Classified Advertising January 22, 2014
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Into the Budget Fray
Bulova highlights accomplishments, challenges in annual address.
Despite the lingering impact of an anemic economy, and the regional ripple effects of federal sequestration, Fairfax County residents will see some concrete signs of progress this year.
Editorial: Extend Health Coverage in Virginia
Standing on what is essentially scorched earth, Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly have condemned hundreds of thousands of poor Virginians to living without health coverage even though it would be fully funded by Federal money for the next three years, and with Virginia paying 10 percent after five years.
Friends Forever
Since it had been more than a few months, today I summoned up the courage to Google my long-time friend and fellow stage IV lung cancer survivor, Suzanne. Suzanne and I had been years out of touch (for no real reason other than initiative and the geographic consideration that she lived in Barnstable, Ma. and I live in Burtonsville, Md.) and recently back in touch – due to our identical cancer diagnoses. I learned that she had succumbed to her disease back in October, 2013. We last had contact electronically back in the summer. She was extremely weak then, she said, too weak to talk, so e-mailing was best. In that e-mail, ultimately her last, she wrote that the most recent chemotherapy drug with which she was infused was no longer effective and that her oncologist had no other drugs left to recommend. Not that she said it in so many words, but at that point her prognosis was grim. She offered that her two boys were with her and from them she would gain great comfort. The news was very unsettling to me and I was afraid that this e-mail might be our last – and so it was.
Reston Residents March to Commemorate King’s Legacy
Community joins together in weekend of music, fun, and community service.
Reston resident Denver Lovett was part of the first March on Washington on Aug. 8, 1963, while he was a student at Howard University. He also attended the 20th, 30th, and 50th anniversaries of the event in Washington D.C. But this past Sunday, Jan. 19, Lovett had a chance to spend the day marching with his Reston neighbors for a half-mile beginning at Lake Anne Village Center to commemorate the historic day. “If you get a lot of individuals taking action and trying to change things rather than sitting around complaining about how bad things are, it can create a powerful movement for good,” said Lovett.
Commentary
Independent Progressive/Master Plan for Transit Station Areas — Outgunned
It never looked like a fair fight. In the fall of 2009, when Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins assembled her Task Force of 25 or so to prepare a Comprehensive (Master) Plan for the Dulles rail corridor, it was clear the community was at a disadvantage. A handful of Reston volunteers faced a phalanx of hired gun slingers, men (100 percent men!) representing commercial developers and their lawyers. The gunslingers were pros doing their jobs, unified in a clear sense of purpose — to maximize profit. Most had worked “community” task force gigs before and knew the county staff advising the Task Force. None lived in Reston.
Richmond Diary
Governor McAuliffe Sets the Stage
Each year the Governor of Virginia addresses a joint assembly of the House of Delegates and the State Senate in a speech not unlike the President’s State of the Union address except that the Governor provides a “State of the Commonwealth” as well as his recommendations for legislative action. Last week I heard the 35th such speech since I have been a member of the House of Delegates. I think Gov. Terry McAuliffe made the best of any of the speeches I have heard over my career in the legislature.
‘Helping Hungry Kids’
Saturday food drives at Herndon and Reston grocery stores provide weekends meals for area students.
Every Saturday leading up to Feb. 17, customers walking into the Fox Mill and North Point shopping center Giant grocery stores will be able to provide food for hungry elementary school children in Herndon and Reston. The Helping Hungry Kids program kicked off its Stuff the Bus food collection program Jan. 18, at area grocery stores, complete with shopping carts and a stack of food ready to be purchased for generous customers. Volunteers at the front of the store handed out flyers to customers and asked them to help by purchasing $11 bags filled with child-sized portions of items like macaroni and cheese, granola bars and sugar-free applesauce. “A lot of the people who come here just take the bag and prepare it themselves,” said Colleen Cavitz, a Chantilly resident who has been volunteering each month for three years.
Broadway Night Comes to South Lakes High School
South Lakes students prepare for musical show.
This past weekend students in the South Lakes High School were rehearsing and preparing for the ninth annual Broadway Night show at 7 p.m. Jan. 24-25 (weather depending) at the school’s Little Theatre. Cast and crew were at the school making sure everything was ready for opening night. “This is my first year doing costume design, but my third year doing production for the play,” said South Lakes senior Allison Scheler.
Cornerstones and GRCC Reveal Best of Reston Honorees
Reston’s business and nonprofit leaders were among those gathered for 23rd Annual Best of Reston Kickoff Reception.
