Stories for April 2016

State of the County Presented Over Breakfast

Leadership Fairfax hosts 25th Annual Board of Supervisors State of the County Breakfast and presents Hanley Award to Bill Bouie for Public Service.

With the number and types of commitments made on their daily schedules, it takes a special occasion to gather the entire roster of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in one place at one time outside the walls of their meeting chambers.

Preparing for Summer Camp Away

Many emotions arise when a child leaves for camp.

A child’s first residential summer camp experience can be fraught with emotions that run the gamut from excitement to terror.

Academic Camps Combine Education and Fun

Local camps help students maintain school skills in a relaxed environment.

One summer Ana Lado created a summer camp activity for students at her neighborhood pool. The Marymount professor set up a picnic area, and included activities and books. Her plan was to engage the students and give them the opportunity to read and build reading skills while still enjoying fun activities traditionally associated with summer.

From Colonial History to Future Entrepreneurs

Campers can explore diverse interests in specialty summer camps.

This summer dozens of elementary school-aged children will travel back in time to the Colonial Era where, among other things, they’ll learn to spin cotton into cloth for garments.

Editorial: More Voters Might Not Mean Much More Voting

Governor’s action brings Virginia in line with 39 other states.

Last week, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) restored the voting and civil rights of more than 200,000 Virginians who were convicted of felonies, served their time and completed any supervised release, parole or probation requirements.

Snapshot: Second Chances

Brian Moran, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the State of Virginia, outlines the state’s recent legislation addressing the problems and challenges of prisoners.

Responding to Teen Sex Trafficking

Comprehensive approach seeks to educate teens.

In 2012 Fairfax County Detective William Woolf discovered a 16-year-old girl being prostituted by the M-16 gang. At the time there was little recognition that the problem existed locally. The girl was recovered and since then Woolf has interviewed 300 recovered victims, some as young as 12-years old. After the initial shock, Northern Virginia businesses, faith communities and educational groups sought to understand the extent of the problem.

Arlington Neighborhood Outlook: Along the Corridor

New retail and commercial spaces fill Rosslyn and Ballston.

Indoor-outdoor dining is the new trend, according to Rosslyn BID President Mary-Claire Burick.

Arlington County Board Passes Budget Mostly as Proposed

Affordable Housing Investment Fund gets boost from 2016 leftovers.

Between the County Manager Mark Schwartz’s budget proposal in February and the final adoption on April 19, little had changed.

Arlington: Panel Discusses Reinstatement of Virginia Parole

U.S. tops world incarceration rates.

Al Schuman says "three strikes and you're out," instituted in 1995, was one of the biggest mistakes of the country. Twenty years ago, the Commonwealth adopted legislation to abolish discretionary parole and adopted the Truth-in-Sentencing (TIS), which required offenders to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences.

Arlington: County Honors Master Gardener

Judy Funderburk, a volunteer who has logged more than 6,000 hours of service to the community, much of it nurturing the Glencarlyn Library Community Garden, is Arlington County’s 2015 Bill Thomas Outstanding Park Service Volunteer Award winner.

Arlington: Resolve to Run Raises $11,500 for Emergency Needs

George Washington Parkway Classic effort proves successful.

Arlington Thrive was one of the many local safety net groups represented at the George Washington Parkway Classic race on Sunday April 24.

Arlington Snapshot: Fiesta-Val Music Festival

Yorktown Chamber Choir Wins Superior First Place at the Fiesta-Val Music Festival in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. on April 22.

Arlington Column: Veto Session Keeps Virginia in Mainstream

Every April, the General Assembly returns to Richmond for a one-day “veto session.” This is when we vote on Governor McAuliffe’s amendments to bills — and his vetoes of bills — that passed during our regular winter session. We accept or reject the amendments, and sustain or override the vetoes; then, as citizen legislators, we return to our communities. For the rest of the year, much of our

Arlington: Founder of Women’s Group Awed by Growth of Her ‘Squad’

Ever-growing network of friends.

When Arlington resident Jessica Lehman first moved to the D.C.-metropolitan area from New Orleans last fall, she never expected that making friends would be a challenge. Having spent nearly 10 years in the perhaps friendlier state of Louisiana, Lehman said she never had trouble finding female peers to bond with. Where college, law school and even rigorous law firm life didn’t pose challenges to amassing friends, her move last year to Arlington surprisingly did.

