Woodson’s Craig Coaches Victorious West All-Stars at Cap Classic
Lake Braddock’s Gregorits, Woodson’s Stynchula score in double figures.
The West all-stars beat the East at the 41st Annual Capital Classic.
Police Warn Residents: Beware Money Scams
Scammers identifying themselves as deputy sheriffs are calling Fairfax County residents and claiming they failed to appear for jury duty and must pay a court fee to avoid arrest. The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office is in no way associated with this scam. Sheriff's deputies will not call people asking for money nor threatening them with arrest.
Musical, Murder Mystery Whodunnit Comedy
It’s ‘Curtains’ for Robinson’s Cappies play.
A whodunnit, murder mystery, musical comedy, “Curtains” is Robinson Secondary’s upcoming Cappies play. Show times are Thursday-Saturday, May 8, 9, 10, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 at www.robinsondrama.org.
Citizens Honored
On Sunday, April 27, the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens' Association held their 64th Annual Awards Ceremony. Braddock District resident Jan Hedetneimi was named the 2013 Fairfax County Citizen of the Year. Tena Bluhm and Kathy Kaplan were awarded a citation of merit for their work in their communities. The Federation also awarded Congressman Jim Moran, Delegate Jim Scott and Congressman Frank Wolf with a special gratitude award for their public service to Fairfax County.
Magic of Mothers Host Math Mania
Students ages 6-12 compete, share love of math.
Students from elementary and middle schools in Fairfax Station and Lorton practiced their math skills and experienced the excitement of competition by participating in the Magic of Mothers Math Mania competition on April 26.
Letter: Appalled by Cell Tower
I am writing in support of Susan Gaertner's perspective on the cell tower issue in Burke Centre [“Cell Tower Challenged in Burke,” Burke Connection, April 24-30, 2014]. Granting that reception may be a problem with some carriers in some parts of Burke, it does not seem to me that, based on the Conservancy's governing documents, it is the Board of Trustee's responsibility to improve cell phone service for residents; nor do the Trustees clearly have the legal authority to lease our Open Space, including land at our five community centers, to a commercial vendor such as AT&T for the purpose of erecting a cell tower. Furthermore, such a lease would violate our Easement of Enjoyment in the Common Areas per Article IV, Section 2 of the Burke Centre Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions.
Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber Celebrates 60 Years
Chamber reflects on history and looks forward to future area revitalization
Of all that was discussed at the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce’s 60th anniversary celebration, Michael Gailliot’s announcement that the planned Wegman’s at the corner of Beulah and Telegraph Roads at the Hilltop Village received their building permit on April 24 was among the most exciting for those in attendance.
Choosing a Summer Camp
Camp experts offer advice on selecting a camp, but now is the time to register.
Many families with school age children will plan to have their children spend some of the much-anticipated summer season in camp. If you haven’t yet selected camps for your children, now is the time.
Many Ideas for Summer Activities
Avoid those dreaded words: ‘I’m bored.’
Molly McAlister enjoys the freedom of summer, but there are three words she dreads hearing: “Mom, I’m bored.” Creating activities to keep her three children busy during the summer is a task she enjoys, but it isn’t always easy.
Fifth Grade Class Reunites with Retiring Teacher
George Weiner and 1987-1988 fifth grade class reunite at White Oaks Elementary.
For a group of adults in their late thirties, coming together for their fifth grade class reunion is somewhat uncommon. But students of George Weiner, a teacher at White Oaks Elementary School in Burke, say he was such a special and amazing teacher that there was no way they could forget fifth grade.
Martin Leads South County Softball Over Lake Braddock in 13-Inning Thriller
Bruins pitcher Flesch allows just one hit, strikes out 19.
The South County softball team is in sole possession of first place in the Conference 7 standings.
Fairfax County School Board Examining Later Start Times
High schools could start as late as 9:15.
Two years after the Fairfax County School Board adopted a resolution in favor of later start times, exhausted teenagers are one step closer to getting a full night’s sleep. The Children’s National Medical Center recently presented the school board with options for later start times, of which the school board selected four for public discussion. The new start times could be implemented as early as the 2015-2016 school year.
Opening Doors to Hope
Previously homeless individuals share stories at FACETS Opening Doors Breakfast.
