Fairfax Station: First Decoding Dyslexia 5K Held at Burke Lake
Raising awareness, advocating for more services in schools
When Fairfax resident Calvin Rizek was in first grade, he remembers not being able to read along with the class, but “just flipping pages, like everyone else.”
Sun shines on 48th Clifton Day
It was a big way to be welcomed to the neighborhood. Adam and Julianne Erbrecht moved to Clifton two weeks before the historic town’s massive annual festival Clifton Day.
Fairfax County: Sexual Violence Task Force Presents Recommendations
A Fairfax County task force established in March to review the state of sexual violence education and awareness presented a set of recommendations to the Board of Supervisors at their Sept. 29 meeting.
Fairfax: March Escapee from Inova Hospital Sentenced
Arlington man Wossen Assaye, 43, led law enforcement officials from several jurisdictions on a man hunt for hours on March 31, 2015, after escaping from custody at Inova Fairfax Hospital.
Clifton’s Haunted Trail Set for Oct. 24
The historic town of Clifton is preparing to add a new set of ghost stories to its collection. One of its primary annual fundraisers, the Haunted Trail, is scheduled to return for another year on Oct. 24.
Fairfax County: School Board To Discuss Delay for Presidential Primary
To alleviate congestion and chaos at 165 of the 196 Fairfax County schools and centers that double as polling places, the Fairfax County Board of Elections requested the School Board look at delaying school two hours on March 1, 2016 for the presidential primary.
Fairfax County: Police Commission Calls for Auditor, Civilian Review Board
Unanimous recommendations head to supervisors in wake of John Geer shooting, transparency missteps.
After six months of meetings, the Ad Hoc commission created by Board of Supervisors chairman Sharon Bulova to review police practices has concluded its primary work. Chair of the commission’s Independent Oversight and Investigations subcommittee Jack Johnson presented that group’s final recommendations to the full commission on Oct. 8.
Candidates Speak at Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast on Oct. 8
Candidates speak at the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast on Oct. 8
Mount Vernon: Special Single Malt Unveiled At George Washington’s Distillery
General George Washington and his Scottish farm manager James Anderson reflected on Anderson’s suggestion to add whiskey distillation to the plantation milling business.
Mount Vernon Brief: Shooting Death Under Investigation
A community member reported hearing a gunshot and a man lying in the road around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning, Oct. 4, Fairfax County Police said.
Mount Vernon: Fighting Hunger Firsthand
Woodley Hills Food 4 Thought helps families with food insecurity.
Dina Koch and Sara Boehm of the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria want to teach her children when they see a problem, they should step in, reach out and fix it.
Lee District Candidates Meet at John Marshall Library
League of Women Voters hosts forum.
They may not be old enough to vote, but twin sisters Madelyn and Miranda Khoury paid as much attention to the presentations as anyone in the audience at an Oct. 5 Meet the Candidates event hosted by the League of Women Voters of Fairfax.
Springfield Resident Honored at U.S. Air Force and CIA Birthday Event
All Billy McLeod ever wanted to do was fly. The 93-year-old Springfield resident was born and grew up in Pensacola, Fla., a younger brother to two sisters who married U.S. Navy pilots.
WheelHouse Mind and Body Studio Opens in Clifton
Kelly Layfield and Alyson Franca Pollard used to host yoga classes all around Clifton -- the town hall, large barn, any green open space -- but not longer.
Navy Band to Perform at Lake Braddock
The U.S. Navy Concert Band will be performing a free concert in the Lake Braddock Secondary School “Little Theater” on Oct. 15
Korean Coalition Candidates Night Showcases 30 Participants
Opponents for five elected positions met at Luther Jackson Middle School
Del. Mark Keam (D-35) encouraged his fellow Koreans present to take advantage of the great number of candidates for elected office about to appear before them at the Korean Coalition for Political Participation 2015 Candidates Night.
