ArtSpace Herndon Opens Far and Wide
Paintings by Trisha Adams on display until May 25.
In the new ArtSpace Herndon exhibit Far and Wide: Travel as Muse, artist Trisha Adams displays a visual journey. Unique architecture and distinctive trees offer interesting new shapes, and plants, earth, and buildings present color palettes. “We are very excited to display Trisha Adams works at ArtSpace,” said Lawrence Verbiest, executive director of the ArtSpace Herndon. This is Adams’ first solo show at ArtSpace Herndon. A California native, Adams moved to Virginia to work for a local newspaper. In 2001, she began painting and by 2004 was a fulltime painter. She enjoys traveling and landscapes are a favorite subject.
Lisa Merkel Remains Mayor, Three New Council Members Chosen at Herndon Election
Lisa Merkel remains mayor after the Tuesday Town of Herndon Elections. She beat Connie Hutchinson 1,308-1,066, according to tallies made at the Herndon Community Center.
Governor McAuliffe Speaks to Business Leaders
Event at Volkswagen Group of America draws 100 executives.
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority hosted an evening networking session at the headquarters of the Volkswagen Group of America in Herndon on April 30. The program was titled Fairfax County: Where International Companies Do Business in the U.S. A special guest of the event was Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) who spoke about plans of attracting federal projects to Northern Virginia, and hopes regarding Virginia’s education program. “This is something we do every two to three years,” said Gerald L. Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). “We now have more than 400 foreign-owned companies from 45 countries in Fairfax County,” said Gordon. “We are fortunate to have five overseas offices,” said Gordon.
Herndon High Students Attract National Attention
A team of skilled students at Herndon High School have developed a company that is taking them around the East Coast and gaining national attention. The students in Mrs. Kathy Thomas’ class wrote a business plan for a company called V-LO Chip, which is a virtual location chip, asked for a virtual $500,000 startup loan, and then defended their plan before three panels of judges on Dec. 18, 2013. The students placed first in the Commonwealth of Virginia and represented the state at the Virtual Enterprise National Competition, April 1-4, 2014 in New York City. At this competition the officers and employees of V-LO Chip competed in a variety of events bringing home national honors for Herndon High School and Virginia. These competitions include: Global Business Challenge: The students are put on teams with teenagers from 10 countries around the world and assigned a business case study. The students are given 2.5 hours to work on solving the case study, which includes creating a PowerPoint and then presenting their solutions before judges. Andrea Ipinza’s team took 2nd place in the Global Business Challenge. Business Plan Presentation: The V-LO Chip officers defended their business plan before two sets of judges. The panel consisted of 10 judges who are successful entrepreneurs, businessmen and women from New York City. Trade Show: Outstanding Achievement Booth Design-V-LO Chip named TOP 10 Booth! Out of 150 booths, V-LO Chip was selected as one of the 10 best booths honored for the appearance of the booth as well as the ability for their employees to sell their product when customers visited the booth.
Lisa Merkel Remains Herndon Mayor, Three New Council Members Elected
Lisa Merkel remains mayor after the Tuesday Town of Herndon Elections. She beat Connie Hutchinson 1,308-1,066, according to tallies made at the Herndon Community Center. “I think this is a sign that the town is open and excited about the possibility of the metro station,” said Merkel. Hutchinson, who had served as the Herndon Vice Mayor, was proud of the support she gained during her election. “I felt very honored to have the really strong support I had from the Herndon residents,” she said after the election results were posted at HCC. “I feel honored to represent the town as I had. I think there’ll be a lot of good debate on the council. The town council, which is voted biannually at large, will be Jennifer Baker with 1281 votes, Grace Han Wolf with 1,256 votes, Sheila Olem with 1,211 votes, Jasbinder Singh with 1,197 votes, Steven Lee Mitchell with 1,126 votes and Dave Kirby with 1,107 votes. “To those running who took the high road and stuck to the positive issues, I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart,” said Merkel. “That’s what Herndon is all about.”
Classified Advertising April 30, 2014
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Herndon’s Alston Named East-West MVP at Cap Classic
Herndon’s Auslander, Oakton’s Bacon compete at event.
Herndon senior Brandon Alston earned MVP honors at the Capital Classic's East-West game.
Choosing a Summer Camp
Camp experts offer advice on selecting a camp, but now is the time to register.
Many families with school age children will plan to have their children spend some of the much-anticipated summer season in camp. If you haven’t yet selected camps for your children, now is the time.
Many Ideas for Summer Activities
Avoid those dreaded words: ‘I’m bored.’
Molly McAlister enjoys the freedom of summer, but there are three words she dreads hearing: “Mom, I’m bored.” Creating activities to keep her three children busy during the summer is a task she enjoys, but it isn’t always easy.
Fairfax County School Board Examining Later Start Times
High schools could start as late as 9:15.
Two years after the Fairfax County School Board adopted a resolution in favor of later start times, exhausted teenagers are one step closer to getting a full night’s sleep. The Children’s National Medical Center recently presented the school board with options for later start times, of which the school board selected four for public discussion. The new start times could be implemented as early as the 2015-2016 school year.
Protecting Youths Against Substance Abuse
Panel shares stories and advice.
