Great Falls Home Sales: January, 2014
In January 2014, 7 Great Falls homes sold between $1,322,000-$515,000.
Great Falls Home Sales: January, 2014
Winter Storm Hits Northern Virginia
Fairfax County residents took shelter as over a foot of snow shutdown power, school, and roads.
Northern Virginia residents took shelter from a snow storm that began the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 12 and lasted until the Thursday night. Fairfax County felt the lasting effects well into the weekend, with schools unable to clear parking lots and county offices closed through the weekend. Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency Tuesday, Feb. 11, giving state authorities and utility companies time to prepare for the storm.
Money on the Shelves: Jurisdictions Take Variety of Approaches to Funding Libraries
Some have recovered from the recession, others are still struggling.
What is the future of the neighborhood library?
Residents Discuss Route 7 Widening, Effects on Neighborhoods
Great Falls and Reston residents discuss how Route 7 construction would impact their neighborhoods.
Great Falls and Reston residents met at The Grange in Great Falls on Tuesday, Feb. 11 to voice their concerns about the 6.9-mile project along Route 7 that will widen the road from four to six lanes. A presentation led by Great Falls Citizens Association board members went into great detail about the impending changes to each intersection along the stretch, extending from Seneca Road at the edge of Reston to Jarrett Valley Drive just before Tysons Corner.
Starshine Theater Celebrates Anniversary
Starshine Theater of Great Falls is celebrating its 21st year of Performing Arts Programs for young people, with the following events:
Letter: Who Wins in Great Falls
To the Editor: (Regarding "Petition Halts Senior Housing Development at Cornwell Farm," Great Falls Connection, February 12-18, 2014).
Letter: ‘Open’ in a Snowy Night
"Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Gloom of Night…" Have you ever heard that motto before? You have if you’ve been to the New York City General Post Office. It’s not actually the official motto of the post office, but it’s engraved on the front of their building since 1896. Therefore, for the sake of this story, let’s pretend it is.
Editorial: Fundamental Freedom To Choose To Marry
Virginia is historically slow in extending rights.
In 1967, Virginia was one of 16 states that banned interracial marriage and had criminal penalties for violators. Mildred Jeter, an African-American woman, and Richard Loving a white man, married in 1958, were convicted and banished from living in Virginia for 25 years to avoid serving a one-year prison sentence. On June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Loving v. Virginia, overturned the convictions of Mildred and Richard Loving, declaring the ban on interracial marriage unconstitutional.
Until Further Notice
Not to state the obvious (which I readily admit I do), but to be given a terminal diagnosis: stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, along with a rather disappointing prognosis: "13 months to two years" is a challenging set of extremely unexpected (given my immediate family’s medical history) circumstances. I don’t want to say that I live under a dark cloud – because I don’t like the negative implication or reaction it conjures, but I definitely feel as if I have a metaphorical sword of Damocles hanging over my head; which I only refer to as an-out-of-context Three Stooges reference wherein a non-Stooge was innocently standing under a pie which Moe had thrown to the ceiling and there it stuck, hanging precariously over the character’s head. Now I still don’t know the proper historical context of the sword of Damocles, I only know the Three Stooges version, but there was some imminent danger involved (not death, mind you), but rather a falling pie which ultimately landed flush on the character’s face as she looked up to make further inquiries. Nevertheless, pie issues/references notwithstanding, having seen my oncologist today while being infused and receiving a big smile/ "you’re going great"/thumbs-up set of gestures/reactions while reclining in my Barcalounger with a chemotherapy I.V. dripping medicine into my right arm, is the kind of super-positive feedback with which I can live. Along with my every-three-week pre-chemotherapy lab work and my every-three-month CT Scan followed by my every-three-month face-to-face appointment with my oncologist, this is how I roll. Worrying about upcoming tests, waiting anxiously for results, trying not to anticipate good, bad or indifferent; living day to day and trying to appreciate my good fortune and the unexpected above-average quality of life with which I’ve been blessed – for a terminal cancer patient, that is.
How Red Is the 10th District?
Wolf’s retirement sparks crowded political stage as both parties vie for coveted Congressional seat.
