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Editorial: Cancer Awareness

Success with breast cancer awareness should help other cancers.

October is breast cancer awareness month. Anyone connected to media of any variety already knows this. A massive marketing success, we all know that pink shows support for breast cancer prevention, especially in October.

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West Springfield Volleyball Beats TC in District Opener

Senior middle blockers Davis, Schutzmeister make big plays for Spartans.

The West Springfield volleyball team won its Patriot District opener against T.C. Williams on Oct. 2.

Perkins, Four Independents Challenge Connolly in 11th District

This will be the first election using new district maps based on 2010 Census data. Virginia's 11th congressional district includes the City of Fairfax, most of Fairfax County and the eastern portion of Prince William County. The Towns of Clifton, Haymarket, Occoquan, and Vienna are also located in the 11th District. U.S. Rep. Gerald Connolly (D), who was first elected to the U.S. House in 2008, represents more than 650,000 residents.

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County Gets Election Ready

Fairfax County prepares voters for new election measures.

"The good news in Fairfax County is that almost everyone who is eligible is registered to vote," said Cameron Quinn, Fairfax County’s chief election official. "Our problem in Fairfax County is not voter apathy, and it’s not getting people to register. What we don't have is every registered voter registered at their correct address."

Springfield-area Fondling Cases May Be Linked

A 17-year-old girl was grabbed from behind and fondled around 9 a.m. in the 5900 block of Erving Street on Thursday, Sept. 27. The woman was walking on the sidewalk when the assault occurred. Police believe this assault may be linked to two other similar incidents that took place in September. In each of these the suspect wore a plain, red baseball cap. She described the suspect as either Asian or Hispanic, mid 30s, around five-foot-eight with a black, close-cut beard. He wore a blue T-shirt, black cotton sweatpants with a white stripe on each side and a red baseball cap.

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Walk to Feed the Hungry

Sept. 29 was a "Day to Serve" in Springfield, Burke and Fairfax areas.

Early in the year Elder Jack Gerard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) reached out to Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray to invite them to collaborate with the LDS Church in a regional "Day to Serve" to benefit all of the communities in this wide swath of the country.

Letter: Supporting Albo’s Position

After watching the video of President Obama’s “You didn’t build that” harangue, I (as did most Americans) came to a very different conclusion than did Delegate Dave Albo’s detractors.

Letter: To Feel Better About 1040

I see in the Aug. 30 addition of the Springfield Connection (“‘Somebody Else’ Didn't Come”) that Dave Albo received his marching orders from the Karl Rove propaganda machine and has weighed in on the presidential election. Typically, while regurgitating a stock campaign line based on a distorted quote taken out of context, he managed to lard things up with a basic load of self-promotion.

Letter: Land Preservation Success

You often don’t hear stories of government actually working well, so I thought people would enjoy hearing about Virginia’s great successes in land preservation.

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Miss Greater Springfield Crowned

Jennifer Gilbert, 23, of Fairfax, wins contest.

Glamour and grace were on full display at this year’s 2013 Miss Greater Springfield beauty pageant, held Saturday, Sept. 22. A total of 13 contestants from across Virginia vied for a title to promote platforms of personal commitment to the community at large.

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Continuing Care at Greenspring

Greenspring’s Continuing Care neighborhood receives a five-star rating.

The Continuing Care neighborhood at Greenspring retirement community received the highest score in the Five-Star Quality Rating System administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Erickson Living community, located in Springfield, earned a 5-star rating in the Overall Quality category in August 2012.

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Greenspring Wii Bowlers Break Records

Greenspring residents earned five gold, three silver and two bronze medals in Senior Olympics.

This year, 15 Greenspring residents competed in the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics (NVSO) Wii bowling competition. Greenspring, a Gold Sponsor for the NVSO, hosted the competition for the fourth consecutive year at the specially designed community alley featuring six virtual bowling lanes. Overall, over 60 seniors from across Northern Virginia participated in the 2012 NVSO Wii bowling competition at Greenspring.

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Burke’s Pumpkin Playground

When Fred Dickinson, general manager of the Burke Nursery and Garden Center, started the pumpkin festival with his wife Cassandra 17 years ago, he said he had no idea it would grow to be such a large event. In fact, the nursery didn’t start to sell carving pumpkins until the last two weeks of October.

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Fall Fun Festivals

Saturday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. will present the 20th annual Fall For Fairfax KidsFest this weekend at the Fairfax County Government Center. Enjoy exciting, interactive and educational programs, entertainment and activities. Fall For Fairfax KidsFest is specially designed for families with elementary and pre-K aged children. There will be three stages of free entertainment, including the Inova Health Stage and the Fall for Fairfax Kids Stage.

Letter: State Vs County on Transportation

When I read my colleague Supervisor John Cook’s Sept. 13 Connection column advocating that Fairfax County take over state roads, I wondered how our taxpayers would feel about accepting a $150 million per year unfunded mandate from the state. That would be a slap in the face given everything that the County has done to balance its budget and provide for our residents during difficult budget years.