Thursday, January 31
Herndon Reston Youth Softball Takes on New Commissioner
Veteran fastpitch softball player and coach Jordan Foster says she’s ready for the challenge of leading the Herndon Reston Youth Softball League as Commissioner Bob Thomas retires and a new slate of officers takes the helm. The growing girls' fastpitch softball league, serving players ages 6 to 18 in the greater Herndon-Reston area, will take on Foster to take the baton from Bob Thomas, who helped build a good name for the league.
Call for Nominations—2013 Helios Apollo Awards
Recognizing forward-thinking employers for outstanding employee development programs.
Helios HR, a human resources firm in Reston, announced a call for nominations for the 2013 Helios Apollo Awards. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 15. Winners and finalists will be honored at the Helios Apollo Awards Ceremony at the McLean Hilton on May 29. This breakfast ceremony will recognize organizations for their outstanding commitment to employee development and engagement, specifically highlighting innovative, collaborative and agile programs.
Viewpoints: Winter Fun in Reston, Herndon
Area residents discuss “the best ways to have fun.”
“I like to go and watch basketball and hockey games. I like to see the Wizards and the Capitals; stay active and have fun. I also like to go to the Reston town center for ice skating and sledding when it snows.” -Justin Britt, marketer at Oracle, Herndon
Floris UMC to Hold Chocolate Festival
Floris United Methodist Church, 13600 Frying Pan Road, Herndon, will hold the annual Chocolate Festival on Saturday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Bring family and friends and enjoy a day of great food and fun.
Week in Herndon
A Black History Month event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 9, from 1 to 2 p.m. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Student-athletes from Herndon HS will present readings on the document, its history and importance. The event is free and open to the public, at ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center Street, Herndon.
Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation Supports Breast Cancer Awareness
Northwest Federal Credit Union (NWFCU) was recently ablaze in pink as employees, for a $5 donation to Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation (NWFCU Foundation), wore pink clothing in support of Susan G Komen Passionately Pink for the Cure®.
Letter: Taking Exception on Medicaid Expansion
Your recent editorial ["Expanding Medicaid Good For Virginia," The Connection, January 23-29, 2013] is noble in its desire to "extend health coverage to more than 400,000 residents who currently have no health insurance." If public policy making were just that easy. The editorial then goes on to indifferently say, "the Federal government picks up the tab.
Editorial: Extreme, But Brief, Volunteering
More than 150 volunteers needed to survey chronic homeless for three days in February.
The real solution to homelessness is housing. This week in Northern Virginia, a point-in-time survey will record all of the “literally homeless” individuals and families in the region. Last year, on Jan. 25, 2012, there were 1,534 people who were literally homeless in the Fairfax-Falls Church Community; 697 of them were single individuals and 837 were people in families. A third of the total number of homeless were children. Nearly 60 percent of the adult members of the homeless families were employed.
Wednesday, January 30
Classified Advertising Jan. 30, 2013
Read the lastest ads here!
A Chorus of Praise
Fairfax County mentors celebrated during National Mentor Month.
Can we get an “amen?” The joyful noise coming from the David R. Pinn Center in Fairfax on Saturday wasn’t a gospel revival, but it was just as inspiring and enlightening.
Column: A Simple Question
I don’t quite know how to start this column so I’ll begin with its ending: “I’m fine.”
Nazi Commonwealth
Bipartisan team seeks compensation for victims of forced sterilization.
Nobody knows how many people are survivors of Virginia’s forced sterilization program, which targeted people with mental illness, mental retardation or epilepsy. But a bipartisan effort now under consideration in Richmond would hand each and every one of them a $50,000 check from the people of Virginia. According to one calculation, that could mean as much as $73 million.
Indoor Winter Fun with Children
Ideas for entertainment when Jack Frost appears.
Winter weather often means limited open air playtime for some children. “It is very important for children to get as much outdoor activity as possible, but there are times when it is not safe for them to be outside for an extended length of time, or any time at all, because it is too cold. ” said Shannon Melideo, chair of the Education Department at Marymount University in Arlington. “There are many other things that children can do besides sledding and ice skating.”
