Bulova: Move in the Right Direction
Local leaders applaud General Assembly’s Transportation Funding Bill.
“This is a great step toward addressing the transportation challenges we face in Fairfax County and the Northern Virginia region."
Fairfax Library Foundation Awards Scholarships Through Continuing Education
The Fairfax Library Foundation has announced that 13 Fairfax County Public Library employees and volunteers have each been awarded continuing education scholarships to foster the professional development of the Fairfax County Public Library team.
EMT Wins Basic Life Support Provider of the Year Award
Elliot Zaret is this year's recipient of the Fairfax County 2012 Basic Life Support Provider of the Year Award. In addition to his patient care and mentoring, Elliot spent countless hours utilizing his woodworking skills crafting a table that now graces the new firestation.

A Positive Reflection
Joan Brady gives foster children needed exposure.
On Monday, Sept. 10, 2001, Joan Brady of Great Falls had just started a three-month sabbatical from her job with an Internet company. Newly-married, Brady, who was 36 years old at the time, was exhausted from 80-hour work weeks in a rigid corporate environment. She wanted time that fall to contemplate what to do next with her life. The next day provided answers and a sense of urgency. It was Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks, and the moving stories of heroism and tragedy on 9/11, indelibly left their mark. Brady, like many Americans, was inspired to do something new, to take more chances, to change direction.

Enjoying Arts and Chocolate
The Artists’ Atelier in Great Falls hosts ‘Flowers and Chocolate’ show.
An eventful weekend filled with sweet delights for both the taste buds and the eyes at the Artists’ Atelier Studio reception proved to be a popular outing among Great Falls residents and art enthusiasts alike.
Area Students Excel at MATHCOUNTS Competitions
The Northern Virginia Regional MATHCOUNTS competitions were held on Saturday, Feb. 2, at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke and at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria.
Volunteers Needed to Help Count Homeless
Volunteers organized by FACETS and other local nonprofits will spread out across Fairfax County to count, photograph, and get names and histories for everyone experiencing homelessness for the county’s first ever “Registry Week,” a component of the 100,000 Homes Campaign,” beginning on Monday, Feb. 25, at various locations around Fairfax County.

Senior Center Sets Goals
After incorporation, Great Falls Senior Center plans to become nonprofit, name board by end of year.
The Great Falls Senior Center has big plans for 2013 after getting off the ground as a working group of the Great Falls Citizens Association.

'Stuff the Bus’ Campaign Helps Feed the Hungry
Donations continue to increase as campaign enters third year.
Local grocery stores were packed this weekend with shoppers stocking up on Super Bowl snacks for the annual football fan party. At the Wal-Mart in Fairfax, shoppers were greeted with colorful displays of chips, dips and other party favorites. They were also greeted by volunteers from Our Daily Bread (ODB), who were handing out flyers and encouraging shoppers to donate gift cards or specific items to restock ODB’s pantry shelves. A Fairfax nonprofit for nearly 30 years, ODB provides food and other critical services to the working poor, the elderly and the disabled. More than half of ODB’s clients are local children.
Eight Scouts Honored for Heroic Deeds
Eight boys from National Capital Area Council (NCAC) Boy Scouts of America (BSA) received National Court of Honor Lifesaving and Meritorious Action Awards in 2012 for remaining calm in a crisis, making quick use of Scout training and for living up to the words “to help other people at all times,” which is part of the Scout Oath.
Troop 673 Gets New Eagle Scout
Spencer Weiss is the latest Eagle Scout in Troop 673 sponsored by the Great Falls United Methodist Men.

Farmer’s Market Continues Through Winter
Weekly market will take place every Saturday, indoors or out.
Fairfax County is home of dozens of farmer’s markets throughout the year, but by November, almost all of them have shuttered for the winter before re-opening in the spring. But the Great Falls Farmer’s Market is open year-round, offering produce and other items throughout the winter.
A Chorus of Praise
Fairfax County mentors celebrated during National Mentor Month.
Can we get an “amen?” The joyful noise coming from the David R. Pinn Center in Fairfax on Saturday wasn’t a gospel revival, but it was just as inspiring and enlightening.
Column: A Simple Question
I don’t quite know how to start this column so I’ll begin with its ending: “I’m fine.”
Nazi Commonwealth
Bipartisan team seeks compensation for victims of forced sterilization.
Nobody knows how many people are survivors of Virginia’s forced sterilization program, which targeted people with mental illness, mental retardation or epilepsy. But a bipartisan effort now under consideration in Richmond would hand each and every one of them a $50,000 check from the people of Virginia. According to one calculation, that could mean as much as $73 million.