Stories for September 2014

New Voter Identification Requirements

There are new requirements for voter identification that voters must bring with them to the polling place.

Junior Committee: Work Horses

Young local equestriennes anchor Washington International Horse Show.

Mary Elizabeth Cordia of Alexandria Established in 1958, the Washington International Horse Show is the leading metropolitan indoor horse show in the U.S. This six-day event is held annually in October at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Langley Student Has Voice on School Board

Harris LaTeef ready to represent students on big issues.

Harris LaTeef isn’t used to wearing a suit, but he’s getting good use from the ones he owns this year. The School Board’s student representative, a senior at Langley High School, will provide the board with a unique perspective that represents 187,000 people in the county for important issues this year.

Former Delegate Vince Callahan Dies at 82

Represented McLean, Great Falls in House of Delegates for 40 years.

Former delegate Vincent Callahan Jr., who spent 40 years representing McLean, Great Falls and Tysons Corner in Virginia House of Delegates, died on Sept. 20.

Local Group Gives Scholarships to Women

Great Falls Friends and Neighbors gave out $10,000 in scholarships to college women to kick off the start of the school year. Six women from George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College, ranging in ages and opportunities, were presented scholarships during a luncheon at Riverbend Country Club on Friday, Sept 19.

Students, Parents and Teachers Plea for Later Start Times

Students, parents and advocacy groups flooded the School Board’s public comment period with pleas to approve later start times for students next year during Sept. 19 meeting.

Portrait of a Graduate Approved

The Portrait of a Graduate has been drawn. This “portrait” - a part of the plans for the proposed strategic plan - was passed unanimously at Thursday’s Fairfax County School Board meeting after the board discussed it for more than an hour.

Board of Supervisors Approves 50+ Community Action Plan

Vote is “the beginning, not the end” for Herrity.

Supervisor Pat Herrity’s so-called “Silver Tsunami” population in Fairfax County isn’t getting any younger. The data haven’t changed: the amount of people over 50 should increase by 40 percent between 2005 and 2030, and those 70 and older should shoot up 80 percent in the same period.

Supervisors Break Ground on New Public Safety Headquarters

The Fairfax County Police and Fire Departments are getting a new home. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova and Supervisor John Cook broke ground on what will be a $142 million, eight-story headquarters.

Fall Fun 2014

Upcoming family-friendly events in the area.

Naz Akbar Exhibits at Katie's

A Great Falls artist Naz Akbar will be exhibiting at Katie's Coffee from Oct. 3 to the Oct. 31 in an art exhibit "Moments to Remember."

Post-Chemo Weak

For the past year, every three weeks I have been infused with a chemotherapy drug called Alimta, “the last miracle drug,” to quote my oncologist, and a drug with which I hadn’t previously been infused.

Week in Great Falls

Richard & Mary Kelly are opening their home to the community and sharing their private art collection of American Illustration for a fundraiser on Sept. 27, 7—9 p.m.

Great Falls Community Plants White Oak Trees

Great Falls residents' contributions to the GFCA Legacy Oak Tree Program resulted in the first planting of large white oaks around the village area in early September.

Foust Bridging Political Divide

Democrats hope Foust’s reputation as a “bridge-builder” connects with voters.

Straightening his tie, John Foust is preparing for yet another “meet-and-greet” event at the Clifton home of Democratic supporters Terry Matlaga and Kevin Bell.

Editorial: Deadly Medicaid Debacle

Literally killing poor people who could have health care, while refusing to give Virginia’s economy a boost.

The poor people of Virginia are so seriously harmed by the actions of the Virginia General Assembly in refusing to expand Medicaid at little additional cost to the Commonwealth that those harmed should have some legal recourse.

Classified Advertising September 17, 2014

Read the latest ads here!

Great Falls Home Sales: August, 2014

In August 2014, 18 Great Falls homes sold between $6,188,600-$464,000.

Great Falls Home Sales: August, 2014

Great Falls Honors 9/11 Victims

Candles lit, names read during memorial ceremony.

Still 13 years later, it is a date no American can forget. The annual Great Falls 9/11 Memorial Ceremony was held on Thursday at the Freedom Memorial to remember the six village citizens who died when a plane hit the Pentagon more than a decade ago.

Deer Archery Program Enters Sixth Season

Continued overabundance brings bow-hunters back to parks.

Even at 72, the animated Disney classic “Bambi” can still soften the hardest hearts when it comes to appreciating the innocence and natural beauty of deer. But the reality in Fairfax County is that an unnaturally high density of Bambis and mothers of Bambi is an ongoing threat to biodiversity and road safety.

A Different Path to a 4-year Degree

NOVA’s Guaranteed Admissions Program gives students opportunities to attend their dream schools.

Noor Naveed immigrated to the United States from Pakistan with her family shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The family settled in Northern Virginia and, years later, Naveed graduated from Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria. She dreams of becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college.

Later High School Start Times for 2015?

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza will propose later high school start times at the Fairfax County School Board’s business meeting on Thursday, Sept. 18, for the Board’s formal consideration at its business meeting on Thursday, Oct. 23.

