Storm Hits the Area
The pictures taken during the storm last Wednesday, April 30, at the intersection of Old Courthouse Road and Wolftrap Run.
County Chamber Moves to Tysons
FCCC makes new location official with ribbon-cutting party.
Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce (FCCC) members loyalty runs river deep. More than 400 people braved the flooding Potomac and heavy traffic due to severe thunderstorms to celebrate the Chamber’s Open House and ribbon cutting in Tysons Corner on Wednesday.
Timely Discussion On Drug Abuse
To the Editor: Through columns on your newspaper website like "Avoidance Better Than Arrests, Prison, Death" my attention has been drawn to your spotlight on forums focused on drug prevention in high schools. With the increase in use of drugs for recreational use among youths, this is a timely and well-covered issue in your newspaper.
Patrick Henry Library Hosts Book Sale
Shoppers browsed among 4,000 donated books.
The semi-annual book sale sponsored by Friends of Patrick Henry Library took place on May 3 and 4 at the library, indoors and out. Hundreds of local residents turned out to browse through the more than 4,000 books organized by genre at the library. All books for sale were donated by the community. For kids, it was an opportunity to choose inexpensive books from a vast array. From New York Times best-selling authors to esoteric geo-political topics, there was a genre for pretty-much everyone.
First Bears Are Seen in Vienna
Fairfax County police received the first seasonal reports of bear sightings in Fairfax County on Saturday, April 26 in Vienna. A bear was reportedly struck on the Dulles Toll Road; then a resident called around noon, reporting a bear in his backyard in the 1600 block of Fremont Lane, just behind the busy roadway. Officers do not know whether or not this bear was the one that was struck. According to Animal Control Officers, it’s not unusual to see black bears this time of year, and residents shouldn’t panic or feel alarmed when they see one. It’s likely that this bear has already moved through the area. Bears typically avoid humans; but in their search for food, it’s not uncommon to see one. Most often, bears will keep moving through an area once they fail in their attempts to find food.
Tysons Corner Doctor Named Sports Chiropractor of the Year
The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (ACBSP™) recently held its annual sports sciences symposium in Orlando, Fla. During the symposium they announced the annual winner of the “Sports Chiropractor of the Year” award; Dr. Anne P. Sorrentino of McLean. She is only the third woman ever to receive this honor.
Bike Rodeo Tested Skills, Good Riding Habits
Police Department teaches safety with fun.
It was an ideal spring day for the Vienna Police Department’s bike rodeo on May 3. The sky was sunny and clear and it was warm but not too hot to be riding around the pavement of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department’s parking lot. The event, held from 9 to noon, was not crowded, either, but the kids who steered through the obstacle course enjoyed themselves.
‘I’m Just Grateful My Son Is Still Alive’
Useful information about substance-abuse dangers.
Part Two If anyone knows about substance abuse, it’s Sarah McDade who, admittedly, has been to hell and back with her son. And she shared his story during a recent, substance-abuse forum at Madison High. Called “Protecting Against the Realities of Substance Abuse,” it was put on by Parents Reaching Out To Educate Communities Together (P.R.O.T.E.C.T.), a task force of the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County. “My son had his own set of horrors,” said McDade. “I kept an eye on him and found out where he was going – and it didn’t matter. My son was already a drug addict at 15; he started with alcohol and went to marijuana. He had his first arrest, with two other boys. But the county evaluated him and said he didn’t have a substance-abuse problem.” Then when he was 16, he fell in the street. “He had a .27 blood-alcohol content, and .3 and above can kill you,” said McDade. “But my son was bullied and wanted to fit in; he thought drinking and using marijuana made him cool. He could be charming and he also had ADHD, and he bamboozled the psychiatrist we got him into prescribing him more drugs. Looking back, he probably peddled half of them.”
