Column: At the Half
Last week the General Assembly reached the midpoint of its annual session, or "crossover" as it is called in the legislature. At this time in the calendar, the House of Delegates and the Senate have completed work on the bills that were introduced into the respective houses. Any bills that were passed are now sent to the other body for consideration. In order for a bill to become a law it must pass through both houses in identical form and be signed by the governor. When a bill is passed in different form in the two houses, a conference committee with representatives from both legislative bodies is appointed to work out differences in a compromise that must then be approved by both houses.
Column: 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count—In Reston
In case you missed it, the 17th annual Great Backyard Bird Count took place Feb. 14 to the 17th. This 4-day event takes place in February every year across the county—and last year saw participation expand into 110 other countries. This amazing example of citizen science in action engages birders of all ages in a count that helps create a real time snapshot of bird populations just before birds start their migration back to the north.
Delegates Rust, Plum Provide Richmond Updates
Delegates Tom Rust (R-86) and Kenneth Plum (D-36) recap successes and missed opportunities in the first part of this year’s General Assembly session.
Herndon and Reston Delegates Tom Rust (R-86) and Kenneth Plum (D-36) ended the first half of the 2014 General Assembly session happy with the House of Delegates’ passage of transportation, education and absentee military voting bills. Tuesday, Feb. 11 marked the "crossover" point for this year’s General Assembly session, when both houses of the General Assembly must vote on all non-budget related legislation or allow those bills to die.
Reston Home Sales: January, 2014
In January 2014, 53 Reston homes sold between $970,000-$110,000.
Reston Home Sales: January, 2014
Winter Storm Hits Northern Virginia
Fairfax County residents took shelter as over a foot of snow shutdown power, school, and roads.
Northern Virginia residents took shelter from a snow storm that began the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 12 and lasted until the Thursday night. Fairfax County felt the lasting effects well into the weekend, with schools unable to clear parking lots and county offices closed through the weekend. Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency Tuesday, Feb. 11, giving state authorities and utility companies time to prepare for the storm.
Money on the Shelves: Jurisdictions Take Variety of Approaches to Funding Libraries
Some have recovered from the recession, others are still struggling.
What is the future of the neighborhood library?
Residents Discuss Route 7 Widening, Effects on Neighborhoods
Great Falls and Reston residents discuss how Route 7 construction would impact their neighborhoods.
Great Falls and Reston residents met at The Grange in Great Falls on Tuesday, Feb. 11 to voice their concerns about the 6.9-mile project along Route 7 that will widen the road from four to six lanes. A presentation led by Great Falls Citizens Association board members went into great detail about the impending changes to each intersection along the stretch, extending from Seneca Road at the edge of Reston to Jarrett Valley Drive just before Tysons Corner.
Editorial: Fundamental Freedom To Choose To Marry
Virginia is historically slow in extending rights.
In 1967, Virginia was one of 16 states that banned interracial marriage and had criminal penalties for violators. Mildred Jeter, an African-American woman, and Richard Loving a white man, married in 1958, were convicted and banished from living in Virginia for 25 years to avoid serving a one-year prison sentence. On June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Loving v. Virginia, overturned the convictions of Mildred and Richard Loving, declaring the ban on interracial marriage unconstitutional.
Until Further Notice
Not to state the obvious (which I readily admit I do), but to be given a terminal diagnosis: stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, along with a rather disappointing prognosis: "13 months to two years" is a challenging set of extremely unexpected (given my immediate family’s medical history) circumstances. I don’t want to say that I live under a dark cloud – because I don’t like the negative implication or reaction it conjures, but I definitely feel as if I have a metaphorical sword of Damocles hanging over my head; which I only refer to as an-out-of-context Three Stooges reference wherein a non-Stooge was innocently standing under a pie which Moe had thrown to the ceiling and there it stuck, hanging precariously over the character’s head. Now I still don’t know the proper historical context of the sword of Damocles, I only know the Three Stooges version, but there was some imminent danger involved (not death, mind you), but rather a falling pie which ultimately landed flush on the character’s face as she looked up to make further inquiries. Nevertheless, pie issues/references notwithstanding, having seen my oncologist today while being infused and receiving a big smile/ "you’re going great"/thumbs-up set of gestures/reactions while reclining in my Barcalounger with a chemotherapy I.V. dripping medicine into my right arm, is the kind of super-positive feedback with which I can live. Along with my every-three-week pre-chemotherapy lab work and my every-three-month CT Scan followed by my every-three-month face-to-face appointment with my oncologist, this is how I roll. Worrying about upcoming tests, waiting anxiously for results, trying not to anticipate good, bad or indifferent; living day to day and trying to appreciate my good fortune and the unexpected above-average quality of life with which I’ve been blessed – for a terminal cancer patient, that is.
