Letter to the Editor: Get Facts Straight
Re: Jan. 13 letter "Replace the Teachers Not the Building."
Commentary: General Assembly Session Underway
The 2013 General Assembly session convenes at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 9. Tracing its beginnings to the colonists meeting in the church at Jamestown to conduct their common business, the General Assembly is the oldest continuous legislative body in the western hemisphere.
Letter to the Editor: Loss of Parking
I am sure there were a lot of people enjoying all the events that came with the First Night Alexandria event, then there are the residents who have to put up with all the overcrowding of our streets.
Letter to the Editor: Anniversary of Black January
Twenty-three years ago, on the night of Jan. 19-20, 1990, Soviet authorities staged the falling empire's last brutal crime against their own citizens.
Letter to the Editor: Safety Issues of Shared Streets
The recent letter to the editor by the former chair of the transportation commission reflects how dissent is treated at City Hall.
Letter to the Editor: Benefits of Food Stamp Program
We were surprised to read Michael Lee Pope’s article “Use of Food Stamps Skyrocketing in Northern Virginia” in your December 6, 2012 edition.
Letter to the Editor: Taxpayer’s Lament
There was a recent story about city tax rates quoting the mayor, vice mayor and council member Alicia Hughes.
My Year in The USA
Why are we doing this? Why are we going away from our families for one year and move into a family's house we don't know? We are exchange students and we wanted to learn more about another country, about the culture, the language and the people.
“If It Ain’t Broke…”
Today is a day I feel like writing – not merely one when I am looking forward to having written, but rather one when I am interested and motivated by the process.
Letter to the Editor: Dealing with Tragedy’s Emotions
Today’s [Dec. 14] unspeakable tragedy in Newtown, Conn., has saddened and shaken us all.
Letter to the Editor: Supports Rink Modifications
I wanted to take a moment to express my support in moving forward with the proposal for modifying the rink at the Potomac Community Center.
Letter: Burke Centre Becomes One of Fastest Growing Amtrak Stations
Amtrak recently posted rider numbers for 2012 and 2011 for every station in the nation. While ridership increased nationally 3.5 percent, Virginia’s ridership increased a whopping 8.3 percent and boasted the third (“Lynchburg Train,” stopping at Burke Centre) and fourth (“Newport News Train,” stopping at Woodbridge) fastest growing of the country’s 46 passenger services.
Shots Heard Around the World
Newtown, Conn., joined a list topped by Blacksburg, Va., of the scenes of the most tragic mass murders in our history. This list contributes to the United States having 80 percent of all firearm deaths among the 23 populous, high-income countries in the world. Over a million people have been killed with guns in the United States since 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. In one year, 31,593 people died from gun violence and 66,769 people survived gun injuries. These statistics are from the Brady Campaign that has even more shocking numbers with documentation at its website, www.bradycampaign.org.
Column: 2013—Year With a Silver Lining?
As I sit looking out on Lake Anne on a gray post-Christmas day, I look back on 2012 and begin to feel optimistic about 2013. But, unlike past years, when my prognostications tended to be overly optimistic—e.g., predicting Reston’s achieving town status (as originally intended by Robert Simon) and escaping the oppression of Fairfax County. This year I’m sticking to cold, hard, objective analysis.
Challenges Facing Dranesville in 2013
Supervisor John W. Foust (D-Dranesville) discusses New Year’s expectations.
In 2013, we will again confront many challenges, at the county level as well as in the McLean, Great Falls, Herndon, Falls Church and Vienna communities in the Dranesville District. I will continue to address our challenges by seeking input and suggestions from my constituents and by working with my excellent staff to provide leadership. Some of the more significant issues I expect to deal with in 2013 are discussed below.