United Way Awards Community Impact Grants
Fairfax/Falls Church nonprofits receive $338,662.
United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA) announced that it is awarding 21 grants totaling $338,662 to member organizations serving the Fairfax and Falls Church areas. The funds came through designations to the Fairfax/Falls Church Community Impact Fund in United Way NCA's annual workplace giving campaign. Each of the grants directly addresses programs that fall within United Way NCA's focus areas of education, financial stability and health.
Obituary
Elton Kenneth Donaldson, 80, of Great Falls, Dies
Kenny Donaldson, age 80 and Great Falls resident for 52 years, lost his battle with lung cancer on Sunday, April 6. He was born and grew up in Falls Church, where he attended Falls Church High School. He excelled in many roles throughout his life. Following high school he joined the Navy and served three years aboard the USS Worcester during the Korean War. After serving his country he married Madolin, to whom he was a devoted husband for 58 years.
Summer 2014 Farmers Market Session Opens This Saturday
The Great Falls Farmers Market summer season begins this Saturday as the summer vendors join those who have served our community all winter. Penn Farm and Diaz Berries & Veggies will be joining Tuscarora Organic Growers Coop and Tyson Farms to bring a wide array of vegetables and fruits. Tyson Farm is a good addition to our mix, as they have abundant fruit orchards, which will broaden our selection of fruit all summer.
Area Roundups
Entrants Sought for Anti-Alcohol Awards
A Vienna-based, alcohol-education group wants to honor local, high school groups for their efforts in fighting underage drinking. To recognize high-school students for “doing the right thing,” the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) will present its 2014 GEICO Student Awards at a May 16 ceremony in Washington, D.C., and is accepting applications for the honors through Monday, April 28, at http://www.wrap.org/files/youthOutreach.htm. Entry is free.
Beyer Rakes in Campaign Cash in Democratic Primary
Fundraising numbers reveal former lieutenant governor has significant edge.
Campaign finance documents released this week show Don Beyer well ahead of his competitors in the race for cash, giving the former lieutenant governor a significant edge over the nine other Democrats in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8).
Tax Burden Targets Low-Income Workers in Northern Virginia
Average tax burden for low-income workers is highest in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax.
Families that are struggling to make ends meet in Northern Virginia are the target of local governments in Northern Virginia, which has the highest tax burden in the region for low-income workers. Wealthy people face the highest tax burden in Prince George's County and Montgomery County. But here in Virginia, poor people face the biggest tax burden in Arlington, according to a new study by the Office of Revenue Analysis in the District of Columbia. Alexandria ranked second, and Fairfax County ranked third.
Langley High Holds Case Day
Students hold mock trial for Riley vs. California.
A mock debate over cell phone privacy and the law drew hundreds of students, parents and even some very distinguished guests to Langley High School’s library last week. Langley High’s 22nd annual Case Day explored Riley vs. California on April 8, a case on the Supreme Court’s current docket that allowed students to debate whether a cell phone - which holds a wealth of personal information - can be searched without a warrant.
An Emotionally Gripping Production
‘The Children's Hour’ at Langley High School.
Amongst all the pandemonium of the Wright-Dobie school, one little girl stands out. With fire-red hair, a sickly sweet smile, and a sadistic gleam in her eyes, it is immediately clear that one of these things is not like the others. Langley High School's production of “The Children's Hour” by Lillian Hellman comments on the way gossip and lies can destroy lives. The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman, written in 1934 depicts the story of Mary Tilford, a wicked little girl whose lies about a homosexual relationship between two teachers at the Wright- Dobie School spiral out of control. The Children's Hour was first premiered on Broadway at Maxine Elliott's Theatre, where it ran for more than two years.
Week in Great Falls
Holocaust Survivor to Speak at Great Falls Library Holocaust survivor Henry Greenbaum will talk about his experience as a Polish Jew who was liberated from Auschwitz concentration camp and eventually made his way to the United States. His presentation -- Out of the Darkness, Into the Light: Surviving the Holocaust – will be held on Wednesday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Great Falls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Greenbaum now serves as a volunteer at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Seating is limited. Please register for this event at http://bit.ly/1pIEtWL or phone the Library at 703-757-8560.
Troop 673 Promotes Two New Eagle Scouts
Ian Toloczko and Owen Dankworth, of Eagle Scouts from Troop 673 in Great Falls –- sponsored by the Great Falls United Methodist Men – are the most recent among more than one hundred Eagle Scouts developed by the Troop for over 50 years of activity.
‘Fountain of Youth’ in Great Falls Plaza
Fontaine de Jeunesse Medical & Dental Aesthetics Spa opened since June 2013.
In an unassuming Georgetown Pike plaza is a spa-like experience promising to tighten clients up without a nip and tuck. Fontaine de Jeunesse Medical & Dental Aesthetics Spa, a self-proclaimed fountain of youth in the heart of Great Falls, has been noninvasively treating men and women since last summer. The owner, Dr. Jeanette Coutin, started the business as a way to help other women age gracefully through menopause without being self-conscious. “I found out that diet and exercise alone was not taking care of losing the weight,” she said.
‘Deer Management’ Options Explored
The deer population has boomed, experts tell Great Falls Citizens Association Town Hall meeting.
Hundreds of deer are eating tree limbs in the national parks and decorative hastas in gardens, and short of introducing wolves to the area, residents want to get rid of them. Great Falls Citizens Association had three local deer management experts discuss what the residents’ options were April 8 at a town hall meeting at The Grange. All three said there is no way of knowing how many deer are in the area. However, because there is no natural predator, the deer population has boomed.
Great Falls Celebrates Spring
Community enjoys 30th Annual Spring Festival.
“When the weather is nice we always have a nice turnout,” said Wendy Adeler Hall, daughter of the Great Falls jeweler Jorge Adeler. On Sunday, April 13, families from the Great Falls community and Northern Virginia gathered at the Village Green for the annual Spring Festival. The Spring Festival and Egg Hunt was hosted by the Great Falls Optimist Club and Adeler Jewelers, a family business which has served northern Virginia for more than 20 years.
Doreen Montis Exhibits at Great Falls Library
Doreen Montis presents a collection of abstract and contemporary photography at the Great Falls Library. The photographs in the exhibit are images that were captured as seen thru the camera. They were not digitally manipulated or created in Photoshop. It is interesting to see how ordinary images, such as oil and water, lights, and glass can become works of art by changing the focus point or lighting conditions. Stop by and test your skills at identifying the objects in the photographs. The Great Falls Library is located at 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. The collection will be on display from April-June, 10 percent of all sales will go to the Friends of the Library. Montis’ images have received top honors at several exhibitions and contests. They have appeared magazines and are in personal collections nationwide. To see more of Montis’ images, visit her website at www.dmontisphotoart.com.
Great Falls Volunteers Take Part in Watershed Clean Up
Northern Virginia residents participated in the Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 5, sponsored by the Alice Ferguson Foundation. Last year, this Potomac watershed cleanup through the region collected over 300 tons of trash. The Great Falls Citizens Association organized over a dozen volunteers this year to clean up along Difficult Run stream and worked for over three hours to pull out debris along the trails and woods along the stream, which flows into the Potomac River. Many of the volunteers were high school students.