<sh>Downs' Charges are Dropped

<bt>On Nov. 26, 2005, Fairfax County police charged a 47-year-old New York man with three counts each of fraud, forgery and identity theft. They believed that Kevin Downs of Brooklyn had opened credit accounts in other people's names at several stores in Fair Oaks Mall. However, Downs is now a free man. Last Wednesday, Feb. 22, in General District Court, before Judge Mitchell Mutnick, all the charges against him were dropped.

<sh>Hugo, Residents, Verizon Meeting

<bt>Del. Timothy Hugo (R-40th) will hold a town hall meeting with Verizon officials and Little Rocky Run residents this Saturday, March 4, at 10 a.m. It will deal with problems relating to Verizon's digging up their property and not returning it back to its original state. The meeting will be in the Little Rocky Run Recreational Center No. 3 at 13900 Stonefield Drive in Clifton.

<sh>Bullying-Prevention Meeting

<bt>The Chantilly Community Coalition will hold a special community meeting on Bullying Prevention. It's set for Monday, March 6, at 7 p.m. in the conference room of the Chantilly Regional Library.

<sh>Sully Land-Use, Transportation

<bt>The Sully District Council Land-Use and Transportation Committee will meet Monday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. Call Jeff Parnes, 703-904-0131, evenings.

<sh>Clifton Town Council Mtg.

<bt>The Clifton Town Council will meet Tuesday, March 7, at 7 p.m. in the Clifton Town Meeting Hall, 12641 Chapel Road in Clifton.

<sh>Park Authority to Meet

<bt>The next meeting of the Fairfax County Park Authority is Wednesday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m., in the Herrity Building, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 900, in Fairfax. Call Judy Pedersen at 703-324-8662.

<sh>Free Carseat Inspections

<bt>Certified technicians from the Sully District Police Station will perform free, child safety carseat inspections, Thursday, March 9, and Tuesday, March 14, from 5-9 p.m. each day, at the station, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. They’ll make sure the carseat is correct for the child’s age, height and weight, the child is securely placed in the seat, and the seat is properly installed in the vehicle.

No appointment is necessary. But residents should install the child safety seats themselves, so the technicians may properly inspect and make adjustments, as necessary. Call the Sully District Child Seat Information line (703-814-7000, ext. 5140) to confirm dates and times. For additional child seat inspection times throughout Fairfax County, call the Fairfax County Operations Support Bureau at 703-280-0559.

<sh>Mount Gilead Public Hearing

<bt>The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Monday set March 27 at 4 p.m. as the date and time for a public hearing (at the Government Center) on the Mount Gilead property. This property is in Centreville's Historic District, and the hearing is to receive public comments on its transfer of ownership from the Supervisors to the Park Authority. The site is almost seven acres, and the Park Authority wants to include and preserve it within a new, Mount Gilead Park.

<sh>Meals on Wheels Needs Drivers

<bt>The Fairfax Area Agency on Aging "Meals on Wheels" program is in immediate need of drivers to deliver meals, Monday through Friday, to senior adults living in Fairfax County. Volunteers who speak Vietnamese are also needed.

The job involves picking up meals at specified sites between 10:30 a.m.-noon and delivering them to seniors by 1 p.m. Drivers may choose to deliver meals on a daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly or substitute basis. Call the Fairfax AAA Volunteer Intake Line at 703-324-5406 or e-mail melanie.mitchell@fairfaxcounty.gov.

<sh>Air and Space Museum Parking Change

<bt>There's a new parking policy at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Yearly passes will cost $65 each for unlimited use; for members of the museum’s National Air and Space Society, they'll cost $50 each.

Daily parking there is $12 per vehicle. Applications for the new annual pass are available at www.nasm.si.edu/, by calling 703-572-4102 or by e-mailing uhcparkingpass@si.edu.

<sh>Blood Donations are Sought

<bt>The Inova Blood Donor Center in the Centremed I Building on Route 29 in Centreville (across from the Centreville Multiplex Cinemas) is in urgent need of blood donations — especially O positive or negative, as well as A and B. They're accepted Tuesday-Friday, noon-8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. For an appointment to give blood, call 703-322-1970, or drop in at your own convenience.

<sh>WFCM Needs Donations to Help Local Needy Families

<bt>Each month, Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) provides food, personal-hygiene and cleaning items to some 300, low-income, working families of all races and religions in western Fairfax County. Its food pantry and clothes closet are at 13981 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly, and it's in great need of donations from the community.

The 10 most-needed items are: Cooking oil (22-34-ounce bottles), flour, (2-5-pound sizes), complete pancake mixes and syrup, juices (preferably concentrate), spaghetti sauce, feminine-hygiene products, deodorant and laundry detergent. Food and personal-product donations are accepted Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at WFCM's back door.

WFCM's thrift shop is open to the public, Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Clothing, household items, miscellaneous donations are accepted Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the back door. Call 703-988-9656 with questions or to volunteer, or see www.wfcmva.org.