Fairfax County's Unified Prevention Coalition sponsored a forum on the effects of substance abuse on the county's middle and high school children. The resource fair and panel discussion was led by parents, young adults and professionals from the coalition's PROTECT (Parents Reaching Out To Educate Communities Together) task force. "It's been so long, I'll still be emotional about it," said Greg Lannes about his daughter's heroin overdose in 2008. Alicia Lannes had been 19 when she died and had always been a model student with straight A's. He pointed to the lone framed photo of her on the table and asked the audience, "Does that look like a heroin addict? How did she get to that point?"
Protecting Driver’s License Information Becomes Law
Del. David Bulova’s legislation (House Bill 1072) to protect personal information on driver’s licenses was enacted into law during the reconvened session of the General Assembly on April 23. The new law, which will be effective on July 1, limits the ability of a business to electronically scan the bar code on a driver’s license and then store and use that data. State Sen. David Marsden (D-37) carried the companion legislation (Senate Bill 40), which has also been enacted into law.
County Budget Markup Passes
Three supervisors still oppose the budget.
Fairfax County is another step closer to having an approved budget for the next fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors approved the 2015 budget markup at its April 22 meeting at the county Government Center. Supervisors Linda Smyth (D-Providence), Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and John Cook (R-Braddock) opposed the markup.
Fairfax County Honors ‘Superheroes’
22nd Annual Fairfax County Service Awards presented.
Maybe they don’t wear capes and flashy uniforms, but local volunteers are superheroes. That was the theme for the 22nd Annual Fairfax County Service Awards, where more than 100 volunteers were recognized for their work with breakfast Friday, April 25, at The Waterford in Springfield. More specifically, this year’s theme was "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Impact," which was reflected in the comic book-inspired table decor and introductions by master of ceremonies Jeff Goldberg, Virginia Bureau Chief for ABC7 and News Channel 8.
Father and Son "Twogether"
As a born, bread and buttered Bostonian (Newton Centre, a suburb, to be specific), one of my enduring and genetic passions has been to live and die (figuratively speaking; this is not a cancer column) for The Boston Red Sox. My father sold concessions at Fenway Park (the stadium home of the Bosox since 1912), during the Depression when he was a little boy (not yet an adolescent even). He was nicknamed "Beezo," (his given name was Benet, although he was always called Barry) so he could gain full acceptance to a local knothole gang. Named after the wooden planks which surrounded the old Braves Field in Boston (a National League team called Boston its home as well back in the day), the kids ("gangs") would stand and peer through the knotholes in the wooden planks which otherwise blocked their view. It was a privilege and an honor for my father to be so connected to the game this way. He grew up loving baseball, and as a parent, he passed his love of the game on to me – and my brother.
Editorial: Trending in the Right Direction
Commitment to ending homelessness shows progress, but more affordable housing is needed.
On one night in late January, local jurisdictions in our area fanned out to count the number of people who were literally homeless. Fairfax County released its numbers last week; Arlington and Alexandria will do so in the near future. In Fairfax County, the commitment in 2010 to end homelessness in 10 years has resulted in significant progress, even in the wake of the great recession. The number of people literally homeless decreased by a third from 2008 to 2014, from 1,835 to 1,225 counted this year. Many non-profit organizations have partnered to prevent homelessness one family or individual at a time for those on the brink and to house chronically homeless individuals. There is so much still to be done.
Herndon Passes Nearly $49 Million Budget
Tax rate will remain the same.
The Herndon Town Council approved its $48,827,100 2015 budget. The budget, which maintains the current tax rate of $0.2650 per $100 of assessed value, was passed 6-1 at the April 22 meeting. Council member Charlie Waddell was the only one who voted against the budget. He wanted to see a lower tax rate. “I’m not ready to pass the budget, as is,” he said. “I might be in a couple of weeks.”
Herndon High Drama Produces ‘Blithe Spirit’
Herndon spring play begins May 1.
“It is hilarious how witty and comical this play can be, I am looking forward to performing with my classmates,” said Jessie Jorgensen, a Herndon High sophomore. Jorgensen is performing as the character Ruth in the May spring production of “Blithe Spirit” a play by Noël Coward. Herndon High junior Bonnie Sasseen has the role of Elvira Condomine. “I had read the play before and the character is very fun,” said Sasseen. “She is a very physical character, she is both exciting and amusing to play.” Taking the role of Charles Condomine is Herndon senior Hunter Robinson. “The whole show is a very witty fast paced comedy,” said Robinson.
Herndon-Reston FISH, Inc. Holds Fish Fling
Event honors volunteers who contribute to FISH’s efforts.
Herndon-Reston FISH, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families meet emergencies and short-term needs, held its 9th Annual Fish Fling Gala at the Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport Hotel on Saturday, April 26, from 6 to 11 p.m. The gala was FISH’s largest fundraising event to acquire the financial support for its Family Assistance Program. In 2013 FISH worked with over 1,300 area families.
13 Vie for Herndon Council Seats
Town election for mayor, council on May 6.
Herndon’s seats for mayor and council will be left up to voters on Tuesday, May 6. The town elections, between two mayoral candidates and 11 council candidates, will be held at Herndon Community Center at 814 Ferndale Ave. Lisa Merkel, current mayor, will face contender Connie Hutchinson, current vice mayor. “I think she has a different vision for the town,” said Hutchinson. “I think she wants Herndon to be different from the way it is now. I’d like it to stay true to its unique identity.” Merkel agrees they have different visions for the town. “I ran for council and for mayor because I really think Herndon can have it all,” she said.