Monday, July 30
Signature Celebrates
Virginia’s Signature Theatre opens its doors for their annual Open House on Saturday, Aug. 4.
Thursday, July 26
Classified Advertising (July 25, 2012)
Read the lastest Classified, Employment and Home and Garden ads!
Arlington Real Estate: May 2012 Sales in $900s
In May 2012, 318 Arlington homes sold between $3,555,000-$105,000.
Arlington Real Estate: May 2012 Sales in $900s
After Years of Construction, a New Jones Point Park Emerges from Orange Cones
Southernmost point of the District of Columbia gets a makeover.
Now, after more than a decade hidden behind a veil of orange cones, Jones Point Park is ready to once again take its place among the premier city parks.
Wednesday, July 25
Not Only For the Dogs
Arlington offers “canine community areas.”
On a recent Saturday morning, more than 40 dogs could be seen running around chasing each other, splashing in the nearby creek and busy just being dogs at the Shirlington Dog Park, one of eight such parks which thousands of Arlington and area residents enjoy each week.
Arlington Calendar 7/25/12
Arlington Calendar Events
Arlington Orange line Events 7/25/12
Arlington Orange Line Events
Marathon ’33 Goes into Final Stage Rehearsals
Early last week, the cast and crew of the American Century Theater’s upcoming summer play went into rehearsals on site in Theatre II in the Gunston Arts Center.
Applying Pet Therapy
Animal Welfare League provides pets, volunteers.
Fellowship Health Resources Inc, a nonprofit mental health and substance abuse treatment agency, is working in conjunction with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington to provide and expand a Pet Therapy program that has become popular with the agency’s members.
Column: A Life Worth Living, Still
It might be my age (as in getting older), or it might be the fact that I have cancer (you think?), but my brain and the related physical and mental tasks it coordinates are not exactly working at peak efficiency.
Tuesday, July 24
Turtle Recall Releases Debut Album
Local band consists of several South Lakes graduates.
It was the start of 2009 when South Lakes High School graduate John-Currie Hester made a resolution to his fellow South Lakes graduate Guido DeHoratiis: to start a band. Soon they recruited a few other South Lakes alumni to join up and they started playing covers at shows around the area.
Derek Lee, South Lakes Baseball, 1983
South Lakes slugger was drafted five times before playing for Minnesota Twins.
Derek Lee is remembered at South Lakes high school, and by those that watched him play baseball, for his ability to do one thing — swing the bat.
Taline Tahmassian, Langley Soccer, 2001
Langley star recorded 96 goals and before winning NCAA title at Santa Clara.
How good Taline Tahmassian was on the soccer field can be measured by the pages of old newspapers. Tahmassian and the Saxons could be seen celebrating in photographs while snappy headlines chronicled their victories in a week-by-week scrapbook of archived clippings.
Nate Friends, McLean Soccer, Basketball, 1991
Friends dominated the basketball court and soccer field to help McLean to several regional tournament appearances.
Chantilly coach Jim Smith was a relative unknown when he took over the reeling McLean High School boys basketball team back in 1989.
Editorial: Separate and Unequal?
If we don't believe that poor students are less innately talented, then the disparities in Northern Virginia are truly unfair.
The numbers are eye-popping. Latino students are 22 percent of Fairfax County Public Schools students, but 2.7 percent of the incoming Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology freshman class, the class of 2016. Of the 480 students, seven are black. That's 1.4 percent, while black students are 10 percent of the county school system.
Consumer Confidence on the Rise in Washington Region
Survey participants perceive regional economy better than broader national picture.
Consumer confidence is on the rise, according to results of a new survey by the Greater Washington Board of Trade.
Friday, July 20
Arlington Home Sales: June, 2012
In June 2012, 343 Arlington homes sold between $4,000,000-$54,000.
Arlington Home Sales in June, 2012
Pedaling with Pals
Potomac Pedalers provides group rides for area cyclists.
Cyclists of all ages and ability levels can participate in group rides with the Potomac Pedalers.
Title IX Marks 40 Years
Local coaches reflect on the law’s impact and societal changes.
Title IX's impact is felt 40 years later.
Arlington Swim Briefs: WGCC Swim Team Dominates Congressional
The WGCC swim team defeated Congressional, 300-142.
Thursday, July 19
Inaction May Cause Federal Officials to Create Health-Care Exchange for Virginia
January 2013 is the deadline for the commonwealth to create authority for exchange.
Virginia is suffering from deadline fever, although Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell is calling for a second opinion.
