Stories for October 2020

Stories for October 2020

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Thursday, October 29

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Celebrate Fairfax: Outlook Not Good

Outside or not, thousands gathered for rides, entertainment and food could be a super spreader.

Celebrate Fairfax plans in question

Wednesday, October 28

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Preventing Falls

Physical exercise and home safety reduce risk

One of the leading causes of fatal injuries in older adults is falling.

Vienna, Herndon Mayors, Delegate Watts Honored

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recognized three local honorees.

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Pressure Mounts on Return to School in Fairfax County

School Board members face sensitive voting items.

The week of Oct. 19 held important information for Fairfax County Public Schools families.

A Good Place for Affordable Housing in Fairfax County?

Proposal could be a step toward 5,000 unit goal.

Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw located prime real estate to create 200-250 family units of affordable housing: two parking lots of the Fairfax Government Center.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Don’t Waste Your Vote

Maybe Joe Biden was not your preferred Democratic candidate and you would rather have supported Warren, Klobuchar, Sanders or Buttigieg.

Tuesday, October 27

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: The Friends of Riverbend Park Strongly Support Park Bonds

The Friends of Riverbend Park, Inc. (FORB) is an independent non-stock, non-profit corporation, established in the Commonwealth of Virginia on Aug. 5, 1999, with the purpose of protecting, enhancing, and preserving the physical, cultural and natural heritage of Riverbend Park by educating the public to the value of environmental protection generally and of the park’s wildlife habitat specifically; providing volunteer services to the park; channeling donations of money, property, and materials to the park; providing citizen input to plans that may be proposed for the park; and performing any other activities or services necessary or convenient to carry out such purposes, to the extent permitted by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Opinion: Commentary: Don’t Be Fooled by Ballot Language in Virginia

Vote NO on the Gerrymandering Amendment

The ballot language in Amendment 1 is confusing.

Thursday, October 22

Opinion: Commentary: Marathon is Over – Virginia Special Session Gavels Out

The 2020 General Assembly Special Session, which first convened on Aug. 18, recessed at 7:15 p.m. Oct. 16.

Opinion: Commentary: Make a Plan and Vote 2020

Voting is a fundamental American right and the basis of our democracy.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: We Are Not Better Off Now

Regarding this 2020 election… never mind that President Trump took children away from their parents at our southern border.

Opinion: Commentary: Project Community Connect Supports Those Struggling to Afford Basic Needs

The impact of COVID-19 has deepened the economic hardship for residents in the DMV area.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Voters: Heroes of the Day

I am just short of 88 years of age and have voted in sixteen elections for president.

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National Book Month

Month-long celebration focuses on engaging families in reading, writing and literature

It’s a line from the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, that is at the heart of the literary philosophy of Anne Briggs, web services and communications librarian at Montgomery College Library.

Wednesday, October 21

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U.S. Park Police Charged in Killing of McLean Resident

Family has waited for justice since November 2017 when Bijan Ghaisar was shot.

Latest: Police Officers Turn Themselves In

Opinion: Column: “I’ll Think About That Tomorrow”

What I'm thinking about – and being thankful for, today, is the disappearance of all the side effects I've been experiencing during the last four weeks or so since I began my pill regimen for my papillary thyroid cancer treatment.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Why Hillary Lost in 2016?

I would like to respond to the letter “We Need to Start Talking About The Emotional Impact of Election Day” (October 14-20, 2020).

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Opposing Fairfax County Bond Measures

Please VOTE NO on all 4 Fairfax County Bond Measures.

Tuesday, October 20

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Making Sure Their Votes Are Counted in Great Falls

Great Falls Library location sees long lines for early in-person voting

The need to drop their ballot into a secure drop-off box or slide it into a voting machine spurred hundreds of individuals to wait in the long line on the first day of in-person early voting at the Great Falls Library satellite voting location on Saturday, Oct. 17.

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Home As a Safe Haven

Home sales in McLean and Great Falls in 2020 similar in total count to 2019

The first three quarters of 2020 have come to a close and the number of real estate transactions in McLean and Great Falls have been tallied.

Opinion: Commentary: Special Session Summary #1: Criminal Justice Reform Delivered

First of three parts.

Saturday, October 17

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More Ways to Vote in Fairfax County

Fairfax County opened thirteen new early voting locations, giving voters more opportunities to cast their early votes ahead.

Thursday, October 15

Opinion: Column: “And Awaaay We Go!”

As Jackie Gleason would say as he segued from his monologue into the sketch comedy that followed on his Saturday night entertainment hour on CBS.

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Hiding at the Top of the Ticket

Race for Senate features two-term incumbent versus first-time candidate.

When Mark Warner ran for governor in 2001, opponents knocked him for wanting to be governor without having ever run for office before.

Wednesday, October 14

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Home Library Design

Designers offer ideas for spaces with style and comfort.

Once thought of as space for academics to smoke cigars and sip whiskey, the era of covid-19 has transformed home libraries into now cozy places of refuge.

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Advancing Diversity and Inclusion Through Changes in TJ Admissions

Newest proposed merit lottery admissions policy fuels concern.

Top-level discussions concerning proposals by Fairfax County Public Schools leaders and School Board members to increase the population of underrepresented students of color at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) have flown fast and furious the last four weeks.

Opinion: Commentary: We Need to Start Talking About the Emotional Impact of Election Day

This week I was invited to participate in a focus group to solicit ideas for an upcoming conversation around the impact of the November 3 elections on the philanthropic sector.

