Fairfax County NAACP hosts 70th Freedom Fund Awards
‘Your Vote, Your Power’
J.E.B. Stuart High School seniors Anna Rowan, Cassie Marcotty, Marley Finley, Abby Conde and Lidia Amanuel were bothered by the Confederate legacy of their school. Inspired by a history class with teacher Keith Bropst on the Massive Resistance anti-segregation policy, the girls set out to change Stuart’s name, mascot and colors.
Fairfax NAACP To Host Rally Seeking ‘Justice for Natasha McKenna’
Fairfax County NCAAP president Shirley Ginwright announced a rally will be held Sept. 27 to demand justice for Natasha McKenna, a 37-year-old woman with mental illness who died in February after she had been held in the Adult Detention Center.
Ending Bullying
Back to School: Local educators offer advice for parents on how to deal with bullying as school resumes.
When Carol Baker cried, no one heard her. She and a classmate were alone in the girls locker room, and as Baker, then an eighth grade student, tried to leave, her classmate grabbed her gym shirt and pushed her into a locker. They weren’t fighting over anything in particular and Baker didn’t sustain any physical injuries.
Fairfax County: ‘Reports and Tears Are Not Enough’
Protesters demonstrate for Natasha McKenna, social justice and improved mental health services at ad hoc police review commission public hearing.
Cayce Utley of Centreville said Natasha McKenna, the 37-year-old African American woman with mental illness who died in the Sheriff’s Office custody in February, must be “more than just a mistake, more than an accident. Black women aren’t your ‘Oops,’ they aren’t your teachable moments.”
Fairfax County School Board Reflects on First Day of Later Start Times
James Madison High School senior Ben Press provided firsthand testimony for the positive effect of new later start times for Fairfax County high school students. “Your investment in our health paid off, as can be seen in the better-rested faces of thousands of high school students across the county,” said Press, addressing the Fairfax County School Board in his new role as student representative at their Sept. 10 meeting.
Elected Officials Discuss Ways to Support Fairfax County’s Residents in Need
“We can’t do enough to spread the word that in the midst of affluent Fairfax County there is another, ‘hidden Fairfax’ that needs our urgent attention.” T
Fairfax County: More Open Space
Survey about parks shows more households using the parks, lower satisfaction.
Fairfax County residents say preservation of open space is the most important service that the Park Authority can provide.
Fairfax County: Garza Tours on the First Day of School
Though she visited several schools on the first day of the new year, Fairfax County Public Schools superintendent only received one welcome banner. That was from the articulate student leaders at Mantua Elementary School, who told her “sense of community” and “great teachers who encourage creativity” were among their favorite things about the school.
Springfield: West Springfield Welcomes Spartans
Unsuspecting underclassmen may have heard rumors of a nonexistent “third floor” at West Springfield High School. Soon enough, principal Michael Mukai pointed out, there will actually be one.
Community and Military March Over Veterans Bridge in Springfield
Bridge symbolizes partnership between community and military, families.
Central Springfield bustled, not from the usual parade of rush hour traffic forced to stop at each light dotting that sliver of Backlick Road, but from residents, local politicians and military personnel who gathered together in front of the FedEx on Bland Street, across from the new Potbelly Sandwich Shop in Springfield Plaza, for the 14th Annual BridgeWalk across Veterans Bridge on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Lorton: Capital Area Food Bank Hosts Inaugural Northern Virginia Hunger Action Expo
The numbers tell the story. Over 217,000 people across Northern Virginia are at risk of hunger, including 62,000 children under the age of 18, according to the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB).
Fairfax County: Historic Sites - Resident Curators?
In exchange for rehabilitating the property, the curator gains use of the property and pays no rent.
The Virginia General Assembly enacted legislation in January 2011 to ensure that local jurisdictions establish a Resident Curator Project.
Torres Trial Date Set for December
Bond denied for former police officer charged with murdering John Geer.
Shortly after 10 a.m. on Aug. 19, former Fairfax County Police officer Adam Torres entered the circuit courtroom for his arraignment, dressed in a baggy, blue-green prison jumpsuit. Torres was indicted the previous Monday by a special grand jury for killing Springfield resident John Geer in August, 2013.
Fairfax County: Policy Changes Recommended on Mental Health and Crisis Intervention
About half of the inmates in the Fairfax County Jail have a mental health illness or substance abuse disorders. The Mental Health and Crisis Intervention Team subcommittee of the Fairfax County Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission included this information from County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid in the introduction to its list of policy change recommendations to the full commission on Aug. 17.
Fairfax County: Former Police Officer Charged with John Geer Murder
Adam Torres indicted by special grand jury.
Adam Torres has been charged with murdering John Geer. Though Torres shot the unarmed man once in the chest nearly two years ago, the then-Fairfax County Police officer remained on the department’s payroll until being terminated July 31, 2015.