
Community Services Budget Under Scrutiny
$8 Million budget hole threatens programs, public review underway.
The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, which provides social services to thousands of the county’s most vulnerable residents and has come under fire for an $8 million budget shortfall, was given a temporary reprieve by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Governor Signs Voter ID Bills
McDonnell directs state to send every voter a new voter card before Election Day.
Gov. Robert McDonnell (R) signed watered-down versions of Virginia’s Republican-backed voter identification bills on Friday, adding the Commonwealth to the growing list of states adopting stricter voting standards.

Northern Virginia Bill Signing Puts Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence in Spotlight
A rare moment of bipartisanship between Republican governor and Democratic legislators.
Strangulation will be punished more aggressively to combat violence against women. Campus police will work with other police agencies to crack down on domestic violence of unmarried couples. And the telephone number for a human trafficking hotline will be placed in the restrooms at strip clubs across Virginia.

Merkel Elected Mayor of Herndon
2012-14 Council features three incumbents, two past councilmembers.
Lisa Merkel was elected Mayor of Herndon Tuesday, May 1, and Connie Hutchinson, Melissa Jonas, Dave Kirby, Sheila Olem, Charlie Waddell and Grace Wolf were elected to the Herndon Town Council for the 2012-14 term.
Three Run for Mayor
Vice Mayor Lisa Merkel, Councilmembers Jasbinder Singh, Bill Tirrell seek election.
With current Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis deciding not to seek re-election, three current councilmembers will seek his spot in the town’s May 1 election. Vice Mayor Lisa Merkel and Councilmembers Jasbinder Singh and Bill Tirrell look to succeed DeBendittis, who was first elected in 2006.
Nine Run for Town Council
Candidates seek six seats on Town Council for two-year term.
Nine candidates will vie for six seats on the Herndon Town Council in the May 1 election. With three current councilmembers declaring their candidacy for mayor, three current members as well as five new candidates will run.

Supervisors Endorse Advertised Budget
Highlights include restored funding for human services, libraries, employee pay.
"Morning has broken, like the first morning…" Cat Stevens sang it in his 1971 hit, and Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova used it to sum up the board’s 8-2 vote, endorsing the advertised 2013 budget during the April 24 budget session.
Council Responds to County Water Ordinance
Councilmembers decide to address legislative ordinance issues with county.
The Herndon Town Council unanimously passed a response to the Dec. 6, 2011 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ decision to regulate water sales and rates from non-county providers.

Fairfax Board of Supervisors Considers Raising Stormwater Management Fee
One-penny hike on property tax could raise $35 million for projects throughout the county.
When it rains, it pours. That’s why Fairfax County taxpayers may have to fork over more money this year for stormwater management.

Virginia Officials Deliberately Moving Slowly on Health Care Exchange
If Supreme Court upholds health-care reform, governor would have to call special session.
Virginia has eight months to create a certification plan for how it plans to create a health-care exchange, a legal requirement of President Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Stakes Are High in Virginia Budget Standoff
Lawmakers flee Capitol, where partisan gridlock reigns.
The budget standoff in Richmond could have drastic consequences in Northern Virginia, where every service from education to transportation is on the line.

Fairfax Supervisors to Consider Even More Cuts to Library System
In the last four years, more than $5 million has been slashed from the library budget.
Walk into the Centreville Library and one is confronted with an institution in crisis.

Gov. George Allen Goes Home Again on Super Tuesday
Former Virginia Governor George Allen spoke Tuesday morning to an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Conference, then headed to Loudoun County to meet with Republican primary voters and election workers at polling places on Super Tuesday in Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William Counties.

Not-So-Super Tuesday
Turnout for Virginia's presidential preference primary was lowest in recent memory.
With two of the major candidates in the Republican presidential contest failing to qualify for the ballot in Virginia, Super Tuesday was anything but super.

State Senate Committee Kills Effort to Overturn King's Dominion Law
School boards were encouraged by support from governor, but couldn't win over Senate committee.
The Senate Committee on Education and Health voted today to kill an effort overturning the King's Dominion Law, which mandates that school divisions across Virginia begin classes after Labor Day.