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Holiday Wishes Come True in Great Falls

The Wish List Project sending 325 homeless children holiday gifts.

Because of Ginger Mahon, more than 300 homeless and foster care children and teens will wake up to presents on Christmas. The Wish List Project, which turns 15 this year, will deliver donated personalized gifts to six organizations throughout the county, playing Santa for hundreds of children.

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Celebration of Lights in Great Falls

Traditional festival kicks off the holiday season on Dec. 6.

The village will kick off the holiday season with an age old tradition: Celebration of Lights. The festival, which includes a tree lighting by Santa and Mrs. Claus and a live nativity, will take place on the Village Green on Dec. 6 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

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Reston: ArcAngel, New Security App, Launches

Advanced technology pinpoints user location in an emergency.

John South, CEO of Patrocinium Systems of Reston, calls it the guardian angel of apps. The ArcAngel app, unveiled on Nov. 19, can pinpoint users during emergency situations, alerting first responders and loved ones about their minute-by-minute status.

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Gifts from the HeART in Reston

Community Center partners with Cornerstones for holiday market

Lake Anne Community Center will become a holiday market to benefit charity. On Dec. 6, the annual Gifts from the HeART reception and market will feature vendors from throughout the county for adults as well as crafts and a visit from Santa for children.

Crime in Mount Vernon

The following incidents were reported by the Mount Vernon District Police Station.

Arlington: School Board Faces $20 Million Budget Gap

County Board details gaps in funding for 2016 budget.

With no tax rate increases, the Arlington County Board is projecting a $24 million gap between revenue and expenditures for fiscal year 2016.

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Hand & Stone Opens in Chantilly

Spa offers facials, massage, waxings.

A new Chantilly Hand & Stone Spa opened in the Greenbriar Town Center behind the Starbucks along Route 50 on Oct. 12.

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Patient First Facility Heading to Fairfax

Will also provide inter-parcel access to shopping center.

Patient First is opening a walk-in medical facility in the City of Fairfax. It got the go-ahead last Tuesday, Nov. 18, from the Fairfax City Council, following a public hearing.

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Chantilly: Walney Road Widening Meeting Set

Work is scheduled to begin Dec. 2.

Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) and VDOT are co-hosting a “Pardon Our Dust” meeting for the Walney Road widening and bridge replacement.

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Sun Shines on Pohick Church Christmas Mart in Lorton

In recent years, it’s poured on people like Janice Cranel while they waited for the Pohick Church Christmas Mart to open. Rain or shine, they would still line up in front of the modest red brick building where colonial celebrities like George Washington, George Mason and their families attended services. “We come for the fellowship, the delicious luncheon, sweet ladies, arts and crafts, jewelry and Christmas decorations,” said Cranel.

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Lorton Outreach Group Sets Thanksgiving Service Record

Kathy Noone stood alone, surrounded by Thanksgiving baskets ready to feed over 400 families. The Lorton resident is Director of Volunteers for the Lorton Community Action Center (LCAC), and though she looked capable, she didn’t fill the bags all by herself. Earlier on Nov. 23, a team of volunteers worked “better than a well-oiled machine” to sort donated food into nearly identical combinations at the Moose Family Center in Lorton for delivery and pickup.

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ECHO Steps Up Holiday Giving in Burke and Springfield

Duane Carlson and his wife Alice are sorting canned goods into a long row of evenly spaced paper bags, each representing a family. On the Monday before Thanksgiving, there’s a vibrant energy among volunteers buzzing around the Ecumenical Community Helping Others (ECHO) building in Springfield. The nonprofit basic need for assistance organization is open year-round, and now it has the feeling of Santa’s workshop.

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Fairfax Resident Talks Victorian Christmas at Burke Historical Society

Electricity didn’t come to Burke until 1928. That meant no one could power strings of lights to decorate Christmas trees; they had to use real candles and assume the very real fire hazard risk. Fortunately, fireproof fake trees made of goose feathers or chenille had already been around since the 1880s.

95 Express Lanes Scheduled to Open in December in Stafford County and Fairfax County

Beginning next month, a 29-mile stretch of I-95 should look a little different. Existing HOV lanes will change to “Express Lanes,” offering drivers with an E-ZPass a less congested alternative. The change affects 95 starting in Stafford County around Garrisonville Road, north to I-395 in Fairfax County by Edsall Road.

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Camargo, Guterman Launch Collection in Potomac

Designer, local entrepreneur join forces.

Jewelry designer Anthony Camargo is renowned for his line, Anthony Nak, worn by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta Jones and Jennifer Lopez. Camargo recently relocated to the Potomac area from southeast Asia — and the designer has now joined forces with Potomac entrepreneur Barbara Guterman to release his new independent jewelry collection.