Classified Advertising May 7, 2014
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Me & My Mom 2014 — Mother’s Day Photo Gallery and My Mother: an Appreciation
"A tribute to my mother, Lorena W. Mayhew, a superb seamstress..."
Shirley M. Bailey, 84, of Burke submitted this poem “as a tribute to my mother, Lorena W. Mayhew, a superb seamstress, who kept her four children well dressed during the Depression and even later with her superb skills as a seamstress.
Future Fund Gala May 16 Aboard the Cherry Blossom Charter
The Future Fund will celebrate its 2014 grantmaking and raise funds for the 2015 cycle at its annual Awards Gala on Friday, May 16 aboard the Cherry Blossom Charter in Old Town, Alexandria.
Fairfax County School Board Addressing Budget Shortfalls
Budget shortfall is $17 million.
The Fairfax County School Board is considering options to close a $17 million shortfall in their 2015 budget. Superintendent Karen Garza presented the board with possible adjustments at a work session on April 28. The school board is set to adopt their final budget on May 22. On April 29, the Board of Supervisors approved the FY 2015 budget, including a school transfer of three percent, short of Garza’s requested 5.7 percent increase.
Meals Tax Possible for Fairfax County
Tax could generate $88 million in revenue.
At a public hearing on the 2015 budget, Fairfax County resident Kimberly Adams joined numerous other individuals who urged the Board of Supervisors to consider a meals tax. “To have the quality of life that we’ve come to depend on in Fairfax County, we must move the needle closer to the regional average when it comes to taxes. We must not be afraid to look for new streams of revenue, such as a meals tax for instance,” Adams told the Board of Supervisors at the budget hearings. “Never have I actually thought, well, there’s a meals tax in Alexandria, so I’ll drive 10 more minutes into Fairfax and order my pizza. I go to the place that’s convenient and where I want to eat.”
Despite Advances, Many Virginians Remain Uninsured
Affordable Care Act expands coverage, but more than 800,000 still have no health insurance.
What is the state of the uninsured in Virginia?
Editorial: Yes to the Meals Tax Referendum
Voters could decide on the tax in November.
Economic diversification is worthy goal. All of your eggs shouldn’t be in one basket. All of your revenue shouldn’t come from one source. In Fairfax County, adding a meals tax at the same level as Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and the City of Fairfax, 4 percent, could generate $88 million a year. The county estimates that 25-30 percent of the meals taxes collected would be paid by non-county residents. The inability to implement alternative revenue sources will mean continued dependence on one basket. The combined increase in the real estate property tax rate and home values means that most homeowners will be paying hundreds of dollars more in property taxes regardless of their ability to pay.
Airbag Thefts on the Rise in Fairfax
Doesn’t take long to steal.
This year, Fairfax County has become one of the biggest suppliers of stolen airbags for Virginia’s auto parts black market. Since January, more than 50 airbags have been stolen in Fairfax County alone, and, in April, Arlington reported that a dozen airbags had been stolen.
Feeling Repercussions of Winter
Schedule adjustments for Northern Virginia public school students.
This winter, thousands of area students were given more days off than expected. Day after day, parents, students and faculty received notice that school had yet again been cancelled due to the heavy snow and cold weather, which forced students and faculty to watch one of the coldest and heaviest winters since the 2010 Snowmagedden from home.
Hearing Loss Doesn’t Have to be Life-changing
“What?” May is Better Hearing and Speech Month.
On any given workday, you might find Arlington resident Erin Weiner sitting in a family-friendly restaurant causally coloring or playing games with a young child. At first glance, she might be mistaken for any young mother entertaining her offspring while they wait for a meal. In actuality, Weiner, who is a speech-language pathologist, is employing what she describes as an innovative approach to therapy that involves working with a child in his or her natural environment.
A Tale of Two Seasons
It is not the best of times, nor is it the worst of times; it is, simply put: the time between the end of winter and the beginning of summer. It is the season known as spring, but more to the point of this column, it is the time when, if the weather cooperates/accommodates, I won’t need to turn the heat or the air conditioning on in my house. I will instead be able to ride the wave, so to speak, and not incur any post-winter/pre-summer utility bills. Possibly, I might even be able to pay off my oil-heating budget bill balance for the 2013/2014 season – before the 2014/2015 budget cycle begins, and hopefully not have to cool down the house at the same time – due to an early summer – so that on the day my oil-heating bill is due, it won’t be competing for cash with my upstart electric/air conditioning bill for money not well spent and for money hardly in abundance.
Supervisors Pass County Budget
Three supervisors vote against the $3.7 billion budget.
