National Merit Scholarship Winners
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has named 31 Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships. The students are part of a group of approximately 2,500 National Merit finalists chosen to receive scholarships primarily financed by the NMSC. Winners of the scholarships, with their probable career fields in parentheses, are:
Editorial: Virginia Proves Elections Matter
Health and economic issues are entwined.
Some people continue to assert, either with their words or by simply abstaining, that voting just doesn’t matter. Here in Virginia, nearly every day we prove that is incorrect. All of Virginia’s elected representatives who are elected by the entire state are of the same political party. They are all Democrats: Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, Attorney General Mark Herring and Virginia’s two U.S. Senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.
Riding for the Fallen
More than 100 officers cycle through Virginia, for cause.
Police officers from all over the country vowed to "ride for those who died" this week. Police Unity Tour Chapter IV - also known as the Virginia chapter - challenged officers on a three day bicycle tour from Richmond to D.C. in memory for fallen officers. Before the last stop at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, the group of 122 officers and loved ones of fallen police stopped for lunch at McConnell Public Safety and Transportation Operations Center Monday in Fairfax as a tribute to the county most the officers served.
Northern Virginia Family Service Holds 16th Annual Gala
Local donors and supporters recognized at event.
The evening of Friday May 9 at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, the nonprofit Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) held their 16th Annual Road to Independence Gala. The festive event gave community and business leaders an opportunity to celebrate the impact of NVFS on families and children in need. It also recognized donors and supporters dedicated to giving back to the community in which they live making NVFS services possible.
Seventeen of Fantastic 50 Companies in Virginia Hail from Fairfax County
Seventeen Fairfax County companies are part of the 2014 Virginia Chamber of Commerce Fantastic 50 rankings of the 50 fastest-growing businesses in Virginia. Chantilly-based First Line Technology, which sells products to first responders and the military, received a Virginia Vanguard Award for having the highest growth rate among companies in the manufacturing category.
County Hosts Nearly 100 Outdoor Festivals
With a population of more than one million residents, it has long been known that Fairfax County is the most populous jurisdiction in the National Capital Region. However, what may surprise both residents and visitors is that the County is also home to nearly 100 annual outdoor festivals, most of which have very strong arts and cultural components.
Communities to Discuss School Start Times
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will hold eight community meetings—one per cluster—in May and June to gather feedback from students, parents, employees, and community members on proposed adjustments to school start times. Participants are welcome to attend the meeting that is most convenient for them.
Still Curious, But Maybe Not Dying
Although one never knows, especially if that one is living in "cancerville." And by "cancerville" I mean, euphemistically speaking, anywhere where one of us diagnosed with cancer is living. Living being the operative word. Still, as my column from a few weeks ago entitled, "Dying With Curiosity" discussed, cancer patients are often besieged by their subconscious, changing fact into fiction and manipulating feelings into inevitabilities. If only there was a switch to turn off the mind games that don’t exactly mind their "man-ners" or "women-ers" for that fact, I’d flick it in a second. Cancer creates physical problems – as we all know, but I have to tell you, it’s the mental problems that can be just as deadly.
Empty-Nesters Spread Their Wings
A Springfield couple creates a personalized interior custom-suited to support everyday pleasures, using the existing footprint.
A sunny space; an uplifting view; a generous footprint that includes a sizeable breakfast zone, a food preparation island and easy access to a large back deck.
C-Section Boom in Northern Virginia
Region has some of the highest rates of cesarean-section deliveries for low-risk pregnancies.
Behind the closed doors at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church and the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, a quiet change has been taking shape over the last few decades.
Classified Advertising May 7, 2014
Read the latest ads here!
Me & My Mom 2014 — Mother’s Day Photo Gallery and My Mother: an Appreciation
"A tribute to my mother, Lorena W. Mayhew, a superb seamstress..."
