorns and wooly bear caterpillars foreshadowing rough weather ahead. Computer models or natural signs, Boone and the weather folks are in agreement. The winter of 2012 could be another extra cold and stormy one for our region.
German Band Comes to West Springfield
ARTIG performs at area school.
As the drum and bass began to echo throughout the auditorium, West Springfield High School students cheered for the German band ARTIG this past Friday.
Immigration Issue High on Latino Voters’ Agenda
GMU panel addresses the impact of Latino vote in Northern Virginia.
“The demographic shifts coming to Virginia will wipe out the effects of the short-sighted anti-immigrant politicking we see now.” —Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49)
‘Celebrating 220 Years of Community’
Centreville Day is this Saturday, Oct. 20.
Step right up and join the parade — or, at least, come watch it. And then head over to Centreville’s Historic District for the 20th annual Centreville Day celebration. The festivities are this Saturday, Oct. 20, and kick off with the Zombie Slouch 5K Run and Walk at 9 a.m., to benefit DC Candlelighters.
Halloween Happenings
It’s back! This year’s haunted trail winds through Clifton’s eight-acre Buckley Park on Saturday, Oct. 27 from 7-10 p.m. This year will include several new terrifying skits including re-enactments, popular scary movie scenes and plenty of frightening lighting and props. Parents should accompany children along the Trail. This year the Haunted Trail features several new and scarier skits from zombie land and the legendary headless horseman may ride by on his stallion from time to time.
Area Roundups
At his swearing-in ceremony in June, City of Fairfax Mayor R. Scott Silverthorne promised to give every resident an equal opportunity to participate in government.
Three Dance Scholarships Awarded
Three Fairfax County high school seniors won dance scholarships at the Fairfax County Dance Coalition (FCDC) Third Annual Gala Showcase, A Celebration of Dance, Sunday, Oct. 7. This year, says FCDC President Marilyn York, “the Arts Council of Fairfax County (ACFC) joined FCDC to expand the number of scholarships awarded.” Penelope Gross, Mason District County supervisor, and Linda Sullivan, president of the ACFC, presented the scholarships.
Volunteer Fairfax Supports Veterans
Community blueprint allows communities to help.
By connecting military and veteran community nonprofits with the volunteer community, The Community Blueprint can draw from Volunteer Fairfax’s already sizeable volunteer base. At the project launch event, held on Tuesday, Oct. 9, William C. Basl of the Corporation for National and Community Service inducted 30 AmeriCorps members—many of them veterans themselves—who will be deployed in Community Blueprint cities across the country. During the event, ITT Exelis, a global aerospace, defense and information solutions company based in McLean announced its investment of $5 million over five years for the expansion of The Community Blueprint and deployment of AmeriCorps members in communities of need nationwide.
Targeting Child Sex Trafficking
Local AAUW chapter spotlights global — and local — issue.
“It was in our backyard, who would have thought it could happen here,” said Catherine Krebs, president of the Mount Vernon branch of the AAUW, at a meeting on child sex trafficking at Sherwood Library on Thursday, Oct. 11.
Letter: Advocacy Vs. Facts
The E&R Committee's resolution was also irresponsible, endorsing an extreme restoration proposal without any firm estimate from NPS as to the anticipated cost to taxpayers. People who serve in a civic capacity in our community need to be more careful to refrain from disguising advocacy as facts.
Letter: Cut Expenses Or Raise Taxes?
I recently completed the Fairfax County Transportation Survey by rating perhaps a dozen or more taxing options to “pay for $300 million in Fairfax County transportation needs” — I rated them all as not acceptable.
Remembering Slaves Of Historic Mount Vernon
Historic Mount Vernon and Black Women United for Action hosted a remembrance ceremony and wreath-laying at the Slave Memorial on the Mount Vernon Estate on Saturday morning, Oct. 13.
Meeting Details $300 Million Annual Transportation Deficit
Mount Vernon residents asked how to fill gap.
Approximately 25 people learned about an annual $300 million transportation deficit during a briefing session at the Mount Vernon Governmental Center on Thursday, Oct. 11.
Mount Vernon Bulletin Board: Oct. 18, 2012
Upcoming events
Keller Williams Holds White Elephant/Yard Sale
The parking lot at the Old Town Keller Williams office on S. Washington Street was transformed Saturday morning, Oct. 13 into a large White Elephant/Yard Sale.
108 Sun Salutations
Dozens of children and their parents participated in the Fall 2012 YoKids Challenge at the Mount Vernon Community Center on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 14.
What Would $155 Million Bond Package Buy?
New fire stations, library renovations, park improvements and more on Nov. 6 ballot.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, Monique Bell of Oakton was helping her 5-year-old daughter McKenzie sort through a dozen Halloween craft books at the Reston Regional Library. The library, one of the busiest branches in Fairfax County, has a collection of more than 215,000 volumes and circulates more than a million books a year.
Classified Advertising Oct. 17, 2012
Read the latest ads here!
Two Poor Teachers Expand in Area
A kitchen and bath remodeling company brings a one-stop-shop right to customers' front doors.
On a sunny afternoon in the parking lot of a Fairfax County shopping center, Jeff Pregman is giving a tour of his mobile showroom, a $100,000 former bookmobile that now houses an impressive selection of tiles, counter tops, faucets, flooring, light fixtures and more. Pregman is the General Manager of Two Poor Teachers, a Class A contracting company founded in 1999 that specializes in kitchen and bath remodeling. The tour is interrupted on several occasions over the course of an hour by folks peering in the windows or knocking on the door. “I love it,” says Pregman. “People see this big vehicle that says it’s a design center. They come up to see what’s what and they are blown away by what’s inside. We do get a bit of business this way.”
Editorial: Pick Your Own Election Day
It's called “absentee voting in person,” and there are a lot of reasons why you should.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6. The deadline to register to vote is past, although in Northern Virginia, it's clear that a very high percentage of eligible voters are registered. Four years ago in the presidential election of 2008, there were 5,034,660 voters registered in Virginia, and 3,752,858 actually voted. Just in the month of September 2012, Fairfax County saw more than 6,000 newly registered voters, for a total of 646,881 active voters. Arlington registered more than 3,300 new voters in September, with more than 130,000 active voters total. Alexandria added more than 1,300 new voters last month alone, with 81,847 active voters.