Calendar (Burke/Fairfax/Lorton/Springfield)
April 13-20.
Things to do in the Burke/Fairfax/Lorton/Springfield area.
Meeting Springfield Beauty Queens
Miss Greater Springfield Scholarship Program holds Pageant Workshop.
And the winner is…actually we won’t know who the winners of the next round will be until the Miss Virginia Pageant is held in Roanoke. Those coveted crowns will be handed out on June 30 at the Civic Center.
Fairfax County Parkway Overpass Opens
Donegal Lane access shuts down.
On Tuesday, April 10, VDOT closed Donegal Road in Springfield as part of phase III of the $23 million Fairfax County Parkway project.
I-95 Total Overnight HOV Closure
The Virginia Department of Transportation will close the I-95 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on Friday night, April 13 at 11 p.m. until 10 a.m. Saturday morning April 14, between Exit 169 Franconia Road /Keene Mill Road (Route 644) and Exit 152 Dumfries Road (Route 234).
Fairfax County Board Opts In for Phase 2 of Dulles Rail
Obstacles still ahead for $2.7 billion project.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday, April 10, to approve the county’s participation in Phase 2 of the $2.7 billion Dulles Metrorail Project.
Ed Long Named County Executive
Long, former deputy county executive, begins April 25.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appointed Edward L. Long Jr. as county executive on Tuesday, April 10. Long, who will replace Anthony H. Griffin on April 25, has more than 34 years of experience with the county, and retired as deputy county executive and chief financial officer in May 2011.
Herrity Recovering Well from Open-Heart Surgery
“Famous sense of humor” intact, friends say.
After undergoing open-heart surgery last week, Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) is recovering well, and his “famous sense of humor is intact,” according to friends and family members.
Animal Rescue Recognition
Fairfax County Animal Shelter recognized for animal rescue and programs.
The Fairfax County Animal Shelter received accolades from the Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) for two programs and a large-scale animal rescue in 2010 - 2011.
Cook Announces Braddock Citizen Governance Conference
Conference scheduled May 5.
Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) announced plans for an all-day conference designed to turn residents into decision-makers who play a key role in determining the future of the Braddock district.
Interest in Budget Slows as Economy Picks Up
Employee compensation, human service funding compete for attention.
Rising property values, a relatively low unemployment rate, and the lack of hot-button issues — such as full-day kindergarten — have reduced public involvement in Fairfax County’s proposed $6.7 billion budget compared to recent years, according to county leaders.
Design with Children in Mind
BOWA Builders share tips for design that works for the whole family.
Whether it’s a closet, the kitchen or a study area, there are numerous ways to incorporate child-friendly design into any space, and children today are becoming more and more involved in the process. Even if the child is toddler-aged, simple tasks, such as picking colors, themes or bedding, can help them feel that they are part of the process.
From Home to Dream Home: Split Foyer to French Colonial
Sun Design Remodeling’s design solution for Mulligan home tops category in “Contractor of the Year” Awards.
Tastes change; so, too, an owner’s requirements of their home. In the early 1960s, for instance, no floor plan concept seemed better suited to the demands of modern life than the split level — which deployed half-levels to apportion interior space into sleeping zones, family gathering rooms and service areas.
Home Work
‘Why Is My Home Rotting Away?’
"Mike, why is my house rotting away!?" This is the kind of question brimming with alarm and horror that builders and remodelers often hear. "How old is your house?" I asked. "It’s only 15 years old." "Ray, your house is not rotting away, but the skin of your house might be."
Classified Advertising
Read the latest Employment and Classified Ads!
Column: Look What I Saw, Really
A male patient sitting directly across from me being infused with his unique chemotherapy cocktail, a bit too far for a conversation, but certainly close enough for a knowing/empathetic glance.
Editorial: On Funding the Silver Line
Commonwealth will collect the dividends, but refuses to invest; Northern Virginia pays.
Northern Virginia localities should together commission a study now to determine how much growth is stimulated by the opening of the Metro stations in Tysons and along the toll road out to Dulles, how many new jobs created, quantify how much that growth leads to increased income and sales tax, and how much revenue (taxes) would get shipped off to Commonwealth coffers.
Federal Prosecutors Uncover Schoolyard Prostitution Ring in Suburban Fairfax County
U.S. Attorney: Underground Gangster Crips led prostitution ring that spanned Northern Virginia.
The high school girls were threatened with violence if they attempted to leave. They were sexually exploited by customers of the sex trafficking operation as well as the men who ran the prostitution ring.
At Regional Housing Expo
The doors at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington opened its doors March 24 to the 2nd annual Northern Virginia Housing Expo. The Expo is sponsored by Fairfax-based nonprofit AHOME in cooperation with the Virginia Housing Development Authority, the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, the counties of Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun, and the Town of Herndon. The fair featured homeownership and rental opportunities and resources throughout Northern Virginia. Free classes included “Are You Ready to Rent?,” “Are You Ready to Buy?,” “The ABCs of Credit and Credit Scores” and “Financing Your Home.”
Supervisor Herrity Undergoes Open-Heart Surgery
Now recovering at Inova Fairfax Hospital in ICU
Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), 52, underwent open-heart surgery today at 7 a.m., and is currently recovering in the intensive care unit at Inova Fairfax Hospital, according to a statement released by his office at approximately 3 p.m. Thursday, April 5. The surgery was conducted at Inova’s Heart and Vascular Institute by Dr. Alan Spier and Dr. Niv Ad, and the surgeons have informed the supervisor’s family that the surgery went as expected.
County Aims to Prevent Substance Use and Abuse
Alcohol use down, painkiller and inhalant use on the rise.
Twenty-one questions in the 2010 Fairfax County Youth Survey dealt with substance abuse. The survey asked about lifetime use of alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes, as well as use in the past month of 13 different substances.