Winter Fun with Food
Easy and tasty ideas for winter meals.
The stove is fired-up, a sauté pan is sizzling and the thud of a steel knife blade hitting a wooden chopping block fills the air along with the woodsy aroma of fresh thyme. The temperature outside is frigid, but the kitchen feels like an inferno as Chef Kristen Robinson drives a knife though a fennel bulb, kale leaves and a tough-skinned butternut squash with staccato succession.
MLK Foundation Celebrates Diversity
Organization welcomes member of Tuskeegee Airmen.
The Martin Luther King Cultural Foundaion hosted a celebration of cultural diversity Saturday, Jan. 26, at ArtSpace in Herndon. The Reston-based organization provides thousands of dollars per year to send local students to college.
Friday, January 25
Classified Advertising Jan. 23, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Thursday, January 24
Editorial: Expanding Medicaid Good for Virginia
Real health coverage for an additional 400,000 people is in reach.
Virginia has an opportunity to expand Medicaid in a way that could extend health coverage to more than 400,000 residents who currently have no health insurance while the Federal government picks up the tab; Virginia would pay 10 percent of the additional cost after 2020.
News Briefs
As Democratic delegates fight to keep firearms further from school property, Republican Bob Marshall (D-13) is pushing legislation to bring more guns in. Marshall is the chief patron of HB 1557, which would require every school board in the state to designate one volunteer to carry a concealed weapon on school property. Training for selected volunteers would be provided by either the Virginia Center for School Safety or the NRA, of which he is a member.
Four Northern Virginia Senators Targeted
Redistricting effort puts Fairfax County seats in the spotlight.
Four Northern Virginia state Senators are targets of a Republican-led effort to draw new districts — Sen. George Barker (D-39), Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37), Sen. Toddy Puller (D-36) and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34). Democrats say the redistricting effort is a cynical attempt to take advantage of the absence of Sen. Henry Marsh (D-16), a prominent civil rights veteran, who was in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration on Monday. But state Sen. John Watkins (R-10) of Powhatan defended the effort as a way to create a sixth majority black Senate district in Southside. It passed the Senate on a 20-to-19 vote.
Making Schools Safer
Two Northern Virginia Democrats take part in panel to consider school security.
Do Virginia schools need more guns? That question is at the heart of a debate that’s now reaching a fever pitch in the commonwealth, especially after a man with a Bushmaster assault rifle blasted his way into a Connecticut elementary school and killed 20 children and six adults before killing himself. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell responded to the tragedy by creating a School Safety Task Force, which is considering a proposal for every school in Virginia to have an armed school resource officer.
Column: The Best of Intentions, I’m Sure
Regularly, throughout my now nearly four years of living as a stage IV non-small cell lung cancer “diagnosee”/survivor, I have had conversations where the person with whom I’ve been speaking–in response to a query of mine, said about a particular set of their circumstances: “Oh, it’s nothing, really. I mean, it’s not cancer, so it’s not as bad as what you’re (meaning me) going through.” Said with the utmost sincerity and sensitivity to me of course, and with my feelings/reaction most definitely in mind; for a long time, I simply acknowledged their empathy/sympathy and continued on with our conversation as if no emotional pot–of mine, had been stirred.
Wednesday, January 23
Obama’s Agenda
Herndon-Reston citizens on second term priorities for President Obama.
A man walks into a bar… actually a female journalist walked first into O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant on Elden Street in Herndon and then into the bar at Il Fornaio Authentic Italian Restaurant and Bakery on Market Street in Reston Town Center, and posed the same question to several patrons of each establishment: “What do you see as the priorities for President Barack Obama’s second term in office?”
Week in Herndon
Hutchison Elementary Receives Donation From Time Warner Cable
Students and teachers at Hutchison Elementary School will be able to purchase and use additional supplies for their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) initiatives as a result of a $70,000 donation from Time Warner Cable
Hundreds Gather to Give
Volunteer Fairfax holds Give Together Day.
