Opinion: Column: New Year, Old Problem: Cancer
As I sit and write here, with too much time on my hands, I can't help but consider my lot in life.
Fairfax County General Assembly Delegation to Hold Public Hearing
The Fairfax County delegation to the General Assembly will hold a public hearing on the 2021 session on Saturday, Jan. 9, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Gentle and Subtle Resolutions for 2021
Try small, simple and achievable goals
For 2021, local mental health professionals advise being gentle with yourself when creating the daily schedules and resolutions that often come with the beginning of the New Year.
Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Virginia Progressive Prosecutors Call for Criminal Justice Reforms
Reforms advocated for by the group include expungement of criminal records, an end to mandatory minimum sentences, an end to cash bail, abolition of the death penalty, and an end to “three strikes” felony enhancement for larceny offenses.
Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Heroes of Our Time
In 1940, when the British Royal Air Force (RAF) was fighting the air war in the skies over England, Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister at the time made the following statement referring to the RAF pilots:
Essential Leave
Advocates for paid sick days try to build support among Virginia Senate Democrats
Before the pandemic hit, Senate Democrats stopped a proposal requiring businesses to offer paid sick days. During the pandemic, they rejected it again during a special session. Now as lawmakers prepare for the upcoming General Assembly session, advocates are hoping they've finally got a strategy to persuade reluctant Senate Democrats to approve a new law increasing the number of workers in Virginia who have access to paid sick days.
Opinion: Commentary: COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Here is wishing you a happy New Year and hoping that 2021 brings an end to this terrible pandemic.
County’s Incident Alert System Helps Nab a Robbery Suspect
Phone calls and social media enable Fort Hunt residents to help in this case.
Incident alert
Robot of the Future Art from Mount Vernon
Robot of the Future, by Christopher, 4th Grade, Riverside Elementary, teacher: Ms. Land.
Two Million Lights in a Dark Winter
An Insider’s View on the Bull Run Festival of Lights; open through Jan. 10, and maybe more
The Bull Run Festival of Lights is the largest light show in the Washington Metropolitan area, and this winter it is more popular than ever before.
The 121st Audubon Christmas Bird Count
Volunteers will count birds, locally and nationwide
Between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, volunteers will fan out across the Washington metropolitan area and count birds – birds foraging in fields, hopping around front yards, poking in the leaf litter, perching in trees, wading in wetlands, feeding at feeders, flying, bathing, swimming, sleeping, all the things birds do.
To the Rescue in Mount Vernon
Firefighters and Friends continue annual toy drive
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, in partnership with Firefighters and Friends to the Rescue, continued its annual toy drive with a scaled-down distribution day Dec. 15 at Penn Daw Fire Station 11.
Opinion: Column: Trip, and Hopefully Not a Fall
Having recently returned from a driving sojourn through the South, with stops and stays in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida, visiting four sets of friends in those three states, I can say with certainty that wearing masks, social distancing and common sense consideration for your fellow citizen were not nearly so accepted as we had hoped.
Surviving Christmas Day in Solitude
Ideas for coping with being alone on the holiday
While Christmas Day will be different and difficult for many this year, it will be especially difficult for seniors who live alone and will be in solitude because of COVID-19 risks.
Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Cutting Pollution for Our Health
Ella Kissi-Debrah had severe asthma, frequently visiting the ER with cardiac and respiratory arrest.
Opinion: Editorial: Merry Christmas
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
The pages of the Connection (including the Alexandria Gazette Packet, the Mount Vernon Gazette, the Potomac Almanac and the Centre View) are usually full of holiday spirit, beginning before Thanksgiving.
Appealing Bad Rulings
Lawmakers to consider expanding appeals court, providing new oversight to judges.
Virginia is the only state in the country that does not guarantee a right to appeal, allowing circuit court judges to make decisions with little oversight or scrutiny. Critics have been calling for reform ever since the Court of Appeals was first created in 1985. The Supreme Court of Virginia recommended an appeal of right as a "long term goal" in 2018. Now, Gov. Ralph Northam says he wants lawmakers to add four judges and support staff "to ensure the court can hear more appeals cases in a timely manner under an increasing workload."
Mount Vernon and Global Warming
Ground water seeping up regularly may be a sign.
With the Potomac River a few hundred yards away, residents of Fort Hunt are seeing ground water seeping up, running down the sidewalks and low-lying street areas.
Unusual and Quirky Items Sell at Area Gift Stores
Consignment shops and estate sale hubs in the Mount Vernon corridor.
Gift Shops
Opinion: Commentary: Giving for the Holidays
Now is the time not only to give generously to your favorite charities but also to give wisely and knowingly.
The holidays are a time for sharing our blessings with those we love and those in need.