Wednesday, July 18
Arlington Orange line Events 7/18/12
Orangle Line Events
Right on Target
93-year-old Greenspring resident wins gold at Virginia Senior Games.
Not long after "The Hunger Games" blockbuster created a buzz around the sport of archery, Greenspring resident Charlie Edwards shot for gold at the Virginia Senior Games in May.
Arlington Calendar 7/18/12
Arlington Calendar
Arlington Bulletin Board 7/18/12
Bulletin Board Notes
“Flourishing After 55”
Senior Events
Potomac Business Notes 7/18/12
Potomac Business Notes
Potomac Real Estate Notes 7/18/12
Real Estate Notes
Virginia Local Cigarette Taxes
The Virginia state tax on cigarettes is $3 per carton, or 30 cents per pack, making Virginia cigarettes some of the cheapest in the country. Jurisdictions in the Virginia also affix a local tax, with rates that can vary widely.
Column: Circumstances Be Damned
If only it were as easy to actually live it as it is to write it. As much as I believe what I write, it’s still difficult to ignore certain facts (“the underlying diagnosis,” as I often refer to my diagnosis) and the feelings associated with it.
Fairfax County, VDOT File Suit Against EPA
New EPA rules will impact homeowners, developers and could cost taxpayers nearly $500 million.
Fairfax County and the state of Virginia filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, July 12, challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new storm water regulations for the Accotink watershed, claiming the agency’s requirements are costly, onerous and vastly exceed its legal authority.
President Comes to the Area
Obama rallies his supporters during the campaign stop at Centreville High.
Before President Barack Obama addressed the huge crowd inside Centreville High, Saturday afternoon, Jerry Foltz of Wellspring United Church of Christ gave the invocation.
Royalette Dance Team Brings Home Awards
The 2012-2013 Royalette Dance Team from Bishop O’Connell High School just returned from the Universal Dance Association Camp at the University of Maryland - Baltimore County with trophies, ribbons and valuable team experiences.
Herrity, Hugo Respond to Obama’s Visit
Both Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and Del. Tim Hugo (R-40) held a joint press conference Saturday afternoon, speaking to local Romney supporters prior to President Obama’s campaign rally at Centreville High. Said Herrity: "It was nice to see so many people from Little Rocky Run stop by and pick up Romney signs and stand with us."
Two $100,000 wins in three months for Arlington man
He wins twice in Virginia Lottery Cash 5 game
When Joseph Sylvester of Arlington matched all five numbers in the July 3 Cash 5 night drawing, he thought, “Gotta get my picture taken again.”
TACT presents June Havoc’s ‘Marathon ’33’
The American Century Theater will present June Havoc’s Marathon ’33, July 27 – Aug. 25, 2012 at Gunston Theatre II in Arlington. TACT Artistic Director Jack Marshall is the show’s director, and Tom Fuller is the musical director.
The Smoking Trail
New cigarette trafficking law aids enforcement.
Virginia has long been known as a tobacco-friendly state. Tobacco was one of the first major commercial products for New World European settlers, and the state remains one of the largest producers today. Virginia is also home to some of the cheapest cigarettes in the country.
Mount Olivet Relives War between States
Reenactors from both the North and the South camped out in the small park beyond the entrance to Mount Olivet’s Church on North 16th Street in Arlington on Sunday, July 15. Members of the Confederate troops of the Army of Northern Virginia set up camp along with Union troops.
Classified Advertising (July 18, 2012)
Read the latest Classifieds, Employment and Home and Garden ads!
Tuesday, July 17
In Search of a ‘Forever Home’
Humane Society of Fairfax working for animal and human welfare.
Look up Petfinder.com on your Internet browser page. It’s a site where animal welfare groups can promote animals they have available for adoption. Type in a town or zip code. Let’s use Alexandria as an example. Check "Cat" for "Type of Animal." Hit "Search."
Childhood Hobbies: Finding the Right Fit
Experts offer suggestions for choosing extracurricular activities for the fall.
While many are still basking in the lazy days of summer, Anna Faust is planning her 5-year-old son’s after-school activity schedule for the fall.
Editorial: Leaving Millions on the Table
Virginia should embrace opportunity for more health care coverage for poor residents.
Chances are that if you are reading this, you have employer-provided health insurance. While you might worry about the young adults in your family or the lower wage workers in your organization, you also know that if you are sick, you can go to the doctor.
Friday, July 13
Thursday, July 12
Four Runners Shine at Hershey Meet
Arlington’s best runners proved to be Virginia’s best, too, as four local runners claimed the top prize at the Hershey Track & Field Virginia State meet held in Charlottesville on June 16.
