Friday, July 31
Alexandria and Mount Vernon Sports Brief: Senior Olympics Offers Variety of Events
The 2015 NVSO will be held Sept. 12-25 at 23 venues throughout Northern Virginia. More than 50 events are open to adults 50-plus years of age living in a sponsoring jurisdiction. NVSO is sponsored by the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Fauquier and Prince William.
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Mount Vernon Snapshot: Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Mount Vernon teen Will Shute, far right, delivers food donated by Mount Vernon area residents to UCM’s Food Pantry
Thursday, July 30
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Fairfax County Ad Hoc Commission Subcommittees Report
“It is well past time for the Fairfax County Police Department to start providing timely, honest and effective communications with everything it does.” When former director of Fairfax County public affairs Merni Fitzgerald delivered the final report and recommendations of the communications subcommittee of the Fairfax County ad hoc commission to review police practices, commissioner Joseph Cammarata responded immediately to those words in report’s introduction.
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Fairfax: Special Grand Jury Begins Hearing Testimony in John Geer Case
Since shooting John Geer dead in the doorway of his Springfield home on Aug. 29, 2013, PFC Adam Torres of the Fairfax County Police Department has remained at work, albeit out of the field, but undisciplined by police and unprosecuted for any criminal wrongdoing.
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Fairfax County School Board Honors Retiring Leaders, Adopts Budget Review and Audit Plan
In their last meeting of the summer, Fairfax County School Board members began by remembering former superintendent Dr. Robert Spillane, who recently died, and recognizing outgoing members of the school system’s leadership team.
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Mount Vernon: Fort Hunt High School Alumni Gather for Reunion
Alumni dedicate engraved memorial garden.
Approximately 250 alumni, teachers, administrators, parents and family participated in dedicating a memorial garden at Carl Sandburg Middle School on July 25 to memorialize the old Fort Hunt High School and those alumni who died.
Letter: Executive Interference?
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: Following the unjust and unprovoked shooting death of unarmed David A. Masters on Nov. 13, 2007 by Fairfax County Police Officer David Scott Ziants who was ultimately fired for “improper use of deadly force,” I organized the Virginia Citizens Coalition for Police Accountability, Inc., as a nonprofit corporation.
Letter: Understanding Development
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: What is there about the simple words "by right" that retired science educator Martin Tillett doesn't understand [“By Right Development, opinion, July 23-29, Mount Vernon Gazette].
Alexandria: Cold Treats for the Summer Heat
Gelato, ice cream shops rise to the occasion in the throes of summer.
Tucked half a block off of King Street in what was formerly a private residence at 111 S. Payne St., Casa Rosada’s pink-hued façade beckons pedestrians and drivers alike. The gelato café – whose name means “Pink House” in Spanish, an homage to the presidential residence of Argentina, the country where Casa Rosada’s owners hail from – has certainly made itself at home in Old Town in its 13 months of life.
Wednesday, July 29
Column: On A Tangent
Not that I live day-to-day or even month-to-month, but I do live – in my head anyway – quarter-to-quarter; that interval representing the usual and customary time between my recurring diagnostic scans. The time when the rubber hits my road.
Governor’s School Students Complete Research
Six students from high schools throughout Virginia — including West Potomac High School’s Hayden McCloud — presented their summer research projects at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science on July 17 in front of an audience of mentors, parents, peers, and members of the VIMS community.
Mount Vernon: West Potomac’s Gallagher Commits to Fresno State
Rising junior helped Wolverines reach Conference 7 final.
Martha Gallagher enjoyed her first trip to the West Coast enough that she decided to plan for a lengthy return.
Thursday, July 23
Wednesday, July 22
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Fort Hunt Team Brings Home District Championship
11 years since the last title for this age group.
It’s two hours before the District 9 Championship game and Head Coach Terry Trenchard is going for a swim.
Column: 'Abyssful' Ignorance
Hopefully not. But you never know – per last week’s column, until you know. And the preferred pattern seems to be that waiting to be spoken to in person, a week or so post-scan, is the best the process can be; or at least, that’s the process that suits the doctor/HMO.
Letter: Silence from Morrogh?
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: On Feb. 3, 2015, Natasha McKenna, a mentally ill woman, was shot four times with a taser by a guard at the Fairfax County jail.
Letter: Violate 5th Amendment?
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: I have appreciated the opportunity to share my opinions with Gazette readers in hundreds of letters to the editor. Out of respect for Gazette readers, I make best efforts to ensure that the factual underpinnings of my opinions are accurate, complete and documented. If the Gazette held other frequent contributors to the same standard, perhaps I wouldn’t find it necessary to submit so many letters and articles for publication.
Column: By Right Development: Does It Work for Chesapeake Bay?
