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Tim Peterson

Stories by Tim

Springfield: Super Tuesday Viewpoints

Who did you vote for, and what are some of the most important issues to you in this election?

Marco Rubio. I like what he stands for, the way he’s handled himself so far.

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Mount Vernon: Arrest Follows Public’s Help in Identifying Suspect

Police credit community involvement.

Community members in Mount Vernon saw something and said something, working with patrol officers and detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department.

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Mount Vernon: Honored in Bankers Video Contest

West Potomac Academy student receives $2,500.

West Potomac Academy student Jackson Harvey placed second in a national video contest sponsored by the American Bankers Association Foundation.

Needlework Exhibition Now at Woodlawn

The 53rd annual Woodlawn Needlework Exhibition at Woodlawn Plantation began March 2 and runs until March 31.

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Mount Vernon: County Picks Clinton and Rubio

But Trump joins Clinton in taking Virginia

Katie Hugo, daughter of Del. Tim Hugo (R-4?), turned 18 at the beginning of February and insisted she cast her first official vote with dad, who she said is the reason she’s involved and interested in politics.

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Burke, Clifton, Fairfax Station and Springfield: Clinton and Trump Take Virginia on Super Tuesday

Rubio controls Fairfax County, Sanders supporters nearly doubled by Clinton voters.

Katie Hugo, daughter of Del. Tim Hugo (R-40), turned 18 at the beginning of February and insisted she cast her first official vote with dad, who she said is the reason she’s involved and interested in politics.

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Fairfax County: Commission Recognizes Outstanding Women in Government Work

Edwyna Wingo of the Chantilly area began her career with Fairfax County as a nurse in the Health Department on Sep. 1, 1965 and worked her last full day Oct. 1, 2011.

Three Florida Men Arrested in Springfield, Charged with Credit Card Fraud

Jermaine Butler, 29, Markeem Ho-Sang, 25, and Roderick Norman, 25, all residents of Miami Gardens, Fla., were arrested Thursday, Feb. 25 and charged with multiple counts of credit card fraud and possessing devices to forge credit cards.

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Police Arrest 20 for Heroin Use in One Day

Operation Save-a-Life offered low-level offenders the chance at recovery treatment rather than jail time.

On Wednesday, Feb. 24, Fairfax County Police served 20 arrest warrants, all for possession and or distribution of heroin.

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Burke, Fairfax Station, Springfield and Mount Vernon legislators reflect on battles won, lost and tabled after General Assembly “Crossover”

Tuesday, Feb. 16 marked “crossover,” the milestone during the current session of the Virginia General Assembly session in Richmond where bills passed by the House of Delegates move to the Senate for debate and either approval or rejection, and vice versa.

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Springfield Veterinary Holistic Center offers extension to conventional medicine

Bettejeanne “BJ” Hammond much prefers the term “body work” to massage. “Open wine and get out the candles, that’s what people think of massage,” she said. “They think it’s to relax, but it’s so much more than that.”

Art of Driving Scholarship Expands Eligibility Outside Fairfax County

After the first few years being open only to Lake Braddock Secondary School Students, the Art of Driving college scholarship in honor of Lake Braddock student Ashley Thompson expanded to all Fairfax County High Schools.

Longtime Springfield Estates Elementary School Teacher Marian Davenport Dies at 87

Marian Brant Davenport of Kingstowne died Feb. 13 at age 87. The Columbus, Ohio native taught kindergarten to third grade at Springfield Estates Elementary School from the early 1970s until she retired in 1985. “She was very committed to her kids,” said Davenport’s son Bill, who now lives in Houston, Texas. “She loved the little kids, loved teaching them to read.”

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Fairfax County Schools to Close March 1 for Super Tuesday

Concerns about parking and traffic, as well as new guidance from the Virginia Department of Education caused the Fairfax County School Board to reconsider closing schools for the March 1 Presidential primaries.

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Mount Vernon: Changes at Fort Belvoir

Garrison Commander Mitchell renews Community Covenant, gives overview at business breakfast

Uniformed members of the West Potomac High School JROTC color guard paraded into the dining room at the Belle Haven Country Club as classmates in a chamber choir sang the national anthem to open the February Business Breakfast of the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce.

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Fairfax: Northern Virginia Youth Winds Win Dominion Rising Star Award

The Northern Virginia Youth Winds, a division of the City of Fairfax Band Association, was awarded the Dominion Rising Star Award for their work effectively bringing together arts and education.

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Burke and Fairfax: Good Shepherd Players mark 35 years with “Oklahoma!”

