People

War on the Waterfront

Iron Ladies file another lawsuit challenging city's efforts to upzone three sites.

When the dispute between Old Town and City Hall was at its height last year, 20th Century Fox movie "Iron Lady" was in the theaters celebrating the life of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. So when Old Town residents April Burke, Beth Gibney and Marie Kux filed a lawsuit against the city, the trio was dubbed the "Iron Ladies" — a tip of the hat to the steely determination of the former prime minister.

Three Years Later: No Police Oversight Board

Beltrante continues to lobby for citizens panel.

Three years after forming the Citizens Coalition for Police Accountability, retired D.C. homicide detective Nicholas Beltrante and his organization have not realized their goal of getting the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to establish a citizen police oversight panel. The genesis of Beltrante’s effort was triggered In 2009 when David Masters, a Vietnam veteran, alleged to have stolen flowers from a Route 1 nursery, was shot and killed by Fairfax police after a car chase.

Neighborhood

Taylor Run

CELEBRATING CHUCK Lots and lots of people went to Putnam Place on Saturday to celebrate the 56th birthday of Chuck Linderman. Children Corinne and Will had organized the party, Corinne all the way from Salt Lake City where she works as an engineer for GE.

Meet New SFDC Executive Director

Edythe Frankel Kelleher appointed last month.

Edythe Frankel Kelleher, recently appointed executive director of the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation, may be the first true “homegrown” executive director in a long line of staff director’s appointed in the past several years by the SFDC. Previous executive directors lived outside of Fairfax County.

Vivian M. Gorham

Obituary

Vivian M. Gorham, 89, died on April 3, 2013, in Woodbridge, Va. A native of Alexandria, Vivian was born to Harvey J. and Delia C. Millan on Aug. 30, 1923.

Letter: Letters to the Editor-Who Is Responsible?

To the Editor: Congratulations to Walmart for its decision to put wheel locks on shopping carts, because they are expensive — nearly $100. But attempts to apply external pressure, and especially attempts at legislation to force Walmart to this action, is way out of line.

GWMS To Present ‘Once on This Island’

George Washington Middle School dramatic arts students will be performing “Once on This Island,” a musical retelling of “The Little Mermaid” based on the 1985 novel “My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl” by Rosa Guy, set in the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea.

Schools

School Notes

Email announcements to centreview@connectionnewspapers.com. Photos are welcome. More than 300 JMU students embarked on 30 spring break trips around the country and world. Students spent the week living simply, focused on service in their destination community but also on teamwork and reflection within their group. The following students participated in alternative spring break: Emma Stewart, Adrienne Lowry and Rachael Donnelly

New Home for Turtles at Riverbend

Girl Scout Natalie Gilbert builds and donates new box turtle habitat.

Young visitors to the Riverbend Park Nature Center used to have a hard time looking at the three box turtles in the turtle habitat. The old habitat featured a solid wood wall, meaning children could only look straight down at the turtles and rarely had an opportunity to see more than the tops of their shells.

Locals Support Military Vets

Operation Second Chance receives donation from local State Farm office.

Members of the State Farm branch in Great Falls presented a check for $1,500 to Operation Second Chance, a charity that provides for injured service members and their families, Thursday, April 4.

Mount Vernon Estate Moves Closer to Opening Indispensable Library

$40 million facility to open in September.

Drivers zooming along Mount Vernon Memorial Highway are seeing history in the making.

Filmmaker Turns Camera on Reston

Rebekah Wingert-Jabi wins Peabody Award, begins work on documentary about Reston.

Rebekah Wingert- Jabi has lived all across the world. She moved to Reston as a child, attended college in Minnesota and California, studied abroad in China and lived in the Middle East. She became interested in still photography at a young age, and while in China she got a video camera and became fascinated with the idea of moving images.

Week in Springfield

Police-Involved Shooting in Franconia Area, Library Friends to Hold Annual Meeting, and Apple, Vantria Federal Credit Unions Announce Merger

Area Roundups

Smoke Alarms Alert Residents to Townhouse Fire and Police-Involved Shooting in Franconia Area

Republican Women of Clifton to Discuss Prevention of Voter Fraud

The Republican Women of Clifton (RWC) will feature Crystal Wright, editor of www.conservativeblackchick.com, who will address “How Can the GOP Move Forward and Become a Winning Party Again?” and Hans Von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, who will talk about “Preserving Democracy—Election Reform and the Dangers of Voter Fraud” at its April meeting.

The Connection