Time to reconsider public policy in the area of land use controls.
Our system of federal, state and local governance all have roles in providing public services for the citizenry.
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Mount Vernon: Fresh Produce
Every Saturday morning, Oliver Keckler wakes up early to load a truck full of fresh fruits and vegetables and bring them to a farm stand located on Fort Hunt Road.
Mount Vernon: Not Willing To Wait
Elected officials and candidates discuss Bus Rapid Transit and Metro expansion timetables.
Waiting at least 11 years for implementing a Bus Rapid Transit system along the Route 1 corridor and 25 years to extend the Metrorail Yellow Line to Hybla Valley is too much time.
Mount Vernon: Human Remains Discovered In Mount Vernon Area Woods
A man walking in the woods near Woodlawn Park discovered decomposing human remains and contacted police.
Monday, July 20
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.
Thursday, July 16
Mount Vernon Home Sales: June, 2015
In June, 2015, 144 homes sold between $1,670,000-$86,500 in the Mount Vernon area.
Mount Vernon Home Sales: June, 2015
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Baptist Youth Campers Repair Lorton Homes
Jeff Moten started the week with 31 teenagers on his lawn. Baptist youth from around Virginia arrived at his Lorton property around 9 a.m. on Monday, July 13. By 10, they had cleared much of the natural overgrowth in his front and back yards, begun stripping his home’s roof and removing debris from a rear room where the floor had collapsed.
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.
Wednesday, July 15
Column: 'Scant' Know For Sure Anymore
After six years, four months and two weeks since being diagnosed with stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer (the “terminal” kind), I can say with certainty that I have no sense of what my next CT scan, scheduled for July 15th, will indicate. Previously (multiple scans over multiple years), I’ve felt something in my upper chest/lungs where the largest tumors are located and the subsequent scan showed nothing of consequence.
Letter: Ignoring Will Of the People?
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: Dan Storck, a current Fairfax County School (FCPS) Board Member from Mt. Vernon District is running for supervisor of that district. Will he listen to you and use essential reliable information to make informed decisions on issues, particularly controversial ones, if elected?
Letter: Anger and Disappointment
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: I would like to share with you a very disturbing scene that I witnessed over the weekend. I have not been able to shake the anger and disappointment that I have felt ever since, and so I am reaching out to you to help shed light on this issue.
Column: By Right Development: Does It Work for Chesapeake Bay?
By right development refers to projects that are permitted under their current zoning and do not require any legislative action by the Board of Supervisors or the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Mount Vernon: New Commander at District Station
Captain Shawn Martin oversees Mount Vernon.
This month the Fairfax County Police Department promoted Lieutenant Shawn Martin to captain and assigned him as the new commander of the Mount Vernon District Station.
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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.
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Mount Vernon: Police: Beware of Door-to-Door Tree Trimmers
Summer brings out scam artists.
An elderly widow recently answered the doorbell in her suburban Mount Vernon home. Standing on her porch was a stranger who offered tree care services and noted that he had worked for a neighbor across the street. The man then added that limbs on a large maple behind her house posed a danger to her and her house.
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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.
Alexandria and Mount Vernon: Keeping Guns from Criminals
Focusing on private gun sales.
What are you going to do about gun safety and gun violence? These were words I heard over and over again from constituents last year when I first ran for Congress. They couldn’t understand why in the world I would want to be part of a Congress they largely viewed as dysfunctional. And the next words out of their mouth would be an impassioned plea, dysfunction be damned, to reach across party lines and find a compromise — any incremental step — that would begin to make our society safer from horrific shootings.
Tuesday, July 14
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.
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Unscheduling Summer Play
Experts praise the benefits of free play for children.
What was once a time for catching fireflies, swimming and exploring has evolved into a period of elite day camps, academic enrichment classes and top-dollar sports clinics.
Thursday, July 9
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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.
Wednesday, July 8
Q&A: MVHS Grad Balde To Play Lacrosse at Arcadia University
Majors won 10 games, reached conference final in 2015.
Q&A with Mount Vernon graduate Mouctar Balde.
Column: My Manifesto, Sort Of
Being diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer (no, they’re not all “terminal”) is “a heck of a thing,” to extrapolate a bit from Jim Valvano’s memorable 1993 ESPY Awards speech given a few months before he succumbed to his cancer.
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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.
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Mount Vernon: Church Awards College Scholarships
The Aldersgate Permanent Endowment Committee has awarded 10 scholarships for the 2015-16 school year, eight for college students and two $1,500 gifts for qualified Wesley Theological Seminary students.
Letter: Suport St. Jude And Shriners Hospitals
Letter to the Editor
I encourage everyone to donate to St. Jude Children’s’ Research Hospital and Shriners Hospital for Children — two very worthy organizations that do so much for the children’s health and outlook on life.