Patricia W. MacVeagh Dies
Obituary
Patricia W. MacVeagh -- beloved wife of Charles "Pete" MacVeagh, sister of J. Wayman Williams, Jr., mother of Chip and Martha, and friend to many -- passed into the care of Our Lord on Monday, April 28, 2014. Pat was an avid horsewoman and photographer, and was a charter member of the Vienna Photographic Society. Memorial Service on Friday May 9, 2014, at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Comforter, 543 Beulah Road, Vienna. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to SaratogaWarHorse.com, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRFInc.org), or LiftMeUp.org.
Week in Vienna
Felony Hit-Run Is Charged Vienna police have charged a 53-year-old Vienna man with felony hit and run and reckless driving. He is Danilo Amaya-Hernandez of Glengyle Drive. He was arrested in connection with an incident that happened April 27 at 9:56 a.m. on Maple Avenue near James Madison Drive W.
Madison Girls’ Lax Learns From Season’s Toughest Challenge
Warhawks fall to national power St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes.
The St. Stephen's & St. Agnes girls' lacrosse team defeated Madison 13-8 on Monday.
Classified Advertising April 30, 2014
Read the latest ads here!
Choosing a Summer Camp
Camp experts offer advice on selecting a camp, but now is the time to register.
Many families with school age children will plan to have their children spend some of the much-anticipated summer season in camp. If you haven’t yet selected camps for your children, now is the time.
Many Ideas for Summer Activities
Avoid those dreaded words: ‘I’m bored.’
Molly McAlister enjoys the freedom of summer, but there are three words she dreads hearing: “Mom, I’m bored.” Creating activities to keep her three children busy during the summer is a task she enjoys, but it isn’t always easy.
Fairfax County School Board Examining Later Start Times
High schools could start as late as 9:15.
Two years after the Fairfax County School Board adopted a resolution in favor of later start times, exhausted teenagers are one step closer to getting a full night’s sleep. The Children’s National Medical Center recently presented the school board with options for later start times, of which the school board selected four for public discussion. The new start times could be implemented as early as the 2015-2016 school year.
Shine’s OT Goal Lifts McLean Girls’ Soccer Over Madison
Highlanders remain undefeated, improve to 6-0-3.
The McLean girls' soccer team remains undefeated.
Protecting Youths Against Substance Abuse
Panel shares stories and advice.
Fairfax County's Unified Prevention Coalition sponsored a forum on the effects of substance abuse on the county's middle and high school children. The resource fair and panel discussion was led by parents, young adults and professionals from the coalition's PROTECT (Parents Reaching Out To Educate Communities Together) task force. "It's been so long, I'll still be emotional about it," said Greg Lannes about his daughter's heroin overdose in 2008. Alicia Lannes had been 19 when she died and had always been a model student with straight A's. He pointed to the lone framed photo of her on the table and asked the audience, "Does that look like a heroin addict? How did she get to that point?"
Protecting Driver’s License Information Becomes Law
Del. David Bulova’s legislation (House Bill 1072) to protect personal information on driver’s licenses was enacted into law during the reconvened session of the General Assembly on April 23. The new law, which will be effective on July 1, limits the ability of a business to electronically scan the bar code on a driver’s license and then store and use that data. State Sen. David Marsden (D-37) carried the companion legislation (Senate Bill 40), which has also been enacted into law.
County Budget Markup Passes
Three supervisors still oppose the budget.
Fairfax County is another step closer to having an approved budget for the next fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors approved the 2015 budget markup at its April 22 meeting at the county Government Center. Supervisors Linda Smyth (D-Providence), Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and John Cook (R-Braddock) opposed the markup.
Fairfax County Honors ‘Superheroes’
22nd Annual Fairfax County Service Awards presented.
Maybe they don’t wear capes and flashy uniforms, but local volunteers are superheroes. That was the theme for the 22nd Annual Fairfax County Service Awards, where more than 100 volunteers were recognized for their work with breakfast Friday, April 25, at The Waterford in Springfield. More specifically, this year’s theme was "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Impact," which was reflected in the comic book-inspired table decor and introductions by master of ceremonies Jeff Goldberg, Virginia Bureau Chief for ABC7 and News Channel 8.