On Monday, Jan. 21, over 300 volunteers spent their day at the Herndon Community Center to support several nonprofit organizations from the area by making holiday crafts for the infirm, toiletry kits for the homeless, and fleece toys for homeless dogs. The event was one of several taking place in Fairfax County as part of Volunteer Fairfax’s Give Together day.
Column: Transportation, Education Top Agenda
Richmond Report
Going into the second week of session, the pace has picked up in the amount of bills to be considered in the House sub-committees. We had our first meetings of the Transportation Sub-committee, which hears proposed legislation on transportation funding, land use policy and special projects, and the Education Sub-committee on Higher Education and the Arts, for both of which I serve as chairman.
Oakton Rules the Pool
Oakton High School’s Varsity Swim and Drive teams continued their undefeated season with a win over Herndon High School Friday night, Jan. 11. The girls won with a score of 197 points over Herndon’s 112. The boys won 194 to 121.
MOMS Club Seeks Service Opportunities
Club’s open house examines ways for families to volunteer.
The Herndon Moms Offering Moms Support (MOMS) club hosted an open house at ArtSpace Thursday, Jan. 17, to help local families discover ways they can serve their community. The open house brought in representatives from Volunteer Fairfax, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Maddie’s Blankets and Fairfax Releaf provided multiple ways for families to get involved, depending on their interests.
Oak Hill, Herndon Home Sales: December, 2012
In December 2012, 63 homes sold between $1,050,000-$160,000 in the Herndon and Oak Hill area.
Oak Hill, Herndon Home Sales: December, 2012
Tuesday, January 22
Fairfax Families4Kids
Fostering bonds with children.
Nationwide, more than 463,000 children live in foster care. In many states, including Virginia, the number of foster youth has tripled in the last 25 years. As of Sept. 30, 2011, nearly 5,000 youth were in foster care in Virginia, according to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Physical abuse is the most common reason children enter foster, but it’s not the only reason. Often there’s emotional abuse, sexual abuse and the parent or caretaker’s inability to provide a safe environment due to substance abuse.
A Family Made Whole
After a tragic loss, Reston couple creates a family through adoption.
The Granvilles look like a made-for-TV family. On a bright October afternoon, Chris, a computer engineer, is teasing his teenage son, Kenny, about what kind of pet to adopt, while Tiffany sits on a sofa, cradling Elijah, Kenny’s baby brother, who has just woken up from an afternoon nap. “Fish? No way,” Kenny, 15, says. “They just go ‘round and ‘round in a bowl.” Kenny is lobbying hard for a dog or—at the very least—a guinea pig or hamster.
Monday, January 21
A 10-Year Mission: End Homelessness
Our Fairfax-Falls Church community is one of the most affluent in the country. Our schools are second to none. We are the home for many Fortune 500 businesses. Even with the challenging economy, our unemployment rate is among the lowest in the country.
Sunday, January 20
Classified Advertising January 16, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Friday, January 18
Queen of Household Hints to Share Five Essentials Every Home Should Have
Heloise to headline 2013 Home and Remodeling Show at the Dulles Expo Center.
The high priestess of household hints will share her domestic wisdom this weekend at the 2013 Home and Remodeling Show at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Va. A nationally syndicated columnist, Heloise is one of the presenters scheduled to headline the weekend’s show.
Thursday, January 17
Editorial: Transportation Money
Eliminating the gas tax makes no sense.
Virginia, and especially Northern Virginia, is woefully short on funds for transportation. One reason is that its gas tax, a logical way to fund transportation infrastructure, is one of the lowest in the nation, and has remained flat since the ’80s, since it is not indexed for inflation. So the buying power of the gas tax has been dwindling.
Wednesday, January 16
Week in Herndon
The Town of Herndon is accepting grant proposals of up to $5,000 through the Virginia Commission for the Arts Local Government Challenge Grant Program for projects to be implemented in FY2014.
Colorful, Satirical Musical Revue
Elden Street Players to present “Tom Foolery.”
Be inspired as "Tom Foolery" takes audiences into the world of Tom Lehrer who delighted so many with his musically-based attacks and banter on everything, both high-brow and low. The time is the 1960s, when there were "few if any restrictions to what could be said about life, but always with tongue-in-cheek" said Adriana Hardy, director of the Elden Street Players (ESP) production.
