Geocaching Diversifies
Urbanites embracing new game.
Geocaching usually has been portrayed as someone with hiking boots and a walking staff gazing afar from a hilltop in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not so anymore. Substantial numbers of those joining the sport are placing and hunting for caches in urban settings, and that includes Northern Virginia.
Beltrante Still Pursuing Justice
Former police detective seeks police oversight board.
D. C. residents and three U.S. Presidents have placed their trust and safety in the hands of Nicholas “Nick” Beltrante for many years before he retired from the D.C. Metro Police in 1963. Now, at 86, the twice-retired Metro D.C. police homicide/robbery detective and private investigator continues to work toward safeguarding the rights of others by proposing to the Board of Supervisors the creation of a Police Citizens Oversight Board which would be charged with investigating citizen complaints, promoting police accountability, and serving as an independent voice for citizens.
Will the Next Attorney General Defend Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage?
Republican says he will defend amendment; Democrat is not so sure.
Virginia's next attorney general will have to stand in a courtroom and make a decision about whether or not the commonwealth's constitutional ban on marriage should be defended. Republican candidate Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-26) has been clear about his support for the amendment and his intention to provide a vigorous defense of marriage. Democratic candidate Sen. Mark Herring (D-33), on the other hand, has yet to take a position on whether or not he will defend the amendment.
Computer Clubhouse For Young Techies
Mount Vernon children in underserved areas learn technology skills.
The Computer Clubhouse at Gum Springs Community Center offers about 150 underserved children in the Mount Vernon area the chance to learn cutting-edge software and computer skills, filmmaking, blogging, Podcasts and robotics.
Costco Prepares For Opening
Mount Vernon store to employ 200-plus and form local partnerships.
The new Costco is opening along Route 1 in Mount Vernon on Thursday, Aug. 8. The 140,000-square-foot warehouse club will employ more than 200 people, which brings the total number of Costco stores to 632 nationwide. Construction crews, vendors, landscapers, and store employees have been working around the clock for 13 weeks preparing for the grand opening, which included a VIP Open House Party on Wednesday evening.
School Notes
Bridget Thompson has been selected to receive a $1,500 college scholarship from the Military Children Program. Thompson took part in various school and community activities including environmental club, cross country, swimming, and band. She plans to attend The College of William and Mary.
The Median Has No Message
Political signs banished from roadsides as campaign season heats up.
Some people call them flowers of democracy. Others call them weeds of political pollution. Whatever one thinks of the campaign signs and placards that appear along the roads of Fairfax County, expect to see a lot fewer of them. Last month, county officials launched a new program in which nonviolent inmates at the county jail hit the streets four days a week to remove illegal signs. With apologies to Marshall McLuhan, the message is no longer in the median. Anger and resentment has been rising over the issue of roadside political signs for years, and campaigns frequently go to war with each other to see which side can plant or steal or deface the largest number of placards. Unlike Prince William County, which had an agreement with the Virginia Department of Transportation that allows the local government to collect the signs and fine violators, Fairfax was caught in a bind. Part of the Virginia code made it illegal for the county to remove the signs in Fairfax County until after an election.
How It’s Done
George Washington erected a stone gristmill in 1771 to increase production of flour and cornmeal and to be able to export high quality flour to the West Indies, England, and Europe. In 1797, Washington's Scottish farm manager James Anderson encouraged him to build a whiskey distillery adjacent to the gristmill. The distillery was the largest in America, producing 11,000 gallons of whiskey in 1799, making it one of the most successful economic enterprises at Mount Vernon. Demonstrations of the mill are given by millers in early-American attire from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance to the site is included in admission to George Washington's Mount Vernon. Admission to the Distillery & Gristmill is also sold separately for $5 for adults, $2 for youth ages 6-11, and free for children 5 and under.
Candidates Agree on Amendment for Voting Rights, Disagree on Executive Order
Restoration of civil rights on the agenda for next governor.
Should nonviolent felons have their right to vote automatically restored? What exactly is a nonviolent felony? What kind of process can be considered automatic?
Opportunity Neighborhood
Organization celebrates first anniversary with bus tour.
Opportunity Neighborhood, a group that helps children succeed in school and life, celebrated its first anniversary with an 11-stop bus tour targeting Mount Vernon schools and neighborhoods along Route 1. The tour highlighted the areas that are served by the organization which supports young people from “cradle to college to career.” The tour started at the South County Government Center, which houses Human Services agencies in Fairfax County.
Classes Offer Liquified-Fun
Mount Vernon RECenter offers 13 water aerobics classes.
For people with joint or arthritis problems, the gentle resistance that water aerobics provides is the perfect remedy for fun and exercise.
People Notes
Elizabeth Rives, daughter of John and Betsy Rives of Mount Vernon, has been chosen as a state finalist in the National American Miss Virginia Pageant. Elizabeth will be participating in the Junior Teen 13 – 15 age division, at the Hyatt Regency Reston hotel in Reston on July 29, along with other young women from across Virginia. The winner of the pageant will receive a $1,000 cash award, the official crown and banner, a bouquet of roses, and air transportation to compete in the National Pageant in California where she will receive a complimentary tour of Hollywood and two V.I.P. tickets to Disneyland. Elizabeth, 14, will be a freshman at Bishop Ireton High School this fall. She is active in her school and community, including being a member of the National Junior Honor Society, and participating in many sports, music, and theater programs. Sponsors for her pageant bid include McGinley, Elsberg & Hutcheson P.L.C., Mount Vernon Athletic Club, Chevys Fresh Mex and Topsy Social Analytics.
Mount Vernon Bulletin
Genealogical Society Meeting. 1 p.m. at Hollin Hall Senior Center, 1500 Shenandoah Road. The meeting will take place in room 112 and will feature a presentation by Christine Rose entitled “Bounty Land Records to Help Solve that Problem.” Call 703-866-2478 or visit www.mvgenealogy.org.
Roessler Named County Police Chief
New police chief vows focus on diversity.
Edwin C. Roessler, named Fairfax County's police chief at Tuesday's Board of Supervisor's meeting, promised to launch a Diversity Council in an effort to recruit, promote and respond to Fairfax County's increasingly diverse community.
Fairfax County Animal Shelter Temporarily Suspends Intake of Dogs
Canine influenza suspected culprit after dozen dogs become ill.
The Fairfax County Animal Shelter has temporarily suspended its intake of dogs, after one dog died of pneumonia and about a dozen more dogs have exhibited symptoms of an unspecified upper respiratory illness.