Removing a Barrier to Pomp and Circumstance

Gowns for Grads program at George Mason provides regalia for needy graduates.

When Muntaha Choudhary walks across the stage during George Mason University’s graduation ceremony this May she will celebrate not only her bachelor’s degree, which has been eight years in the making, but also the fact that she is the first person in her family to graduate from college.

Letter: Selfishness, Not Altruism, Behind Tax Increases

To the Editor

The Board of Supervisors and School Board should give the approximately 12,000 classroom teachers salary increases, but give no raises to other school and county employees.

Editorial: On the Guilty Plea of Adam Torres

Geer’s death exposed “obfuscation … and a lack of public accountability.”

Adam Torres, charged with murder in the death of Springfield resident John Geer, was the first Fairfax County Police officer in the history of the department to be charged in such a death.

Transitway Comes to Arlington

Ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the launch of joint Arlington-Alexandria bus service.

“This is Arlington,” said Sandra Borden from the Crystal City Civic Association as she points across Glebe Road, “and over there, that’s Alexandria.”

Arlington: Streetscape Improvements for Rosslyn

With a series of new furnishings, the streetscapes of Rosslyn might start to look a little more vibrant. Within this year, Lucia deCorde, president and urban design director of the Rosslyn BID, said that Rosslyn residents and visitors will begin to see wayfinding posts, informational stalls, new benches and vegetation along the sidewalks.

Arlington Snapshot: Gulf Branch Blacksmith

Meyer Kachel is stretching out the hot metal to the size of his pinkie and will pound it “really thin and curl it into a key fob.”

Arlington Letter: Hardly Non-Partisan

Letter to the Editor

I am writing in response to the article [April 13-19 edition] entitled, “More than Tolerance,” about the Muslim Town Hall Meeting held April 9 at the Arlington Library.

Arlington Snapshot: Resolve to Run Final Week

Participants have raised $3,200 out of $16,000 goal.

On Saturday, April 9, runners gathered for a brunch buffet at the Army Navy Country Club to celebrate the end of their 3-month training period. Reece Preisser and Chevy Gallegos came out to run the final training run/walk and join their mothers for the carb-loading breakfast. The youngest registered runner in the Arlington Thrive fundraising run is 12: the oldest is 71. The race will take place Sunday, April 24. So far, the runners have raised $3,200 in funds for Thrive. Residents who want to support the effort can do so on the www.youcaring.com website or send a check to Arlington Thrive, PO Box 7429 Arlington, VA 22207 with the name of the runner they support on the memo line.

Arlington County Acknowledges Fire Station Could Remain on Hall’s Hill Site

Other changes will have to occur for county response time to improve.

“After two years of saying the current site was not adequate for a bigger fire station on the Station 8 site, the county reversed its position and provided site drawings last week indicating the current site was feasible,” said Nancy Williams of the Old Dominion Civic Association. “It would be interesting to know why that took so long,” she said, “but the most important thing is that local citizens were able to get the county to go back review the facts, with a different result.”

Arlington: Signature Theatre Presents ‘The Mystery of Love & Sex’

Signature Theatre stages unexpected love story of evolving friendship, finding one’s own path, and the value of family.

Signature Theatre in Shirlington is staging "The Mystery of Love & Sex" now through May 8. The story revolves around Charlotte and Jonny, complete opposites who have been best friends since they were children.

Arlington: ‘Nice Work If You Can Get It’

The Arlington Players present prohibition-era musical with music by Gershwin.

The Arlington Players (TAP) is staging "Nice Work If You Can Get It" now through April 23 at the Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre in Arlington.

Historic Garden Week in Virginia

Elegant homes and gardens in Old Town, Arlington and Falls Church will be open to the public.

Some of the most spectacular gardens will be in bloom and on display during the 83rd annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia.

Modular Homes Come of Age

What's behind the growing popularity of modular homes? Recent research shows that a house comprised of architecturally-specific, pre-constructed modules can be assembled on a homeowner’s lot for 10-15 percent less than of the cost of a comparably-sized “stick-built” house.

Arlington Home Sales: March, 2016

In March, 2016, 219 Arlington homes sold between $2,005,000-$133,650.

Home Sales in March, 2016

Arlington: Wakefield Teammates Compete in Nova Challenge

Nhial scores 16 points for Fairfax South All-Stars

Deng Nhial, Eric Martin and Jonathan Adams were members of the Fairfax South All-Stars on Sunday.