Cansler Lawyer Calls for More Investigations into Rose Hill Taser Incident
Elton Cansler of Alexandria was arrested on Sept. 24 for committing larceny and assaulting a police officer, an incident captured on two independent witnesses’ mobile phones during which the Fairfax County Police Officer used a taser to force him to comply with orders.
Decoding Dyslexia Virginia to Host First 5K Run for Dyslexia
Shannon Duncan of the Falls Church area isn’t a big runner herself, but when she sees a 5K road race, it always catches her eye
Down to Earth
Robinson students chat live with interstellar alumnus.
Robinson Secondary School principal Matthew Eline knew the event would be special when he received a package from NASA.
“They’re Not Alone”
New domestic violence victims screening tool launches in Fairfax County.
Fairfax County is taking a step forward to reduce the deaths among victims of domestic violence. According to the police department, county domestic violence hotlines receive over 240 calls each month.
Burke: The Art of Driving 5K Enters Second Year
Robin Thompson’s daughter Ashley Renee was a sophomore at Lake Braddock Secondary School when she died in a car crash on June 10, 2003. She had borrowed a friend’s car to drive home from school and slammed into a tree after losing control of the vehicle.
Franconia: Police Investigating Use of Taser
Follow-up report justifies the “less-lethal force option” as lawful deployment.
Fairfax County Police Internal Affairs officials are investigating the use of an “electronic control weapon,” or taser, by an officer on a suspect that took place in Franconia on Sept. 24. A short cell phone video of an officer forcing the suspect to the ground in front of a police cruiser surfaced after the incident, prompting a release from police Chief Edwin Roessler that Internal Affairs would investigate the event.
Burke Residents Open Belle Jar Design Business in Clifton
Laura Jane Cohen and Heather Taylor’s business is a bit like the historic town of Clifton itself. They’re taking something that’s well-aged and restoring it for others to appreciate the character, charm and beauty of the piece.
Clifton: 48th Clifton Day Festival Oct. 11
Clifton town council member Deb Dillard has been helping run the Clifton Day festival for 16 years, including 10 organizing the kids park.
Springfield: Cervantes Coffee Roasters Slows Down the Pick-Me-Up
Jonathan Matías’ 3-year-old son is using Yelp. The Springfield resident said he first heard about Cervantes Coffee Roasters when the toddler picked up his phone and showed him Cervantes on the local business review app. “You need to go to this coffeehouse,” Matías recalled him saying. The two went, and now his son asks to go every week.
Springfield: California-based Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill Opens in Springfield Town Center
Springfield resident Brian Watson has lived in the area for about as long as some of the meat smoking in the back of the restaurant he manages. Watson moved to Springfield from California to open the 16th Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill at Springfield Town Center in June.
Fairfax County: Candidates Meet on Fairfax Public Access
Clerk, Sheriff and Soil & Water incumbents and challengers answer questions.
Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid wasted no time in bringing up the in-custody death of Natasha McKenna during her opening remarks. Kincaid said the loss of life, which occurred in February following an incident where a team of Sheriff’s deputies was attempting to transport McKenna to Alexandria police and deployed a taser on her four times, continues to weigh heavily on her.
Mount Vernon: Expanding Fort Belvoir Elementary
When Fort Belvoir Elementary School opens in 2016, an expanded campus will provide a base institution for all school-aged children of Fort Belvoir families. The expansion includes 20 general education classrooms, bringing the population capacity to 1,594 students, according to a release from Fairfax County Public Schools.
146 Fairfax County Schools Energy Star-Certified
New Auditor General also appointed at Sept. 24 meeting
In the last year and a half, Fairfax County Public Schools have been able to reduce the energy consumption in their buildings by 15 percent. That cut down resulted in savings of $4.5 million, according to a release Sept. 25 by the school system.
Fairfax County: West Nile Cases Even with Five-Year Average
There have been just three documented cases of West Nile Virus in Fairfax County so far in 2015, equaling the previous five-year average, according to Fairfax County Health Department public safety information officer John Silcox.