In a colorful, well-lit lit room of the Google Reston Town Center office, a shining bronze statue of 99-year-old Reston founder Bob Simon sat about 10 feet away from the man himself.
Outstanding Service
At the Reston Lions Club Holiday party held on Dec. 19, at the Hidden Creek Country Club, five members of the club were presented Melvin Jones Fellow plaques for dedicated humanitarian services. The awards were by the Lions Clubs International Foundation. The recipients with Club President Don Leas, are, from left, Gerry Washburn, Bob Meissner, Leas, Jim Ryan, Mike Moseley and Jack Gazlay. Melvin Jones was one of the founders in 1917 of Lions Clubs International which now has 1.35 million members in 206 countries. The Reston Lions Club supports sight and hearing programs and more in the Reston and Herndon areas
Reston Home Sales: December, 2013
In December 2013, 79 Reston homes sold between $1,475,000-$120,000.
Reston Home Sales: December, 2013
Classified Advertising January 15, 2014
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Virginia Supreme Court Opens Access to Audio Recordings of Oral Arguments
Policy change overturns blackout instituted in 2008.
Members of the Virginia Supreme Court have a New Year’s Resolution — become more transparent.
South Lakes’ Aghayere, Rendle Dominate Boards in Victory
Madison’s Koshuta scores 28 points in defeat.
The South Lakes girls' basketball team defeated Madison 60-52 on Jan. 10.
Week in Reston
January 25 at 10 a.m. is the date to mark on your calendars. That is when the American Association of University Women of Reston and Herndon jointly with the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) will offer a special presentation on human sex trafficking in our communities.
A Musical Keynote
Sweet Honey in the Rock to highlight Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday celebration.
Reston Community Center presents the 29th Annual Reston Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration on Jan. 18-20. The highlight of this community-wide celebration will be a keynote address by Sweet Honey in the Rock. Audience members will enjoy a community lunch served family-style followed by a keynote address that explores how music and activism have contributed to civil rights movements over the years. The performance will also be sign-language interpreted. Rooted in a deeply held commitment to create music from the rich textures of the African American legacy and traditions, Sweet Honey in the Rock possesses a stunning vocal prowess that captures the complex sounds of blues, spirituals, traditional gospel hymns, rap, reggae, African chants, hip hop, ancient lullabies, and jazz improvisation. Sweet Honey’s collective voice, occasionally accompanied by hand percussion instruments, produces a sound filled with soulful harmonies and intricate rhythms. The metaphor of "Sweet Honey in the Rock" captures completely the essence of these African American women whose repertoire is steeped in the sacred music of the Black church, the clarion calls of the civil rights movement, and songs rising out of the struggle for justice everywhere.
Reston Author Releases Third Book in ‘The Taker’ Trilogy
Alma Katsu speaks on her newest book, ‘The Descent,’ and beginning her second career as a writer.
Reston author Alma Katsu’s newest book, “The Descent,” published by Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books division, hit bookstore shelves on Jan. 7. The book is the third installment in “The Taker” trilogy, a series of paranormal fantasy novels set in both 19th century and modern New England.
From Late Night Comedy to Your Bedroom
Why the General Assembly matters more in Virginia than most states.
The Virginia General Assembly began its annual session last week on Jan. 8. The actions of the Virginia General Assembly matter more to localities than it would in many other states. In Virginia, localities have only the power specifically granted by the General Assembly, the Dillon rule. So, for example, Montgomery County and Prince Georges County in Maryland recently voted to increase the minimum wage in those localities. They didn’t need permission from Maryland General Assembly to do so. Arlington and Alexandria might be inclined to follow suit (the District government also voted to increase the minimum wage) but do not have that power.
In Case Someone Is Wondering
I don’t mind being alive, really I don’t. Occasionally though, I receive well-intended inquiries – electronic and otherwise, from people (who know my cancer story) who are sort of wondering if perhaps I’m not. When people haven’t heard from me in a while – and this is a category of people with whom I don’t have regular/recurring interactions, but rather a group of people who reach out and attempt to touch me (figuratively speaking) every three or four months or so – there is a presumption on their part that my silence (so far as they know) is not in fact golden, but rather ominous, as in the cancer might have won and yours truly didn’t. And when I respond, their pleasure/relief at my not having succumbed to the disease is quite positive, generally speaking. Their honesty and joy in learning that I’m still alive is both rewarding and gratifying. Rewarding in that they care and gratifying in that I must be doing something right which enables me to sustain myself through a very difficult set of medical circumstances: stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, the terminal kind (is there any other kind?).