People

Santa's Helpers

BFSPA makes holidays bright for area children.

Looking to Hear from Readers in New Year

As local, weekly newspapers, the Gazette Packet’s mission is to deliver news readers need close to home, to help readers enjoy great local places and events, to advocate for community good, to call attention to unmet needs, to provide a forum for dialogue on local concerns, and to celebrate and record milestones and events in community and people’s lives.

Mount Vernon Military Notes for 1/1/14.

Wrapping up Joy for Christmas

Students, Scouts, police brighten holiday at Hanley Shelter.

The children living in the Katherine Hanley Family Shelter may not have many possessions; but on Christmas Day, they had presents.

Top Sports Moments of 2013: Potomac

The year 2013 provided several exciting moments in local sports. For Whitman High School, the girls’ basketball team won a region title before suffering a one-point loss in the state semifinals. The girls’ soccer team made it all the way to the state final --- and won. For Wootton, the golf team repeated as state champion while the field hockey team fell just short of a state title. Here is a look at the top moments in Potomac sports for 2013.

Holy Child Freshman Wins Junior Grand Prix Medals in Ice Dancing

Lorraine McNamara was 3 years old when she gingerly stepped onto the ice at a local skating rink while her mom was taking a lesson. Eleven years later, she is an accomplished ice dance competitor.

Holiday Cheer Spreads to Homebound Seniors

Senior Services of Alexandria’s elves were spreading holiday cheer to homebound Alexandria’s seniors.

A Look at Top Local Stories of 2013

Interesting, exciting and dramatic events happen all year long in the Centreville-Chantilly-Clifton area. Below were some of the top local stories of 2013.

Library Has Some Helpful Friends

Everyone needs friends, even a library. And the Friends of the Centreville Regional Library provide an invaluable service by buying items the library needs, but Fairfax County doesn’t fund.

Firefighters and Friends collect more than 3,500 toys for area children.

Christmas came a few days early for more than 100 children from local Head Start programs as they picked out toys during the annual Firefighters and Friends to the Rescue toy drive Dec. 17 at Penn Daw Station 11.

Supervisors Make Predictions for 2014

Q&A with Supervisors Pat Herrity (R- Springfield) and Jeffrey McKay (D-Lee).

Q: What were some successes of 2013? A: Transportation updates. The Fairfax County Parkway will have interstate level traffic in the next 10 years, if not already. We need to work on the long-term solution. I was able to get the Board of Supervisors to pass the requested corridor improvement study. We’ve got the study underway for the Pope’s Head Road interchange on the parkway, and those are both really big things. I also asked the Board to take a look at Braddock Road and changing it into a primary road.

Local Dental Office Joins U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Literacy Program

Dr. Travis Le of Fairfax joined the U.S. Marines in an all out campaign against poverty and illiteracy in our own society through the U.S. Marine Toys for Tots Literacy Program. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty over 16 million children in the United States live below the federal poverty level.

Field Trip Grant Program Exposes Children to Nature

Grant brings local elementary and middle schools to Hemlock Overlook Regional Park in Clifton.

The Dominion Foundation’s grant of $10,000 to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority will allow for children from local elementary and middle schools to attend field trips at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park in Clifton as part of the Field Trip Grant Program.

Delegates Make Predictions for 2014

Q&A with delegates David Bulova (D-37) and Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41).

Q: What were some successes in 2013? A: The big one from last year was transportation, and it would be great to keep that momentum going into 2014. I see 2014 as being a potentially very productive year and a way to differentiate Virginia from the federal government and the gridlock we are seeing up there.

Supervisor Looks at Year Ahead

Q&A with Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock District).

Braddock District Supervisor John Cook, left, thinks that education funding should be a top priority for Virginia legislators this section.

The Connection