Stories for July 2021

Stories for July 2021

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Friday, July 30

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Community Garden Sows Skills to Improve Mental and Physical Health

Pathway Homes, Inc. holds ribbon-cutting for the project.

In 2020, nonprofit Pathway Homes, Inc. provided non-time-limited housing and supportive services to 616 adults in Northern Virginia with serious mental illnesses (SMI) and co-occurring disorders, some of whom experienced homelessness in 2020.

Remembering Restonian Burton ‘Burt’ E. Lamkin

A leader who, with a smile, created other leaders

Reston pioneer, humanitarian, and entrepreneur Burton "Burt" Emmanuel Lamkin died June 24, at the age of 86.

Opinion: Commentary: Ending Election Fraud

My earliest experience in government and politics came when I was a senior in high school.

Opinion: Independent Progressive: On the Road Again

Now that the country is pretty much down to a pandemic of the unvaccinated with national public health policy guided by science, not weird politics, we think this is the time to make up for travel we had to cancel in 2020.

Thursday, July 29

Opinion: Commentary: Economic Recovery Is More Than Escaping COVID-19

Our local economy is in a precarious position, and it’s not just because of pandemic

Over the last year, our economy struggled to hang on amidst unpredictable changes in pandemic regulations, with over 45 percent of small businesses in the region closing permanently or temporarily, and roughly 49,000 Fairfax County residents remain unemployed.

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‘Strategic Underground’ Throughout Fairfax County

Dominion Power is undergrounding wires.

During the frequent thunderstorms that are forecasted throughout the summer, flashlights and candles may have been the short-term answer in the past, but Dominion Energy has another option with a program they are offering called ”Strategic Underground,” so the lines won’t be exposed when lightning strikes and other mishaps.

Wednesday, July 28

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New Food Scrap Composting at Select Fairfax County Farmers Markets

Nature’s recycling reduces methane and lowers carbon footprint

Fairfax County residents have another option for managing organic wastes such as fruit and vegetable peels, food left on dinner plates, coffee grounds, and even paper towels and napkins.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Free and Open Exchange Benefits All

Across the nation, state lawmakers are actively working to prevent students from having an open and equitable history education - one that both acknowledges the role of racism in the United States and portrays the lived realities and viewpoints of people in marginalized communities accurately.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Let’s Have an Intellectually Honest Gubernatorial Contest

As a lifelong Republican who voted for Trump twice, I’m truly dismayed by our party’s reliance on false narrative and grievance-driven politics.

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Fairfax County Police Armed with a High-Tech Dog Nose

New K-9 can sniff out thumb drives and cell phones that may be evidence.

The Fairfax County Police Department has a new tool to fight cyber crimes and it’s a black Labrador retriever named Browser, that specializes in sniffing out computer-related evidence like thumb drives, cell phones or laptop computers that may have been used by criminals, particularly in child exploitation.

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Music for Singers with Alzheimer’s Disease

New choral program gives those with Alzheimer’s and other memory impairments the gift of music

When Peter Midgley and his wife went on their first date, they discovered their mutual love of music.

Monday, July 26

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Why We Rescue

The miraculous story of Gabby and her Valley poodle pups – adopt, don’t shop.

There wasn’t a single dry eye at Gabby’s long overdue family reunion in early June.

Saturday, July 24

Opinion: Commentary: Awash in Cash?

With the news reports of the cash coming to state and local governments from the federal government to provide relief from the effects of the COVID pandemic and the announcement that Virginia will have a sizable cash balance at the end of this fiscal year, one could conclude that government is awash in cash!

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Reston Included in Continent-wide Butterfly Count Program

Data used to study weather and habitat change effects

Is it a monarch butterfly or an imitator, a white moth, or a cabbage white butterfly?

Remembering Paul Myers of Reston

A community treasure, helped produce the Reston Town Center Holiday Parade

Paul Taylor Myers of Reston died at the age of 69, on July 10, 2021, surrounded by the family he loved.

