Burke: Volunteers and County Workers Recognized at Best of Braddock Awards
Thanks to Jim Watkins, a striking statue of a barracuda emerging from the water now graces the Commonwealth Swim Club. Watkins and other volunteers, members of the club, have helped maintain and repair areas of the facility, including restoration of the storm runoff channel, new lighting and landscaping.
Woman Reportedly Robbed and Shot in Fairfax
Fairfax County Police said detectives are currently investigating a robbery and shooting that took place on Kenerson Drive in Fairfax. Around 11:50 p.m. on July 11, a man and woman reportedly drove up to their home after spending the evening at a casino.
Fairfax County Police Release Updated In-Car Video Program Guidelines
In a January 2015 informational video, Fairfax County Police said around 600 of the department’s cruisers, spread across all eight law enforcement districts, were equipped with in-car video recording devices.
Lorton Woman Reportedly Robbed and Touched Inappropriately
A 33-year-old woman was robbed outside her car in a Lorton apartment complex around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, July 5, according to Fairfax County Police and the Crime Solvers community program.
Mount Vernon: Police Chief Provides Timeline on McKenna’s Death
Report sent to Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Natasha McKenna died while in the custody of the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Department on Feb. 8, 2015.
Mount Vernon: Free Meals During Summer
Virginia First Lady and NFL Player highlight Summer Food Service Program for Children.
Visiting with children at Hollin Meadows Elementary School, Dorothy McAuliffe playfully reminded them that as First Lady of Virginia, she’s not, in fact, Michelle Obama. Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s (D) wife was joined at the Mount Vernon-area school by San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith to meet with the children and hand out free lunches as part of the Summer Food Service Program.
Centreville: A Beginning, Not an End
School Board approves “Ignite” Strategic Plan, new chairman and vice chairman.
Citizen Michael Ducharme has lived with dyslexia since he was a student. His two daughters both have dyslexia. The father, representing the parents’ movement Decoding Dyslexia, spoke at the July 9 school board meeting in support of the proposed Fairfax County Public Schools Strategic Plan that specifically addresses challenges in the schools facing students with dyslexia. “We’re now faced with the fact tomorrow is today, the fierce urgency of now,” Ducharme said. “It’s time for vigorous and positive action in this plan.”
Burke, Fairfax, Lorton and Springfield: Synchronized Swimmers Compete in North Carolina
Lake Braddock graduate and Springfield resident Connie Polnow has been doing synchronized swimming since she was 9 years old. Her teammate and rising West Springfield freshman Angie Borkowski has only been at it for a year. But together, they were among 29 members of the Northern Virginia Nereids squad who participated in the United States Synchronized Swimming Junior Olympics between June 29 and July 4.
Muslims at the Fairfax Islamic Center Break Fasts Together
One voice carries a melody in Arabic through the two-story hall of the Islamic Center Northern Virginia Trust, as over a hundred men bow their heads to the carpeted ground.
Clifton Film Festival Returns to Workhouse Arts Center
Fairfax resident Dani Weinberg thought she wanted to be a journalist. That was until she joined the crew of her high school’s television program “Good Morning Robinson.” Combined with her photography for the Robinson Secondary School newspaper, Weinberg started getting “really into film.”
Rabid Fox Found Near South Run RECenter
Less than a month after a woman was injured by a rabid raccoon, police responded to reports of a fox “acting abnormally” in the same area: the South Run/Burke Lake Trail near the South Run RECenter.
Fairfax: City of Fairfax Band Children’s Concert July 16
Each year, the City of Fairfax community band gives its youngest fans a chance to try their hand at the shiny, twisty and just plain loud instruments in the ensemble.
Mount Vernon: New Citizens Celebrate First Fourth of July
100 citizens naturalized at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Journalists Alakbar Raufoglu and his wife Tamara Grigoryeva left their native Azerbaijan because the government was repressing them and their freedom of speech.
Sending Carlos Silva Home to Brazil
Investigator Carlos Silva is going home to his sister and daughter in Brazil. He died Thursday, July 2 in an accident during a bicycling event at the World Police and Fire Games. Two other athletes were injured in the crash.
Coming Home to Queen of Peace in Springfield
Residents with disabilities move into new group house on Gresham Street.
Ten months ago, the unassuming single-level house on Gresham Street in north Springfield was a private residence. Today it’s the permanent home of four individuals with disabilities, and a fifth is on the way.
