Fairfax County Students Win Technology Awards
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) middle and high school students won first place awards in 19 categories at the 2012 Virginia Technology Student Association (TSA) State Leadership Conference, held last week in Richmond. The three days of competitive events and displays of student work culminated in FCPS winning the Lynn P. Barrier Outstanding School Division Award for middle schools for the third consecutive year.
Obituary: Diana Janice Richards, a Long Time Burke Resident, Dies
Diana Janice Richards of Centreville, Va. passed away peacefully from cancer on May 9, 2012. She was born in 1939 in upstate New York, daughter of John R. Schmidburg and Rose Hornick.
Game On
George Mason University students develop video games aimed at curtailing gang recruitment in Virginia.
Law enforcement officials now have two unlikely weapons in the fight against gang activity in Virginia: video games and college students.
Grassroots Government 101
First Braddock ‘Citizen Governance Conference’ draws future decision-makers.
Sitting in a conference room discussing issues such as land use, aging and transportation may not seem like the perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon. But the opportunity to have a voice in the future of the Braddock district drew nearly 75 residents to the first Citizen Governance Conference, hosted by Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) at Frost Achievement Finance Park on May 5.
County Launches Project To Combat Lyme Disease
After an unseasonably warm winter, Fairfax County health officials are bracing for a proliferation of tick infestations as well as a potential surge in new cases of Lyme disease.
Housing Discrimination Alert
Officials step up education, outreach efforts to reach immigrant communities about "fair housing" rights.
Housing discrimination cases have been on the rise in Fairfax County in the past few years. And the Office of Human Rights and Equity Programs (OHREP), the agency that enforces fair housing laws in the county, is shining a spotlight on the problem through seminars for housing providers, realtors, community groups and other interested parties. "Sadly, housing discrimination is alive and well and we’ve seen an uptick in complaints during the past six years," said Kenneth Saunders, executive director of OHREP.
Explosives Ordinance Unit Presented in Fairfax
The robot, unofficially known in the Fairfax EOD unit as "Charlotte," is the most common robotic platform used by police departments in the Unite States and has been used by the Fairfax County Police Department since 2002.
Teens Promote Diversity
Students find creative ways to promote diversity through volunteering.
Joanna Shows remembers what it was like to be held back, just because she was a woman.
Value of Volunteer Hours: $4.5 million
Legacy of Community Service? Priceless.
"Volunteers aren't paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless." Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous sentiment was echoed by numerous community and civic leaders who gathered at the Waterford in Springfield Friday, April 27, to celebrate 118 Fairfax County volunteers during the 20th annual Volunteer Service Awards hosted by Volunteer Fairfax.
In Case of Emergency
A look at Fairfax County’s 911 center.
Being a dispatcher in Fairfax County’s state-of-the-art, 911 center sounds like an exciting job. It’s also stressful, tiring, rewarding and, at times, harrowing.
Burke Residents Recognized
Volunteer Fairfax, along with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, will honor 117 local volunteers during the 20th Anniversary Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards sponsored by UnitedHealthcare. The Awards will be held Friday, April 27, at the Waterford at Springfield in Springfield. With more than 500 guests expected to be in attendance, the Awards is one of the largest community-wide recognition events for volunteers.
Team Sisters Walk for a Cause
Syron sisters, Catherine of Burke and Judy of England, raise funds for Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.
Considering that they live some 3568 miles apart, the Syron sisters, Catherine and Judy, remain close. Born only 15 months apart, they were raised in the North of England, moved with their family to Brussels, Belgium as teenagers, and later even shared accommodations for a few years before Catherine moved to the US, where she now lives in Burke. Sadly, they share more than just a happy childhood and continuing friendship. Catherine and Judy also share the BRCA-2 Breast Cancer gene.
Alarm Over Fire Code at Shelters
Fairfax County officials respond to concerns about fire code violations at local shelters.
Spring fever hit the region early this year. Last week’s record-high temperatures had residents flocking outdoors to play, bike, jog and picnic.
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.
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.