Bio and Q&A with Gerry Connolly
Q: What do you think are your top three accomplishments in office? A: * The Silver Line. I wasn’t alone, but I'm very proud of my championship of the Silver Line and the fact that it's up and running and succeeding. It took 19 years to sort of get people to reimagine it and get it built. It was a long, tough struggle.
New Packard Center Honors Suffragists in Occoquan
The characteristically humble Jean Packard allowed just a little egotism at the idea of seeing her name on a new center at Occoquan Regional Park.
Gone Girls Next Door
PSA roll-out marks one-year anniversary of “Just Ask” project.
On a sunny afternoon, a police officer pulls over a young male driver. There’s an innocent-looking, girl-next-door type in the back seat of the car. The driver responds to the officer’s basic questions with cold indifference. When questioned, the girl in the back says she’s fine. Maybe she betrays a hint of unease.
‘A New Day Has Dawned’
Same sex marriage goes forward in Virginia.
At 10:01 a.m. on Oct. 6, Cathy Baskin of Ravensworth Baptist Church in Annandale received her usual New York Times set of alerts. “I read it 15 times,” said Baskin. “This can’t be true.”
Area Roundups
What's happening this week in Burke.
Letter
Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations.
Dear Chairman and Board Members: The Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations (the Federation) appreciates the many years of support that the Board of Supervisors (BOS) has provided to the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL). Recently, the FCPL introduced new policies that the Federation decided to examine.
Focus on Transportation
Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance presents regional priorities at 10th annual event.
“What You Need to Know about Transportation in Five Minutes or Less” was the working title of this year’s Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance (NVTA) seminar and reception held on Sept. 30 at Capital One’s auditorium in McLean.
Mason Professors Win Virginia Center of Aging Grant
Funding will be used to study Alzheimer’s disease.
Two George Mason University professors recently won a prestigious and competitive grant that they hope will lead them closer to success in their fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Look! Up in the Sky!
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s an unmanned aircraft system.
Parish Hall of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Burke was at full capacity on Wednesday, Sept. 24, for an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University (OLLI-GMU) lecture by Christopher Vo titled “Drones: Our New Toys, Tools, and Robot Companions.”
Burke to Celebrate History Day
Focus on transportation, Burke School’s 75th anniversary.
The Burke Historical Society’s Annual Burke History Day will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11. The event will take place in Old Town Burke at The Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, 9501 Old Burke Lake Road, Burke, across from the Burke Post Office, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Suzanne Scholte Fighting for Recognition in 11th District
Suzanne Scholte knows she has her work cut out for her. “This isn’t a race anybody's thinking is worth looking at,” she said at a meet and greet event in Montclair last weekend. “I think it was described as ‘Quixotic.’”
No One Injured in Burke Nursery Fire
Smoldering burlap ignited decorative dried corn stalks.
In nearly 40 years, there’s never been a fire at the family-owned Burke Nursery and Garden Centre. That is, until last Monday, Sept. 22. Owner Hope Schmid said they received a delivery of dried corn stalks about 11 a.m. that morning. By 3 p.m., the stalks had lit up, along with the large wooden lean in which they were being stored.
Burke Family Runs Race for Every Child
The Smith family of Burke – parents Matt and Karen with their children: Avery, 1, Noah, 5, and Carter, 7 - participated in the second annual Race for Every Child to benefit Children's National Health System.
Supervisors Break Ground on New Public Safety Headquarters
The Fairfax County Police and Fire Departments are getting a new home. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova and Supervisor John Cook broke ground on what will be a $142 million, eight-story headquarters.
Post-Chemo Weak
For the past year, every three weeks I have been infused with a chemotherapy drug called Alimta, “the last miracle drug,” to quote my oncologist, and a drug with which I hadn’t previously been infused.