Wednesday, July 21

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Police Briefs: Fairfax County Officer Critically Wounds Woman in Group Home

On Monday, July 19, officers were called to a home in the 8000 block of Gosport Lane, in Springfield, a group home close to Ravensworth Elementary School.

Opinion: Column: Definitely on My List

As the month of May was swept away with the last of the network-season's original programming, those of us still in lockdown and quarantining had our own reality to embrace: there was nothing new on network television.

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Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent to Depart at End of Next School Year

Dr. Scott Brabrand, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, announced on a YouTube video released Thursday, July 15, 2021, that he is leaving FCPS at the end of the next year, consistent with his FCSB contract.

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How Safe Are Older Buildings in Fairfax County?

Supervisors address construction and maintenance concerns in the wake of the Surfside Condominium collapse in Florida.

A recertification program for older buildings does not currently exist under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, said Chairman Jeff McKay.

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Summer Camp in Age of Climate Change

Increased safety protocols result from climate change-induced extreme temperatures.

Some of the area’s youngest aspiring thespians are spending part of their summer honing their craft at Arlington’s Encore Stage & Studio’s camps.

Tuesday, July 20

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Can Our Yards Save the Planet?

Plant native plants for pollinators, food for birds and more.

When Tami Entabi moved into her Mount Vernon-area home in 2006, the backyard was a thick mass of intertwined English ivy.

Thursday, July 15

Opinion: Commentary: Virginia’s Largest Industry

Virginia’s largest private industry is agriculture with an economic impact of $70 billion annually and 334,000 jobs.

Opinion: Column: Time to Kill

(Again, not a cancer column. Given the title, it would be a pretty gruesome reference to my life in the cancer world if it were.)

Friday, July 9

Opinion: Commentary: Rewriting the Constitution of Virginia

The celebration of the fourth of July this week reminds us that not only did the colonies in America break free from the Mother Country in 1776, but they embarked on a course of independence that included written constitutions.

Thursday, July 8

Opinion: Column: I'm the Big Winner

(Not a cancer column.)

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School Buses and Sites Provide Free Grab and Go 7-day Meal Kits in Fairfax County

No questions asked, no IDs needed – County children under 18 and all FCPS students eligible

Ten Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) buses began rolling Monday, June 28, on a mission to deliver their precious cargo: coolers full of nutritious breakfast and lunch items packed in seven-day, bulk meal kits, grab-and-go style.

Wednesday, July 7

Wellbeing: Back to Work

Angst, readjustment as employees return to the office

More than one year after the emergence of COVID-19 and the subsequent, work-from-home mandates, many employees are heading back to the office.

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Police Weapons Point At Black People

Long awaited report on Use of Force includes dozens of recommendations to guide the path forward.

An independent study of Fairfax County Police Department use of force confirmed that Black people are overrepresented in use-of-force incidents by Fairfax police.

Monday, July 5

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Two Men Charged with Chantilly Murder of Herndon Man

Homicides surge in the first six months of 2021 in Fairfax County compared to 2020.

With 13 homicides reported across all of Fairfax County already this year, the unprecedented spike in killings is a concern.

Friday, July 2

Opinion: Commentary: Schools As a Political Football

When I graduated in January 1965 from the newly named Old Dominion College (now University) that had previously been the Norfolk Extension of William and Mary, I found the job market bleak for persons with history and political science majors.

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‘Reston Baby’ Promotes Reading from Birth

Reston Historic Trust shepherds and cheerleads community-collaborated project

Reston Historic Trust celebrated the release of its children’s board book, “Reston Baby” (2021), art by Molly Bergin, published by duopress, by throwing a launch party on Tuesday, June 15, at its museum located at 1639 Washington Plaza.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Really?

I take issue with the page 3 sub-headline "Primary voters select candidates with gender and racial diversity but lacking in regional balance." (Connection, June 16-22, 2021).

Thursday, July 1

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Marijuana Is Now Legal

The long strange trip from a failed war on drugs to social equity licenses

Smoke 'em if you've got 'em because pot is now legal in the commonwealth of Virginia.