Town Launches Customer Service Initiative
Town services to be more customer friendly, new feedback methods created.
The Town of Herndon announces a new customer service initiative Monday, Jan. 14, called “Count ON Us.” Named to connect with the town’s new branding strategy, the initiative will focus on increasing customer satisfaction with the town’s services.
Rust Speaks on Current Session
Transportation high among priorities for residents.
Del. Tom Rust (R-86) addressed his constituents at the Herndon Municipal Center Saturday, Jan. 12 to give an update on the current General Assembly session.
Area Roundups
Resiliency Expert to Speak at Robinson
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will host a presentation by resiliency expert Nan Henderson—Resiliency in Action: How Families, Schools and Communities Create 'Bounce Back’ Kids—on Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Robinson Secondary School. This free presentation is designed for parents, school staff, and community members.
Tuesday, January 15
Ferguson, Johnson Lead Herndon Boys’ Basketball
Hornets coach Hall says win against Chantilly brings credibility.
The Herndon boys' basketball team beat Chantilly behind 25 points apiece from Will Ferguson and Dorian Johnson.
The New Year, Same as the Old Year?
Having survived almost four full years from the date of my original diagnosis/prognosis doing what I’ve done, all I should feel is: that anything is possible. I’m living proof.
Friday, January 11
Herndon Home Sales: November, 2012
In November 2012, 68 homes sold between $910,000-$173,000 in the Herndon and Oak Hill area.
Herndon Home Sales: November, 2012
Classified Advertising Jan 9, 2012
Read the latest ads here!
Thursday, January 10
Herndon Girls’ Basketball Falls to One-Loss Centreville
Senior guard Owens scores 16 points in defeat.
Otto Jette is in his first season as Herndon head girls' basketball coach.
Editorial: More Fodder for Comedy?
2013 session of the Virginia General Assembly will tackle serious issues.
The 2013 30-day session of the Virginia General Assembly begins on Wednesday, Jan. 9. We can only hope that the various legislative proposals do not provide as much fodder for comedy as last session. The Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia will offer live streaming video of the 2013 Legislative Sessions, and it is well worth tuning in once or twice.
Wednesday, January 9
Week in Herndon
Martin Luther King Holiday schedule, Herndon MOMS Club to hold open house, and Senior Center needs a volunteer musician
My Year in The USA
Why are we doing this? Why are we going away from our families for one year and move into a family's house we don't know? We are exchange students and we wanted to learn more about another country, about the culture, the language and the people.
Herndon High Cadets Go to National Championship
Herndon High’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets are actively preparing for the Orienteering National Championship, to be held on Feb. 16 and 17 at the Patuxent River Park in Upper Marlboro, Md.
Federal Porn Charges for Former Teacher
In June, Fairfax County police charged a special education teacher at Poplar Tree Elementary with 10 counts of possession of child pornography. He was immediately suspended without pay, and the school system assured parents that no images of students were found on his computer and school computers were not used.
New Look for Town of Herndon
New logo, branding strategy begins to take hold in Herndon.
As the Town of Herndon prepares for the arrival of the Silver Line and changes to its downtown, they’ve taken an important step in making sure Herndon has its own identity: giving Herndon its own brand.
Parents Plead for Delay in Training Center Closing
Timeframe for closure puts disabled adults at risk, advocates say.
When it was Kenneth Gans’ turn to speak to the panel of Virginia state legislators, the 78-year-old father of a severely-disabled son kept his remarks brief.
“If It Ain’t Broke…”
Today is a day I feel like writing – not merely one when I am looking forward to having written, but rather one when I am interested and motivated by the process.
Preparing for a Spring Wonderland
Experts offer advice on what to do now to create a pleasurable outdoor space in spring.
Chilly January temperatures can make spring seem far away. However, it’s closer than you think. A recent Residential Landscape Architecture Trends survey from the American Society of Landscape Architects showed that as the weather gets warmer, many want an undemanding, outdoor space.