How Red Is the 10th District?
Wolf’s retirement sparks crowded political stage as both parties vie for coveted Congressional seat.
U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf’s announcement in December that he would not seek reelection to an 18th term in Congress came as a surprise to both Republicans and Democrats. Wolf’s retirement notice instantly set off a feeding frenzy among politicians maneuvering to gain the Northern Virginia Congressional seat.
Envisioning a Launch Pad for Young Adults
Paws4people develops pilot for former foster children, others.
Imagine if in your childhood, it was normal for a social worker to show up unexpectedly, hand you a big black garbage bag and tell you to pack your things.
Editorial: Fundamental Freedom To Choose To Marry
Virginia is historically slow in extending rights.
In 1967, Virginia was one of 16 states that banned interracial marriage and had criminal penalties for violators. Mildred Jeter, an African-American woman, and Richard Loving a white man, married in 1958, were convicted and banished from living in Virginia for 25 years to avoid serving a one-year prison sentence
Letter: Correcting Error on Mental Health Services
Fairfax County serving more people now.
A Feb. 11 editorial by Mary Kimm, referencing reporting by Michael Pope, makes an incorrect assertion that our services to people with mental illness in Fairfax County have been “dramatically cut back.”
The Bird Feeder Celebrates Anniversary
Owner Roger Ritter has helped Reston’s bird and wildlife lovers with their needs for two decades.
When Roger Ritter and his wife Gail opened The Bird Feeder in Reston in 1993, they filled a consumer niche for a community of fellow bird and wildlife lovers in Reston.
School Board Votes For Longer SLEEP
Money saved from annual bus route review will be earmarked for implementation of later start times.
According to SLEEP, a local group advocating for later high school start times in Fairfax County, 72 out of 92 counties in Virginia have a high school start time of 8 a.m. or later.
Proposed Art in Silver Line Keeps Communities in Mind
Planned public art to be displayed at Silver Line station on Jan. 23.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has unveiled its plans for public art to be placed outside of metro stations built in Phase I and Phase II of the Silver Line project.
Bursting Virginia's Bubble
To the Editor: For the past four years, we Commonwealth citizens have enjoyed prosperity recorded by few states. We have had four years of state budget surpluses, the lowest unemployment rate in the surrounding states and the District, the most business-friendly state east of the Mississippi, much safer healthcare facilities for the women, and we were protected from attacks on our freedoms by an all-intrusive Federal Government. We had a strong Attorney General, who learned in the Constitution fought to allow Virginia to keep the constitutional rights the states reserved for themselves. These performance metrics did not happen accidentally. It took the leadership of a Governor and General Assembly working together to bring the best (if not perfect) government available. Sure, one can argue Virginia was helped by a bankrupting Federal Government spending program. We will eventually pay the price for that.
Family Fitness Night at Lake Anne Elementary
Family Fitness Night at Lake Anne Elementary School (LAES) in Reston on Thursday, Feb. 6, meant lots of family fun, as well as the opportunity for parents to spend a little quality time with their children getting some health and wellness tips, and joining them in completing the more than thirty exercise challenges set up for them in the school’s gym.
Southgate Saturday School Begins Sixth Year of Arts, Science Programs
Southgate Community Center partners with Hunters Woods Elementary and the Potomac Academy to bring arts and science education programs to 4-6th graders.
On the morning of Saturday, Feb. 8, about 50 Hunters Woods Elementary School students got out of bed for a surprising destination at Southgate Community Center: Saturday School. Since 2009, Southgate Community Center has collaborated with Hunters Woods Elementary and George Mason University’s Potomac Arts Academy to provide weekly sessions in visual arts, music, theater, and science to 4-6th graders. The program invites between 40-50 students each winter to join.
Leave It to the Feds
Despite Virginia’s historic antipathy toward the federal government, the Commonwealth has nonetheless historically ceded decisions to federal authorities on major issues on which the state had been unwilling to move forward. Another issue is about to fall into this category: same-sex marriage.