Educators are not happy that the school district will receive $64 million less than they asked for next year. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors passed the county’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget, which includes a 3 percent increase in the School Fund Transfer, at the April 29 meeting.
Going into Business with Mom
Mother-daughter Realtor teams say working together can work.
Allison Goodhart has a vivid childhood memory: pulling a wagon filled with pumpkins and her younger sister around her family’s Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria, helping to promote her parents’ real estate business. Today Allison Goodhart works alongside her mother as part of Old Town Alexandria-based Goodhart Group of McEnearney Associates Inc., Realtors.
Vienna Celebrates ‘the Most Influential Rabbi of Modern History’
Tuesday, May 13, Chabad Tysons Jewish Center will present Paradigm Shift: Transformational Life Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, a new six-session course by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. The course will be offered as part of a series of local activities in Northern Virginia marking 20 years since the passing of "the Rebbe," Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson of righteous memory. The Rebbe was a visionary religious leader who inspired countless individuals during his lifetime and established a global network of educational, social, and religious institutions to revive the post-holocaust Jewish landscape.
Silver Line Phase 1 Reaches ‘Substantial Completion’
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced its concurrence Thursday with an April 9 Declaration of Substantial Completion for Phase 1 of the Silver Line Project to extend the Washington region's Metrorail public transit system. The concurrence affirms that the Phase 1 construction by Dulles Transit Partners, a construction consortium led by Bechtel Corp., has satisfied the contract requirements applicable to the project's major functional elements.
22 Years in Prison for Child’s Death
A Fair Lakes woman has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for murdering an 11-month-old boy in Vienna, nearly three years ago. She is Carol Nadine Lutsky, 22, of Summit Manor Court. The tragedy occurred Oct. 5, 2011. Town of Vienna police officers were called to the 1100 block of Lakewood Drive S.W. regarding a baby who was reported to be unresponsive. But before they arrived, the caretaker, Lutsky, then 20, transported the infant to his biological mother who was in Reston at the time. The baby was then rushed to Reston Hospital, from where – because of his critical and deteriorating condition – he was Medevaced to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The boy, Nehemiah Williams, died the next day, on Oct. 6.
YMM Art Space Beautifies Area
Some amusing trees are blooming in the heart of the Tysons Corner business district. YMM Art Space, a children’s art education center, is presenting a public art project by international artists. Environmentally friendly fabric is installed on 30 trees in Tysons’ Square at the intersection of Gallows and Old Courthouse road. Oncoming traffic and commuters enjoy vibrant colors of the fabric mixed in with the budding trees welcoming the early arrival of the spring season. YMM Art Space hopes to grow the surrounding artist community. Staff at the YMM Art Space have art backgrounds and exhibit their work including collaborations pieces by teachers and students. YMM Art Space is located at 8216 Old Courthouse Road.
Madison High’s Mimi Shang Wins Congressional District Art Competition
Five students from four Fairfax County public schools took top honors in Congressman Gerry Connolly’s sixth annual Congressional Arts Competition. Connolly announced the winners Saturday. Mimi Shang of James Madison High School in Vienna took first place honors with her artwork titled Bubble Talking. Her artwork will be hung in the U.S. Capitol for a year alongside the winners of congressional arts competitions from districts across the country.
Vienna Student Honored for Exemplary Essay
The United States Capitol Historical Society has announced that Richard Alec Merski of Vienna, a senior at James Madison High School, has been named one of the winners of the 2013 Making Democracy Work Student Essay Contest. Richard was awarded First Place in the Senior Division and earned a cash prize of $1,000. “The US Capitol Historical Society is pleased to recognize Richard Alec Merski for his exemplary essay,” said US Capitol Historical Society President Ron Sarasin. “As with all the winning essays, Richard’s essay reflected a deep understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our representative form of government.” Merski’s award-winning essay, “The Duties of Democracy: Reflections on a Citizen’s Rights and Responsibilities,” reminds us of the cost of defending the rights enjoyed by citizens of the United States.
End of an Era for Town Council
Mike Polychrones steps down, moves to North Carolina.
For nearly two decades, Mike Polychrones has been a fixture on the Vienna Town Council. But Tuesday morning, after voting in the Town election, he and his wife Patti headed south to their new home in North Carolina. His last Council meeting was April 28 and, at its outset, he was honored by Mayor Laurie Di Rocco and Del. Mark Keam (D-35). Di Rocco gave Polychrones a plaque “in recognition of dedicated service” from 1996-2003 and 2004-2014, and Keam read a resolution from the Virginia General Assembly thanking him for all he’s done.