Operation Patriotic STEM at Ft. Belvoir ES
Marymount University makes science fun.
As stomp rockets flew through the air, balloons expanded, and electricity set hair standing on end, children at Ft. Belvoir Elementary School didn’t know which hands-on science activity to try first. They were participating in Operation Patriotic STEM, an evening of science activities organized by Marymount University.
Bulletin Board
Email announcements to gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Thursday at noon. Saturday/March 30 Collection. 1-5 p.m. at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 8531 Riverside Road. Donate new or lightly used baseball and softball equipment on behalf of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. Collected items will be given to disadvantaged players in the Baltimore area.
Hybla Valley Elementary Celebrates Vernal Equinox
On the first day of spring, the Hybla Valley Elementary School community celebrated with an international festival at the school. All seven continents were feted. A Mariachi band, an Irish dance group along with student and family cultural performances drew crowds into the gym, the World Stage.
Editorial: More Obstacles to Transparency
General Assembly puts more information out of public reach, but other factors also limit access.
The first paragraph of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, passed by the General Assembly in 1968, states that all public records "shall be presumed open." It doesn’t add, “except when we don’t want to,” although that provision does seem to be available in many cases. Individual government entities have a variety of ways of making it hard for the public to access public information.
Column: 14.8 Percent
That is the percentage of diagnosed lung cancer patients who survive beyond five years, according to The National Cancer Institute’s SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2009, in a graph published in the Feb. 26, 2013 Washington Post’s weekly Health & Science section. As a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survivor beginning his fifth year post-diagnosis, charting my prospects in such a cold and impersonal manner is both chilling and arguable. “Chilling” in that facts speak for themselves and are hardly made up of whole cloth, to invoke one of the late Jack Kent Cooke’s more famous quotes. And “arguable” in that charts, statistics, etc., may very well measure the mean, but it sure doesn’t measure the man (this man, anyway). Meaning, from my perspective: sure, the chart is scary as hell, but I’m not sure I’m on it, if you know what I mean? (I know you know what I hope.)
Better Training, More Technology
The bipartisan commission released findings, recommendations regarding long lines on Election Day.
"The commission has identified a variety of improvements and efficiencies to ensure access and convenience for voters in future elections.” —Sharon Bulova
Schools
School Notes
Email announcements to gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Thursday at noon. Photos are welcome. Mount Vernon High School sent 19 qualifying students to the Region Science Fair, held at Robinson Secondary School. The first place winners will head to the state competition.
Governor Approves Conditional Budget for Medicaid Expansion
Vote-swapping operation traded transportation votes for Medicaid money.
Half a million uninsured Virginians may be eligible for Medicaid under an agreement now being worked out in Richmond — a deal in which Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell agreed to include Medicaid expansion as part of the budget if Senate Democrats supported a transportation package.
What to Call the Corridor: Is it Route 1 or Richmond Highway?
Politics of language reveals deep divisions about a shady past and an uncertain future.
William Shakespeare’s Juliet once famously asked, “What’s in a name?” Her question was based on a feud between warring families. But here in Mount Vernon, two warring factions are divided about a different name — the major highway that runs from the Beltway to the Occoquan River.
Letter to the Editor: Add, Add? Why Not Cut?
Is it Groundhog Day again?
Letter to the Editor: Aerial Spraying Jeopardizes Birds
On behalf of the more than 4,000 members of the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, we are writing to express our concerns about Fairfax County plans to spray for fall cankerworms in the Mount Vernon and Lee districts of the county.
Letter to the Editor: A Code of Silence
The Virginia Freedom of Information (FOIA) is a state law that gives you ready access and the right to obtain government information and public records in Virginia.
Mount Vernon CrossFit Opens on Richmond Highway
Mount Vernon CrossFit @ The D.A.M. Garage head coach and director of programming, Sean Dunston, was working up a sweat coaching the participants in the Saturday morning three-part work out in January.
Amerau, Harris Engaged
Captain Harold F. Amerau, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.) and Colonel Carla M. Stucki-Amerau, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) of Alexandria are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lieutenant Junior Grade Brittany Nicole Amerau, U.S. Navy, to Lieutenant Junior Grade Christopher Paul Harris, U.S. Navy, son of Timothy and Pamela Harris of Richmond.
Fairs and Festivals 2013-2014
Information on fairs and festivals taking place in 2013-2014.
Alexandria and Mount Vernon Calendar March 27
Information on events going on in the Alexandria and Mount Vernon areas.
Obituary: Charlotte S. Drummond
Charlotte Susan Sauer Drummond died on March 8, 2013 in The Villages, Fla. She was 68.
Mount Vernon Hosts Life after High School Expo
More than a dozen businesses, colleges, public safety, trade union and military representatives participated in “Life after High School Expo” at Mount Vernon High School on Tuesday, March 19. The representatives set up tables outside of the high school cafeteria during all the lunch periods and were available to answer questions about career opportunities, education and training.
Ceremony at Mount Vernon Estate Honors New Citizens
They came from Belarus, Vietnam, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Bolivia, Tunisia, Brazil and Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Cambodia, Latvia, Cameroon, China, Mexico, Columbia, Canada, South Korea, Iraq, El Salvador, Pakistan, India, Sierra Leone, Honduras, Eritrea, Peru, Ghana, the Philippines, and Ethiopia.
Letter: Letters to the Editor- All in All, A Failure
The recently passed Virginia transportation funding bill HB 2313 is not favorable to northern Virginia. It eliminates cents per gallon tax at the pump that is estimated to generate $4.5 billion during the 5 years ending 2018 and imposes new taxes that generate an estimated $5.9 billion during the same period.