Shirley M. Bailey, 84, of Burke submitted this poem “as a tribute to my mother, Lorena W. Mayhew, a superb seamstress, who kept her four children well dressed during the Depression and even later with her superb skills as a seamstress.
Fairfax County School Board Addressing Budget Shortfalls
Budget shortfall is $17 million.
The Fairfax County School Board is considering options to close a $17 million shortfall in their 2015 budget. Superintendent Karen Garza presented the board with possible adjustments at a work session on April 28. The school board is set to adopt their final budget on May 22. On April 29, the Board of Supervisors approved the FY 2015 budget, including a school transfer of three percent, short of Garza’s requested 5.7 percent increase.
Meals Tax Possible for Fairfax County
Tax could generate $88 million in revenue.
At a public hearing on the 2015 budget, Fairfax County resident Kimberly Adams joined numerous other individuals who urged the Board of Supervisors to consider a meals tax. “To have the quality of life that we’ve come to depend on in Fairfax County, we must move the needle closer to the regional average when it comes to taxes. We must not be afraid to look for new streams of revenue, such as a meals tax for instance,” Adams told the Board of Supervisors at the budget hearings. “Never have I actually thought, well, there’s a meals tax in Alexandria, so I’ll drive 10 more minutes into Fairfax and order my pizza. I go to the place that’s convenient and where I want to eat.”
Despite Advances, Many Virginians Remain Uninsured
Affordable Care Act expands coverage, but more than 800,000 still have no health insurance.
What is the state of the uninsured in Virginia?
Editorial: Yes to the Meals Tax Referendum
Voters could decide on the tax in November.
Economic diversification is worthy goal. All of your eggs shouldn’t be in one basket. All of your revenue shouldn’t come from one source. In Fairfax County, adding a meals tax at the same level as Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and the City of Fairfax, 4 percent, could generate $88 million a year. The county estimates that 25-30 percent of the meals taxes collected would be paid by non-county residents. The inability to implement alternative revenue sources will mean continued dependence on one basket. The combined increase in the real estate property tax rate and home values means that most homeowners will be paying hundreds of dollars more in property taxes regardless of their ability to pay.
Airbag Thefts on the Rise in Fairfax
Doesn’t take long to steal.
This year, Fairfax County has become one of the biggest suppliers of stolen airbags for Virginia’s auto parts black market. Since January, more than 50 airbags have been stolen in Fairfax County alone, and, in April, Arlington reported that a dozen airbags had been stolen.
Feeling Repercussions of Winter
Schedule adjustments for Northern Virginia public school students.
This winter, thousands of area students were given more days off than expected. Day after day, parents, students and faculty received notice that school had yet again been cancelled due to the heavy snow and cold weather, which forced students and faculty to watch one of the coldest and heaviest winters since the 2010 Snowmagedden from home.
Hearing Loss Doesn’t Have to be Life-changing
“What?” May is Better Hearing and Speech Month.
On any given workday, you might find Arlington resident Erin Weiner sitting in a family-friendly restaurant causally coloring or playing games with a young child. At first glance, she might be mistaken for any young mother entertaining her offspring while they wait for a meal. In actuality, Weiner, who is a speech-language pathologist, is employing what she describes as an innovative approach to therapy that involves working with a child in his or her natural environment.
A Tale of Two Seasons
It is not the best of times, nor is it the worst of times; it is, simply put: the time between the end of winter and the beginning of summer. It is the season known as spring, but more to the point of this column, it is the time when, if the weather cooperates/accommodates, I won’t need to turn the heat or the air conditioning on in my house. I will instead be able to ride the wave, so to speak, and not incur any post-winter/pre-summer utility bills. Possibly, I might even be able to pay off my oil-heating budget bill balance for the 2013/2014 season – before the 2014/2015 budget cycle begins, and hopefully not have to cool down the house at the same time – due to an early summer – so that on the day my oil-heating bill is due, it won’t be competing for cash with my upstart electric/air conditioning bill for money not well spent and for money hardly in abundance.