Column: Treatment Denied Syndrome
Natasha McKenna’s blood is on all of our hands.
Natasha McKenna did not die from excited delirium. She died from Treatment Denied Syndrome.*
Column: Tradition of Keeping Voters Informed
Virginians can access state government programs and services through a single internet portal, www.virginia.gov that is nationally recognized as one of the best among the states.
Column: Police Reform Now A Distinct Possibility
The Fairfax County Ad Hoc Commission to Review Police Practices is completing its final recommendations to reforms of Fairfax County law enforcement.
Column: Redistricting Reform Needed
A federal court found Virginia’s congressional redistricting to be unconstitutional because it diluted the strength of minorities in elections.
Editorial: Focusing on Suicide Prevention
Help is a phone call away.
This week is Suicide Prevention Week. Preventing suicide means paying attention to mental health and treating depression, and there is no better time to focus on that than the first week of school.
Editorial: How to Vote; It Matters
Voting begins in two weeks, Sept. 18.
Election Day is Nov. 3, and on that day, virtually every state and local office is on the ballot. In-person absentee voting begins Sept. 18, barely two weeks from now.
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).
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.
Commentary: Public Trust above Party
Shifting from a relaxing vacation back to work is always challenging, but my return this past week from the mountains, streams and lakes of Glacier National Park to a special session of the General Assembly has been a particularly stark contrast.
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.
Column: Keeping Up to Date
My experience is that the annual summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) provides the best continuing education I can get as a legislator.
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?