Burke Optometrist Celebrates 30th Anniversary
In 30 years, Dr. Rick Katz has had over 100,000 patients. In some cases, he’s helped five generations of the same family to see better.
Lorton and Mount Vernon Area Roundups
A 2-year-old boy was pronounced dead at Inova Fairfax Hospital on June 18, Fairfax County Police announced Friday, June 19.
The Week in Springfield
Dead man found in Kingstowne pond, Torch caused house fire, 95 Express Lanes holiday schedule.
Fairfax County Police continue to investigate the death of Kenneth Duane Bernhardt, 36, of Falls Church, who was found Saturday, June 27 in a pond on South Van Dorn Street near Kingstowne Village Parkway.
Local Farms Supply Alexandria Wegmans
Five Virginia farms are currently supplying the recently opened Wegmans grocery store in Alexandria with fresh produce.
Mount Vernon: Police Investigate Death of Man Found in Kingstowne Pond
A dead man was reported June 27 in a pond on South Van Dorn Street near Kingstowne Village Parkway.
Mount Vernon: Hyland’s Office Apologizes for Using County Email to Endorse Storck
When retiring supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) announced an endorsement for Dan Storck as his replacement, the release came through the Mt_Vernon@fairfaxcounty.gov email. The endorsement followed Storck’s victory over Tim Sargeant, Jack Dobbyn and Candice Bennett in the June 9 Democratic primary election.
Mount Vernon: Former Owner of ‘Sub Shop’ Convicted for Arson and Insurance Fraud
A jury has convicted former Fort Belvoir-area resident Lawrence Wayne Reese, 56, of nine offenses including arson, use of fire in commission of another federal offense and multiple counts of fraud related to submission of a fraudulent insurance claim.
Mount Vernon: 95 Express Lanes Schedule Adjusted for July 4
Around the Fourth of July, patriotic celebration throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area comes with heavy gridlock. To help alleviate some of the traffic into, out of and around the region for the holiday weekend, the 95 Express Lanes schedule will be adjusted, according to an Express Lanes spokesperson:
Mount Vernon: Local Farms Supply Alexandria Wegmans
Five Virginia farms are currently supplying the recently opened Wegmans grocery store in Alexandria with fresh produce. Those include:
Health Curriculum To More Closely Align with State
School Board approves recommendations from advisers, with amendments.
Though it was the second packed house in as many months, it may be early yet to call crowded Fairfax County School Board meetings a trend.
Mt. Vernon: 500 West Potomac Seniors Graduate
Graduations have always made Margret Lingenfelter sad. “It really resonates with me and holds a weird place in my heart,” the West Potomac High School class of 2015 president said during her graduation remarks to fellow wolverines.
Fairfax County: Police Release Use of Force Review
Review explained at latest Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission meeting.
Nearly a year ago, Fairfax County sought an outside opinion on its police department’s use of force. That July 2014 assignment went to the Washington, D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum.
Springfield: West Springfield Holds 48th Commencement
First-year principal Michael Mukai commented that after his brief time with West Springfield’s graduating seniors, he wasn’t ready for them to go yet. “And your parents, after 18 years, aren’t ready for you to go yet either,” Mukai said, to a mix of applause and laughter from the audience at George Mason University’s Patriot Center.
Springfield: Edison High School Graduation held June 22
Lofty eagle imagery permeated the Thomas A. Edison High School commencement exercises. Principal Pamela Brumfield challenged graduates “to lead and soar as an eagle.” Class vice president Sara Meyer explained “Eagle Pride” as the intangibles related to working your hardest.
Burke: Lake Braddock Secondary School Commencement held June 17
Purple robes flooded the floor of the George Mason University Patriot Center basketball arena as Lake Braddock Secondary School graduates processed to their seats.
Police Still Looking for Springfield Student
Fairfax County detectives in the Police Department unit that handle missing persons are continuing to search for missing Robert E. Lee High School student Cesar “Steven” Boquin Zambrano of Springfield.
Fairfax Station: South County Graduate Completes Attendance Streak
Cara Yates has never missed a day of school. Ever. From kindergarten on, the South County High School 2015 graduate kept a perfect attendance record the whole way.
Springfield: New Giant Opens at Kings Park
Kings Park-area residents have been waiting for the return of their neighborhood grocery store.
Burke: Police Investigating Sexual Assault of 17-Year-Old Female
A 17-year-old female was walking on the Roberts Parkway Bridge, near Premier Court, between 1 and 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 18 when she was reportedly offered a ride by a man in a silver sedan, Fairfax County Police said.