Fairfax Station and Clifton: Whitehall Farms Begins Fall Festival
In July, Jeff Waters’ three-acre corn maze was just a figment of his imagination. The stubby stalks were behind schedule but he never lost hope they would make it in time. When Whitehall Farms, LLC -- over 200 acres bordering on the Clifton, Fairfax Station and Fairfax areas -- opened its first annual Fall Fun Days festival on Sept. 19, the corn was plenty high to get lost in.
Burke: Law Enforcement Raising Awareness of Train Track Safety
Adil Gour has been crossing the Virginia Railway Express tracks in Burke for three years. “It’s convenient for me, instead of going all the way around,” Gour said. All the way around in this case means taking Guinea Road to Roberts Road and south.
Lorton: South County High Dedicates New Artificial Turf Fields
South County High School is the latest among county schools to have completed switching competition and practice fields from real grass to artificial turf.
Principal Nardos King Leaves Mount Vernon High School
On her last day, Mount Vernon High School principal Nardos King went into school trying to act like it wasn’t anything different. But as she walked through the halls, she couldn’t help but reminisce over the 20 years of different jobs and professional growth she experienced in the building.
Mount Vernon: Crowd Fills Candidate Forum
Without an incumbent running for Mount Vernon District supervisor, the candidates meet and greet event at the Sherwood Regional Library was understandably crowded. Republican Jane Gandee is running against Democratic primary winner Dan Storck to replace longtime supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon), who announced he would not seek re-election last year.
Mount Vernon: Local Man Charged in Shooting Death
Freddy A. Bonilla Rodriguez of Alexandria was charged with second-degree murder in a Hybla Valley shooting that occurred Sept. 21.
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.
League of Women Voters Hosts Springfield Candidates
Dozens of Springfield district constituents came out to the West Springfield Government Center to hear from candidates running for supervisor and school board positions. The Sept. 9 event was the first in a series of meet-and-greets for the different Fairfax County magisterial districts, hosted by the League of Women Voters.
Burke: Used Book Sale to Benefit Cambodian Students
Teenager Melissa Toler, of Burke, is trying to give new life to old books and new hope to young students in Cambodia. Toler, a freshman at Robinson Secondary School, has organized a book sale to satisfy requirements for the Girl Scouts Silver Award, but the greater goal of the event is helping aspiring Cambodian scholars who are still struggling in the wake of the country’s mid-1970s genocide.
Investigation Continues for Dead Body in Fairfax Station
Early on Sept. 9, Fairfax County Police announced through Twitter that officers had responded to the report of a dead body on the 9500 block of Crosspointe Drive.
Burke-Based Author and Professor Launches First Book
When Burke resident and George Mason University English professor Art Taylor set out to enter The Washington Post short story cover contest, he never expected it would lead to his first book.
Fairfax Station: Brothers Launch Handcrafted Greeting Card Company
Patrick Hulse, together with his brother Shane, has cracked the code: turning what he loves into a business. Patrick is a junior at the Rhode Island School of Design pursuing a degree in illustration. Shane is a freshman at New York University studying business. Last year, the South County High School graduates (Patrick 2013, Shane 2014) launched “Little Wishes,” a handcrafted greeting card company.
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.
Burke and Fairfax: Robinson Students Welcomed Back
New and returning students at Robinson Secondary School were welcomed on the first day with a corridor of cheerleaders, blaring music and an inflated ram tunnel leading to the front doors. And the smiling face of their principal, Matthew Eline, who joined the cheerleaders and held a sign saying “May I help you?”
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.
Lorton, Fairfax Station, Clifton: South County Welcomes Stallions
South County High School principal Matt Ragone has been having “a blast” since he got to the school in the middle of last year.
Mount Vernon: No Criminal Charges In McKenna Death
Tasers did not directly cause Natasha McKenna’s death, nor are any of the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office deputies involved with the case being charged with a crime. Those are the positions announced Tuesday, Sept. 8 by Commonwealth’s Attorney Raymond F. Morrogh.