Home and Remodeling Show Comes to D.C. Area
Nationally Syndicated Columnist Heloise and local contractors will educate homeowners.
Whether you’re planning to renovate an entire house, update an antiquated bathroom, create a more functional kitchen or simply add more color to your home, there will be inspiration and ideas aplenty at the 2013 Home and Remodeling Show.
Express Buses from Burke to Tysons
Fairfax County to launch Express Connector bus service.
Get ready to ride the 495 Express Lanes. For free. Really.
Fairfax Symphony Announces String Competition
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) announces dates for the 2013 Dorothy Farnham Feuer Memorial String Competition.
Friday, January 4
Herndon Named Virginia’s ‘Best Place to Raise Kids’
The Town of Herndon has received another national recognition—this time on Bloomberg/Business Week’s 2013 ranking of the Best Places to Raise Kids.
Classified Advertising January 2, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Challenges Facing Dranesville in 2013
Supervisor John W. Foust (D-Dranesville) discusses New Year’s expectations.
In 2013, we will again confront many challenges, at the county level as well as in the McLean, Great Falls, Herndon, Falls Church and Vienna communities in the Dranesville District. I will continue to address our challenges by seeking input and suggestions from my constituents and by working with my excellent staff to provide leadership. Some of the more significant issues I expect to deal with in 2013 are discussed below.
Thursday, January 3
Happy New Year, Keep in Touch
Reflecting and reinforcing the sense of community.
As local, weekly newspapers, the Connection’s mission is to bring the news you need about your community, to give you the information you need to enjoy the best things in and near your community, to advocate for community good, to call attention to unmet needs, to provide a forum for dialogue on local concerns, and to celebrate and record milestones and events in community and people’s lives. To succeed at any of that, we need your help.
Advice for Seniors on Fitness in the New Year
Suggestions for making and keeping exercise resolutions.
Mary Garner’s New Year’s resolution is to increase the intensity of her workout routine. The 69-year-old retiree plans to seek the advice of a fitness trainer to create a plan to achieve her goal.
The Quest for Youth and Beauty
Spending billions of dollars to improve one’s appearance.
Hiba Hakki reclines on an exam table as a physician picks up a syringe with his latex-gloved hand and points it at her face. He inserts the needle into the flesh around her eyes. She cringes slightly. This is a Botox injection, just one of the cosmetic procedures Hakki undergoes for the sake of beauty.
Lines of My Life
Like most people, I have material, so to speak, that I use repeatedly (ad nauseam, some might say). Most are lines from “The Three Stooges,” “M*A*S*H,” “Star Trek” (the original) and “Seinfeld.” As I entered into the cancer world, I continued to use this material – where/when appropriate, as many of you regular readers know. However, as my time in the cancer conundrum has continued (thank God!) and evolved, I have found myself uttering and muttering à la “Popeye the Sailor Man,” amusing myself, mostly, but always with the best of intentions: my survival. A few examples follow. (My answers are in quotes.)
Coming in From The Cold
A night at Burke United Methodist Church’s hypothermia prevention shelter.
Musa L. gently draped a blanket over his wife, and promised her the new year would be better for both of them. She was sleeping on a foam pallet at the Burke United Methodist Church. Musa and his wife were among nearly 40 homeless adults seeking shelter from the frigid temperatures at the church on Friday, Dec. 21.
Readers of the Pack
What Fairfax County residents read in 2012.
According to Mary Mulrenen, spokesperson for the Fairfax County Public Library, Fairfax County readers selected many of the same fiction and non-fiction favorites that caught the attention of book-lovers nationwide. Dr. Seuss, science-fiction and, once again, lawyers (John Grisham’s 25th legal thriller) topped the charts.
Should Virginia’s Governor Be Able to Run for Reelection?
Longstanding ban on second consecutive term to be reconsidered this year.
Virginia is the only state that limits its governor to a single, four-year term, a vestige of the distrust Americans had for executive power during the American Revolution. Now, more than two centuries later, the commonwealth may finally be ready to ditch the longstanding term limit and allow Virginia’s governor to run for reelection.