
Inaugural Celebration of Gospel Event Held in Burke
Last Wednesday, Feb. 11, the Lake Braddock Secondary School (LBSS) welcomed the Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University (HGC) to headline its first musical Celebration of Gospel. The concert was sponsored by the Minority Parents for Excellence in Education (MPEE), a parent-led organization that has been active at LBSS for almost 30 years.
Burke Home Sales: January, 2015
In January, 2015, 33 Burke homes sold between $1,150,000-$160,900.
Burke Home Sales: January, 2015

New Civil War Marker Honors African-American Woodcutters in Burke
Centreville resident Debbie Robison hasn’t chopped a cord of lumber or laid a railroad trestle. But for more than a year she’s done hard labor at the National Archives and Records Administration, researching Civil War-era railroad workers in Northern Virginia.

Public Hearing Scheduled in Burke to Discuss Potential VRE Fare Increase
Increased operation costs are forcing the Virginia Railway Express to consider a 4 percent fare increase.

Fairfax: Robinson’s DePasquale Escapes Defeat at Regionals
Lake Braddock’s Haskett wins third region championship.
Robinson wrestling placed third at the regional tournament.

Fairfax’s Barborek Wins 6A North Region Floor Title
Senior qualifies for states on floor, bars, vault.
Fairfax's Rachel Barborek won the region floor title on Feb. 11.
Column: Staying Ahead of the Feds
The federal government is not always wrong. At the same time, the state government is not always right.
The Virginia House and the Senate have penned similar but competing mid-point versions to the 2014-2016 biennial budget.

Black History Month Celebrations
Local students learn about the history and accomplishments of African-Americans.
Fourth grade student Eli West crafted a poem this month that was modeled after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous, “I Have a Dream” speech.

Stalled Labor Market Slows County Budget
Proposed budget calls for no real estate tax rate increase, but average homeowner would pay $184 more.
Supervisor Jeff McKay pointed out an irony in County Executive Ed Long’s proposed $3.8 billion budget. Three planning positions would be eliminated from the budget even though Long suggested the county needs more efforts to raise revenue from commercial and industrial venues.

Super-Insulation Talk Attracts Homeowners in Reston
How to lower electric, gas and water bills?
The Rose Gallery at Reston Community Center at Lake Anne in Reston was the venue for a well-attended presentation by Rich and Marian Taschler on proper home insulation and its mostly unknown benefits. The program was offered under the auspices of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at George Mason University.

Oh Deer! What Can the Matter Be?
The county Park Authority used aerial infrared surveys via fixed-wing airplanes to count the number of deer inside parks and within a small distance in the surrounding neighborhoods on Feb. 6, 2014 and Dec. 27, 2013, according to the 2014 Annual Report on the Environment for Fairfax County.

Good Citizenship Honored
The Daughters of the American Revolution's Thomas Lee (Fairfax) chapter, in an event held at the Army Navy Club in Fairfax, awarded their 2015 Good Citizens award to Clifton resident and Robinson senior Elizabeth Telford. The award recognizes a high school senior who stands out among their peers and possesses the qualities of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism.

Woodson High School Inducts 2014-2015 Hall of Fame Athletes
W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax welcomed eight new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Grand Atrium Banquet Venue in Tysons Corner. This is the third Hall of Fame “class” for Woodson. The honors program was established in conjunction with the school’s 50th anniversary in 2012.
MATHCOUNTS Regional Winners Announced
The Northern Virginia Regional MATHCOUNTS competitions were held on Saturday, Feb. 7, at Glasgow Middle School in Alexandria, and at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Arlington. This year, because of the exceptionally large number of students participating, the Regional competition had to be split between two venues.

Colonial Day at Cherry Run Elementary
Cherry Run Elementary School fourth graders in Burke held Colonial Day on Jan. 16. Students dressed in the styles of the 1700s. They learned the Virginia Reel and invited their parents in to the dance. Parents put together stations where students could stencil on cloth, hammer tin punch decorations, shake cream to make butter, and play games such as hopscotch, jacks, marbles and cat’s cradle.