Stories for August 2021

Volunteering Can Give Seniors Purpose

Seniors and retirees can stay active and have a positive impact on the community.

Every Tuesday this summer, Esther Rosenberg has welcomed two elementary school-aged students into her Potomac, Md. home.

Opinion: Column: “Enough Already”

As my late mother would have suggested after reading four consecutive weeks of Kenny's column being on the same subject: the second degree burns on my feet, I am finally moving on.

Overcoming Mental Health Stigma

Suicide Walk-a-Thon brings awareness

The pandemic's psychological and socioeconomic fallout may be driving an accelerated trend in depressive symptoms and suicide ideation, attempts, and deaths in Fairfax County, reported experts in mental health at the "Fight Suicide" Walk-a-Thon at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston held Aug. 21.

Senior Olympics Profile Orienteering

Which way is north again?

Grab a compass and detailed topographical map and head out over unfamiliar terrain to navigate a set course in the fastest time.

New Law Could Help Save Turtles

Wild turtles need protection; enjoy them by seeing them, but leave them be.

From scratchy ancient petroglyphs to the children’s book heroine, Myrtle the turtle, to fictional superheroes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, turtles have long fascinated people.

Flourishing After 55 in Arlington

Office of 55+ Programs

‘Never Forgotten’: Cross Country Motorcycle Ride Ends at Arlington National Cemetery

Beth Ann Dively knew something was wrong.

Lucky Danger Adds Twist to Chinese-American Food in Arlington

New take-out opens in Westport

Lucky Danger opened with much anticipation July 21 at Arlington’s Westport behind Pentagon City.

Opinion: Column: Hopping and Hoping

As I approach my four-week anniversary of "the burning," I do so with cautious optimism that one day soon, I'll be walking upright once again and doing so without the assistance of my walker.

Universities Measure Heat Disparities in Virginia

Marymount professor and student join ‘Heat Watch’ effort.

Enduring dangerously high temperatures, Marymount University student Bader Hakami and biology professor Susan Agolini spent a day working as community scientists.

Silver Anniversary, Grande Finale

Last performance for Bowen McCauley Dance Company to celebrate final performance, at Kennedy Center

Lucy Bowen has decided to go out with a bang.

Opinion: Commentary: Virginia Legislature Decides on Funds, Addresses Needs

On Aug. 10, the General Assembly completed work in a special session to appropriate federal pandemic funds and elect judges.

Paving and Warm Weather are in Tandem This Year in Northern Virginia

There is a map and system to where the paving goes.

August is hot, and the drivers trying to get back to a normal routine have probably hit a pothole or two out on the roads, but VDOT is out there with the paving crews, putting down pavement on 1,145 lane miles throughout the paving season, which goes until November.

Design Ideas to Welcome Fall

Small changes in home accessories can transform a space.

When it comes to interior design, attention to even the smallest of details took on new importance over the past year.

Big Money for Big Biz, Not as Much for Poor

Lawmakers go on a spending spree with billions of dollars from Uncle Sam.

Big business cleaned up this week, taking home the biggest prizes in the special session to spend $3 billion in stimulus cash. Meanwhile, low-income Virginians didn't fare quite as well.

Snakeheads Are Thriving in Area Waters

Snakeheads taste like a tender pork chop, some say.

They lurk in the murky, sluggish shallows, their elongated bodies and splotchy, brown skin camouflaged in the shoreline’s woody detritus and dense vegetation.

Rock Spring UCC in Arlington Donates $24,000 to Power Rural Clinics in India During COVID

One man’s journey lights a village.

Save a life with a reliable solar panel in a medical clinic in rural India.

Flourishing After 55 in Arlington

Office of 55+ Programs

Arlington Swimmers Want Pool Agreement Reconsidered

Superintendent‘s decision not reviewed first by school board and pool patrons

Arlington taxpayer and swimmer Walt Edwards is angry.

Arlington Blows Hot and Cold on Gas Leaf Blowers

Noise, pollution, habitat destruction seen as unsustainable

Gas-powered lawn mowers, edgers, and leaf blowers crisscrossing the lawns in Arlington are generating dissent.

Spending Spree

General Assembly returns to Richmond to appropriate federal stimulus cash

In the 1985 hit movie "Brewster's Millions," Richard Pryor is given the task of spending $30 million in 30 days.

Opinion: Commentary: Biden Can Do More to Keep Guns Out of Unsafe Hands

How badly do we want to reduce gun violence in America, whether from suicides, mass shootings, domestic violence or some combination of the above?

Streams Get a Lift from a County Program

‘Operation Stream Shield’ is called a win-win-win.

Operation Stream Shield

Northern Virginia Senior Olympics Opens 39th Year in September

Step up and claim your Olympic medal awarded after each event.

Pressure for Athletic Success Can Lead to Stress

Balancing the need for athletic achievement with emotional wellbeing

Practicing with her club track team three days each week, training with a private coach on the other four days and balancing a challenging academic workload led to a stressful school year for Alexandria high school senior Alexis McCormick.