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Down Shifting at 55

Popular automotive garage ownership changes hands.

Down Shifting at 55

High-Tech Command Center

First look inside Public Safety/Transportation Operations Center.

High-Tech Command Center

Shaving Away Childhood Cancer

St. Baldrick’s Fund-Raiser Is March 17

Every year, 160,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with cancer. It also kills more children in Canada and the U.S. than any other disease. So the St. Baldrick’s Foundation has dedicated itself to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers. And a group of determined and enthusiastic local residents is helping.

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Chantilly Students Create Care Packages for Soldiers

Life lessons don’t always come from books. National Honor Society (NHS) students at Chantilly High are learning that firsthand, showing care and compassion by collecting items to send to U.S. soldiers overseas. Students at other Chantilly Pyramid schools are collecting, too, as part of the America's Adopt-A-Soldier program.

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‘Glimmer of Hope for the Future’

Local Man in May 5 VisionWalk.

Centreville’s John McKeown has never seen his children’s faces and he always pictures his wife as being 28. That’s because retinitis pigmentosa (RP) – a genetic condition causing degeneration of the retina and eventual vision loss – caused him to go blind.

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Clifton Rolls Out the Welcome Mat

It’s the 40th annual Spring Homes Tour.

French chandeliers, antique furnishings, original paintings and whimsical collections are among the delights awaiting all those attending the 40th annual Clifton Spring Homes Tour. It’s slated for Thursday, May 17, from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., and includes a marketplace, silent auction and raffle, from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Paradise Springs Winery.

Roundups for May 9

Worker Dies on the Job A Herndon man working on a job in Chantilly died Sunday after an accident involving heavy equipment. Fairfax County police identified him as Gerardo Santiago Paulette Ruiz, 47. The tragedy occurred May 6, shortly before 3 p.m., at a business in the 4100 block of Lafayette Center Drive. Police say Ruiz was operating a forklift in the warehouse area and “apparently attempted to pass through a doorway when the forklift struck an overhead beam.” The beam then dislodged and fell on him. Ruiz was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Rocky Run Against the World

Robowiz team develops groundbreaking research.

With food safety being of vital importance these days, a group of students mainly from Rocky Run Middle School created a way to prevent e coli from forming in reusable grocery bags. For their efforts, they took second place in a state championship and third in the world.

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Cleveland, Campbell Are Honored

Feted as Frey’s Lord and Lady Fairfax.

Every year, each member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors selects two people from his or her district to honor as exceptional citizens.

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Family and Friends Mourn Trish Stach

Centreville woman dies on Mother’s Day.

It’s bad enough to lose a wife and mother; having her die on Mother’s Day only makes it worse. But on Sunday, May 12, Centreville’s Trish Stach lost her battle with breast cancer at age 59. She’d fought the disease for 15 years and ultimately died of complications from it.

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On the Job and Hot on the Trail

Finding people is fun for new, police bloodhound pups.

“We’ll get them out here and acclimate them to the noises — gunfire, [vehicle] brakes and birds,” said Masood. They’ll also be exposed to airplanes, wind, rain, heat, car horns honking, plus obstacles such as fences. And they’ll learn how it feels on their paws to walk in the woods, through brush, on cement, carpet, tile floors, etc. That way, said Clarke, “When they get out on the street, when they’re almost a year old, they’ll be ready.”

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Candidates Have Their Say

Hugo, Foltz, LeMunyon and Nguyen discuss the issues.

With the general election just a month away, a Candidates Night was held last Wednesday, Sept. 25, in Chantilly. Presented by the Sully District Council of Citizens Associations and the League of Woman Voters of the Fairfax Area, it let residents meet local incumbents and challengers and hear their positions on various issues.

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Teachers Are Excited about New School Year

The bells have all rung and the students returned to their classes this week. But school started earlier for their teachers, who spent part of their summer working on lesson plans and readying their classrooms for the new school year.

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Hoping for a Traffic Signal

Willow Springs parents describe transportation troubles.

It’s not a done deal, yet. But if the traffic volume at the intersection of Braddock Road and Willow Springs School Road warrants it, a traffic signal will someday be installed there. And it can’t come soon enough for Willow Springs Elementary parents and schoolbus drivers.

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Crafts, Plays, Dance: Events for Fall

Below is a partial listing of autumn events happening in the area:

Another Death-Row Victory for Wolfe

Federal judge vacates murder and drug convictions, plus sentences.

Message from the court system to Prince William Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert: Be fair and play by the rules, or convictions you’ve obtained by skirting the boundaries of what’s right may eventually be overturned.

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From Serious to Hilarious

Centreville High presents its One-Act Play Festival.

Comedy, drama and everything in between are on tap during Centreville High’s One-Act Play Festival. It’s slated for Friday, Feb 15, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb 16, at 2 p.m. Tickets, good for both days, are $5 at the door.

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Virginia Garden Week to Feature NoVa Gardens

80th Historic Garden Week, April 20-27, 2013

Historic Garden Week 2013 will feature approximately 200 private homes and gardens open on 32 separate tours throughout the state of Virginia over eight consecutive days. It is the largest ongoing volunteer effort in Virginia and represents the coordinated efforts of 3,400 club members. One hundred percent of tour proceeds are used to enhance Virginia’s landscape. For 80 years, the grounds of the commonwealth’s most cherished historic landmarks have been restored or preserved with help from proceeds from Historic Garden Week including Mount Vernon, Monticello and the grounds of the Executive Mansion in Richmond.

Fulfilling a Dream

Ahmadiyya Muslim mosque is almost completed.

Set back from the road, yet perched upon a hill, the mosque that will serve area members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community is nearing completion in Chantilly. Just off Walney Road and Eagle Chase Circle, the 7,200-square-foot place of worship is called the Mubarak mosque which, in Islamic, means "blessed tidings."

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‘Coming to America’ at Robinson Middle

It’s one thing to read about history in a textbook, but another thing entirely to experience it "firsthand."