Friday, August 30
Column: From Weak to Week
Eight days and seven nights. Not exactly the vacation I was planning. Nevertheless, admitted to the hospital on Friday, August 2nd. Discharged on Friday, August 9th: that was my hospital “staycation.” Though I definitely improved as the post-surgical week went on, the process itself – specifically, nearly four days in S.I.C.U. (Surgical Intensive Care) with round-the-clock monitoring, nursing and doctoring – was hardly restful. In fact, if you read the following prose, you’ll presumably develop an understanding of the cons.
Every Year Is Election Year in Virginia
Northern Virginia has most two-party races on ballot.
While the Virginia governor’s race is the one getting the most attention, both nationally and in the state, Virginia’s House of Delegates race is shaping up to be the most competitive in a decade. According to an official candidate list released last month by the Virginia State Board of Elections, 57 House seats will be contested this November — marking only the second time in the last decade where at least half of the 100 House seats will have more than one name on the ballot.
What in the World Does a Supervisor Do, and Why Should We Care?
Local Government 101: Where the rubber meets the road.
We see them at just about every community event. They manage a budget larger than the budgets of four states, and rule over a county with a diverse, well-educated population of more than a million people. The 10 members of the Fairfax County Supervisors have an intense, time-consuming, insanely detailed job, one that comes with enormous power and even more responsibilities. They impact our lives in large and small ways, allocating money and resources in ways that can propel our community forward—or cost us our first-rate status in education, livability and culture. Yet most of us, media included, are so focused on politics at the state and national level that we overlook the decision-makers in our own backyard.
Obsessed With Politics? Fairfax County Welcomes You!
What newcomers need to know to be politically-savvy insiders.
Fairfax County may be physically separated from Washington, D.C.—the ground-zero of All Things Political—but residents here are a politically-savvy bunch. We know who Larry Sabato is—a prominent University of Virginia political analyst—and we pay attention to Not Larry Sabato—a Virginia politics blog by Ben Tribbett, a Fairfax County resident and self-described “vicious campaign insultant.” We follow our politicians on Twitter and Facebook.
Supervisors Give Us Their Best “Insider” Tips
Fairfax County has a fantastic park and library system, with tons of activities to enjoy. One of my personal favorites is the Cardboard Boat Regatta at Lake Accotink Park every summer.
An Insider's Guide to the Arts in Northern Virginia
A selection of upcoming arts productions, happening right where you live.
There are more artists of every stripe making art in Northern Virginia than you may realize. Populating the bedroom communities, small towns, growing cities and metropolitan areas of Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria are your pick of dance, theatre, choral, symphonic, visual and performance, music and fill-in-the-blank groups. Look beyond Wolf Trap and Jammin' Java to the Torpedo Art Factory, the Workhouse Arts Center, and smaller, quality groups like ArtSpace Herndon and McLean Project for the Arts to cast their creative spell (that's only to name a few). Delve in and, we dare you, let your stereotypes of an artless string of suburbs dissolve. In place you'll get something much better than stereotypes: some culture.
Thursday, August 29
Springfield Home Sales: July, 2013
In July 2013, 196 Springfield homes sold between $815,000-$151,000.
Springfield Home Sales: July, 2013
Newcomers and the Community Guide; Get to Know Area Non-profits
Get to know the area non-profits!
Best Educated, Most Diverse
If you are a new resident of Fairfax County, or an employee working for a company new to the county, welcome!
New Superintendent Relishes Opportunity
A fan of Baylor grad RG3 … not Cowboys
Here in Fairfax, not only do we have the talent and the expertise to solve the problems facing us in FCPS, but we are uniquely positioned to solve the most pressing issues facing public schools across the country. -Karen K. Garza, Ph.D., superintendent, Fairfax County Public Schools
Chamber Gives Voice to Businesses
The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce (Fairfax Chamber), the Voice of Business in Northern Virginia, represents 650 member companies with nearly 500,000 employees throughout the region.