FACETS clients Carol Brown and Sandara Perry, sharing their stories to a crowd gathered at the FACETS Opening Doors breakfast on April 24, confirmed the unfortunate fact that homelessness and poverty do exist in Fairfax County.
Area Students Recognized In Fair Housing Contest
Sharon Garrott of Lake Braddock and Brianna Camp of Robinson win awards.
Burke resident and Lake Braddock junior Sharon Garrott and Robinson senior Brianna Camp were recently recognized for their submissions to the Fairfax County Student Human Rights Commission competition. This year’s theme was “Fair Housing: Opening Doors to Equal Opportunity.” Garrott was selected as a winner in the literary category for her poem, “Battle Within these Walls.” Brianna Camp won the contest’s art category with her painting.
Protecting Youths Against Substance Abuse
Panel shares stories and advice.
Fairfax County's Unified Prevention Coalition sponsored a forum on the effects of substance abuse on the county's middle and high school children. The resource fair and panel discussion was led by parents, young adults and professionals from the coalition's PROTECT (Parents Reaching Out To Educate Communities Together) task force. "It's been so long, I'll still be emotional about it," said Greg Lannes about his daughter's heroin overdose in 2008. Alicia Lannes had been 19 when she died and had always been a model student with straight A's. He pointed to the lone framed photo of her on the table and asked the audience, "Does that look like a heroin addict? How did she get to that point?"
Protecting Driver’s License Information Becomes Law
Del. David Bulova’s legislation (House Bill 1072) to protect personal information on driver’s licenses was enacted into law during the reconvened session of the General Assembly on April 23. The new law, which will be effective on July 1, limits the ability of a business to electronically scan the bar code on a driver’s license and then store and use that data. State Sen. David Marsden (D-37) carried the companion legislation (Senate Bill 40), which has also been enacted into law.
County Budget Markup Passes
Three supervisors still oppose the budget.
Fairfax County is another step closer to having an approved budget for the next fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors approved the 2015 budget markup at its April 22 meeting at the county Government Center. Supervisors Linda Smyth (D-Providence), Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and John Cook (R-Braddock) opposed the markup.
Fairfax County Honors ‘Superheroes’
22nd Annual Fairfax County Service Awards presented.
Maybe they don’t wear capes and flashy uniforms, but local volunteers are superheroes. That was the theme for the 22nd Annual Fairfax County Service Awards, where more than 100 volunteers were recognized for their work with breakfast Friday, April 25, at The Waterford in Springfield. More specifically, this year’s theme was "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Impact," which was reflected in the comic book-inspired table decor and introductions by master of ceremonies Jeff Goldberg, Virginia Bureau Chief for ABC7 and News Channel 8.
Father and Son "Twogether"
As a born, bread and buttered Bostonian (Newton Centre, a suburb, to be specific), one of my enduring and genetic passions has been to live and die (figuratively speaking; this is not a cancer column) for The Boston Red Sox. My father sold concessions at Fenway Park (the stadium home of the Bosox since 1912), during the Depression when he was a little boy (not yet an adolescent even). He was nicknamed "Beezo," (his given name was Benet, although he was always called Barry) so he could gain full acceptance to a local knothole gang. Named after the wooden planks which surrounded the old Braves Field in Boston (a National League team called Boston its home as well back in the day), the kids ("gangs") would stand and peer through the knotholes in the wooden planks which otherwise blocked their view. It was a privilege and an honor for my father to be so connected to the game this way. He grew up loving baseball, and as a parent, he passed his love of the game on to me – and my brother.
Editorial: Trending in the Right Direction
Commitment to ending homelessness shows progress, but more affordable housing is needed.
On one night in late January, local jurisdictions in our area fanned out to count the number of people who were literally homeless. Fairfax County released its numbers last week; Arlington and Alexandria will do so in the near future. In Fairfax County, the commitment in 2010 to end homelessness in 10 years has resulted in significant progress, even in the wake of the great recession. The number of people literally homeless decreased by a third from 2008 to 2014, from 1,835 to 1,225 counted this year. Many non-profit organizations have partnered to prevent homelessness one family or individual at a time for those on the brink and to house chronically homeless individuals. There is so much still to be done.