Mount Vernon Opinion

Mount Vernon Opinion

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Mount Vernon: Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, a Watery Wonderland

Newcomers & Community Guide

Thousands of drivers whiz through a Mount Vernon jewel every day, harried commuters and soccer parents zipping through a national park and a rare, freshwater, tidal, vanishing wetland.

Mount Vernon: Welcome to the Best District in Fairfax County

Commentary

My name is Gerry Hyland and I have served as the Mount Vernon District supervisor for 28 years. I welcome you to the Mount Vernon District which is the best district in all of Fairfax County because of the wonderful people and the resources we have here.

Column: 'Bulky Boy'

Although this title invokes the nickname of one of my three male cats – Andrew, to be specific – he is in fact not the point of th is column.

Letter: Welcome from Police Chief Ed Roessler

Newcomers Guide

Dear Community Members: The Fairfax County Police Department was established on July 1, 1940 and today we have an authorized strength of 1,372 sworn law enforcement officers who protect and serve the communities of the County. On average, officers respond to over 400,000 calls for service each year.

Column: Accommodate or Exacerbate

As a diagnosed-as-“terminal” cancer patient (is that better, Rebecca?), I feel I am due some accommodations. However, when offered or given, I am hesitant to accept (not always, though; I’ll be honest).

Letter: Wrong Emphasis

Letter to the Editor

take exception to part of the tone on the article [“Mount Vernon Football Looking for First Win Since 2013,” The Gazette, Aug. 6] about the upcoming season for the Mount Vernon football team.

Letter: Policy Change Warranted

Letter to the Editor

I was disappointed to read the [“Ignoring Will of the People,” The Gazette, July 16] letter regarding Dan Storck’s position on the changes to the non-discrimination policy and the family life (FLE) curriculum regarding gender identity.

Editorial: Sea Changes in Policing?

Report offers blueprint for transforming aspects of policing, jail and services for people with mental illness.

Yesterday, for the first time in the history of Fairfax County Police Department, a Fairfax County Police officer was charged in a shooting death.

Column: B.D. Versus A.D.

If my experiences as a cancer patient/ “terminal” “diagnosee” are at all typical, then the following generalization might in fact be true: certain situations and/or feelings that were once tolerated before diagnosis are nearly impossible to tolerate after diagnosis: traffic, waiting in lines, rudeness, compromise, sacrifice, delayed/deferred gratification, to list just a few. Life becomes so much more precious, that wasting some of it – or the perception of wasting some of it – on unpleasant, unrewarding, aggravating, stressful, menial tasks, obligations, duties, etc. becomes almost too much to bear; on a consistent basis, anyway.

Editorial: 'Our Community Deserves Better'

Strongly worded recommendations for police on transparency and public trust; FCPD has miles to go.

Outrage over the shooting death of John Geer of Springfield on Aug. 29, 2013, by a Fairfax County Police officer led the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to form of the Ad Hoc Police Practice Review Commission, which began meeting in March 2015. The Communications Subcommittee was the first to give recommendations to the full commission, and the report pulled no punches.

Column: Back on Track

Having reread last week’s column a time or two now, I’ve realized that I neglected to update you regular readers – especially those of you who read my most recent pre- and post-scan columns: “Abyssful” Ignorance and Scant Know For Sure Anymore – on the previous week’s scan results. Once again, I have defied the odds – maybe statistics would be a better word?

Letter: Much To Be Done

Letter to the Editor

I am asking Mr. Morrogh, again: Why has it taken your office 18 months to finally convene a grand jury to look into the John Geer shooting?

Letter: Executive Interference?

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor: Following the unjust and unprovoked shooting death of unarmed David A. Masters on Nov. 13, 2007 by Fairfax County Police Officer David Scott Ziants who was ultimately fired for “improper use of deadly force,” I organized the Virginia Citizens Coalition for Police Accountability, Inc., as a nonprofit corporation.

Letter: Understanding Development

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor: What is there about the simple words "by right" that retired science educator Martin Tillett doesn't understand [“By Right Development, opinion, July 23-29, Mount Vernon Gazette].

Column: On A Tangent

Not that I live day-to-day or even month-to-month, but I do live – in my head anyway – quarter-to-quarter; that interval representing the usual and customary time between my recurring diagnostic scans. The time when the rubber hits my road.