Virginia Garden Week to Feature NoVa Gardens
80th Historic Garden Week, April 20-27, 2013
Historic Garden Week 2013 will feature approximately 200 private homes and gardens open on 32 separate tours throughout the state of Virginia over eight consecutive days. It is the largest ongoing volunteer effort in Virginia and represents the coordinated efforts of 3,400 club members. One hundred percent of tour proceeds are used to enhance Virginia’s landscape. For 80 years, the grounds of the commonwealth’s most cherished historic landmarks have been restored or preserved with help from proceeds from Historic Garden Week including Mount Vernon, Monticello and the grounds of the Executive Mansion in Richmond.
West Potomac Girls’ Lax Falls to Yorktown in Opener
Wolverines coach Cochran has heightened expectations.
The West Potomac girls' lacrosse team reached the region quarterfinals in 2012.
Column: Writing What Four
As far as anniversaries go–and I hope this one “goes” a lot further; acknowledging, dare I say celebrating my four-year survival anniversary from “terminal” stage IV (inoperable, metastasized) non-small cell lung cancer, a diagnosis I initially received on Feb. 27, 2009, along with a “13-month to two-year prognosis” from my oncologist, is certainly column-worthy.
Editorial: Hybrid Hijinks
Discouraging innovation in high-tech Virginia.
Consider this as a possible scenario (although perhaps we should have saved this for April 1): Fewer people are smoking, and many of those who do are smoking less. Virginia’s cigarette tax, the lowest of any state at 30 cents a pack, is a declining revenue source. Higher cigarette taxes are proven to reduce smoking. Under current logic in the commonwealth, there would be two courses of action to raise revenue: a) cut the cigarette tax, and b) charge non-smokers a fee to make up the difference and to compensate for the fact that they don’t pay cigarette taxes.
Toruing UCM’s Cynthia Hull Food Pantry
The Fairfax County Food Providers Network met on Feb. 25 at United Community Ministries in Alexandria to tour UCM’s newly upgraded client-choice Cynthia Hull Food Pantry.
Letter to the Editor: Broken Compromise
During the final week of the General Assembly Session this year, the Virginia State Senate Democrats worked with Gov. Robert McDonnell to reach a compromise to pass a transportation plan — a plan that is funded in part by funds not yet appropriated from Congress — funds unlikely to ever materialize for Virginia.
Column: 2013 General Assembly’s Mixed Record
Now that the 2013 session of the General Assembly’s work has been completed, except for the April 3 veto session, I will continue my report on several measures.
Wymond Associates Honored
Wymond Associates, a technology consulting firm, has been chosen as one of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 100 Blue Ribbon Award winners, representing the best in American small business.
Scholarship Applications Available
Scholarship applications for the 2013 Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce Education Partnership Scholarships are now available.
Launching Breakthrough Book Club
Explore different aspects of the “Small Business Breakthrough” book at the monthly Breakthrough Book Club, the third Tuesday of every month, from 7:30 to 9 a.m., in a joint program of the Small Business Development Center and the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce.
Obituary: Ruth E. Greifer
Ruth E. Greifer died Feb. 22, 2013 at her home in Rockville, Md.
Obituary: Hazel Elizabeth Greenwald
Hazel Elizabeth Greenwald, born Aug., 5, 1912 at 417 S. Lee Street, Alexandria, died on Feb. 15, 2013, at Budd Terrace Nursing Home, Atlanta, Ga.
Obituary: Bernard M. Fagelson
Bernard M. Fagelson, 100, died on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 of Alexandria.
Obituary: Doris Clark
Doris M. Clark, 85, of Woodbridge, died at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center on March 2, 2013.
Signs of Spring at River Farm
Closed all winter, due to work on utilities, the gardens at River Farm are beginning to come alive with small spring blooms. The hellebores are now kept company by hundreds of miniature daffodil narcissus and bunches of snowdrops.
Gaining a NICHE
Designation spotlights Inova Mount Vernon Hospital’s elder care.
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital recently earned the designation of being a NICHE hospital. NICHE, which stands for Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders, is the only national designation indicating a hospital's commitment to elder care excellence. Inova Mount Vernon Hospital is one of the first hospitals to receive the NICHE designation in Fairfax County.
Raffle, Auction To Support Fort Hunt ES
Fort Hunt Elementary School's Going for the Green Silent Auction and Raffle is this Friday, March 15. Food service begins at 6 p.m.; bidding opens at 6:30 p.m.
Annual Black History Celebration
The Gum Springs Community Center presented the 2013 Annual Black History Celebration on Saturday, March 2 with the theme of “Celebrating Black History from Africa to America and the World Over (The Past, Present and Future).” Close to 300 people attended.
Pack 1509 Hosts Pinewood Derby
“Gentlemen! Start your engines!” was the cry heard on a brisk Saturday morning in February when some of Alexandria's youngest car racers gathered round the race track. The Cub Scouts of Pack 1509, along with their parents and siblings filled Fellowship Hall of Plymouth Haven Baptist Church for their annual Pinewood Derby race. With cars of all makes and models, the Scouts and their families transformed Fellowship Hall into a Daytona Racetrack North with a four-lane race track, a pit area to work on and tune up the cars, a refreshment stand and viewing space for all to watch the cars zip their way across the finish line.