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Deer Hunting in Fairfax County Controls Herd Populations

Bow hunting program nets hundreds of deer each year.

Imagine walking through wooded county park and all of a sudden, you see a person armed with a bow and arrow up on a stand in a tree.

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Doesn’t Need to be the ‘Biggest Destination’ in Great Falls

Pumpkin patch and blooming mums await at Krop’s Crops

Krop's Crops in Great Falls is knee-deep into October Fall Festivities and preparing to host the Outdoor Vintage Market on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday, October 13

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Painting Great Falls in the Pandemic Time

Plein Air Competition winners announced

In normal years, the week after Labor Day has painters scattered around Great Falls for the community to see and approach during the Paint Great Falls: Plein Air Competition.

Saturday, October 10

Opinion: Column: An Update About Some Down Time

Not that I want to give you a blow-by-blow concerning my treatment switch over to thyroid cancer from lung cancer, but the last two columns were written four weeks ago in the same week in expectation of a weekend away, so these observations will be new-ish in that they will be hot off the press, so to speak.

Friday, October 9

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Creating a Spooky and Safe Halloween in the Age of COVID-19

Ideas for frightful revelry abound even amid coronavirus concerns.

Cartoon character Marshall from Paw Patrol will be searching for chocolate while a tiny pop star tracks down toys as Arlington mother and teacher Becky Beach and her family celebrate the spookiest day of the year.

Free Meals to All Children 18 and Under in Fairfax County

FCPS has distributed more than 3.1 million grab and go meals since schools closed in March.

Behavioral Health Teams to Join Police on Mental Health Calls in Virginia

Marcus alert bill passes House and Senate, moves to Northam’s desk

Marcus alert bill passes House and Senate, moves to Northam’s desk

Opinion: Commentary: We Need a Better Redistricting Amendment

Along with eliminating the Electoral College and reversing corporate contributions green-lighted by the Citizens United case, I consider the drawing of elected officials’ district lines to be one of the most significant, fundamental problems in American Democracy today.

Thursday, October 8

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Fairfax County Public Schools Staff Uncomfortable With In-Person School Plan

Fairfax County Federation of Teachers releases survey results.

Staff at Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) are overwhelmingly uncomfortable with returning for in-person instruction, given the incomplete information about the implementation that has been currently shared, according to a report released by the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT) on Oct. 6 during a press conference.

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Life Hangs in the Box Checked in Fairfax County

HR for County Schools tells staff to make a decision.

Tia Williams is an instructional assistant with diabetes and severe asthma at Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

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Gathering Hundreds of Ideas for Police Reform in Fairfax County

Public input session part of effort to create more transparency in public safety.

In retirement, Randy Sayles, former Marine, former Denver police detective, former DEA special agent undercover in the U.S., Pakistan and Brazil, won a lifetime achievement award from Fairfax County for his efforts to make this county’s police force and policies more equitable for all residents.

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Deer Hunting in Fairfax County Controls Herd Populations

Bow hunting program nets hundreds of deer each year.

Deer hunting

Great Falls Resident Appointed to Library Board of Trustees

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted their approval and appointed Sujatha Hampton, Ph.D., as the Dranesville Representative on the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees.

Racism’s Impact: Great Falls Neighbors Recount Experiences

Great Falls Citizens Association held a virtual town hall during which five neighbors of color provided short vignettes of their lives, sharing their personal experiences and commentaries on racism.

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Limiting Neck Restraints

Lawmakers negotiate behind closed doors on how to curb police use of chokeholds.

When lawmakers began their special session on criminal justice reform in August, hopes were high that the General Assembly would send the governor a bill that banned police from using chokeholds. But now that the protesters have gone home and the lawmakers have moved behind closed doors to negotiate in a secret closed-door conference committee, advocates for criminal-justice reform are worried about what will emerge in the conference report that will be presented to the House and Senate.

Tuesday, October 6

Local Scouts Honor Distinguished Citizen

Local Scouts Honor Distinguished Citizen

Sunday, October 4

Opinion: Commentary: Collective Bargaining Means a Seat at the Table so Fairfax County Employees Can Improve Services, Jobs

The pandemic is showing just how much we depend on each other -- no matter who we are, where we’re from or the color of our skin.

Opinion: Commentary: Reform at America’s #1 High School Is Good for All, Including Asian Americans

As part of the proposed 2020 budget for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Governor Northam charged all academic year governor’s schools to set diversity goals and develop a plan to meet them.

Friday, October 2

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Opinion: Commentary: Welcome, We’re Lucky to Call Fairfax County Home

Welcome to Fairfax County.

Fairfax County Covid Cases

As of Saturday, Sept. 26, the Virginia Department of Health and Fairfax County Department of Health reported that 20,687 Fairfax County residents have tested positive for Covid-19 and more than 586 have died.

Thursday, October 1

Where to Give Locally To Help with Pandemic Hunger and Beyond

Any quest to talk about the issues in Northern Virginia right now seems to lead to talk about the pandemic, and the economic crisis that follows in its wake.

Fairfax County Public Schools Offers Free Meals to All Children 18 and Under

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Office of Food and Nutrition Services is offering healthy meals at locations throughout Fairfax County this school year under the USDA Summer Food Service Program and the At-Risk Afterschool Meals component of the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

Newcomers & Community Guide 2020

About the Connection in 2020

Opinion: Column: And So It Continues

Two-plus weeks into my thyroid cancer treatment, all is as I anticipated.