Mount Vernon Local

Mount Vernon Local

Subscribe

Opinion: Commentary: Historic Federal Infrastructure Bill

Many benefits coming to Virginia

Exciting news came from our nation’s capital this week as the bipartisan $1 trillion Infrastructure Bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, is poised for final passage in Congress.

Tease photo

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.

Tease photo

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: Special Session 2 Begins

The General Assembly will allocate the nearly $4.3 billion Virginia has received from the federal economic stimulus bill.

On Monday Aug. 2, the General Assembly gaveled in for a two week “2021 Special Session 2” called by Gov. Ralph Northam for the purpose of allocating the nearly $4.3 billion Virginia has received from the federal economic stimulus bill — the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that passed the U.S. House of Representatives and was signed into law by President Biden on March 11.

Fairfax County Holds County-wide Vaccine Equity Clinics

Bringing the COVID-19 vaccine to the people rather than relying on them to find their way to a site is one option to get people vaccinated and slow the surging Delta variant.

Tease photo

Delta Variant Has Room to Run Rampant

Removing invisible vaccine barriers for communities in Fairfax County

Jump on a moon bounce, grab an empanada from a food truck and get a Covid vaccine.

Opinion: Commentary: TJ Parents Welcome Most Diverse TJ Class in History

…and denounce the anti-CRT division

We are parents of students and graduates of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ), and are greatly concerned about recent events and growing misinformation surrounding the changes to the admissions process and anti-racism discussions at the prestigious school we love and respect.

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?

Tease photo

Northern Virginia Senior Olympics Opens 39th Year in September

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

Tease photo

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.

Tease photo

Rarely-seen Spoonbills Draw Fans to Huntley Meadows Park

Their flat, six-to-seven-inch, spatula-like bills look like long-handled spoons swishing back and forth in the Huntley Meadows Park wetland.

Tease photo

Man Found Dead in Alexandria Apartment; Apparent Shooting

Detectives from Fairfax County Police Department Major Crimes Bureau continue to investigate after a 19-year-old man was found deceased Tuesday night, July 27, inside an apartment in the 3100 block of Southgate Drive in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. Officers responded at 7:12 p.m. after a family member found Ronald Worthy Jr., of Alexandria, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to the upper body.

Opinion: Commentary: Economic Recovery Is More Than Escaping COVID-19

Our local economy is in a precarious position, and it’s not just because of pandemic

Over the last year, our economy struggled to hang on amidst unpredictable changes in pandemic regulations, with over 45 percent of small businesses in the region closing permanently or temporarily, and roughly 49,000 Fairfax County residents remain unemployed.

Tease photo

‘Strategic Underground’ Throughout Fairfax County

Dominion Power is undergrounding wires.

During the frequent thunderstorms that are forecasted throughout the summer, flashlights and candles may have been the short-term answer in the past, but Dominion Energy has another option with a program they are offering called ”Strategic Underground,” so the lines won’t be exposed when lightning strikes and other mishaps.

Tease photo

New Food Scrap Composting at Select Fairfax County Farmers Markets

Nature’s recycling reduces methane and lowers carbon footprint

Fairfax County residents have another option for managing organic wastes such as fruit and vegetable peels, food left on dinner plates, coffee grounds, and even paper towels and napkins.