Column: Indeterminate Sentence
And no, that’s not another made-up phrase by yours truly describing my occasionally cluttered/run-on prose with which many of you extremely patient regular readers are all too familiar. No, it has to do with how I perceive my future now that I’m post-hospital and sleeping in my own bed. Instead of nurses, respiratory therapists, X-ray technicians, doctors and miscellaneous other hospital staff too numerous to list, I have one wife and five cats to do my bidding. And though they’re not nearly as attentive as the hospital staff, I know that they all have my best interests at heart.
‘Shared Work:’ A Win-Win-Win Solution
Preventing layoffs, maintaining the well-being of employees and their communities and keeping businesses competitive.
How do we mitigate the devastating effects of layoffs on employees, employers and their communities? Is there a "win-win-win" solution?
Commentary: Marching With a Purpose
I was in college in 1963 in Norfolk, Va. when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his now famous “I Have a Dream” speech. While I agreed fully with the purpose of the March on Washington, I did not have the money nor was I resourceful enough to make my way to Washington, D.C. to participate. I did not have any sense of the importance the march would have or the eloquence of one of the many speakers that day that would resonate through history. Last week I took part in both the “National Action to Realize the Dream March” on Aug. 24, and in the “50th Anniversary March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” last Wednesday, Aug. 28.
Letter: ‘Works Sunday 2013’ Thanks the Community
In short, it was you, our neighbors, who made “Works Sunday” a joyful, caring and compassionate event celebrating the common humanity and vibrant diversity of our communities. And so, we of the committee wish to publicly thank all those who gave so freely of their time, talent and treasure to make this year’s “Works Sunday” the major success that it was.
Residents Agree: Reston Rocks
Restonians on what is so great about living in Reston.
“My family loves living in Reston. The first thing that motivated us to look for a house here were the summer concerts at the Reston Town Center. During our house-hunting trip my husband and I had dinner there, and the music and the people really appealed to us.
Column: From Weak to Week
Eight days and seven nights. Not exactly the vacation I was planning. Nevertheless, admitted to the hospital on Friday, August 2nd. Discharged on Friday, August 9th: that was my hospital “staycation.” Though I definitely improved as the post-surgical week went on, the process itself – specifically, nearly four days in S.I.C.U. (Surgical Intensive Care) with round-the-clock monitoring, nursing and doctoring – was hardly restful. In fact, if you read the following prose, you’ll presumably develop an understanding of the cons.
Magic of Lake Anne Mornings
Every day I marvel at the magic, waking up to a different lake each morning with the changes of the seasons and years.
Lake Anne has always been the heart of Reston for me. We moved to our townhouse on the lake in the winter of 2002 and as we hauled the last box in, it started to snow. Tired and hungry, we wandered down to the plaza and settled ourselves into a corner seat by the window at one of Lake Anne’s special restaurants. As the sun set we ordered the seafood soup and looked out onto the plaza and the lake and watched the snow fall gently—magical...
Commentary: Plenty of Money
Reading a letter Governor McDonnell sent to state employees or listening to a speech he gave to the General Assembly money committees last week you could conclude that Virginia state government has plenty of money. He told both, “For the fourth straight year the commonwealth will enjoy a budget surplus! We concluded Fiscal Year 2013 with a total budget surplus of $585 million, the largest since 2005. Over the full four years of my term, Virginia has enjoyed a cumulative surplus of nearly $2 billion—the highest cumulative surplus of any single administration.”
Column: County Rushing “Dysfunctional” Master Plan?
A bit over four years ago, the Hunter Mill District supervisor announced the formation of a community Task force to prepare a new Reston Master Plan to shape Reston, complete with rail service, for a generation. The supervisor said it was a vital mission, top priority, to be completed during 2010. Then, she left the room—and the planning process. Fast forward—the train is about to arrive and the task force has yet to complete even the first half of its work—the comprehensive plan for three new rail station areas.
Editorial: About the Connection
As your local, weekly newspaper, the Great Falls Connection’s mission is to bring the local news you need, to gather information about the best things in and near your community, to advocate for community good, to provide a forum for dialogue on local concerns, and to celebrate and record milestones and events in the community and people’s lives.
Excerpts From King’s ‘I Have a Dream’
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to the March on Washington 50 years ago next week, Aug. 28, 1963.
Excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech: “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
To the Editor: Can We Afford It?
"Affordable" housing is a good idea isn't it?
Commentary: Let's Take a Break from School Reform
Earlier this month I attended “The Governor’s K-12 Education Reform Summit,” the second such event put on by the McDonnell administration in as many years.
Editorial: Library Mission
Further cuts to library budget must be analyzed for impacts on needy families.
The current proposal to “streamline” services at Fairfax County Public Libraries comes on top of disproportionate, and some would say Draconian, cuts since 2009.
Leave It to the Churches
Commentary
Aug. 18 is the annual “Works Sunday,” when the faith communities of Reston and Herndon join together to “make a difference for good.”