Fan Quest for Special Olympics
Oakton High Hosts McLean High in basketball game and other fun activities.
Oakton High School's gym was filled to capacity with a standing-room only crowd of 700 for Fan Quest 2015 last Saturday, Feb. 7, when Oakton challenged McLean to a game of Special Olympics basketball plus other exciting activities. In addition to the Special Olympics Virginia basketball game where McLean beat Oakton, 42-24, the event, sponsored by Booz-Allen Hamilton and Grant Thornton, gave athletes the chance to shoot layups, free throws, and three-pointers in the Papa John's Pizza Shoot Out to win free pizza coupons.
I-66 Improvements Draw Crowd in Oakton
Public Information Meeting held at Oakton High.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in partnership with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) recently held several informational meetings on the “I-66 Outside the Beltway Improvements Project” to give the public the opportunity to better visualize its scope and ask questions of the people really in the know. One of these meetings was held at Oakton High School on Feb. 3 and drew a crowd of several hundred to the school cafeteria to learn more about the project that covers a 25 mile path from the 495 Beltway to Route 15 in Haymarket.
Exploring the Truth, Doubt and Consequences
1st Stage presents “Doubt.”
1st Stage has given audiences a beautifully accomplished, soaring production of “Doubt, a Parable.” Directed by Michael Dove, “Doubt” is a courageous act of intellectual and emotional honesty that is rare in its presentation of power, gender and ambiguity. It is rich in passionate dialogue to hold your attention.
60 Years of Wedding Bliss
Marie and Walter Washburn of Vienna are celebrating 60 years of marriage on Feb. 12. They originally were to have a Valentine’s Day marriage back in 1955 but a huge winter storm forced them to marry days earlier. They met after a blind date set up by Marie's sister and brother-in-law and have lived locally in the same house since 1958 in the town of Vienna.
Column: ‘Scantsy’
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to characterize the feelings I regularly experience during the final few weeks leading up to my every-three-month CT Scan, and even more so the feelings I experience waiting the following week or so to see my oncologist to discuss the results.
Local Chef Takes Kids Around the World
Marilena Leavitt preaches and teaches the basics of the Mediterranean diet to Culinaria teens.
”How to Feed a Growing Kid” sounds like the name of a Judy Blume tween novel. It’s not … it’s a mission that impassions professional chef Marilena Leavitt, mother of three, and Culinaria Cooking School’s kids’-cooking class instructor. It’s not enough to prepare healthful meals for kids; you have to make something healthful that they will eat. That’s what Leavitt teaches and espouses in classes and in life.
McLean Wrestling Wins Conference 6 Championship
Conor Grammes’ pin delivers team title for Highlanders.
McLean beat Madison by 1.5 points to win the Conference 6 wrestling title.
Vienna: Koshuta-less Madison Snaps Langley's 14-Game Win Streak
Junior guard McWeeney helps Warhawks avenge loss to Saxons without injured star forward.
The Madison girls' basketball team beat Langley 46-38 Friday.
Fairfax County Goes Public with Geer Documents
FCPD report confirms John Geer was shot while unarmed, hands raised.
Of the seven eyewitness accounts of the shooting death of John Geer, only one describes Geer quickly bringing his hands down to his waist. That was the perspective of PFC Adam Torres, the officer who shot Geer in the chest, killing him in the doorway of his home on Aug. 29, 2013.
Letter: An Open Letter to Virginia Delegates
Letter to the Editor
Many of you know our story well. We are the parents of Morgan Harrington. Morgan, a student at Virginia Tech, went to a rock concert in Charlottesville in 2009 and never came home. Her remains were found 100 days later.
Citizens to the Rescue
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy accepting applications.
The Fairfax County Citizens Fire and Rescue Academy, a free nine-week program to learn about the work of firefighters and paramedics, will begin its next session March 12, with the deadline for online applications closing on Feb. 16.
Free and Low-Cost Dental Care for Children
Special programs available as part of National Children's Dental Health Month.
Dental hygiene should start even before a baby’s first tooth emerges. That is one of the messages that dental professionals are hoping to convey this month.
Mental Health First Aid
County program offers insight into mental illness and teaches strategies for intervention.
Leslie Roberts recalls hearing a mother talk about getting her stepson admitted to a psychiatric hospital. “Her stepson was angry and acting out,” said Roberts. “She didn’t understand what her stepson was doing.”
Editorial: No Justification for Secrecy, Delay on Geer Shooting
Everything about this case erodes public trust and demonstrates police departments should not be allowed to apply “blanket” exemptions to release of information.
After waiting 17 months for any information about the investigation into the shooting death of John Geer, the information released last week is deeply troubling.
Tysons Corner Ice Rink Opens
Offers ice skating lessons, Cartoon Skate for kids, birthday parties, and fundraising opportunities.
The new 6,000 square foot Tysons Corner Ice Rink has officially opened for business. The opening took place on Black Friday, Nov. 28, and the season extends through March 11. The rink sponsored by CBRE Realty is situated on The Plaza next to Lord & Taylor on the second floor of the mall, and opposite the Shake Shack Restaurant. A new Hyatt Hotel is scheduled to open beside it in March.
GMU Students Rally to Lower Student Debt
Members of GMU Student Power Travel to Richmond to voice concern over rising debt.
Twelve students from George Mason University traveled to Richmond with the Virginia Student Power Network, rallying and calling for debt-free education, and for increased educational opportunities for undocumented students. Rodrigo Velasquez, a junior at Mason from Springfield and GMU Student Power’s organizer, was one of the 12 from Mason who also went to Richmond.
Column: The Past Future is Now Present
Presumably, maybe even obviously, nearly six years into a “terminal” diagnosis, arrangements for a smooth transition of power should have been made already.
1st Stage Receives Helen Hayes Nominations
Tysons' 1st Stage was nominated for nine Helen Hayes Awards for outstanding achievement in professional theatre in the Washington metropolitan area. The awards are named after Helen Hayes, the legendary first lady of the American Theatre. Nominated artists and companies exemplify the excellence found on Washington area stages.
Puppy Erickson Comes to Vienna
Vienna resident raising puppy for Canine Companions for Independence.
Canine Companions for Independence – a national nonprofit organization that provides assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, has announced that Vienna resident Barbara Weigand recently began raising an assistance dog in-training for Canine Companions for Independence.
Local Prep Football Coaches React to End of Super Bowl XLIX
Majority say they would have called a run play from 1-yard line.
Lake Braddock football coach Jim Poythress sticks up for Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.