Residential Studios Put on Hold
Supervisors establish committee, plan additional public outreach.
At the recommendation of Chairman Sharon Bulova (D-At-Large) and Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday deferred its Nov. 20 public hearing on a proposed residential studios (RSUs) amendment to conduct additional community outreach.
Now What?
Fairfax County braces for “domino effect” of federal government shutdown.
“We live in a ‘company town’ and the company is the federal government, so most of us have family and friends who are federal employees or contractors impacted by this shutdown,” Long said in a memo emailed to county employees Tuesday. Long said his biggest concern was the “domino effect” the shutdown will have on the local economy, and “the short-term uncertainty that will impact business decisions.”
Social Justice Matters
SALT forum gives candidates a chance to tell voters where they stand on social justice issues.
But one group also thinks voters should know where candidates stand on social justice issues when they go to the polls Nov. 5. “Our elected officials have a great deal of influence on the common good, so it’s reasonable that we find out where candidates stand on these issues,” said John Horejsi, founder of SALT (Social Action Linking Together), a non-partisan, faith-based advocacy group started in 1983.
Leadership Fairfax Honors Community Leaders Who Make a Difference
Leadership Fairfax (LFI) has chosen the 2013 Northern Virginia Leadership Awards (NVLA) recipients via a panel of community and business leaders evaluating nominations submitted by Leadership Fairfax alumni and the general public. The award recipients will be honored at the Northern Virginia Leadership Awards luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Westwood Country Club in Vienna.
Minority Chambers of Commerce to Host Candidates’ Forum
The recently formed alliance of Northern Virginia Minority Chambers of Commerce will give members of the fast growing minority business community the opportunity to meet with the commonwealth’s gubernatorial and statewide candidates at the first-ever joint Candidates’ Forum, Sunday, Oct. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus.
On the Job and Hot on the Trail
Finding people is fun for new, police bloodhound pups.
“We’ll get them out here and acclimate them to the noises — gunfire, [vehicle] brakes and birds,” said Masood. They’ll also be exposed to airplanes, wind, rain, heat, car horns honking, plus obstacles such as fences. And they’ll learn how it feels on their paws to walk in the woods, through brush, on cement, carpet, tile floors, etc. That way, said Clarke, “When they get out on the street, when they’re almost a year old, they’ll be ready.”
Two Cultures Unite at Newington Forest
Japanese and American storytellers perform for Newington Forest Elementary.
The students of Newington Forest Elementary school gathered around in their school library early Friday morning Sept. 27 in anticipation to see two cultures collide: American storyteller Gary Lloyd, and Japanese trained storyteller, Katsura Sunshine. The two were welcomed to the school to put on their own one-man story telling performance for the students and teachers.
Car Wash at Mark Twain Middle
About 70 seventh- and eighth-graders took part in a car wash at Mark Twain Middle School along Franconia Road in a fund-raiser for the school band on Saturday, Sept. 21. The funds will be used to buy instruments and uniforms for the school.
Greenspring Hosts Charity Gala
More than 200 residents and guests attend 14th annual event.
On Friday, Sept. 27, 225 guests and residents attended the 14th annual Benevolent Care Fund Gala at Greenspring retirement community—a sold out event for the fourth consecutive year.
Sharing the Love of Dance
West Springfield graduate wins recognition, scholarships.
Emma Bradley, a recent West Springfield High School graduate, alum of Buffa's Dance Studio in Burke, and a former NRG Prodigy for the NRG Dance Project during her senior year of high school, received four dance scholarships for college. Past performance experience/work includes Capezio 125th Anniversary Gala at City Center in New York City, Dizzy Feet Foundation Gala at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles where she worked with Mandy Moore and Nick Lazzarini; Bright Lights Shining Stars Gala at Skirball Center in New York City, choreographed by Andy Pellick; and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet 360 Installation 2013, directed by Alexandra Damiani.
Willkommen! Guten Tag!
Bulova puts “fun” in fundraiser at Lorton Workhouse Arts Center.
Oktoberfest arrived early as more than 300 friends, family and high-profile Democrats gathered at the Lorton Workhouse Arts Center Sept. 22 for the 27th annual German-themed political fundraiser hosted by Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Guests enjoyed German beer, a traditional German oompah band and a smorgasbord of Bavarian food, including bratwurst, sauerkraut and German wines, during the afternoon event.
Letter: Pills or Jobs?
To the Editor: These days I had the opportunity to support my candidate for governor, Ken Cuccinelli. Dozens of women showed up to rally for the general at the entrance of the building where the debate with Terry McAuliffe was being held. There were also dozens of younger people in blue t-shirts, pink t-shirts and purple t-shirts. Strangely, most were males. Most appeared to be college-aged.
West Springfield Field Hockey Beats West Potomac in Overtime
Spartans extend winning streak to five games.
Spartans lost four straight prior to five-game winning streak.
The Taste of Fall
Local chefs and nutritionists offer healthy recipes for tasty fall dishes using seasonal ingredients.
When the temperature starts to drop and leaves begin to turn red and orange, you can often find chef Susan Limb meandering through local farmers markets, sorting through rough-textured, knotty sweet potatoes; tough, waxy butternut squash; and dusty, rose-colored apples.
Commentary: In Search of Affordable Housing
Challenges for Residential Studio Units and the need to address them.
Fairfax County’s Planning Commission will hold two workshops on Wednesday, Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 to expand the discussion about the proposed residential studio unit (RSU) amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. There will be a staff presentation on Sept. 25, and questions submitted online by citizens to the Planning Department will be answered in the second workshop on Oct 2. The plan is for both workshops to be televised on the county’s cable station.
Editorial: Vote
It will matter who is elected governor.
To vote on Election Day, you must be registered at your current address no later than Oct. 15, 2013. You can check your registration status online by visiting the State Board of Elections website at www.sbe.virginia.gov. There you can also download a voter registration form and mail or fax it to your elections office address.
Column: A Study in Contrasts
The decision for yours truly to participate in a Phase 1 Study at N.I.H. or Johns Hopkins (depending upon availability and qualifications) discussed in last week’s column has been put on hold, temporarily. It seems that my oncologist was thinking about me over the holiday weekend and called me on Wednesday following Labor Day to say he had a diagnostic idea concerning me: a 24-hour urine collection (a “Creatinine Clearance Study”) which would provide a more accurate reading (than the regular lab work I have; from blood) of my kidney function.
Column: A Peculiar Existence
I’m not exactly pretending that I don’t have stage IV lung cancer (non-small cell, to be specific), but ever since my hospital admission on August 2nd, I have been treatment-free; no I.V. chemotherapy, no oral medication, no targeted treatment, no nothing. And during this sabbatical (I use that term loosely; being off chemotherapy has been as much about recovering from surgery and recuperating from my hospital “stay-cation” as it was anything necessarily intended), I have progressed from feeling crappy and being short of breath—while being infused previously, to where I have become relatively asymptomatic, breathing normally and for the nearly eight week treatment-free interval mentioned, have felt mostly OK.
Residential Studios Put on Hold
Supervisors establish committee, plan additional public outreach.
At the recommendation of Chairman Sharon Bulova (D-At-Large) and Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 24 deferred its Nov. 20 public hearing on a proposed residential studios (RSUs) amendment to conduct additional community outreach. The board also established a Planning Commission Residential Studios Committee.
Northern Virginia Supports Day to Serve
The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), a coalition of 14 counties, cities and towns that work together on regional issues, passed a unanimous resolution endorsing Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell’s call to participate in the 2013 Day to Serve.