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Public Information Comes at a Price in Arlington

Billing system includes $30 charge for six-line summary of secret investigation.

Want a booking photo in a high profile case? Prepare to pay $24.

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February Is Heart Month

Diet and fitness experts offer suggestions for maintaining a healthy heart.

When Mary Elizabeth O’Conner enters a supermarket, she is careful stay within the outer perimeters of the store. “Most grocery stores are designed so that the healthiest and non-processed food, like fresh vegetables and meat are kept on the outer edges,” she said. She looks for heart-healthy foods like whole grains and fresh fruit.

Column: A Complicated Answer

And a further explanation and corollary to last week’s column: “A Simple Question,” which attempted to sort through my reactions to being asked an extremely innocent, appropriate, well-intended and always appreciated courtesy: “How are you?” and the problem that it sometimes causes me. That problem being: a question which had it not been asked would then not require an answer. An answer that I’ll always give, but not before I’ve given it some thought, which if I hadn’t thought about, wouldn’t have bothered me in the least


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Making the Difference Between Struggle and Success

Carmen Jordan of Reston has been a mentor for Fairfax Families4 Kids for six years. She is considered one of the most experienced mentors in the program. In addition to working full-time as a marquee account manager at Deltek in Herndon, Jordan makes herself available to “trouble-shoot” for the children and families she mentors. In the following column, she details her experiences with the program, and at-risk foster youth.

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'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.

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A Gift of Dictionaries

Colonial Republican Women donates to Hybla Valley Elementary School.

A delegation from Colonial Republican Women presented Hybla Valley Elementary School staff with a donation of 100 dictionaries on Dec. 20.


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Preparing for ‘Reach the Beach’

The West Potomac Dance Team and students from the recent dance team workshop performed at half-time at last Friday’s basketball game.

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Multicultural Fair

Hollin Meadows Elementary School will hold its annual Multicultural Fair on Saturday, Feb. 9 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

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‘The Pink Panther Strikes Again’

Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre, now in its 32nd season, will present “The Pink Panther Strikes Again,” directed by John Waldron and performed by a cast of 18 local actors ages 12-18.


Alexandria Entertainment Calendar

Entertainment Calendar for February.

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For Those Who Serve

World's largest USO facility opens at Fort Belvoir.

Less than two years ago, it was just an overgrown lot in the shadows of Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. But on Feb. 5, the world's largest USO facility welcomed the community with a grand opening celebration of the new USO Warrior and Family Center.

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Helping Nation’s Heroes

Inside the new USO Warrior and Family Center.

Growing up in Richmond, Staff Sergeant Charles Eggleston never imagined what awaited him when two improvised explosive devices detonated next to his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq in 2006. The Cornell University computer science graduate was severely injured, his spine nearly severed and his face badly scarred as part of his mission during Operation Iraqi Freedom.


Letter to the Editor: Take Politics Out of Redistricting

Let's face it — Virginia's Delegate and Senatorial district maps are a gerrymandered disgrace.

Letters to the Editor: Update on ‘Antenna Wars’

The Jan. 17 article "Antenna Wars" and a Jan. 24 Letter to the Editor both help residents of Mount Vernon District understand past work of the Mount Vernon Council's Telecommunication Service Committee. The committee was formed in response to a request by Supervisor Hyland.

Letter to the Editor: Justice Prevails

The fatal shooting death of unarmed Sunday School teacher Patricia Cook of Culpepper by Officer Daniel Harmon-Wright of the Culpepper Police Department on Feb. 9, 2012 has ended with the officer being charged and convicted of involuntary manslaughter and unlawful shooting into an occupied vehicle.


February Bulletin Board

The Mount Vernon Bulletin Board for the month of February.

Column: Five Bills Poised to Pass; Two Amendments Adopted

The Virginia legislature is now approaching “crossover” — the day that each body must complete work on its own bills and begin work on bills from the other body.

Richmond Report: On Medicaid, Road Funds and Uranium

This week’s General Assembly session included “Crossover” on Tuesday — after which the House and Senate may only work on bills approved by the other body.


CSMS Science Olympiad Team Triumphs

The Carl Sandburg Middle School Science Olympiad Team has been notified that they have qualified for the Virginia State Science Olympiad Tournament to be held April 27 on the Virginia Tech Campus in Blacksburg. The team competed at the Virginia Science Olympiad Regional Tournament in Charlottesville, on Saturday, Feb. 16. Overall results placed Carl Sandburg Middle School as the 4th ranked school at the Science Olympiad competition that weekend.

Letter: Taking Exception on Medicaid Expansion

Your recent editorial ["Expanding Medicaid Good For Virginia," The Connection, January 23-29, 2013] is noble in its desire to "extend health coverage to more than 400,000 residents who currently have no health insurance." If public policy making were just that easy. The editorial then goes on to indifferently say, "the Federal government picks up the tab.