Mt. Vernon: Amphitheater Renamed for Retired Lee District RECenter Manager
Leon Plenty was general manager of the Lee District RECenter from 1982 until his retirement in December, 2014. At a ceremony on June 17, Plenty was recognized for his work with the renaming of Lee District’s amphitheater in his honor.
Springfield: 386 Graduate from Robert E. Lee High School
As one of two “senior marshalls,” Simran Batra was responsible for guiding Robert E. Lee High School seniors to and from their seats with a two-foot wooden mace, engraved lovingly with graduating class dates back to 1987.
Fairfax: Retired Educators Award Scholarships to Aspiring Teachers
Rebecca Edmiston has had a number of inspiring music teachers in her life, including her mother Pat. They’re big reasons why Edmiston, a graduating senior from Lake Braddock Secondary School, is choosing to attend Liberty University and study to become a music teacher herself.
Springfield: Dead Fairfax Woman Found in Huntsman Lake
Police are investigating a the death of Leslie P. Brassfield, 22, of Fairfax, whose dead body was found Sunday in Huntsman Lake in the Springfield area.
Fairfax County: New Americans Take Oath
Since 2009, the Fairfax County Asian American History Project has sponsored a yearly naturalization ceremony for new Americans. At the ceremony Friday, June 12 at the Fairfax County Government Center, 100 new Americans hailing from 38 countries took an oath of allegiance.
Burke and Springfield: New Giant in Kings Park to Open June 19
Less than a week after the opening of a new Wegmans grocery store in Alexandria, the Landover, Maryland-based Giant Food is answering with an all-new store in the Kings Park Shopping Center, set to open at 6 a.m. on Friday, June 19.
Lorton: Two-Year-Old Boy Rescued from Pool Bottom
A 2-year-old boy is in life-threatening condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital after being found, unresponsive, at the bottom of a pool, Fairfax County Police said.
Burke: Robinson Film Students Enter Local Competitions
Imagine a world where computerized conscience implants humans advice on right and wrong. That’s the premise of “Voice of the Goddess,” a science fiction concept film by Robinson Secondary School seniors Zaq Brinsfield and Isaiah King.
Fairfax County: Questioning Family Life Curriculum
The Fairfax County School Board’s May 7 meeting drew a passionate and boisterous crowd that filled the Luther Jackson Middle School auditorium and spilled out into the main lobby. That night the board voted in favor of adding “gender identity” to its nondiscrimination policy for students, employees and applicants for employment.
Mount Vernon and Lorton: New Gunston Hall Roof Completed
Approaching Gunston Hall in Mason Neck, the 18th-century plantation home of George Mason, its roof appears to gleam golden in the sunlight.
Mount Vernon: New Wegmans Opens in Alexandria
Nearly 2,000 in line for June 14 opening morning.
At any other Wegmans grocery store in Virginia, Woodbridge resident Braden Cheney’s job wouldn’t exist. A 2000 graduate of W.T. Woodson High School, Cheney is manager of The Pub, a full-service restaurant and bar operating within the store.
Mount Vernon: New Gunston Hall Roof Completed
The heavy slate tiles that previously topped the building where Mason may well have drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights were recently replaced — not by gold, but Alaskan Red Cedar.
Mount Vernon: Moving on ‘Move Over’
Police crack down, educate about law protecting emergency roadside vehicles and drivers.
Police are trying to educate the public about the "Move Over" law, which is geared at protecting emergency roadside vehicles and drivers.
Springfield: Daventry Reassigned from Lee to West Springfield High School
Change scheduled to take effect for 2015-2016 school year.
Kelly Wevley’s daughter will be in middle school next year. As a Daventry subdivision resident, she will attend Washington Irving Middle School in Springfield. And under previous boundaries, she would eventually continue to ninth grade at Robert E. Lee High School while friends and classmates outside of Daventry would attend West Springfield High School.
Fairfax Station: 200 Walk Burke Lake for Nepal Earthquake Victims
When the 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal in April this year, Madhu and Yashoda Bhandari of Lorton felt the shocks in their United States home. Both are originally from the Nuwakot district, one that was hit violently.
Mount Vernon: Victors Emerge from Democratic Primary
Krizek for 44th District, Levine for 45th, Dan Storck for supervisor. jump
After polls closed at 7 p.m. and results from precincts started to trickle in over cell phone