Wednesday, July 11
Home Remodeling 101
Experts offer suggestions for a timely and efficient renovation.
Whether expanding a home or just remodeling an existing interior space, building projects can be daunting, especially if the goal is to be finished by a certain date. "If you wanted to get going on a project and your goal was to be done by Thanksgiving, the planning process and permit process is probably as long as the building process, but you don’t want to rush through those aspects of it and then wish you’d done something differently," said David Vogt of Case Design/Remodeling, Inc.
Column: A Victim of My Own Circumstances
Outliving one’s prognosis leads to all sorts of twists and turns and treatment conundrums: the longer one lives, the fewer the treatment options.
Divis Wins Watchdog Award
Dee Ann Divis, of Arlington, writer for Inside GNSS¸ a magazine that covers global navigation satellite systems, was named the winner of the Society of Professional Journalists Washington, D.C., Professional Chapter's highest journalistic award, the Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award which comes with a $1,000 prize.
‘A Place of Comfort’
Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, along with the Arlington Sesquicentennial Committee and Arlington Historical Society, will host a Civil War Living History and medical display to honor the church’s use as a field hospital following the First Battle of Bull Run, or First Manassas. As Union troops fled back to Washington, D.C., in disarray after their rout on the battlefield, Mount Olivet was commandeered to treat the wounded.
On the Lookout for Eels
There’s something slimy in Arlington’s water systems. Hidden beneath the surface, slithering under sediment, and as likely to call sewers as well as streams their home is the Anguilla rostrata, or more commonly known as the American eel.
Church Hosts Death Penalty Discussion
The Journey of Hope, a group started by murder victims’ family members who oppose the death penalty, is coming to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Arlington, on Friday, June 29, 7:30-9 p.m.
Bernice King Speaks at Busboys and Poets
Daughter of civil rights icons tells her mother’s story.
Bernice King, one of the daughters of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Corretta Scott King, was at Busboys and Poets in Shirlington to discuss a biography about her mother on May 26. The book, titled “Desert Rose: The Life and Legacy of Coretta Scott King,” was written by Coretta Scott King’s only sister, Edythe Scott Bagley, who died shortly after she completed the book.
Rotary Club Installs New Board
Hugh Barton assumed the leadership of the Arlington Rotary Club on July 1, succeeding outgoing president Joe Lott.
A Girl Named Dorothea
German exchange student finds second home in Arlington
Foreign exchange student stories start slow and grind through phrases like "challenge to the world's young people" and "foster peace and understanding" and "different perspectives on the world." This story is not one of them.
Naadam Celebrates Independence
Mongolian community in Arlington celebrates Independence Day with games, food and music.
The Mongolian community in Arlington celebrated 91 years of independence from Manchurian rule on Sunday, July 8 at Barcroft Park. The celebration, known as Naadam, highlights traditional Mongolian culture through the three games of archery, horse back riding, and wrestling.
Beat Heat, Reduce Carbon Pollution
To the Editor:
Classified Advertising (July 11, 2012)
Read the latest Classifieds, Home and Garden and Employment ads!
Tuesday, July 10
Editorial: Every Vote in Virginia Will Count
Top presidential donor zip codes in this area show Virginia is purple; Romney or Obama to be decided on Election Day.
If you wonder if presidential politics really matters in this area, consider that Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland hold some of the top zip codes for contributions to the two major party candidates.
‘Alive with History’
Take a journey back in time to learn about the history of the Torpedo Factory. Bring a mask from home or make one at a Do-It-Yourself Station and wear it to the reception for Masks in the Target Gallery. Join The Art League Gallery for the reception for Genius Loci and the All-Media Membership Exhibit.
19th Century Vitriol
To the Editor:
Proposals for Freedmen’s Cemetery
The public is invited to meet the artists and view proposals for the Contrabands and Freedmen’s Cemetery sculpture on July 7 at the Durant Arts Center. The Alexandria Commission for the Arts and the Office of the Arts will host a reception from 5 - 6 p.m. at the Durant Arts Center, located at 1605 Cameron St.
Monday, July 9
9th Asian Festival Celebrating the Year of the Dragon
Festival will take place July 21-22 at GMU.
This year, the 9th Asian Food and Tennis Festival is celebrating the year of dragon. The Festival is a two-day, free admission event to promote greater understanding of the Asian countries and cultures. It will be held at the George Mason University on July 21, Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on July 22, Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is open to the public.
Wednesday, July 4
Column: Writing On!
