Minority Chambers of Commerce to Host Candidates’ Forum
The recently formed alliance of Northern Virginia Minority Chambers of Commerce will give members of the fast growing minority business community the opportunity to meet with the commonwealth’s gubernatorial and statewide candidates at the first-ever joint Candidates’ Forum, Sunday, Oct. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus.
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.”
Volunteer Opportunities
*Fairfax County’s Meals on Wheels urgently needs drivers in the Annandale, Franconia/Kingstowne, Reston, Mount Vernon and McLean areas. Call 703-324-5406, TTY 711. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and link to Volunteer Solutions or email at VolunteerSolutions@fairfaxcounty.gov.
The Beauty of Fall
This week at McLean Children's Academy, students, parent volunteers and teachers had a great time planting fall flowers. MCA is located at the corner of Elm Street and Rt 123 in McLean. The director, Sarah Bowlen, said "We always try to have the front of the school look nice so the neighborhood can enjoy it. Pansies stay beautiful even through the winter." This gardening adventure was part of a science lesson for the children.
Week in Great Falls
Great Falls Floors, Inc. Celebrates 15th Anniversary
Sha Chitsaz, general manager of Great Falls Floors, Inc., has announced their 15th anniversary of serving clients in Great Falls, McLean and Reston.
A Tireless Advocate
It is nearing that time again, to choose our elected representative for delegate to the Virginia House of Delegates, and I want to tell you why I think we should continue to support our current delegate, Barbara Comstock.
Learning About Polluted Runoff
To the Editor: My name is Benji Prickett, I attend Kilmer Middle School. Lately we have been learning about the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the dangers of runoff. Runoff can carry sediments, rocks, pollutants and also fertilizers and pesticides. Fertilizers and pesticides especially can be very dangerous; they can kill the wildlife in the bay and can also stop recreational activities like fishing, boating and swimming, just to name a few. I hope that we can cut back on using spray pesticides on our lawns. My family has been doing this for many years and our lawns look fine. Currently our bay is very polluted, but if we where to cut back on pesticides our bay would be so much better for everyone and every thing. Benji Prickett Great Falls
Great Falls Waves Good-bye to Santa Representative
Dr. Christopher Earl “Doc” Kennemer remembered for his service to the Great Falls community.
Dr. Christopher Earl “Doc” Kennemer, Great Falls resident, volunteer firefighter and local representative of Santa Claus, made sure that Santa got off to a good start for 30-plus holiday seasons during the annual Great Falls Village Centre Christmas Tree Lighting event. In return, on Saturday, Sept. 28, personnel from the Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department joined with Kennemer family and friends to give Kennemer a fitting send-off at a standing-room-only memorial service held at Great Falls United Methodist Church where he had taught Sunday school and been an active member for more than 35 years. Always on call, all fire department personnel were seated with easy access to exits or stationed outside the service so they could respond if needed elsewhere.
Walt Lawrence Exhibits at Katie’s Coffee
Great Falls photographer Walt Lawrence stages a new exhibit at Katie’s Coffee featuring images from his “On the Potomac at Riverbend” collection. The exhibit opened on Oct. 1 and will run through the end of the month. Over the past 15 months Lawrence has been shooting waterscapes and wildlife from a boat in the Potomac off of Riverbend Park.
The Taste of Fall
Local chefs and nutritionists offer healthy recipes for tasty fall dishes using seasonal ingredients.
When the temperature starts to drop and leaves begin to turn red and orange, you can often find chef Susan Limb meandering through local farmers markets, sorting through rough-textured, knotty sweet potatoes; tough, waxy butternut squash; and dusty, rose-colored apples.
Historic Cornwell Farm Hits Market
Cornwell Farm for sale.
Cornwell Farm, a 13.1-acre historic property located within a mile of the Great Falls Village Centre, has been listed for sale by the HBC Realty Group (Keller Williams) of McLean.
SPARC Hosts Music Workshop
Local musicians perform, jam with club members.
Members of the Specially Adapted Resource Club (SPARC), which serves adults with life-long disabilities, have been meeting at the Old Firehouse Teen Center in McLean for almost two years.
West, Casso Lead Langley Football Past Chantilly
Saxons outscore Chargers 28-0 in second half.
The Langley football team improves to 2-2.
Commentary: In Search of Affordable Housing
Challenges for Residential Studio Units and the need to address them.
Fairfax County’s Planning Commission will hold two workshops on Wednesday, Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 to expand the discussion about the proposed residential studio unit (RSU) amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. There will be a staff presentation on Sept. 25, and questions submitted online by citizens to the Planning Department will be answered in the second workshop on Oct 2. The plan is for both workshops to be televised on the county’s cable station.
Editorial: Vote
It will matter who is elected governor.
To vote on Election Day, you must be registered at your current address no later than Oct. 15, 2013. You can check your registration status online by visiting the State Board of Elections website at www.sbe.virginia.gov. There you can also download a voter registration form and mail or fax it to your elections office address.
Column: A Study in Contrasts
The decision for yours truly to participate in a Phase 1 Study at N.I.H. or Johns Hopkins (depending upon availability and qualifications) discussed in last week’s column has been put on hold, temporarily. It seems that my oncologist was thinking about me over the holiday weekend and called me on Wednesday following Labor Day to say he had a diagnostic idea concerning me: a 24-hour urine collection (a “Creatinine Clearance Study”) which would provide a more accurate reading (than the regular lab work I have; from blood) of my kidney function.
Column: A Peculiar Existence
I’m not exactly pretending that I don’t have stage IV lung cancer (non-small cell, to be specific), but ever since my hospital admission on August 2nd, I have been treatment-free; no I.V. chemotherapy, no oral medication, no targeted treatment, no nothing. And during this sabbatical (I use that term loosely; being off chemotherapy has been as much about recovering from surgery and recuperating from my hospital “stay-cation” as it was anything necessarily intended), I have progressed from feeling crappy and being short of breath—while being infused previously, to where I have become relatively asymptomatic, breathing normally and for the nearly eight week treatment-free interval mentioned, have felt mostly OK.
Residential Studios Put on Hold
Supervisors establish committee, plan additional public outreach.
At the recommendation of Chairman Sharon Bulova (D-At-Large) and Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 24 deferred its Nov. 20 public hearing on a proposed residential studios (RSUs) amendment to conduct additional community outreach. The board also established a Planning Commission Residential Studios Committee.
Northern Virginia Supports Day to Serve
The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), a coalition of 14 counties, cities and towns that work together on regional issues, passed a unanimous resolution endorsing Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell’s call to participate in the 2013 Day to Serve.
New Nosy Recruits ‘Bolt & Silas’ Prepare for Duty
Although they are just a few months old and still in their bonding and training phases, two new bloodhound pups are preparing for the rigors of police work in Fairfax County. Bolt and Silas are the police department’s newest additions to their bloodhound team. The agency purchased the pups in August when they were just 6 weeks old. They join Shnoz and Cody, sisters from the hills of Northern Alabama who joined the agency in 2008 at 19 months old.