Commentary: Sometimes Perception Really Isn’t Reality
Fairfax County is home to one of the wealthiest populations in the country. Unbeknownst to many, the county is also home to the second largest population of homelessness in this region. In fact, more than 1,200 residents of Fairfax County are without stable and safe homes.
Fear a Good Cause
Interstate Haunted Maze in Springfield collects food for ECHO.
Gabe Jacome is terrified of haunted mazes. But when the Lake Braddock eighth grader literally ran into some of his friends working at the Interstate Haunted Maze, he decided to join the scare team.
HOT Topic
Fairfax County Fire & Rescue invites the media for Hands-On Training.
Rob Schoenberger is pretty good with a 15-foot extendable camera. Its built-in microphone and powerful lights come in handy, paired with a Delsar seismic sensor device, when trying to locate people trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building.
Lake Braddock Girls’ XC Dominates Conference 7 Meet
Sophomore Murphy wins, six Bruins finish in top eight.
The Lake Braddock girls' cross country team won the Conference 7 title.
Corbett First Bruin Boy to Run Sub-15
Lake Braddock senior, Bruins win Conference 7 titles.
Lake Braddock's Alex Corbett won the Conference 7 boys' cross country championship.
Column: Dos, Don’ts and What-Ifs
Instinctively, I am not the most open-to-new-ideas/new-things kind of person. However, an unexpected diagnosis of stage IV, non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at age 54 and a half – along with its equally unexpected “13-month to two-year prognosis,” changes a few things.
Northern Virginia Democrats Hold Their Ground
In uneasy election, Beyer takes 8th district, but leaves Senate too close to call.
Despite the election still being too close to call, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner gave his supporters at the Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City a full smile and a victory speech. With less than 1 percent of the vote favoring Warner over his Republican challenger Ed Gillespie, the question is whether or not Gillespie will ask for a recount. But if this was troubling Warner as much as it was the Democrats gathered the night of Nov 4, he didn’t show it.
Comstock Wins 10th District Race
Comstock scores resounding 17-point victory over Democratic opponent John Foust.
Shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday night, Republican Del. Barbara Comstock entered the Hilton ballroom in Ashburn to the tune of her favorite song - “This One’s for the Girls” sung by Martina McBride. The sassy, defiant country anthem – which tells girls to “stand your ground when everyone’s giving in” – struck the right chord with Comstock’s supporters, who chanted and clapped along with the music as Comstock took the stage to deliver her victory speech.
Gerry Gets Things Done
Democratic incumbent Connolly fends off Republican challenger Suzanne Scholte.
As Huey Lewis and the News’ “Power of Love” poppy ballad led a soundtrack infused with ’80s pop and modern country music, the mood at the DoubleTree Crystal City hotel in Arlington ebbed and flowed between elated cheers and frustrated boos.
Paper Trail
Single voting method helps streamline the process.
When it comes to voting, paper is the past, the present and the future. The assistant chief election officer at Robinson Secondary school James Emery Jr. of Fairfax said paper is too valuable as a voting record to abandon.
Area Scouts Participate in Fall Camporee
The Old Dominion District Fall Camporee was held Oct. 17, 18, and 19 at Sky Meadows State Park. Six hundred seventeen Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture scouts and Scouters from Old Dominion, Colonial, and Occoquan Districts participated in this Pioneer theme campout.
iPads Come Into the Classroom
Sixty first and second graders at Keene Mill try out these devices during the school day.
Tablets and iPads in the hands of 6-year-olds is not such an unusual sight anymore, and now these devices are being used in the classroom. At Keene Mill Elementary School, 60 iPads are in the hands of first and second grade students, and being used to “change the time, place and pace of learning.”
Take a Hike!
Hiking group brings nature closer to Northern Virginians.
Shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, the parking lot by the softball field at Wakefield Park in Annandale filled up and several people approached Stefan Eom, of Annandale, the leader for the six-mile Wakefield to Lake Accotink hike organized by the Northern Virginia Hiking Club (NVHC).
High Schools to Start Later Next Year
School Board approves later start times.
Phyllis Payne has been fighting for more sleep for a decade. On Oct. 23, it all paid off. The co-founder of Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal - or SLEEP - saw the Fairfax County Public School Board approve to move high school start times ahead by 30 minutes, 11-1.
Fairfax County Calendar
Your guide to entertainment in Fairfax County.
For those looking to fill their calendar with some home-brewed, Fairfax County fun stuff (read: entertainment and diversion), The Connection's Fairfax County Entertainment Calendar has many options: weekend jaunts and larks; date night inspiration; winter-to-spring fun; day-long festivals and events; art-outings; family fun-and-learning fusions; plays and shows; beyond-Small Business Saturday local shopping and bazaars; markets of handcrafted wares; music; 1Ks to marathons... the list goes on. If you know of an event not listed in our entertainment calendar, email it to south@connectionnewspapers.com for happenings in south Fairfax County or north@connectionnewspapers.com for entertainment in the northern parts of the county.
Board Approves Bicycle Master Plan
The Fairfax County Government Center has several massive parking lots. Many hundreds of spaces. But Bruce Wright and members of the Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling only needed some rack real estate in front of the building. They rode into the afternoon session of the Board of Supervisors on two wheels apiece from Reston, taking the West Ox Road Side Path.
Stage Presence
Cappies recognized among arts leaders at Arts Council awards.
After Bill Strauss first approached Judy Bowns about creating a student-driven arts awards and journalism organization 16 years ago, the ensuing creative partnership resembled a pair of cartoon characters.
Column: Running Out of Efficacy
Not that I’m the least bit worried (actually, I’m the most bit worried), but surviving a terminal cancer diagnosis years beyond one’s original prognosis does present its own unique set of problems.
Substance Abuse Forums to be Held Nov. 10 and 18 in FCPS
The signs and symptoms of teenage drug abuse, the actions parents can take, and where to find supportive resources will be shared at an upcoming “Protect Against Substance Abuse” community program, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 10, at South County High School, and Tuesday, Nov. 18, at Fairfax High School. The nonprofit Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC) and its work group, PROTECT (Parents Reaching out to Educate Communities Together), will present this educational program.
Editorial: Change for the Better in Fairfax County Schools
Later start times, full-day Mondays; who knows, next maybe gifted-and-talented programs for poor students?
Who says big bureaucracies can’t make big changes? One year into the tenure of Karen Garza, we have two huge changes that between them impact almost every single student, every family with children in Fairfax County Public Schools.