Carol St. Germain of Burke has theater in her blood. She and her husband met working on productions at Lynchburg College, she followed him as he pursued a career in theater design and together, they’ve worked to bring shows to life with the Good Shepherd Players for the last three decades.

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Clifton Woman Aids Refugees During Impromptu Trip to Greece

As Kathy Hertz saw women and children being pushed to the front of the overcrowded dinghy approaching the shore, she thought, “This is what I’m seeing on TV. Oh my God, this is real.”

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Tire Fire at Lorton Landfill Causes Estimated $600,000 in Damage

Firefighter units from across Fairfax County responded to a large tire fire at the Fairfax County Landfill in Lorton on Feb. 6 around 11 p.m., a release from the Fire and Rescue Department said.

Springfield Man Charged with Murder in Feb. 10 Stabbing

Though the investigation is ongoing, Fairfax County Police said they have arrested and charged 20-year-old Dilshad Dosky of Springfield with murdering Shaki E. Phillip.

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Fairfax County: Parents, Community Supporters Rally to ‘Invest in Kids’

Emotional independent outbursts and communal chants of “Fund our schools” and “Invest in kids” echoed through the grand amphitheater just beyond the entrance to the Fairfax County Government Center.

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Diversion First Program Launched

Fairfax County officials announce Diversion First program designed to help individuals get treatment not jail time.

Kevin Earley said he’s living proof that Diversion First works. Earley has been living with bipolar disorder and had his last episode in 2007.

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Mount Vernon: Clinton, Kaine Win Straw Poll

Fresh off her victory in the Iowa caucuses, Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton scored another win for the party’s nomination at the first northern Virginia Democratic Straw Poll of 2016, held Feb. 6 at Don Beyer Volvo on Richmond Highway.

Mount Vernon: Bus Aide Charged

Major Crimes Division Child Exploitation Unit detectives investigated the report from a 16-year-old student that a student bus aide, an acquaintance of hers, sent at least two inappropriate photos of himself to her electronically between November and December 2015.

Mount Vernon: Charges Against Teacher Updated

In September 2015, Michael A. Sweeney, 44, of Woodbridge, was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Sweeney had been discovered with the victim, a 16-year-old girl from the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, in a vehicle that was parked in the parking lot of the 8800 block of Richmond Highway.

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Burke: Friends of Sadie Blood Drive Returns on Valentine’s Day

In early 2010, friends of the Lauer family in Burke pulled together and organized an impromptu blood drive to support three-month-old Sadie Lauer, who was then diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Sadie underwent several surgeries to remove the cancerous mass in her neck, which required a large supply of replacement blood. The drive fell on Valentine’s Day.

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Burke and Fairfax Station: Three couples making businesses and marriages run hand-in-hand.

Some find it harder than others to keep their work and personal lives separate. In the case of three Burke businesses, their owners have completely merged the two, and been living happily ever after.

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Fairfax County: Public Safety Committee meets to discuss Ad Hoc Police Review recommendations and the Diversion First initiative

Just over a year since Natasha McKenna died following multiple shocks from a taser, while in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention center, her name was never raised during the Feb. 9 meeting of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee meeting. Two audience members stood on one side of the Government Center conference room, holding posters bearing a picture of McKenna’s face and text including “Black Lives Matter.”

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Fairfax County: Training Center Residents Relocated

They’re all gone. As of August 2015, there were still 55 residents with mental or physical disabilities receiving services at the state-owned and operated Northern Virginia Training Center on Braddock Road.

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Clifton’s Ping Pong Tournament a Smash Hit

The staccato of plastic meeting wooden table and rubber-clad paddle in rapid succession filled the Clifton Town Hall as little orange balls whizzed back and forth, competitors across a range of ages and skill levels vying for the title of Ping Pong Champion.

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Nearly 3,000 Pounds of Food Donated During Clifton Stuff the Bus Event

As shoppers hustled in the sliding doors at the Giant Food in Clifton, many on last-minute errands in preparation for Sunday’s Super Bowl 50, five-year-old Selena Padeway was eager to hand them another shopping list.

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Fairfax County School Board Approves $2.67 Billion ‘No Cuts’ Budget

Calls for general salary raises and additional $40 million for teachers, lowering elementary class sizes.

Members of the Fairfax County School Board have taken the next step in realizing Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza’s vision of no additional cuts in the Fiscal Year 2017 school system operating budget. T

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Fairfax Station and Mount Vernon: Arcadia’s veteran farmers-to-be report for first weekend training

Clifton Hoffler is embarking on his third career. A resident of the Greenbelt, Md. area, Hoffler spent 21 years in the U.S. Army, serving in Iraq twice, before transitioning into government sales. In 16 months, he will be a certified culinary chef.

