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Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: February, 2014

In February 2014, 53 homes sold between $1,700,000-$193,000 in the Vienna and Oakton area.

Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: February, 2014

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Sophomore Rizzo, Senior Pitchers To Lead Oakton Baseball Team

Cougars won Concorde District, reached states in 2013.

The Oakton baseball team reached the state semifinals in 2013.

Letter: Incorrect Assertion

In a letter ["A Manufactured Crisis," Connection, March 12, 2014] Jack Kenny states that the ObamaCare Medical Devices tax applies to fishing poles and tires, and that "the Department of Health and Human Services has asked retailers to not show the tax on your sales receipt."


Letter: Concerned About Cell Tower

Many families with children at Colvin Run Elementary School (CRES), and with homes near the school, are concerned about a proposed 120-foot cell tower very near the school. Great Falls and Vienna residents' children attend CRES.

Fire Ball Auction Takes Bids on Firefighters and EMTs

Vienna Volunteer Fire Department hosts live and silent auctions on March 21.

Here’s an opportunity to win a group dinner "date" with a Vienna Volunteer Fire Department EMT or firefighter, as well as a diversity of prizes. On Friday, March 21, the VVFD holds a live auction featuring bids on the department’s emergency responders and a silent auction for prizes donated by area businesses, from restaurants, spa treatments and vacation rentals to services and jewelry. Twelve firefighters and EMTs will be auctioned off and bids start at $40. The auctions begin at 7 p.m.

Vienna Arts Society Exhibits the World, Honors Springtime

‘Great Escapes’ gives way to ‘Music to My Ears.’

The Vienna Arts Society does much more than bring local artists together. It reaches out to the community with art classes for adults and children, fine arts competitions, art camps for kids, and gallery exhibitions of quality pieces that change monthly. March’s exhibition of "Great Escapes," runs through March 29.


Vienna Town Manager Unveils Budget Plan

Proposal keeps real-estate tax rate the same.

Vienna Town Manager Mercury Payton has unveiled his proposed budget for FY 2014-15. What happens to it next is up to the Town Council and the residents.

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Career Ministry Serves Community

People find support and encouragement at Career Network Ministry at McLean Bible Church in Vienna.

In the metro D.C. area, job clubs and networking events have been long used as tools for persons on the job hunt. One weekly job event that has grown over the years is the Career Network Ministry, hosted at McLean Bible Church at 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna. "I hate to see our ranks grow, because it means so many are unemployed," said Mallard Owen, "yet I also think it is a shame that there are not more of these groups across the country." A resident of Ashburn, Owen does not attend McLean Bible Church, yet has helped with operations at the Career Network Ministry (CNM) for approximately five years.

Letter: A Reasonable Decision on Oakcrest School

Your article on the recent SEA approval for Oakcrest School ["Supervisors Clear the Way for Oakcrest School Relocation," Connection, March 5-11, 2014] regrettably repeats disinformation from Steve Hull and the Hunter Mill Defense League (HMDL). Contrary to their claim, I did not "agree" to the conditions imposed by the Board of Supervisors in their original approval. Supporting Oakcrest’s right to build on their own property was certainly not tantamount to agreeing to any conditions that might be imposed on someone else’s property. I was not a party to the negotiations resulting in the final conditions, dated the day of the hearing, nor were they even made available to me until a week after the approval.


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Local Students Spice it Up

Students from McLean, Robinson, and Woodson High Schools compete in culinary competition.

Student chefs from the Fairfax County school culinary program gathered last Thursday afternoon for the second annual Real Food for Kids Culinary Competition. The contest allowed students from the county’s four culinary academies to compete for a chance to have their vegetarian entrées used in the county’s school lunch program.

Editorial: Income Gap Alive and Well

Statistics make life in the area sound idyllic, but many families are left out in the land of plenty.

Northern Virginia is a place of wonder and plenty. So says the New York Times this past week in, "Income Gap Meet the Longevity Gap," (March 15, 2014).

No Know. No Problem.

I felt a bit of a dope this week when, after reading last week’s column, "Whew!", multiple friends called to inquire specifically as to the "Tony-the-Tiger Great" news I wrote that I received from my oncologist, and I couldn’t answer them in any detail: shrinkage, less fluid, "partial stable remission"? Nothing. And though I tried to get my oncologist to explain to me exactly what was so encouraging about this most recent CT Scan – compared to the one I took three months ago (as opposed to the one I had nine months ago which was mistakenly compared to this most recent scan and resulted in the "Some better, some worse. I’ll explain more on Friday" e-mail I received from my doctor and talked about in "Whew!") – I was rebuffed. Rebuffed in the best possible way: being told instead how great I was doing, how great my lab results were (for this most recent pre-chemotherapy) and how I could live a long time like this (presumably continuing to be infused with Alimta) – it was almost disconcerting; especially when you consider the original e-mail assessment we received and our less-than-positive interpretation of it. Moreover, the oncologist’s exuberance and smiling countenance, along with his offer of a congratulatory handshake led me away from the missing facts and immediately into these new-found feelings.


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How To Prepare for New SAT

Local experts say working hard in class is the best way to be successful.

Linda Mitchell and her 15-year-old daughter, Alexis, say they don’t really know what to expect when Alexis sits for the SAT college admissions exam in 2016, but they’re not too worried at this point. Two years is a long time.

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Art Educators, Galleries Celebrate Youth Art Month

Experts say art can teach valuable life skills.

Brightly colored self-portraits, landscapes dotted with spring flowers and hand-carved sculptures fill a gallery at the McLean Project for the Arts in McLean. All of the art was created by local school children. Meanwhile, in Alexandria, parents and tots dip their fingers in glue, clay and paint to create collages, sculptures and paintings.

Classified Advertising March 19. 2014

Read the latest ads here!


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Casino Night at Ritz-Carlton for Boy and Girls Clubs

Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, Fairfax Region runs clubs that serve children and teens in Mount Vernon and Falls Church, and held its inaugural Casino Night at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons on Friday, March 7. About 200 attended and enjoyed gaming, good food, music and live and silent auctions for a good cause.

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Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Spring

Experts suggest a yearly spring maintenance check-up.

With warmer weather just around the corner, it’s time to focus on your home.

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Getting Your Garden Ready for Spring

Local experts tell you what you should do now, in spite of the cold weather.

It doesn’t feel like spring. Last week’s snow made it seem like warm weather might never arrive, so planting a garden might be the last thing on your mind. However, local gardening experts say this is the ideal time to start preparing your landscape to yield colorful spring foliage. Bill Mann, of Behnke Nurseries in Potomac, Md., said spring garden preparation plans differ from year to year. "It depends on the landscape beds you have and whether or not you’re planning to put in a vegetable garden," he said.


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Whimsy Meets Elegance

Potomac designer creates playful yet polished home for family of five.

When an active family of five approached Potomac interior designer Sharon Kleinman and asked her to give their home a makeover, they wanted a whimsical yet polished space.

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Kitchen Confidential

From light-filled to dramatic, local designers create dream kitchens.

When Allie Mann of Arlington, a designer and senior interior specialist at Case Design/Remodeling, Inc. was tasked with giving the first floor of a McLean, Va., home a face lift, she had to think free-flowing and airy.