Editorial: Pay Attention
General Assembly action matters more in Virginia.
The Virginia General Assembly began its 60-day 2016 session on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
Editorial: Budget Season Trainwreck?
County looks at “lines of business,” schools call for full funding.
Karen Garza didn’t move to Fairfax County from Texas to preside over the decline of Fairfax County Public Schools.
Editorial: New Year’s Goals
A few wishes for the Virginia General Assembly, more coming ...
Issues and elections in 2016.
Editorial: Merry Christmas
The pages of the Connection have been full of holiday spirit for more than a month. Menorah lightings, group and individual efforts to help the needy, stories of giving, secular celebrations, religious celebrations.
Editorial: Safety Net for Holiday Celebrations
It’s an opportunity to talk about responsibility, alcohol and planning ahead.
The holiday party season is here, and we will almost all be celebrating in some way. Some ways will involve celebrations that include alcohol.
Editorial: Celebrate, Shop, Dine Locally
Every day can be “small business day.”
There is a joy to participating in community traditions and celebrations during the holidays, from walking along a sidewalk with the streets decked out for the holidays, to shopping in local stores, to being greeted by someone likely to be the owner of the store, to finding gifts that are not mass-produced
Potomac: Solar Panels Proposed for Brickyard Site
Brickyard Coalition and neighbors brace for latest proposal on Brickyard Road School site: an industrial solar array.
More than 100 people turned out at Seven Locks Elementary School in Potomac on Tuesday, Nov. 17, to hear about Montgomery County Public School’s latest proposal for a 20-acre “future school site” on Brickyard Road.
Editorial: Holidays Are About Giving
The holidays are about giving, and giving thanks. The holidays are about children and family. The holidays are about sharing, about joy.
Potomac: Dismay over Tree Clearing along Canal
More than 40 turn out in the rain at Swain’s Lock meeting on NPS plans to clear trees.
More than 40 people turned out for a community meeting with the National Park Service about planned removal of “defective” trees along the C&O Canal in Potomac.
Fairfax To End Veteran Homelessness
Every veteran has a story, and a path to housing.
Jameel Mubaarik of Reston is a 63-year-old Army veteran and mechanical engineer, a former Reston homeowner.
Coming: Children’s Connection 2015
Get ready to send your submissions soon.
During the last week of each year, The Connection devotes its entire issue to the creativity of local students and children.
Editorial: Closer Look at School Spending
Report: Local schools spend less to educate more challenging students.
Since Fiscal Year 2009, Alexandria Public Schools has reduced per pupil spending by 13.3 percent, adjusted for inflation.
Editorial: Vote Now to Avoid the Earthquake
Early voting available for most voters now; vote by Nov. 3.
The news is all about Donald, Hilary, Bernie, Carlie, Joe and Jeb. That’s next year, November 2016. The election in less than a month matters here in Northern Virginia. What are your priorities?
Editorial: Changing Perspective on Death Penalty
Evolving standards will eclipse the death penalty entirely at some point in the future.
It’s sad to see senseless death as a response to senseless death. Alfred R. Prieto is not a sympathetic figure, a serial killer who was on death row in California when DNA connected him to murders and rapes in Reston and Arlington that took place in 1988. He is scheduled for execution this week, at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1.
Alexandria Snapshot: Crossing Prince Street
4:50 p.m., Friday, Sept. 18: Crossing Prince Street in Old town Alexandria.
Editorial: Focusing on Suicide Prevention
Help is a phone call away.
This week is Suicide Prevention Week. Preventing suicide means paying attention to mental health and treating depression, and there is no better time to focus on that than the first week of school.
Editorial: How to Vote; It Matters
Voting begins in two weeks, Sept. 18.
Election Day is Nov. 3, and on that day, virtually every state and local office is on the ballot. In-person absentee voting begins Sept. 18, barely two weeks from now.
Editorial: Sea Changes in Policing?
Report offers blueprint for transforming aspects of policing, jail and services for people with mental illness.
Yesterday, for the first time in the history of Fairfax County Police Department, a Fairfax County Police officer was charged in a shooting death.
Editorial: 'Our Community Deserves Better'
Strongly worded recommendations for police on transparency and public trust; FCPD has miles to go.