Becoming Aware of Child Sex Trafficking

The problem extends throughout northern Virginia.

She stands on the sidewalk outside the mall with her backpack full of 7th grade science and math books. An older man pulls up and she gets in the backseat of his car.

Classified Advertising April 13, 2016

Read the latest ads here!

Inaugural Living Well Summit Piques Interest of County Seniors

Summit helps county residents improve with age.

Local residents can learn how to age gracefully Saturday, April 16, at the Living Well, Aging Well Summit in the Fairfax County Government Center.

Help Wanted: Mature Workforce at Employment Expo in Tysons

Older adults in search of work can discuss job opportunities with various industry representatives Monday, April 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the “50+ Employment Expo” in the Sheraton Tysons Hotel.

Progress Made, Challenges Remain on Ending Homelessness

HomeAid NoVA hosts ‘Keep the Homeless Housed’ Forum.

In 2008, Fairfax County partnered with the City of Falls Church to adopt an ambitious strategic plan to address the issue of homelessness in the region.

Finding Fun in Science

Area youth turn out for Project BEST Science and Technology Fun.

What could possibly have lured some 100 and more middle school youngsters back to a school building on a Saturday, especially if that school isn’t theirs and they had to get up extra early just to get there?

Editorial: Award-Winning Connection Newspapers

Still striving to be the Connection to your community.

Connection Newspapers won dozens of awards from the Virginia Press Association for work done in 2015.

Arlington Snapshot: Yorktown Theatre To Present One-Person Shows

Yorktown High School’s One-Person Shows are the culmination of four years of the Yorktown Theatre Program. Each Theatre IV student chooses a literary, fictional or historical character and then writes, choreographs, directs, and acts in a 30-minute show about that character. Shows take place in the Yorktown Black Box on: April 21, 7 – 9 p.m; April 22, 5 – 10 p.m.; April 23, 11:15 a.m. – 10 p.m.; and April 28, 7 – 7:40 p.m. For a schedule of individual show topics and times, go to: http://yhstheatre.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2016-OPS-Marathon-Program.pdf.

Arlington: Community Leaders and Muslims Discuss Islamophobia

Promoting more than just tolerance.

Nader Hasan remembers riding bikes through Shirlington with his cousin. The two of them grew up in the area and watched fireworks together from one of the nearby hills. But the two boys from Arlington grew up into very different men. When Major Nidal Hasan murdered 13 people in Fort Hood in 2009 as part of an attempt to spread fear and hate, it forced his cousin Nader Hasan to confront extremism on both sides of his community and his country.

Arlington: Haley Receives Training Grant

Wakefield High School French teacher, Susan Haley, was awarded a training grant from the French government to study for two weeks in Vichy, France.

Arlington: Station 8 Task Force Close to Consensus

Arlington to get subgroup results April 14.

There is optimism that consensus on the relocation or renovation of Fire Station 8 in High View Park is near, according to Alisa Cowen, one of the Task Force 8 members. Cowen said Task Force members had raised so many significant issues during their subgroup meetings that the issue, once fairly simple, became a complex “Pandora’s Box” of intersecting problems. That’s good news, according to Cowen, who thinks the outcome will be much more holistic for the community.

Many Good Choices for Arlington Seniors

Need a ride to the doctor? Your computer break down? Want to join a group trip to a Nats game?

Arlington: German Conversation for Fun

Seniors gather weekly in Arlington to engage in German

Last week the theme was "hats." Some people wore hats, and one person brought a computer printout of hats with names and historical dates associated. The weekly German conversation at the Langston-Brown Community and Senior Center is about to begin.

Arlington: Threading Your Way Through the Maze

Help for dementia patients and their families in Arlington; excellent services but many people don’t know what they are.

Laura “Fayse” Howard lives in the house her husband Allen built in South Arlington. The side entrance looks out on bird feeders hanging from a tree he planted. There is a bench big enough for two in the garden. The kitchen is the way kitchens used to be: cozy, galley size. In the living room, there are pictures of family, an antique organ, crocheted blankets, and a rescued dog named Diva who is keeping an eye on things from “her” armchair.

Speaker Series

Senior Services of Alexandria will present Aging Well, Working Together for a Livable Community for all Ages, next in a speaker series, on Wednesday, April 13, 10 a.m. to noon, at the Beatley Central Library, 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria.