U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf’s announcement in December that he would not seek reelection to an 18th term in Congress came as a surprise to both Republicans and Democrats. Wolf’s retirement notice instantly set off a feeding frenzy among politicians maneuvering to gain the Northern Virginia Congressional seat.
Envisioning a Launch Pad for Young Adults
Paws4people develops pilot for former foster children, others.
Imagine if in your childhood, it was normal for a social worker to show up unexpectedly, hand you a big black garbage bag and tell you to pack your things.
Editorial: Fundamental Freedom To Choose To Marry
Virginia is historically slow in extending rights.
In 1967, Virginia was one of 16 states that banned interracial marriage and had criminal penalties for violators. Mildred Jeter, an African-American woman, and Richard Loving a white man, married in 1958, were convicted and banished from living in Virginia for 25 years to avoid serving a one-year prison sentence
Letter: Correcting Error on Mental Health Services
Fairfax County serving more people now.
A Feb. 11 editorial by Mary Kimm, referencing reporting by Michael Pope, makes an incorrect assertion that our services to people with mental illness in Fairfax County have been “dramatically cut back.”
Historic Cornwell Farm Open to the Public
March 8, 2014 in Great Falls, VA
The Cornwell Farm residence in Great Falls, Virginia has survived as a well-preserved example of Northern Virginia antebellum plantation architecture. The property was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1977. It is one of the area’s most significant residential properties with a Nineteenth Century Manor House, circa 1831. It is scenically important in that it is the major architectural element to be seen along the historic Georgetown Pike, the first road in the state to be designated a Virginia By-Way. The entry features a magnificent cedar tree-lined private drive arriving at a pea gravel motor court. The gently rolling land and country vistas are some of the most gorgeous this close to Washington, DC. The property features a 4 stall barn, fenced and cross fenced pasture land and run-in shed for horses.
Week in Great Falls
Dr. Mark W. Cannon to Speak at the Great Falls Senior Center March Event
The Great Falls Senior Center (GFSC) has announced Dr. Mark W. Cannon as a guest speaker for the March 4 event. He has lectured at more than 70 institutions in 18 countries.
More on ‘Wrong Direction’
To the Editor: I enjoyed both recent letters written to the Connection re "Development Taking Wrong Direction." I have lived in Great Falls since 1974, 40 years this coming November.
Petition Halts Senior Housing Development at Cornwell Farm
More than 700 people signed online petition to stop Clark Realty’s plans to build senior housing on historic property.
An outpouring of opposition from the Greats Falls community quickly halted a developer’s application to purchase and re-zone the historic Cornwell Farm Property on Monday, Feb. 3. Clark Realty had proposed building 39 senior living residences on 20 acres of land on and around the property. But in a matter of days, more than 700 community residents signed an online petition, titled “Oppose Zoning and Cluster Development of historic Cornwell Farm Property,” and the developer withdrew its application the following week.
Colvin Run ES Students Head Drive to ‘Stop Hunger Now’
Langley pyramid community came together to package 87,696 meals for the hungry.
The Langley pyramid community came together on Feb. 8 at Colvin Run Elementary School to “stop hunger now.” Students and families from throughout the Langley pyramid, with cooperation of Vienna-area students, packaged 87,696 meals during the 7-1/2 hour volunteer day. “Stop Hunger Now” representatives supervised the production and boarded the boxed meal-packs into the nonprofit’s trucks. “Stop Hunger Now” is an international humanitarian nonprofit engaged in global hunger relief programs and crisis response. This is the third year that Colvin Run ES headed the assembly-line packing project.
School Board Votes For Longer SLEEP
Money saved from annual bus route review will be earmarked for implementation of later start times.
According to SLEEP, a local group advocating for later high school start times in Fairfax County, 72 out of 92 counties in Virginia have a high school start time of 8 a.m. or later.
Langley High Community Comes Together in Wake of Tragedy
Residents, teachers and students join together in the days following the deaths of two Langley seniors.
Fairfax County came together to support Langley High students and their families following the deaths of two 17-year old Langley seniors on Feb. 3 and 4.