Outrage over the shooting death of John Geer of Springfield on Aug. 29, 2013, by a Fairfax County Police officer led the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to form of the Ad Hoc Police Practice Review Commission, which began meeting in March 2015. The Communications Subcommittee was the first to give recommendations to the full commission, and the report pulled no punches.
Editorial: What’s Special about Your Community?
Share tips in upcoming Newcomers and Community Guides.
The Connection’s annual Newcomers and Community Guides will publish Aug. 26. A bevy of interns, plus staff writers and editors, are preparing this year’s editions, but we need help from our readers.
Alexandria: Backpacks for All
Thousands of students will begin school this fall at a disadvantage; help now so they have the basics.
The first day of school each year is fraught with anticipation and anxiety. Many local students will be concerned about what they wear, who they will see, what it will be like. They’ve already had multiple shopping trips, online and otherwise, to be sure they have the supplies and extras they need. We live in an area where many if not most families have the means and desire to do almost whatever it takes to give their children the best chances for success.
Editorial: Backpacks for All
Thousands of students will begin school this fall at a disadvantage; help now so they have the basics.
The first day of school each year is fraught with anticipation and anxiety. Many local students will be concerned about what they wear, who they will see, what it will be like. They’ve already had multiple shopping trips, online and otherwise, to be sure they have the supplies and extras they need.
Editorial: Yes to Nonpartisan Redistricting
Politicians shouldn’t be choosing voters.
Virginia’s Congressional map is unconstitutional because African American voters are packed into District 3, according to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The problem will have to be remedied by drawing new boundaries.
Editorial: Open Letter to Elected Officials and Candidates
Spend some of your campaign dollars in newspapers.
Here at the Connection, our email boxes are filling up with messages from people running for office. It’s not surprising, since in November, virtually every state and local office in the commonwealth is on the ballot.
Editorial: Safe Planning for Independence
Talking and planning about celebrating July 4, and throughout the summer months.
Independence Day is a national celebration, and for many, that celebration includes alcohol. The summer overall and July 4 in particular are times of greater risk for drinking and driving.
Supervising Public Safety
First meeting since 2011 includes packed agenda, full house.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee, chaired by Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon), met on Tuesday, June 9 for the first time since June 2011. Since then, there have been six officer-involved shootings in Fairfax County, including the August 2013 shooting death of John Geer. Police handling of the communications and investigation of that shooting led to the formation in March 2015 of the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission.
Potomac: New Traffic Light to Alleviate Backups
A new traffic light was installed over the past several weeks at Brickyard Road and MacArthur Boulevard.
Editorial: Overdose Deaths Are Preventable
New “safe reporting” law encourages people to seek help in time.
The death rate due to heroin overdose more than doubled between 2010 through 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with an average increase of 37 percent per year in the United States.
Potomac: New Townhouses Coming on Seven Locks Road
Winchester Homes will soon be constructing 23 townhouses on 5.24 acres along Seven Locks Road across from the Heights School in Potomac.
Editorial: Voting, June 9
No, not for Hillary or Jeb or Carly. Locally, June 9, 2015 is an Election Day that counts.
To listen to the national news, one would think that the next Presidential election is in November. But no. That’s November 2016.
Editorial: Remembering on Memorial Day 2015
On Memorial Day, take at least one minute to reflect on those who have died.
On Memorial Day, we remember all of those who have died in military service, more than 400,000 in World War II, more than 30,000 in Korea, more than 50,000 in Vietnam. As many as 620,000 soldiers died in the line of duty in the Civil War, stunningly about 2 percent of the population at that time. To compare, while more than 2.5 million soldiers have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, that number is still less than one percent of the U.S. population.
Editorial: Public Comment at Police Commission
Come out to testify before the commission on Monday, May 18.
John Geer was shot dead by Fairfax County Police Officer Adam Torres on Aug. 29, 2013, and the outrage over the quality and timing of the release of information about the shooting led to the formation of the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission, which will hold a public forum next Monday, May 18.
Editorial: Call for Father’s Day Photos
This week and next, we print Mother’s Day photos, and we call for photos for Father’s Day. Father's Day is Sunday, June 21, 2015 and once again the Connection will publish a gallery of Father's Day photos.
Editorial: Hunger Is Widespread
Saturday, May 9, is the postal carriers food drive; put a sturdy bag with food donation next to your mailbox that morning.