Letter: Local Foundation Hosts DaVinci Challenge

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor: True innovation begins when dreamers finally decide to give substance to their ideas. Leonardo da Vinci once said, “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

Letter: Ebola: Panic in All the Wrong Places

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor: Ebola is spreading to epidemic proportions in West Africa. There are no uncontrolled cases of Ebola in the U.S. In spite of this, it is the people of Africa who need to worry more, and Americans who need to worry less. However, the virus is not taken nearly seriously enough by the people of West Africa.

Commentary: Protecting Those Threatened by Domestic Violence

September marks 20th Anniversary of Violence Against Women Act.

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) – landmark legislation in which our nation committed new prevention and response resources so that our mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends would no longer have to suffer in silence through domestic abuse.

Elizabeth Wiley wins the Great Falls Farmers Market Basket Raffle

Last Saturday, Sept. 13, was the Great Falls Farmers Market annual "Getting to Know You" Market. Vendors wore name tags.

Butterfly Window Display At Great Falls Library

Reston Anthropologie donates display to Great Falls Garden Club for use in new exhibit.

The Reston store of fashion-forward clothing retailer Anthropologie has donated its window display of more than 10,000 hand cut and hand painted paper Monarch butterflies to the Great Falls Garden Club for use in the club’s new exhibit on the wildflower and native grass meadow at the Great Falls Library.

Local Real Estate: July, 2014 Top Sales in Great Falls and McLean

In July 2014, 16 Great Falls homes sold between $2,200,000-$512,500, and 116 homes sold between $3,022,000-$188,000 in the McLean and Falls Church area.

Local Real Estate: July, 2014 Top Sales in Great Falls and McLean

Full Day Monday Challenges Discussed

The implementation of “full day Mondays” has been anything but easy for area elementary schools. The challenges that Fairfax County Public Schools faced to bring more hours to elementary students’ school year was addressed by Superintendent Karen Garza and several board members during a school board meeting on Sept. 4 at Jackson Middle School.

Portrait of a Graduate Discussed

The heart of the school system’s new strategic plan is closer to being approved. The Fairfax County School Board discussed the five component Portrait of a Graduate - with some asking for a component emphasizing a caring quality - at Monday’s work session.

Classified Advertising September 10, 2014

Read the latest ads here!

Board of Supervisors Approves 2014 Budget Carryover Package

FCPS full-day Mondays at discussion forefront.

When students at the 142 public elementary schools around Fairfax County stayed there the full day on Monday -- the first time in about four decades -- they likely weren’t worried about the cost. That’s between the school board and board of supervisors. Grown-up stuff.

‘Recession Ripple Persists’ at Realtors’ Summit

Private sector job growth key to strengthening regional economy, housing demand.

“There’s no question the primary economic driver of this region has always been Uncle Sam,” said David Versal, senior research associate at the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis. “That said, we’re not Detroit.”

Editorial: Change Is Coming, Right?

Legislators on changing the culture of cash and gifts in Virginia: Crickets.

With former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen facing what could be decades in prison after their convictions for corruption, a reasonable person might reasonably expect that members of the General Assembly would be gearing up to make some big changes.

Meet Great Falls Artist Heidi Mraz

Every October for the past 10 years, Great Falls Studios has invited the public to wander the back roads of Great Falls in search of the innovative, the lovely, the bizarre, the useful, the whimsical and the unusual creations on display in the studios of local working artists.

Time Sensitive

As much as I don’t want to be cognizant of date, time and place, relative to February 27, 2009 when Team Lourie first received the stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis on yours truly, I am (a terminal diagnosis will do that to you). Moreover, as often as I write about the need to live forward, rather than die backward (if you know what I mean), I still struggle with the application.

Letter: The Donors (Money) Behind Comstock, Foust

Letter to the Editor

Please find below some interesting facts about our 10th district candidates. I retrieved this information from Opensecrets.org, a nonprofit website dedicated to adding transparency to the money behind our candidates.

Letter: Comstock Masters Business Issues

Letter to the Editor

On Wednesday, Sept. 3, the candidates for the 10th Congressional District had their first debate before the Fairfax and Prince William Chambers and the Northern Virginia Technology Council. The contrast couldn’t have been more stark.

Extreme Politics

Foust, Comstock stake out opposing positions during first debate in hyper-partisan 10th district Congressional race.

Forget first-debate politeness. Republican Barbara Comstock and Democrat John Foust — the candidates vying to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf in Virginia’s 10th Congressional district — sustained the hyper-partisan tenor of their campaigns during a debate-style forum hosted by the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce in Herndon last week.

Langley Volleyball Coach Shifflett Reaches 300 Wins

Andrejev’s 17 kills lead Saxons over South Lakes.

The Langley volleyball team defeated South Lakes on Monday night, giving head coach Susan Shifflett her 300th career victory.

The Broad-winged Hawks Are Coming

Every Autumn, in addition to literally billions of songbirds, a million or more avian raptors (hawks, eagles, and falcons) migrate from their nesting and breeding areas all over North America to their winter homes, mostly in Central and South America. Raptor enthusiasts and hawk counters often head for mountain ridges and other concentration points in hopes of seeing some of the birds fly by.

Classified Advertising September 3, 2014

Read the latest ads here!

Deadly Potomac

Drownings near Great falls Park are visitors, say experts.

Every year, a handful of people fall victim to the surging, powerful waters of the Potomac Gorge. According to experts, most accidents on the white waters near Great Falls Park are from visitors rather than experts kayaking or rafting the rapids.

Taking On the ‘Silver Tsunami’

Herrity to present 50+ Plan to Board of Supervisors next week.

“It’s here,” said Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield). “We’re already living in it.” Between 2005 and 2030, the number of individuals 50 and older is projected to grow by 40 percent in Fairfax County and the number 70 and older is projected to grow by 80 percent. Herrity attributes the changes to both the aging of Baby Boomers, and the general increase in life expectancy.

BrightView Opening Soon

A new assisted living community will be opening soon in Great Falls. When BrightView Assisted Living opens this month, it will already be half full with residents.

Senior Centers in Fairfax County

A list of senior centers in Fairfax County.

Quilting Studio Adds to Dream Home

At 72, Wanda Rogers engages in an early American craft she first learned from her grandmother.

Quilting takes patience; ditto the steps entailed in setting up a quilting studio all of one's own. Such are the reflections of Wanda Rogers, 72, who is now tapering off a 51-year professional career, and increasing precious hours spent in the pursuit of a mountain-state handicraft she learned from her mother and grandmother.

Newcomers Guide: Year-round Festivals 2014-2015

A list of annual community events in the area.

I Scream

…for ice cream; from Brigham’s in Boston, the local New England establishment of my youth where I spent dollars – although it was likely cents back in those days – many afternoons, evenings and weekends.

Speaker’s Series to Be Held in Great Falls

The series will kickoff on Sept. 23 at the Great Falls Library.

The Great Falls Speaker’s Series, a dynamic, new series that will feature a wide array of literary artists from diverse creative backgrounds, will kick off on Tuesday, Sept. 23. The evening events, to be held monthly at the Great Falls Library, will be free and open to the public.

$12 Million Suit Against Fairfax County Police

2013 shooting victim’s family seeks damages in wrongful death case.

The year-long silence surrounding the police shooting of John Geer has been broken — but not by Fairfax County Police or the U.S. Department of Justice. John Geer was shot to death by Fairfax County Police on Aug. 29, 2013.

Planning for Holiday Homes Tour Underway

McLean Woman’s Club holds annual Kickoff Tea.

The Woman’s Club of McLean held its annual “Wintertime in August” kickoff tea on Thursday, Aug. 21, to preview its 48th annual Holiday Homes Tour, which will take place in early December. This year’s tour will feature four large houses in close-in Langley Farms, a historic McLean neighborhood just off Dolley Madison Boulevard. (Route 123).

Towlston Bridge Re-opens in Time for School Year

The Virginia Department of Transportation re-opened two bridges in Fairfax County on Sunday, Aug. 31, after crews worked quickly to replace the crossings in just two months and restore traffic for school bus routes.

Great Falls Artists Exhibit in Reston

‘Breakthrough event’ at U.S. Geological Survey extends reach of arts group.

“A Sea of Sticks and Stones,” a juried exhibition of artworks by 34 members of Great Falls Studios, opens Sept. 3 at the U.S. Geological Survey National Center, taking the creative energy of Great Falls artists to neighboring Reston and awarding them $1,000 in prizes in the process.

Riverbend Park Hosts Virginia Indian Festival

Park prepares for 17th annual Virginia Indian Festival.

Riverbend Park in Great Falls will be hosting its 17th annual Virginia Indian Festival on Saturday, Sept. 6. Members of eight tribes will gather on the banks of the Potomac River from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Letter: The "Land of the Freebies and Home of the Knaves"

Letter to the Editor

I came from a family of Democrats. My grandfather's tavern in upstate New York was a frequent meeting place for Democrats including the late Congressman Sam Stratton who used to speak there regularly. But the Democrat party has lately come to represent “the Land of the Freebies and Home of the Knaves” instead of “the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.”

Letter: Foust for Congress

Letter to the Editor

Judging from the billboard-sized signs in Great Falls, you’d think Comstock had voters there locked up. But duck beneath the signs, knock on some doors, and you hear a different story.

Letter: ‘Real Jobs’ and ‘Real Taxes’

To the Editor

In Leesburg on August 21, Supervisor John Foust, in discussing his opponent Delegate Barbara Comstock, said "I don't think [Comstock's] even had a real job."

Letter: Facing Homelessness

To the Editor

In his opinion piece (“Homelessness: Source of Trauma for Children,” Connection, August 13-19, 2014), Dean Klein, the Director of Fairfax County’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, clearly enumerated the reality for hundreds of homeless families and their children in the County.