It was June ’09 when I published my first column in the Connection Newspapers about being diagnosed with cancer. It was actually a column detailing the diagnostic steps I had taken during the first few months of the year attempting to identify the pain I had initially felt under my right-side rib cage in late December.
Tuesday, July 3
O’Connell’s Finucane, Ferraro Named Softball All-Americans
Knights finish 2012 season ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Bishop O'Connell softball players Tori Finucane and Jillian Ferraro were named first-team All-Americans for the 2012 season.
WGCC Lightning Looks to Reclaim CCSDA Title
The WGCC Lightning last won its league swimming championship in 2010.
AKC Swims Past Manorgate for 2nd Straight Win
The Arlington Knights of Columbus (AKC) Holy Mackerels swam past the Manorgate Marlins, 242-202, at Manorgate on June 30 to earn their second straight win of the season in Colonial Swim League (CSL) Blue Division action.
O’Connell Grad Marshall Drafted by Suns
Former Bishop O'Connell star Kendall Marshall drafted by the Phoenix Suns.
Finding a Home for the Golden Years
Experts offer advice on choosing a retirement community.
When Jim Upp’s wife Jeannie died in 2006, the Fairfax senior citizen found himself surrounded by a lifetime of memories in the spacious home where the couple had raised three children.
Editorial: New Laws, Assault on Freedom?
oting restrictions, abortion restrictions, DUI restrictions, fewer gun restrictions, more go into effect July.
A plethora of new laws will go into effect in the Commonwealth on July 1, including restrictive new procedures for voting, and the loosening of multiple gun regulations.
A Journey from the Past to Change the Future
Church hosts discussion on death penalty
The Journey of Hope and Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty hosted an event on Friday, June 29 in recognition of the 40th anniversary of Furman v. Georgia, a Supreme Court case that abolished capital punishment in every U.S. state. The decision was overturned by Gregg v. Georgia four years later.
Guns from the South
July 1 marks lifting of 19-year restriction on hand gun purchases.
On July 1, the 19-year restriction on handgun purchases in Virginia became null and void. The measure was signed by Gov. Bob McDonnell Feb 28, and effectively allows an unlimited number of handgun purchases to individuals in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
July 1, Fewer Gun Restrictions
Legislation going into effect this week in Virginia includes multiple bills that ease any restrictions on guns.
More Homes Regain Power
Cooling centers open during heat wave.
As of Monday morning, July 2, there were about 26,000 to 27,000 households without power in Arlington— an improvement from a peak of 59,000 households following the June 29 thunderstorm.
Family, Friends Recall Marine’s ‘Restless Spirit’
Niall Coti-Sears killed in Afghanistan.
Niall Coti-Sears enjoyed playing Chopin, composing music, skiing, discussing philosophy, playing soccer, hiking, horseback riding, reading about physics and making others laugh. His loved ones knew him for his energetic, adventurous and positive spirit.
Family, Friends Recall Marine’s ‘Restless Spirit’
Niall Coti-Sears killed in Afghanistan.
Niall Coti-Sears enjoyed playing Chopin, composing music, skiing, discussing philosophy, playing soccer, hiking, horseback riding, reading about physics and making others laugh. His loved ones knew him for his energetic, adventurous and positive spirit.
Monday, July 2
New Laws, Assault on Freedom?
Voting restrictions, abortion restrictions, DUI restrictions, fewer gun restrictions, more go into effect July 1.
A plethora of new laws will go into effect in the Commonwealth on July 1, including restrictive new procedures for voting, and the loosening of multiple gun regulations.
Documentary Tackles Corporate Tax Evasion
"We're Not Broke" screening in Arlington makes taxation a question of justice.
In Karin Hayes and Victoria Bruce's documentary film, "We're Not Broke," which played to an audience in the Arlington County Library June 25, makes the case that taxes are not America's problem. It is who is and who is not being taxed that is.
Storms Leave 2 Dead, Power Out
At least two dead in Fairfax; 285,000 residents still without power after Friday night’s hurricane force winds.
Winds of more than 70 miles per hour swept through Fairfax County Friday night. Power went out as the storm blew into the area around 10:30 p.m. with hurricane force winds sounding like a freight train. The sound made some residents think a tornado was upon them, and many took refuge in basements.
Despite Failing Grade on Transparency, Law Enforcement Officials Resist Opening Access
Advocates for public access remain frustrated by persistent lack of transparency.
Back in March, Virginia received a failing grade from the State Integrity Investigation as the result of a systematic lack of transparency.