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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.
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Mount Vernon: Care and Share Initiative Grows
This year Fort Hunt Elementary School started a Backpack Friday program as part of its new Care and Share initiative.
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Mount Vernon: Chamber Awards Scholarships to Local Students
The Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce honored the recipients of its 2015 Education Partnership Scholarships on June 2 at a reception hosted by The Hilton in Springfield.
Letter: Working for Improvements
Letter to the Editor
Remembering can sometimes be a radical act. Choosing between opinion and fact can be of vital importance.
Mount Vernon Column: Prompt Action Needed To Clean Potomac River
Commentary
The Potomac River was once a bountiful asset and source of employment. In 1604, Captain John Smith wrote of fish so plentiful he could spear them with his sword, oysters that “lay as thick as stones” and schools of fish so plentiful that his men attempted to catch them with frying pans.
Commentary: Legislation Combats Sex Trafficking
On July 1, legislation that I sponsored, HB1964, went into effect. This new law is Virginia’s first stand-alone human trafficking statute and creates stricter penalties for traffickers, greater protections for sex trafficking victims, and provides needed tools for prosecutors and law enforcement to stop human trafficking in Virginia.
Letter: Celebrating Marriage Equality
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: Today, we rejoice in the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the federal right of same sex partners to legal marriage in the cases of Obergefell v. Hodges, Tanco v. Haslam, DeBoer v. Snyder, Bourke v. Beshear.
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Alexandria: Wine Cellar Needs a Little Help from Friends
Elizabeth and Rick Myllenbeck have a vision for 207 King St. They want to turn the historic 1810 Bartleman house in the heart of Old Town into the Sonoma Cellar, a wine-tasting room, bistro, and gift shop.
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Alexandria/Mount Vernon: Beer and Barbecue at Bilbo Baggins
In the Kitchen
Ancho chili pepper, garlic and onion powder are poured into the large aluminum pot already simmering with ketchup, vinegar and leftover pork drippings.
Tuesday, July 7
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A House by the Sea
Design ideas for beach homes.
As the sweaty days of summer slog on, many are dreaming about a home by the sea, a wistful retreat where cares flow as freely as an ocean breeze.
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.
Thursday, July 2
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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.
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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.
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Local Farms Supply Alexandria Wegmans
Five Virginia farms are currently supplying the recently opened Wegmans grocery store in Alexandria with fresh produce.
Alexandria/Mount Vernon Weekend Fun: July 3-5
Events in Alexandria and Mount Vernon for the July 4 weekend.
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Fourth of July Weekend Fun in Fairfax County
A roundup of entertaining things to do this weekend: July 3-5, 2015.
A roundup of fun things to do this weekend in Fairfax county.
Wednesday, July 1
Column: Quality of Life
Throughout my nearly six and a half years of cancer treatment, starting at the initial Team Lourie meeting on February 27, 2009, when my oncologist suggested I take that vacation I’ve always dreamed of (to which I exclaimed “WHAT!?”), my quality of life has always been important to him.
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Mt. Vernon: Many Made WPHS All Night Graduation Party Possible
Grads enjoy all night celebration supported by 80 local businesses.
The West Potomac High School All Night Graduation Celebration provides a safe, fun, drug- and alcohol-free event for seniors following their graduation ceremony.
Mt. Vernon: Technology Helps Manage Volunteer Drivers for Seniors
Ride Scheduler software assists five elder village organizations to better serve those needing transportation.
Physical and social isolation comes quickly to those seniors 50 and over who, because of acognitive or physical handicaps, cannot drive to doctor or dental appointments, grocery stores, or quality of life activities that require one to use a car to get there and back.
Mount Vernon Scouts Go Broadway
Scouts attend week-long camp with a Broadway theme.
More than 300 Mount Vernon scouts attended a week-long camp at Fort Hunt Park.
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ACCT Stages ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’
Comedy tells of efficiency expert who raises a family with 12 children.
Aldersgate Church Community Theater (ACCT) is staging the light-hearted classic comedy "Cheaper by the Dozen" July 3-19 in Alexandria.
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:
Alexandria People At Work: Dancing the Afternoon Away
Dancing the Afternoon Away
Shiny silver heels glide over the polished wooden floor. Today Lioudmila Blinov will review the steps of the Argentine tango with Gregory and Lindsey Bearce from Alexandria who have been dancing there since January. You can do it "slow slow slow" or "slow quick quick slow. It's what you feel." They have already been through the foxtrot and other basics. "He bought me a dance lesson as an anniversary present,” Lindsey says. "And now it's kind of like a date night sort of thing," Gregory adds.