Northern Virginia Senior Olympics
Online registration for the 2013 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics is open Deadline to register online is Aug. 30. The fee is $12. Participants can register online at www.nvso.us. Events take place Sept. 7-19 at 17 venues throughout Northern Virginia. Call 703-228-4721 for more.
Chambers
Find a comprehensive online listing of county business resources at http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/business-resources.
Welcome to Fairfax County
Hello and welcome to Fairfax County!
A Year in Fairfax County
A sampling of some of the cherished, annual events of the county.
Upcoming events in the county.
Editorial: About the Connection
As your local, weekly newspaper, the Great Falls Connection’s mission is to bring the local news you need, to gather information about the best things in and near your community, to advocate for community good, to provide a forum for dialogue on local concerns, and to celebrate and record milestones and events in the community and people’s lives.
Classified Advertising August 8, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Friday, August 23
Friday Night Closure on I-95
The closure will be removed by Saturday morning.
The closure will be removed by Saturday morning.
Back to School: Back to Lunch
Healthy lunchbox and after school snack ideas.
Healthy Lunch and Snack Ideas
Thursday, August 22
Week in Springfield
Week in Springfield
More Than a Pink Cadillac
Springfield woman earns third Mary Kay car for outstanding business performance.
Mention Mary Kay cosmetics, and most people think of the company’s iconic pink Cadillac. For decades, the storied beauty company has offered the use of the pearl pink car as an incentive for sales force members to up their achievement level.
Opinion: Setting Record Straight on Libraries
The facts on the proposed library pilot program.
There has been much confusion about the recently-announced recommendation from the Library Board to pilot some changes to more efficiently serve library patrons at two county libraries.
Viewpoints: Schools Ready for New Beginning
Principals set goals for the new school year.
Principals set goals for the new school year.
Excerpts From King’s ‘I Have a Dream’
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to the March on Washington 50 years ago next week, Aug. 28, 1963.
Excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech: “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
Fairfax Republicans Nominate Bryan ‘BA’ Wolfe for Sheriff
Wolfe faces Democratic nominee Stacey Kincaid in Nov. 5 special election.
When retired Fairfax police officer Bryan “BA” Wolfe was selected as the Republican nominee for Fairfax County Sheriff last week, he vowed to “restore the public trust” by making the 500-member department more “accountable and transparent.”
Shedding Sunshine on the Secret World of Regulation in Virginia
Advisory panel rejects effort to open records of the State Corporation Commission.
Ever wonder what happens during deliberations that regulate payday lending? How about the effort to oversee your health insurance?
Wednesday, August 14
Lake Braddock QB Henderson Settling into Comfort Zone
Bruins loaded with talent entering 2013 season.
Lake Braddock opens the 2013 season at Robinson on Aug. 30.
Preserving History’s Jewels
Fairfax County considers new “resident curator” program to save historic properties.
“A successful resident curator program would allow the county to restore, maintain and protect important historic properties at little or no cost to the public.” —Cindy Walsh, Fairfax County Park Authority’s Resource Management Division director
Fairfax County Public Libraries: Version 2.0?
Staff, volunteers urge supervisors to reconsider “disastrous” library reorganization plan that cuts staff and services.
In a world where the Internet has replaced newsprint, e-books have supplanted paperbacks and the latest films stream directly to laptops, how do public libraries compete?
Classified Advertising August 14. 2013
Read the lastest ad here!
Concerts from Kirkwood Kicks Off New Season
On Oct. 25, 2003, Concerts from Kirkwood presented its first concert in the sanctuary of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Springfield and has presented a collection of world-class performances every year since except for one year, during which the venue was being renovated. On Sept. 21, of this year, 10 years later, the tradition will continue with the first of four concerts for the 2013–2014 season featuring a debut performance of the Milan Piano Trio. The trio will present a program with a Latin theme beginning at 3 p.m. in the church sanctuary at 8336 Carrleigh Parkway, Springfield.
