Letter: Beware of Copperheads
Last week I read about a woman from Maryland who was bitten by a copperhead when she stopped to take a photo along the GW Parkway. More than 10 years ago, a woman in Leesburg was bitten by a copperhead one evening when she was turning off her sprinkler. Their splotchy brown/copper color scheme makes it difficult to see them, but they live among us. Be careful.
Editorial: Library Mission
Further cuts to library budget must be analyzed for impacts on needy families.
The current proposal to “streamline” services at Fairfax County Public Libraries comes on top of disproportionate, and some would say Draconian, cuts since 2009.
Opinion: Issues That Matter
Mental health services discussion gives insight into real differences between candidates.
It came as somewhat of a relief to have the candidates for governor in Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D), discuss an actual issue that matters to many Virginia families this week at a forum on mental health issues.
Editorial: Enjoy Tax Holiday, Donate School Supplies
Good timing to help those in need.
It is debatable whether recurring tax holidays for different seasonal needs are good policy. But since this weekend is Virginia’s tax holiday on school supplies and clothing, it makes sense to take advantage of the savings, and to spread the wealth around. The savings are more significant this year with the new sales tax increases in effect as of July 1.
Editorial: Share Wisdom With Newcomers and Others
The Connection's Newcomers and Community Guide publishes in late August.
Our Insider's Edition Newcomers and Community Guides, will publish the last week of August. What tips do you have for someone getting to know your community? We're hoping to share the places, activities, events, organizations and volunteer opportunities your neighbors might not know about. What great places and activities do you want your new neighbors to know about? Events that should not be missed? Organizations that do a great job? Places to volunteer? Tips for navigating your PTA or your school’s front office? We'd love to have your photos to go along with your suggestions.
Letter: Climate Change
An Existential Threat
To the Editor: It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the president’s bold new plan to cope with climate change, through maximum use of his executive authority to by-pass GOP obstructionism.
Editorial: More Than Disclosure Needed for Virginia
Time for limits on campaign contributions as well.
At least until after November’s election, most candidates in Virginia seem to think that there should be some reform to Virginia’s campaign finance and disclosure rules. At least it seems likely that most will support expanding disclosure rules to require disclosure of gifts to immediate family members as well as candidates/officials.
Letter: Concerts on the Green: Impossible to Enjoy
We could not agree more with Jan Heginbotham about the Concerts on the Green having become impossible to enjoy [“Concerts on the Green: Bad Habits on Display,” Great Falls Connection, June 26-July 2, 2013].
Letter: Human Trafficking in Our Backyard
I was ecstatic to learn of the progress local leaders like my delegate, Barbara Comstock (R-34), have made in raising awareness on human trafficking and sex trafficking right here in our backyard.
Column: Been There, Doing That
I.V. chemotherapy, that’s what; and I’m not infusing it for the fun of it, either.
Editorial: HOT-Lanes and No Metro for I-66?
Did you miss the public discussion and input? So did we.
One day when I was stuck in traffic on I-66, I was briefly entertained by the license plate of the vehicle in front of me. "66 SUCKS," it read. No question, commuting on I-66 is a bear.
Column: No Shame in Crying
Nor is it a crying shame. But something has changed, dare I say affected my tear duct production. I can’t say with certainty – or even specify a particular moment in time for sure – when the tears began to flow more easily, but I’ll guess the change occurred sometime on or around February 27, 2009, the day I first met my oncologist; the day I was diagnosed with a terminal disease, stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), “prognosed” to live 13 months to two years. If that kind of shocking, terminal-type news doesn’t upset your apple cart – permanently, “You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din.” And so it has, as reflected in my frequent “salty discharge” (to quote Jerry Seinfeld).
Editorial: Ready for Your Pet’s Close-up?
The Pet Connection, a bi-annual themed edition, will publish July 24. We invite you to send us stories about your pets, photos of you and/or your family with your cats, dogs, hamsters, snakes, lizards, frogs, rabbits, or whatever other creatures share your home or yard with you.
Column: Full Circle
I hope it’s not a wrap though. I’d like to continue rolling along just like I rolled into college in late August, 1972, matriculating to the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. Oddly/coincidentally enough, there have been and continue to be some recent occurrences in my life that hearken back to yesteryear, the olden days of the early 1970s, when I freshmen-oriented myself to a major university for the first time.
Commentary: Respecting Parents’ Roles
Parental notice is key to school discipline reform.
Most Fairfax County parents assume that they will be called before their child is questioned for something that could ruin their academic career, just as they are when their kid is sick or injured. That is not the case.