Go Green, Go Native
Mow less, mow high, grow more, choose nature.
The manicured lawn may be an iconic symbol of the American suburbs, but lawns have ecological downsides, and there are alternatives, Tami Sheiffer told members of the Friends of Mason Neck at a March 7 Zoom meeting titled “Mow Less, Grow More.”
Opinion: Letter to the Editor: How Sad
How sad that River Farm could possibly be taken over by developers, without any concern for the impact it would have on our beloved community.
Mask Rules on the Mount Vernon Trail
Many wear masks on the trail regardless.
The rules about wearing masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19 indicate that if you are outdoors and practicing social distancing, things are relatively safe.
‘Better Than I Deserve’: Roy Gravatte Dies at 84
For most people, the cursory greeting “How are you?” elicits a cursory “Fine, and you?” But for Roy Gravatte, it was a chance to show his gratitude in life with his signature response to anyone who asked: “Better than I deserve.”
Honoring Women on Front Lines of Pandemic
The Fairfax County Commission For Women celebrates Women’s History Month 2021.
Opinion: Column: “Cancerversary”
I realize I'm cancer-centric, especially in these columns, but for some reason that centricity didn't acknowledge my February 27th cancer anniversary.
Opinion: Commentary: What is ‘Fair’?
Equity costs - and paying that price will not be fair, but it will be just.
If Black people had a dollar for every individual, organization, and company that publicly professed a commitment to antiracism and racial equity while holding up progress in the name of “fairness,” we could have closed the racial wealth gap ten times over.
Fairfax County Planning Commission Recommends Denial of Flag Limitations
It's not a done deal.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted 11-0 to recommend denial to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to replace the current zoning ordinance establishing specific regulations for flags and flagpoles in the New and Modernized Zoning Ordinance (zMOD Updates) countywide.
Opinion: Commentary: Step into Nature for Improved Health
New research into the health benefits of being in nature prompted the Wall Street Journal reporter Betsy Morris to do a story titled, "For Better Health During the Pandemic, Is Two hours Outdoors the New 10,000 Steps?"
Starting from a Clean Slate
Compromise on expungement: automatic for some misdemeanors, petition for some felonies.
Marijuana convictions will be automatically expunged under a bill now under consideration by Gov. Ralph Northam, although convictions for crack cocaine will require missing a day of work and probably hiring a lawyer to go to court and seal the record. The legislation is a compromise crafted late in the General Assembly session by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring of Alexandria and state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36), who clashed repeatedly over the last year about how the process should work.
The Value of Dead Wood
Tree snags are “a gourmet restaurant,” that is, from a bird’s perspective, Larry Cartwright told a group of Northern Virginia Audubon at Home ambassadors on Feb. 20 in a Zoom meeting.
Opinion: Column: Back to Abnormal
Well, those last two weeks were kind of fun, (comparatively speaking) to the dozen or so previous weeks.
Fairfax County Readies for Public Employee Collective Bargaining
Holds collaborative meetings with union reps to write rules
Most Fairfax County public employees who provide vital services in education, safety, healthcare, and sanitation like others in counties, cities, and towns across the Commonwealth, will gain a new right on May 1, 2021.
Wellbeing: A Schedule Can Anchor Your Day
How creating a daily routine can ease anxiety during times of uncertainty
Her days were overwhelmingly stressful.
Opinion: Editorial: Brain Injury Awareness: A Personal Story
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month.
In 2007, my kids and I were at a fireworks show in Vienna that was so grand we were in awe of each burst.