August in Antarctica Gets Warm Reception
People flock to Richard Byrd Library’s 55th Anniversary Celebration.
The Richard Byrd Library recently held a warm celebration for the Antarctic explorer for whom it was named. The library’s 55th anniversary celebration brought community members together to learn more about Byrd and the South Pole, and to appreciate the great impact the explorer had on the nation. The first of the two celebratory components was a talk by author Guy Guthridge, who was avidly received by a group of more than 115 adults. Guthridge discussed the life and legacy of Byrd, and explained his extraordinary expeditions in the South Pole.
David Fee to Lead Hunt Valley
Easy-going, approachable principal offers inclusive style of leadership.
After 18 years in education, David Fee was named new principal of Hunt Valley Elementary School in Springfield on July 1, taking over the position from former principal Pat Small who retired on June 30.
Week in Springfield
The American Red Cross Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region will hold blood drives in cities and towns throughout the region. Donors are encouraged to give all summer long, but especially near key summer holidays when donations decline.
Is Your Home Ready for Back to School?
Local designers offer tips for creating functional and stylish homework spaces.
Summer will soon come to an end, and children everywhere will be heading back to school and coming home with homework. To keep students engaged and excited, some local designers offer suggestions for creating a space so fun and inviting that your children will want to hang out there — even if that means doing homework.
Outdoor Elegance Meets Cutting Edge Technology
A design/build team explores fine architecture in weather-resistant materials.
If anything in the summer of 2013 points to still evolving homeowner expectations, it may be the frequency with which locals are integrating screen porches, patios, fire pits, and outdoor kitchens into original landscaping schemes that artfully marry the house to its setting.
Geocaching Diversifies
Urbanites embracing new game.
Geocaching usually has been portrayed as someone with hiking boots and a walking staff gazing afar from a hilltop in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not so anymore. Substantial numbers of those joining the sport are placing and hunting for caches in urban settings, and that includes Northern Virginia.
Editorial: Library Mission
Further cuts to library budget must be analyzed for impacts on needy families.
The current proposal to “streamline” services at Fairfax County Public Libraries comes on top of disproportionate, and some would say Draconian, cuts since 2009.
Tuesday, August 13
Editorial: On Federal Dollars in Virginia
State’s role as one of the biggest “takers.”
We received some emails and phone calls about the expansion of Medicaid in response to last week’s editorial.
Matthew Schmitz and Megan Taylor To Wed
Megan Taylor, daughter of Daniel and Anne Taylor of Springfield, is engaged to Matthew Schmitz, son of Daniel and Nancy Schmitz of Bristol, Ill.
Thursday, August 8
Opinion: Issues That Matter
Mental health services discussion gives insight into real differences between candidates.
It came as somewhat of a relief to have the candidates for governor in Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D), discuss an actual issue that matters to many Virginia families this week at a forum on mental health issues.
Will the Next Attorney General Defend Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage?
Republican says he will defend amendment; Democrat is not so sure.
Virginia's next attorney general will have to stand in a courtroom and make a decision about whether or not the commonwealth's constitutional ban on marriage should be defended. Republican candidate Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-26) has been clear about his support for the amendment and his intention to provide a vigorous defense of marriage. Democratic candidate Sen. Mark Herring (D-33), on the other hand, has yet to take a position on whether or not he will defend the amendment.
Wednesday, August 7
The Median Has No Message
Political signs banished from roadsides as campaign season heats up.
Some people call them flowers of democracy. Others call them weeds of political pollution. Whatever one thinks of the campaign signs and placards that appear along the roads of Fairfax County, expect to see a lot fewer of them. Last month, county officials launched a new program in which nonviolent inmates at the county jail hit the streets four days a week to remove illegal signs. With apologies to Marshall McLuhan, the message is no longer in the median. Anger and resentment has been rising over the issue of roadside political signs for years, and campaigns frequently go to war with each other to see which side can plant or steal or deface the largest number of placards. Unlike Prince William County, which had an agreement with the Virginia Department of Transportation that allows the local government to collect the signs and fine violators, Fairfax was caught in a bind. Part of the Virginia code made it illegal for the county to remove the signs in Fairfax County until after an election.