Luxury Condos are a Growth Market for Seniors

Active retirees seek options for independent living, including condos in Alexandria, Arlington, Tysons, Reston, McLean, Bethesda and Chevy Chase, among others.

When Joyce and Don Lipman decided to move out of their Potomac, Md. home, they opted for a high-end townhouse instead of a retirement community.

Taking the Long View

Budgeted, incremental improvements are the key to effective planning, aging in place.

When they decided not to move-on after retirement, seniors Mike and Sandy Nusbaum slowly began enlarging their long-term residence with several goals in mind.

Golden Notes

Living well at any age.

‘Shark Tank’ for Seniors

High school students design and present tech products to improve lives of older adults.

Chantilly High School freshman Aru Rajpurohit remembers seeing her great-grandfather struggle to drink his morning tea and other beverages, his hands shaking from Parkinson’s disease.

Letter: Help Prevent Child Abuse

If you see a blue pinwheel dotting the landscape in April, we hope you will pause and think about what it represents--National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Send in Mother's Day Photos to the Connection

Mother’s Day is May 8 this year and as usual every year at this time, this newspaper calls for submissions to our Mother’s Day photo gallery.

First Responders Honored at 38th Annual Valor Awards

‘Ready for All Emergencies’

Technician Ryland Chapman and Lieutenant Lawrence Mullin with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were preparing to return home from a deployment with Virginia Task Force 1 to earthquake-rocked Kathmandu, Nepal when another quake sent them back out for duty.

Lawmakers Wrap-up Richmond Legislative Session

Unspent TANF grant money, prisoner rights among social issues discussed.

On average, low income families in Virginia who are eligible and sign up for funds from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant receive $269 monthly and are cut off after five years. But lawmakers say there’s a lot more unexpended money available in the federal grant that, if it remains unused, could one day be taken back.

Clarendon Farmer’s Market Season Opens

Encouraging healthier eating.

The Clarendon Farmer’s Market at Courthouse slipped into its summer season amidst the raindrops on Saturday, April 2. Chester Beahm has driven 60 miles from Rivington, Va. to open his cheese stand at 8 a.m. Fields of Grace Farm offers four aged cheeses, four flavored cheese curds, two flavors of mozzarella, feta and more.

Arlington: The Undocumented American Story

Dinner with Beyer highlights difficulties facing undocumented immigrants in Northern Virginia.

The Pintos are an all-American family. Jerry Pinto, a 50-year-old man with a thick moustache, works in construction. He says he doesn't speak English and he lets his daughter do most of the translating.

Arlington: Business Panel Judges Young Entrepreneurs

Student entrepreneurs took the stage on March 31 in the Reinsch Library Auditorium at Marymount University to present their business plans before a panel of local business leaders and a public audience.

Arlington Snapshot: United Way Presents Grants

United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA) awarded $100,000 in Community Impact grants to seven nonprofit partners serving in Arlington.

Arlington Snapshot: The Bartlett

Vornado introduces its newest apartment community, The Bartlett, 699 apartment homes atop a new Whole Foods Market with views of the Washington skyline.

Arlington Letter: National Issue in the Neighborhood

Letter to the Editor

It is no secret that firearms regulations are a “hot-button” political issue in this particularly contentious election year. And sadly, a series of attempts to strategically place gun stores near educational institutions, and the densely populated residential neighborhoods around them, have turned Arlington County communities into microcosms of this national debate.

Arlington Letter: Argentinean National Day Celebration

Letter to the Editor

It is interesting to share the wonderful and challenging moments in the history of the Argentinean National Day Festival Celebration. The committee pioneered the idea of sharing with the Argentine, Hispanic and international community’s some of the food, arts, and culture of Argentina. It has always been a pleasure to showcase events in Arlington and to present young artists and famous performers at the acclaimed "Festival Argentino."

Arlington: W-L Boys’ Soccer Has State Title Aspirations

Nunez scores two goals in win over Wakefield.

The Washington-Lee boys' soccer team defeated Wakefield 4-1 on Monday.

Arlington Snapshot: Easter Egg Hunt

Siblings with matching buckets, brightly-colored baskets and decorated sacks line up for the starting shout from Potomac Overlook Regional Park manager Roy Geiger on March 22. This is the first annual Easter Egg hunt, and 75 had signed up on-line by the 11 a.m. starting time.

Arlington Weekend Fun: April 1-10

Entertainment

Events in Arlington Co., Va.