Opinion: Setting Record Straight on Libraries
The facts on the proposed library pilot program.
There has been much confusion about the recently-announced recommendation from the Library Board to pilot some changes to more efficiently serve library patrons at two county libraries.
Viewpoints: Schools Ready for New Beginning
Principals set goals for the new school year.
Principals set goals for the new school year.
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.
Fairfax Republicans Nominate Bryan ‘BA’ Wolfe for Sheriff
Wolfe faces Democratic nominee Stacey Kincaid in Nov. 5 special election.
When retired Fairfax police officer Bryan “BA” Wolfe was selected as the Republican nominee for Fairfax County Sheriff last week, he vowed to “restore the public trust” by making the 500-member department more “accountable and transparent.”
Shedding Sunshine on the Secret World of Regulation in Virginia
Advisory panel rejects effort to open records of the State Corporation Commission.
Ever wonder what happens during deliberations that regulate payday lending? How about the effort to oversee your health insurance?
Lake Braddock QB Henderson Settling into Comfort Zone
Bruins loaded with talent entering 2013 season.
Lake Braddock opens the 2013 season at Robinson on Aug. 30.
Preserving History’s Jewels
Fairfax County considers new “resident curator” program to save historic properties.
“A successful resident curator program would allow the county to restore, maintain and protect important historic properties at little or no cost to the public.” —Cindy Walsh, Fairfax County Park Authority’s Resource Management Division director
Fairfax County Public Libraries: Version 2.0?
Staff, volunteers urge supervisors to reconsider “disastrous” library reorganization plan that cuts staff and services.
In a world where the Internet has replaced newsprint, e-books have supplanted paperbacks and the latest films stream directly to laptops, how do public libraries compete?
Classified Advertising August 14. 2013
Read the lastest ad here!
Outdoor Elegance Meets Cutting Edge Technology
A design/build team explores fine architecture in weather-resistant materials.
If anything in the summer of 2013 points to still evolving homeowner expectations, it may be the frequency with which locals are integrating screen porches, patios, fire pits, and outdoor kitchens into original landscaping schemes that artfully marry the house to its setting.
Geocaching Diversifies
Urbanites embracing new game.
Geocaching usually has been portrayed as someone with hiking boots and a walking staff gazing afar from a hilltop in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not so anymore. Substantial numbers of those joining the sport are placing and hunting for caches in urban settings, and that includes Northern Virginia.
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.
Editorial: On Federal Dollars in Virginia
State’s role as one of the biggest “takers.”
We received some emails and phone calls about the expansion of Medicaid in response to last week’s editorial.
Guarding Against Identity Theft and Fraud
Police advise residents on how to protect themselves.
With identity theft and fraud being such a major concern these days, police investigator Tom Polhemus and Det. Mike Deane recently presented some ways local residents can protect themselves from becoming victims.
Opinion: Issues That Matter
Mental health services discussion gives insight into real differences between candidates.
It came as somewhat of a relief to have the candidates for governor in Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D), discuss an actual issue that matters to many Virginia families this week at a forum on mental health issues.
Will the Next Attorney General Defend Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage?
Republican says he will defend amendment; Democrat is not so sure.
Virginia's next attorney general will have to stand in a courtroom and make a decision about whether or not the commonwealth's constitutional ban on marriage should be defended. Republican candidate Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-26) has been clear about his support for the amendment and his intention to provide a vigorous defense of marriage. Democratic candidate Sen. Mark Herring (D-33), on the other hand, has yet to take a position on whether or not he will defend the amendment.
Brotemarkle Named Principal of Terra Centre
As a relationship-builder, he plans to be visible to students and staff.
“He’s a very collaborative leader and he’s a great listener. He always seeks input from staff and parents when he makes decisions.” Dr. Mahri Aste, Ph.D., principal of Mosby Woods
The Median Has No Message
Political signs banished from roadsides as campaign season heats up.
Some people call them flowers of democracy. Others call them weeds of political pollution. Whatever one thinks of the campaign signs and placards that appear along the roads of Fairfax County, expect to see a lot fewer of them. Last month, county officials launched a new program in which nonviolent inmates at the county jail hit the streets four days a week to remove illegal signs. With apologies to Marshall McLuhan, the message is no longer in the median. Anger and resentment has been rising over the issue of roadside political signs for years, and campaigns frequently go to war with each other to see which side can plant or steal or deface the largest number of placards. Unlike Prince William County, which had an agreement with the Virginia Department of Transportation that allows the local government to collect the signs and fine violators, Fairfax was caught in a bind. Part of the Virginia code made it illegal for the county to remove the signs in Fairfax County until after an election.
Local Families, Au Pairs Help Support Children in Need
Fairfax County Local Childcare Coordinators (LCCs) Dariece Rau, Kimberly Nelson, Christine Bodziak, Shawna Levins, Cinzia Putzeys and Debora Smith, along with area au pairs and their host families, enjoyed cool refreshing yogurt and other treats at Yolly Molly Café in Fairfax to support Cultural Care’s Kids First Foundation Sunday, Aug. 4. The families and au pairs came from Fairfax, Clifton, Centreville, Fairfax Station and Springfield, all with a mind to support child advocacy groups and other non-profits benefiting children in need worldwide. Currently, Kids First supports: Share Our Strength, one of America’s leading not-for-profit organizations whose mission is to end childhood hunger; Jeevitha Anathashrama, an orphanage in India; and Dom Dietzcka, an orphanage in Poland.
Cops on the Block
Fairfax County Police join hundreds of neighbors at National Night Out events.
“Is that a real gun?” His eyes wide with excitement, 7-year-old Mauro Vargas ran up to Officer Ron Manzo the minute he spotted the blue uniform at the Ravensworth Baptist Church in Springfield on Tuesday, Aug. 6.