There are families dealing with hunger in every county in the United States, including here in Northern Virginia.
Editorial: Fostering Connections, Faltering
Why are federal dollars acceptable for roads, but not for helping foster children?
While there is plenty of competition for the title “most vulnerable,” foster children are certainly among them.
Editorial: Connection Papers Win Awards
Variety of coverage honored at annual Virginia Press Association conference.
On Saturday, April 18, a group of journalists from the Connection Newspapers traveled to Roanoke for the annual Virginia Press Association event to collect awards for business reporting, government writing, writing about health, science and the environment, feature writing, sports writing, column writing, obituaries, cartoons, entertainment pages and writing, public safety writing, editorial pages and writing, page design, informational graphics and more.
Editorial: Counting Homeless; Solution Is Housing
Results of the annual census of homeless show progress, persistence of the problem, and some worrying trends.
On the night of Jan. 28, 2015, there were 1,204 people who were literally homeless in the Fairfax County area.
Editorial: A Big Election Year in Virginia
Register, research, vote. And vote again.
Every year is an election year in Virginia. Here are a few examples that demonstrate that while elections are ubiquitous in Virginia, they are neither simple nor unimportant. Wade in, a lot depends on figuring this out and voting. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of candidates.
Editorial: Good, Bad and Ugly
A look at recently ended session of the Virginia General Assembly.
The 2015 session of the Virginia General Assembly came to an end last week, and some of the biggest news was about what it did not do.
Editorial: On Police Information and Secrecy
Time for change in public access to police information.
The first meeting of the Fairfax County Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission will take place next Monday, March 23, and it comes with hope for real change.
Editorial: Managing Mental Illness in Jails
Natasha McKenna’s death provides window on national concern.
A national report released on Feb. 11 highlighted the prevalence of people with mental illness incarcerated in local jails.
Editorial: Not the First or Only Time
Secrecy around police shootings has been a problem for at least a decade.
The official position of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on the need for changes in policy after the shooting of John Geer by police in Springfield in August of 2013 appears to be that this is the first time police policies have been a problem: “Policies for handling police-involved incidents, which served us well for decades, were inadequate in this complicated situation.”
Editorial: No Justification for Secrecy, Delay on Geer Shooting
Everything about this case erodes public trust and demonstrates police departments should not be allowed to apply “blanket” exemptions to release of information.
After waiting 17 months for any information about the investigation into the shooting death of John Geer, the information released last week is deeply troubling.
Be Part of the Pet Connection
The Pet Connection, a bi-annual themed edition, will publish Feb. 25, 2015.
Editorial: Outlook
Many bright spots will be overshadowed in the coming budget season.
Long awaited, the opening of the Silver Line promises to bring transformation to Tysons and around the current station in Reston, with another Reston station and Herndon to come.
Editorial: Baby Steps, Not Enough
Supervisors should take action, not defer to “outside expert,” on absurd and outrageous behavior of police department.
Finally, now that the Fairfax County Police Department has taken stonewalling into the arena of the absurd, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has at least said it is time for change. It is a step, but a step that continues the appearance of obfuscation if not outright obstruction.
Lower Price, Higher Demand in Alexandria
The appearance of gas for under $2 a gallon at the new Liberty gas station at 442 North Henry St. in Alexandria attracted enough attention that regular ran dry while this photographer was trying to fill the tank.
Potomac: First Snow of New Year
A fast moving storm dumped a few inches of snow on Potomac and the rest of the region beginning before dawn and continuing through the rush hour on Tuesday, Jan. 6, bringing 4-6 inches of snow in some places, more than predicted, with temperatures in the 20s.
Editorial: Merry Christmas
A message of peace and joy.
Merry Christmas. It’s a magical time of year, and perhaps Connection Newspapers has over indulged in displaying the many rituals of Christmas on our pages in the past few weeks. In events around the area, a sense of community has infused holiday parades, Christmas tree lightings, menorah lightings, choral performances, singing of carols and other traditional events with warmth and joy.
Retiring ‘Hero’
Author and master of Potomac Master Plan, Callum Murray, retiring from Montgomery County Park and Planning.
Whatever one likes about Potomac, Callum Murray probably had something to do with keeping it that way. That was the message at last week’s West Montgomery County Citizens Association meeting, marking Murray’s plan to retire.