UCM Board Appoints Interim Executive Director
Katherine Morrison has been appointed as interim executive director of United Community Ministries effective July 1 to replace Shirley Marshall, who is leaving the agency.
Great Commitment, Greater Outcome
As Space of His Own wraps up its initial year, Ryan Touhill and Walter’s relationship is off to a strong start.
Leon Johnson Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter
Leon Malik Johnson, 18, of Pembrook Village Drive, was arrested June 12 and charged with involuntary manslaughter following the death of Kevin Johnson.
Former Hayfield Principal Dave Tremaine Dies
Dave Tremaine, a former principal at Hayfield Secondary School, died June 16. Tremaine recently retired from his position as principal at Hayfield, where he has worked since 2010.
Class of 2014 Graduates from Robinson
The Patriot Center was packed on June 17 as the Class of 2014 celebrated their graduation from Robinson Secondary School.
A Contentious Year
Commentary
2014 has been a contentious year so far, with “the Virginia Way” looking more like an endangered species every day. On June 11, just before midnight, the Senate Chamber passed a budget and the House of Delegates passed our version minutes later. I am grateful that we have avoided a shut down and our localities and state employees will no longer worry about paying their bills after July 1.
Commentary: Frustrating: No Medicaid, U.S. 1 Cut
Last week was one of the most frustrating weeks in the General Assembly since my 2009 election.
Letter: Enjoy the Show
Letter to the editor
Celebrating New Athletic Fields
Audubon residents also looking to make changes in the community.
For years, residents living right off of Richmond Highway, including those who live at Audubon Mobile Home Park located next to Costco, faced a lack of safe, quality places for their children to play.
Medicaid Expansion Supporters Rally in Lorton
Budget without Medicaid expansion being reviewed by Governor.
day before Virginia legislators reconvened in Richmond and passed a budget without Medicaid expansion, advocates gathered in Lorton to show their support for expanding health care coverage to 400,000 Virginians.
Landfill Decision Deferred to July 29
Board Chairman Sharon Bulova looking for compromise.
The decision has already been delayed before, but the future of the Lorton landfill will remain uncertain as the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to defer the decision to July 29.
First Responders Honored for Going ‘Above and Beyond’
Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce hosts First Responders Benefit Lunch.
Being a first responder is stressful enough, but the first responders who were honored at this year’s Above and Beyond: First Responders Benefit Lunch excel at their jobs and more.
Fairfax County Retired Educators Award Scholarships
Seven aspiring educators from Fairfax County receive awards.
Aspiring educators from across Fairfax County were honored for their accomplishments and presented with scholarships to help them begin their teaching careers at a luncheon and ceremony held by the Fairfax County Retired Educators on June 12 in Fairfax. Every year, FCRE awards students interested in teaching careers with $2,000 scholarships. This year, the seven students were either graduates or soon-to-be graduates of high schools throughout Fairfax County, including Robinson, Lake Braddock, West Springfield, Marshall, Mclean and James Madison.
Despite Low Unemployment, Veterans Need Assistance
“Supporting our Region’s Veterans” report identifies suggestions for improvement.
Although veterans in Northern Virginia are more educated than those nationwide and are less likely to live below the poverty line and be unemployed, a new report has found that individual anecdotes from veterans in the area demonstrate that there are still areas that need improvement.
Patchwork of Approaches to Affordable Housing in Northern Virginia
Jurisdictions use a variety of strategies to prevent homelessness.
Affordable housing means different things to different people at different times. For government officials, it's a phrase that means that a family spends no more than 30 percent of its income on housing costs, including rent or mortgage as well as taxes and utilities
Meals Tax: Tasty or Revolting?
Supervisors digest task force’s final report on hot-button issue.
After hours of simmering debate, the Meals Tax Referendum Task Force’s presentation to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday was a mere amuse-bouche, whetting the appetite of board the for the group’s 170-page multi-course written report.
Gifts for New Grads
Local tastemakers offer suggestions from the sentimental to the practical.
After the tassels have been turned and the diplomas received, it is usually time for a graduation celebration. Whether you’re shopping for someone who is heading to college or venturing out into the workforce, choosing a present for the graduate in your life can be perplexing, but local tastemakers are here to help, offering suggestions for graduation presents that range from the practical to the sentimental.
After Graduation: Dorm Room Set-Up
Local organizers show how to maximize storage in small spaces.
After graduation comes off-to-college season. Often this means parents making design choices for their children or parents and their soon-to-be-college freshmen searching for supplies that will serve dual purposes, particularly when it comes to storage. For those who find themselves in a dorm room design conundrum, local organizers offer tips and tools for creating stylish yet space-saving designs for new college students.
Editorial: More Affordable Housing Needed
Anticipated job growth to exacerbate problem.
In Northern Virginia, affordable housing means more than human services or helping those who are less fortunate. It means more than housing the chronically homeless, although that is not optional.
A Dream Come True, Sort Of
Growing up in the 60s, if you loved sports, as I did/still do, you spent hours listening to games on a transistor radio. There certainly wasn’t “Cable” television back then; heck, there wasn’t even color television, let alone “HD,” “interactive,” or whatever else television technology has evolved into. And of course, there were no “big screen” television sets either. We had a 19" Zenith black and white television and we received three channels: 4, 5 and 7 (in Boston), and as much as sports was/is important in Boston/New England, viewing options, given the limited VHF/UHF band frequencies, meant listening to games on radio – AM radio. Games were regularly televised on weekends, more so if the home team was playing on the road. As the decades have passed, so too have transistor radios, black and white televisions and limited viewing on only three channels. Between “Cable,” computers, and more recently, the introduction of hand-held devices, access to and familiarity with sports has grown exponentially. Add in the explosion of sports-talk radio and the abundance of sports-themed content on television (regardless of whether the games are at home or on the road) and one could be in his “man cave” for hours on end “channeling” his – or her – passion, for any team, in any city, at almost any time.