EF-0 Tornado Hits Near Belle Haven
The NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) reported a minor tornado touched down around lunchtime Oct. 15 in the Belle Haven area and followed a tree-damaging path 1.5 miles towards Alexandria city.
Focusing On Police
Mount Vernon-based group persists in police oversight board.
Louis Meyers with the Citizens Coalition for Police Accountability (CCPA) opened the group’s Oct. 6 meeting by saying, “We’re privileged to have a very good police department.”
Delay in Shooting Investigation Decried
Supervisors urge action by U.S. attorney.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors decided they’ve exercised enough patience with U.S. Attorney Dana Boente’s office. Now more than 13 months after Fairfax County police shot and killed John Geer, standing unarmed in the doorway of his Springfield home, Board chairman Sharon Bulova addressed the silence from Boente.
One Month Missing
Search for Hannah Graham continues.
Over 30 days after second-year UVA student and West Potomac alumna Hannah Graham was last seen on a surveillance tape in Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall, Charlottesville police and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management are continuing their search.
Crashing the Parties
Marc Harrold, Libertarian; Joe Galdo, Green, run for Congress.
Marc Harrold is a self-professed creature of habit. He’s been going to the same bars and restaurants near his Fairfax home for years, where the close friends he’s made there say his great sense of humor and diverse intelligence help him “hold court” and converse easily with anyone, on any subject.
Bio and Q&A with Gerry Connolly
Q: What do you think are your top three accomplishments in office? A: * The Silver Line. I wasn’t alone, but I'm very proud of my championship of the Silver Line and the fact that it's up and running and succeeding. It took 19 years to sort of get people to reimagine it and get it built. It was a long, tough struggle.
A Cracking Success
Hyland’s 24th Lobsterfest fundraiser fends off foul weather.
How does it feel to chauffeur over 500 head of fresh lobster, direct from Maine? John Harris, co-organizer of Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland’s 24th annual Lobsterfest knows.
‘A New Day Has Dawned’
Same sex marriage goes forward in Virginia.
At 10:01 a.m. on Oct. 6, Cathy Baskin of Ravensworth Baptist Church in Annandale received her usual New York Times set of alerts. “I read it 15 times,” said Baskin. “This can’t be true.”
Fordson Place Shopping Center Holds Grand Opening
Lookout, Starbucks: There’s a new Peet’s in town. Peet’s Coffee and Tea was one of six new shops at Fordson Place Shopping Center that held a grand opening celebration Wednesday Oct. 1.
Celebrating Good Times
Mount Vernon and Lee community event returns for second year.
Julie Divine’s daughters are scrambling up a rock wall in the middle of the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital grounds.
Calling for Heroin Problem Update
“Heroin is here, it’s on our doorstep, it’s in our communities and it often goes unnoticed,” said District Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield).
18 Days: Hannah Graham Still Missing
Charlottesville police are still looking for second year University of Virginia student and West Potomac High School alumna Hannah Graham. The 18 year old was last seen and heard from early in the morning on Saturday, Sept. 13 around Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall.
Tougher Tests, Tough Results
Local schools receive warnings from the state.
“Test scores do not define our schools. They never have and never will,” said Mount Vernon District School Board member Dan Storck. Earlier this month the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) released accreditation results based on student performance in the 2013-2014 school year. The ratio of Fairfax County Public schools receiving full accreditation to those not making the grade dropped from 94 percent a year ago to 89 percent.
95 Express Lanes On-Road Testing Begins
Testing phase to be completed by end of year.
If all goes according to plan, the new 95 Express Lanes will make it more difficult for motorists expecting to leave their cars parked in traffic on I-95. The 29-mile stretch of High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes — from Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to around Edsall Road on I-395 in Fairfax County — should beef up the carrying capacity of current HOV lanes.
Search for Hannah Graham Expands
UVA second year Hannah Graham last seen on Sept. 13.
Hannah Graham, University of Virginia sophomore and alumna of West Potomac High School, has been missing since the early morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 13.
Board of Supervisors Approves 50+ Community Action Plan
Vote is “the beginning, not the end” for Herrity.
Supervisor Pat Herrity’s so-called “Silver Tsunami” population in Fairfax County isn’t getting any younger. The data haven’t changed: the amount of people over 50 should increase by 40 percent between 2005 and 2030, and those 70 and older should shoot up 80 percent in the same period.
Supervisors Break Ground on New Public Safety Headquarters
The Fairfax County Police and Fire Departments are getting a new home. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova and Supervisor John Cook broke ground on what will be a $142 million, eight-story headquarters.
Search for Hannah Graham Continues
West Potomac Alumna, UVA second year student, last seen on Sept. 13
Hannah Graham, University of Virginia sophomore and alumna of West Potomac High School, has been missing since the early morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 13.
Deer Archery Program Enters Sixth Season
Continued overabundance brings bow-hunters back to parks.
Even at 72, the animated Disney classic “Bambi” can still soften the hardest hearts when it comes to appreciating the innocence and natural beauty of deer. But the reality in Fairfax County is that an unnaturally high density of Bambis and mothers of Bambi is an ongoing threat to biodiversity and road safety.
Transit-Oriented Apartments Open
The Shelby promotes multimodal travel, community, art.
Though named for the innovative automotive designer and racer Carroll Shelby, the team behind the recently opened Shelby apartment building on North Kings Highway has made alternate forms of transportation a priority.
Board of Supervisors Approves 2014 Budget Carryover Package
FCPS full-day Mondays at discussion forefront.
When students at the 142 public elementary schools around Fairfax County stayed there the full day on Monday -- the first time in about four decades -- they likely weren’t worried about the cost. That’s between the school board and board of supervisors. Grown-up stuff.
‘Recession Ripple Persists’ at Realtors’ Summit
Private sector job growth key to strengthening regional economy, housing demand.
“There’s no question the primary economic driver of this region has always been Uncle Sam,” said David Versal, senior research associate at the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis. “That said, we’re not Detroit.”
Taking On the ‘Silver Tsunami’
Herrity to present 50+ Plan to Board of Supervisors next week.
“It’s here,” said Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield). “We’re already living in it.” Between 2005 and 2030, the number of individuals 50 and older is projected to grow by 40 percent in Fairfax County and the number 70 and older is projected to grow by 80 percent. Herrity attributes the changes to both the aging of Baby Boomers, and the general increase in life expectancy.
New Year, Same Challenges
Local school leaders address obstacles.
The first day of school may represent a fresh start for students, parents and teachers, but there are a number of ongoing challenges facing schools in Mount Vernon. For School Board member Dan Storck, the new school year is a reminder that these haven’t gone away.
$12 Million Suit Against Fairfax County Police
2013 shooting victim’s family seeks damages in wrongful death case.
The year-long silence surrounding the police shooting of John Geer has been broken — but not by Fairfax County Police or the U.S. Department of Justice. John Geer was shot to death by Fairfax County Police on Aug. 29, 2013.
Former Delegate Gladys Keating Remembered by Colleagues, Friends
Keating served 22 years and raised five children.
On Aug. 19, former delegate from the 43rd House District of Fairfax County Gladys Keating died of congestive heart failure. She passed peacefully, with family, at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C.
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