West Springfield's Laguna Meets Redskins
The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation hosted the Washington Redskins High School Coaches Clinic Wednesday, July 31, along with Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation Centers. Redskins Executive Vice President/General Manager Bruce Allen, head coach Mike Shanahan and Redskins alumnus LaVar Arrington met with more than 250 high school coaches from Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and North Carolina. Paul Laguna, Varsity WR coach at West Springfield High School, also attended.
A Life-changing Experience in Ghana
I recently got back from the most life-changing experience of my short 21 years. Yendi, Ghana is a beautiful place on the West Coast of Africa that is so completely different from our delightful home in Springfield. As I traveled out of the United States for the first time in my life, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I was going to bring them the gift of mosquito nets, but I was not expecting the gift I was about to receive.
Springfield Woman Participates in Mary Kay Seminar
Kathy Puglisi of Springfield joined nearly 50,000 Mary Kay independent beauty consultants at the company’s annual seminar held in Dallas from July 21-Aug. 7 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
Growing Your Business in Springfield
Community Business Partnership coaches entrepreneurs.
Juli Monroe, author of The Enthusiastic Networker—Growing a Successful Business, told a group of 20 people last Friday, Aug. 2, how to get their books published at the monthly networking breakfast of The Women’s Business Center of Northern Virginia, located in Springfield.
Week in Springfield
Assaults in the Franconia Area On Tuesday, July 30, there were two unrelated assaults. The first incident took place in the area of Briarleigh Way and Crestleigh Way at approximately 10:14 in the morning. A 30-year-old woman was walking when a man appeared and inappropriately touched her and then fled. She was not injured.
Local Families, Au Pairs Help Support Children in Need
Fairfax County Local Childcare Coordinators (LCCs) Dariece Rau, Kimberly Nelson, Christine Bodziak, Shawna Levins, Cinzia Putzeys and Debora Smith, along with area au pairs and their host families, enjoyed cool refreshing yogurt and other treats at Yolly Molly Café in Fairfax to support Cultural Care’s Kids First Foundation Sunday, Aug. 4. The families and au pairs came from Fairfax, Clifton, Centreville, Fairfax Station and Springfield, all with a mind to support child advocacy groups and other non-profits benefiting children in need worldwide. Currently, Kids First supports: Share Our Strength, one of America’s leading not-for-profit organizations whose mission is to end childhood hunger; Jeevitha Anathashrama, an orphanage in India; and Dom Dietzcka, an orphanage in Poland.
Cops on the Block
Fairfax County Police join hundreds of neighbors at National Night Out events.
“Is that a real gun?” His eyes wide with excitement, 7-year-old Mauro Vargas ran up to Officer Ron Manzo the minute he spotted the blue uniform at the Ravensworth Baptist Church in Springfield on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Tuesday, August 6
New County Police Chief Named
Supervisors appoint Lt. Col. Edwin C. Roessler Jr.
Effective Tuesday morning Aug. 6, a Centreville resident, Lt. Col. Edwin C. Roessler Jr., became Fairfax County’s new chief of police. He was appointed July 30 by the county Board of Supervisors.
Friday, August 2
Candidates Agree on Amendment for Voting Rights, Disagree on Executive Order
Restoration of civil rights on the agenda for next governor.
Should nonviolent felons have their right to vote automatically restored? What exactly is a nonviolent felony? What kind of process can be considered automatic?
Thursday, August 1
Editorial: Enjoy Tax Holiday, Donate School Supplies
Good timing to help those in need.
It is debatable whether recurring tax holidays for different seasonal needs are good policy. But since this weekend is Virginia’s tax holiday on school supplies and clothing, it makes sense to take advantage of the savings, and to spread the wealth around. The savings are more significant this year with the new sales tax increases in effect as of July 1.