Latest stories

Latest stories

Subscribe


Tease photo

Weekend Fun in Fairfax County - July 17-26, 2015

A roundup of entertaining things to do this weekend.

A roundup of fun things to do this weekend in Fairfax county.

Tease photo

Great Falls: Seneca Hill Animal Hospital Hosts Dog Days 2015

On a hot summer day, there’s nothing quite like a barbecue and a swim to relax and have fun. That’s exactly what happened at Seneca Hill Animal Hospital, Resort and Spa last Sunday – except that this one was for the dogs.

Tease photo

Great Falls Sixth Graders Visit Japan

Japanese Immersion class meets Japanese Prime Minister, U.S. Ambassador.

Great Falls Elementary School’s (GFES) sixth grade Japanese Immersion Program (JIP) participants returned from their cultural exchange trip to Japan on July 9.


Tease photo

Great Falls: Woman of the Year

Raising more than a quarter of a million dollars for cancer research with 17 local events.

Katie Simmons Hickey’s daughter Rylie, 3, delivered the knockout punch in Hickey’s fundraising film for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Editorial: Backpacks for All

Thousands of students will begin school this fall at a disadvantage; help now so they have the basics.

The first day of school each year is fraught with anticipation and anxiety. Many local students will be concerned about what they wear, who they will see, what it will be like. They’ve already had multiple shopping trips, online and otherwise, to be sure they have the supplies and extras they need.

Tease photo

Backyard Vegetable Gardens Feed Multicultural Cuisines

In Fairfax County, tomatoes are a staple of local gardens along with peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, beans and herbs like mint, oregano and cilantro.

There’s nothing like a juicy red tomato fresh out of the backyard garden to brighten up a summertime salad or a sandwich — or a bittermelon, aronia berries or “paradise apple,” as persimmons are known in Bulgaria. The multi-cultural population in Fairfax County has grown roots in the backyard vegetable garden.


Tease photo

Unscheduling Summer Play

Experts praise the benefits of free play for children.

What was once a time for catching fireflies, swimming and exploring has evolved into a period of elite day camps, academic enrichment classes and top-dollar sports clinics.

Tease photo

Weekend Fun in Fairfax County - July 10-19, 2015

A roundup of entertaining things to do this weekend.

A roundup of fun things to do this weekend in Fairfax county.

Column: My Manifesto, Sort Of

Being diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer (no, they’re not all “terminal”) is “a heck of a thing,” to extrapolate a bit from Jim Valvano’s memorable 1993 ESPY Awards speech given a few months before he succumbed to his cancer.


Commentary: Legislation Combats Sex Trafficking

On July 1, legislation that I sponsored, HB1964, went into effect. This new law is Virginia’s first stand-alone human trafficking statute and creates stricter penalties for traffickers, greater protections for sex trafficking victims, and provides needed tools for prosecutors and law enforcement to stop human trafficking in Virginia.

Letter: Celebrating Marriage Equality

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor: Today, we rejoice in the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the federal right of same sex partners to legal marriage in the cases of Obergefell v. Hodges, Tanco v. Haslam, DeBoer v. Snyder, Bourke v. Beshear.

Tease photo

Great Falls Celebrates July 4th

5K run, parade attract hundreds on a rainy Saturday.

The rain wasn’t enough to keep people away from Great Falls’ Independence Day celebrations. More than 100 people lined up at the Freedom Memorial early Saturday morning to kick off the festivities with the annual 5K race.


Tease photo

A House by the Sea

Design ideas for beach homes.

As the sweaty days of summer slog on, many are dreaming about a home by the sea, a wistful retreat where cares flow as freely as an ocean breeze.

Editorial: Yes to Nonpartisan Redistricting

Politicians shouldn’t be choosing voters.

Virginia’s Congressional map is unconstitutional because African American voters are packed into District 3, according to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The problem will have to be remedied by drawing new boundaries.

Tease photo

Fourth of July Weekend Fun in Fairfax County

A roundup of entertaining things to do this weekend: July 3-5, 2015.

A roundup of fun things to do this weekend in Fairfax county.


Column: Quality of Life

Throughout my nearly six and a half years of cancer treatment, starting at the initial Team Lourie meeting on February 27, 2009, when my oncologist suggested I take that vacation I’ve always dreamed of (to which I exclaimed “WHAT!?”), my quality of life has always been important to him.

Week in Great Falls

Historical Society to Hold Great Falls History Trivia Contest and Farmers Market to Serve July 4 Breakfast

Obituary: Clarissa ‘Lynne’ Simmons, 72, of Great Falls, Dies

Lynne Simmons, of Great Falls, died Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at the age of 72 after a three year battle with multiple myeloma/plasma cytoma cancer.


On Interns Past and Lessons Learned

Harlem, 1991. Pre-gentrification. It was an unlikely location for a book club. But every week, I hopped the subway and headed to the Children's Aid Society Center at 103rd and Columbus to lead a group of young teens in book discussions.

Tease photo

Board of Supervisors Recognizes Jacqueline Cheshire

On June 23, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors passed a unanimous resolution to recognize Great Falls resident Jacqueline Cheshire for her years of service work as a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI).