Making Voters Feel Welcome, No Matter Their Language
County election officials have stepped up outreach efforts and volunteer recruitment efforts.
“I was touched with the Korean community’s efforts to help us translate materials and provide volunteers. … And so we're trying to encourage other pockets. My next target is Vietnamese. We’ve also printed recruitment brochures in Farsi, Arabic, Chinese Korean, French, and Spanish.” — Cameron Quinn, Fairfax County’s chief elections officer
Halloween Fun at Goblin Gallop
The 20th annual Goblin Gallop was Sunday, Oct. 27, at Fairfax Corner.
Andrew Gause’s Martial Arts Donates $1000 to Kings Park PTA
Andrew Gause’s Martial Arts has teamed up with Kings Park Elementary School to help raise funds for various projects. Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 1, Master Gause goes to Kings Park Elementary once a week for five weeks and teaches basic martial arts skills to Kings Park students with all of the proceeds from the program going to the PTA.
Two Challenge Filler-Corn in 41st District
Del. Eileen Filler-Corn challenged by Republican Fredy A. Burgos, Independent Christopher F. DeCarlo in the 41st district.
The House of Delegates has legislative power, with the Senate, to enact laws. Delegates serve a 2-year term and are eligible for re-election. The salary is $17,640 per year. A delegate must be at least 21 years old at the time of election and be a resident of the district he/she seeks to represent.
Delegate—37th District
Republican Patrice Winter is challenging Democratic incumbent David Bulova in the 37th district.
As a health care provider, I have seen how Affordable Care Act has affected patients and even how companies are doing business. Seeing Virginians have access to high-quality and affordable health care is a top priority.
Letter: Delegate Focused on Real Issues
The recent turmoil created by the gridlock in the federal government may tempt many of us to ignore politics all together. However, Virginians shouldn’t allow the circus in Washington to cause us to lose sight of the importance of our state’s gubernatorial and house elections on Nov. 5. Personally I will be heading to the polls first thing that morning to show my support for Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn, who works across party lines and stays focused on the real issues that affect us as Virginian citizens.
Robinson Student Stars in Children’s Show
The Alliance Theatre presents “The Little Mermaid Jr.”
Ariel, Prince Eric, Flounder, Sebastian the crab and all the other characters from the popular story and movie are in The Alliance Theatre’s production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” And a Robinson Secondary student has one of the starring roles. Performances are Nov. 9-24 (see box for details) at Mountain View High School, 5775 Spindle Court (behind Glory Days Grill) in Centreville. The musical features 10 adults and 35 students in grades three through 12, and Director Maggie Swan says they’re all really talented.
Area Roundups
Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 a.m. So before bedtime Saturday night, set back the time on all those clocks, watches and electronic devices one hour.
Letter: The Damage Has Only Just Begun
Congressman Connolly’s recent op-ed [“The Damage Is Already Done,” Connection, Oct. 24] is a diversion from the Democratic-engineered train wreck known as Obamacare and officially referred to as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). While the damage from the shutdown was particularly painful for Virginians, it pales in comparison to the damage being inflicted on millions of hard working middleclass Americans across the country courtesy of the Democrats’ Obamacare.
Democrats Lead in Polls as Voters Head to the Polls for Election Day
Hotly contested race for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Democrats have the wind at their backs heading into Election Day next week, as Republican gubernatorial candidates Ken Cuccinelli struggles to overcome a deficit in the polls.
Burke History Day Revisited
Burke Historical Society President Jon Vrana hopes to make it an annual event once again.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, grey skies and light rain didn’t put a damper on the first Burke History Day since the 1990s. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., a steady stream of visitors ventured into the large hall of the Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department facility as costumed members of the Burke Historical Society revived a former community event—albeit with a few modifications.
Commentary: Dollars and Sense—Stewardship of FCPS
As many have become aware, the Fairfax County School Board’s budget discussions for the 2015 fiscal year have begun early. It is unfortunate that it has taken a combination of a $140 million deficit and demonstrable efforts by FCPS’ new Superintendent Karen Garza to bring full attention of the stakeholders, including the School Board, to education policy and funding.
Fastest Growing Virginia Station
Higher “connectivity” and reliability are key factors in Burke Centre station’s ridership growth.
Though the commuter train station at Burke Centre has offered a Virginia Railway Express (VRE) link between Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. since 1992, only in 2009 did Amtrak add Burke as a stop on its new Amtrak Virginia partnership service.
Burke Presbyterian Church Hires Husband and Wife Pastors
Reverends Jarrett and Meg Peery McLaughlin are first new pastors in almost three decades.
When Rev. Dr. Beth Braxton decided to leave Burke Presbyterian Church two years ago, after 27 years of service, replacing her was no easy task. The church Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) convened for 15 months, considered roughly 150 applications and worked with two different interim pastors.
All Smiles at Burke Lake
Kids Sending Smiles organizes 5K run to fight breast cancer.
Kids Sending Smiles (KSS), the 501c3 non-profit established and run by a group of elementary school girls from the Springfield and Alexandria areas, successfully completed their most ambitious charitable event to date on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Burke Lake Park.
Pumpkin Playground at Burke Nursery
Since 1994, Burke Nursery has celebrated the harvest season with their Fall Festival and Pumpkin Playground to the delight of children of all ages. The month-long event draws pumpkin seekers from all over Northern Virginia. The many available activities are designed to be fun and educational for all.
History Recreated
Giving history new life through historical simulations at Robinson Secondary.
Students experienced a blast to the past when they took part in historical simulations of factory work in the 1900s. On Monday, Oct. 21, seventh graders at Robinson Secondary School engaged in an activity created by their history and social studies teachers reflecting their studies of the Industrial Revolution. “The idea of any simulation is to give the students an emotional experience on which we can then connect the content knowledge to develop true understanding of historic events,” says Susan Reade, history and social studies teacher at Robinson Secondary. “For this specific event … we attempt to focus student attention on low pay, long hours doing a repetitive task, and dehumanizing treatment of the employees.”
Classified Advertising October 23, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Editorial: Halloween Party Safety Net
Make plans for a safe celebration; SoberRide safety net for those over 21.
Halloween is now a major holiday for adults, especially young adults, and also one of the major holidays each year that involve partying with alcohol and the risks of drinking and driving.
Forum Highlights Domestic Violence
Cook holds gathering to “Stop the Silence—End the Violence.”
Oct. 17. The back patio at Kilroy’s Restaurant and Sports Bar on Port Royal Road in Springfield was the scene of a gathering described by host Fairfax County Supervisor John C. Cook (R- Braddock), as “part of an effort to shine the light on the oft-hidden and denied blight on our families … of domestic violence.” Cook was appointed by the Board of Supervisors in February to be their liaison to the Domestic Violence Prevention, Policy and Coordinating Council. “The name may be a mouthful,” admitted Cook in an interview during the event, “but the people you need to get things done are all right in the room,” he said. “This group gets things done.”