Fairfax: Bulova and Petersen to Host Mid-Session Town Hall

Residents will have a chance to hear from and interact with state representatives Del. David Bulova (D-37) and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34) at a Town Hall Meeting this Saturday, Feb. 6. The meeting is scheduled for City Hall in the City of Fairfax, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

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Wood Ranch in Springfield Town Center highlights new meat, veggie options

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill partner, managing chef and “Sultan of Smoke” Alejandro Benes is working to blend barbecue traditions, as well as cuts of meat.

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Clifton: Stuff the Bus Until Feb. 15

U.S. Rep. Comstock and Supervisor Smith to visit Clifton Giant for Stuff the Bus on Feb. 6.

Stuff the Bus, Fairfax County’s annual campaign to increase food donations and awareness for local, nonprofit food pantries, started in the middle of January and runs each weekend until President’s Day, Feb. 15.

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Fairfax County: Election Officers Still Needed for March Primary

Cameron Sasnett has one message for people concerned about the integrity of elections -- at least from a procedure standpoint: Get involved as an election officer.

Fairfax County: In-Custody Death Investigated

Paul Guida died Oct. 17, 2015, while in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. The 68-year-old Falls Church resident was charged with violating a protective order. He had been held without bond since Oct. 1, 2015.

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Combined Commissions for Women Host Human Trafficking Awareness Event in Fairfax

Thirty years ago, “Jen” was lured into a pornography ring and sexually abused by a man who initially pretended to be her friend.

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Burke, Lorton, Mount Vernon and Springfield: Kegs of Kerri’s Cure special ale kick within hours

Golden afternoon sun gleamed in through windows and lit up cold, grey cinder blocks, faces already beginning to blush after a beer or two, and lush flowers atop large barrels in memory of Kerri Rose. Rose and her husband Matt, Mount Vernon residents, own Forge Brew Works in Lorton. In August of 2015, she was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer. Kerri was also pregnant.

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Mount Vernon: Officer Helps Freezing Child

PFC Chris Mamalis of the Mount Vernon District police station helped rescue a freezing nine-year-old boy from his neighborhood while off-duty on Jan. 21.

Lorton, Fairfax Station, Clifton: Neighborhood Development Outlook Update January 2016

Ox Road Estates Adare Drive, an infill project of ten single-family homes is under construction.

Burke: Neighborhood Development Outlook Update January 2016

Burke Junction, Guinea Road and Zion Drive area. The site plan is under active review for a development of 17 single-family homes.

Springfield: January 2016 Neighborhood Development Outlook Update

Here is a survey of new and ongoing changes and projects in Springfield.

Mount Vernon: Several Projects Taking Shape in 2016

Including commercial, residential, hospital and U.S. Army.

The former Penn Daw Plaza shopping center was rezoned as part of a 2012 Comprehensive Plan amendment for the Penn Daw area and is set to be replaced by a mixed-use development. The development, now named “South Alex,” will feature 400 apartments, 41 townhomes and 44,000 square-feet of ground-level retail space. The project team is hoping to break ground by the second quarter of 2016.

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Snow Place Like Home in Burke, Fairfax Station, Mount Vernon and Springfield

Residents, volunteers come together to dig out after Jonas drops over 20 inches.

Compared to Wednesday night’s sneak-attack dusting that caught Virginia Department of Transportation crews unprepared and commuters stuck in hours of slick rush hour gridlock, Fairfax County Supervisors think the full force of Winter Storm Jonas was weathered about as well as possible.

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Mason Neck Lions Donate Bus Stop Bench in Lorton

Members of the Mason Neck Lions Club placed their latest donated bench at a bus stop along Richmond Highway on Jan. 15, according to a release from Lion Joseph Chudzik.

Building for the Future

School Board approves five-year $777 million Capital Improvement Plan.

While the rest of Fairfax County hunkered down in preparation for Winter Storm Jonas’ Friday arrival, members of the School Board held their business meeting as scheduled on Jan. 21 and approved a five-year Capital Improvement Plan requiring $777 million.

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McAuliffe Visits Fairfax County Post-Blizzard

Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) visited the Fairfax County Emergency Operations Center on Sunday, Jan. 24, following the worst of Winter Storm Jonas to be updated on the state of the county in the blizzard’s wake.

Fairfax County Suspends Trash Collection for Blizzard Week

Fairfax County announced on its Emergency Information website Saturday night, Jan. 23, during Winter Storm Jonas that trash and recycling collection services would be suspended for the week of Jan. 25-30.