Editorial: Extend Health Coverage in Virginia
Standing on what is essentially scorched earth, Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly have condemned hundreds of thousands of poor Virginians to living without health coverage even though it would be fully funded by Federal money for the next three years, and with Virginia paying 10 percent after five years.
Friends Forever
Since it had been more than a few months, today I summoned up the courage to Google my long-time friend and fellow stage IV lung cancer survivor, Suzanne. Suzanne and I had been years out of touch (for no real reason other than initiative and the geographic consideration that she lived in Barnstable, Ma. and I live in Burtonsville, Md.) and recently back in touch – due to our identical cancer diagnoses. I learned that she had succumbed to her disease back in October, 2013. We last had contact electronically back in the summer. She was extremely weak then, she said, too weak to talk, so e-mailing was best. In that e-mail, ultimately her last, she wrote that the most recent chemotherapy drug with which she was infused was no longer effective and that her oncologist had no other drugs left to recommend. Not that she said it in so many words, but at that point her prognosis was grim. She offered that her two boys were with her and from them she would gain great comfort. The news was very unsettling to me and I was afraid that this e-mail might be our last – and so it was.
‘This Is the Town’s Building’
Vienna Community Center will receive addition, renovation.
For nearly half a century, Vienna’s community center has served its residents. Whether hosting classes, meetings or special events, it’s one of the most heavily used buildings in town. Since its dedication on April 17, 1966, it’s been renovated three times. But the last time was in 1998 and, now, it’ll be repaired again, and enlarged, as well.
Norine McGraw Swaminatha
Obituary
On Thursday, Jan. 2, Norine Mcgraw Swaminatha, 65, a 34-year resident of the Town of Vienna passed away at home. Beloved and devoted wife to Kris Swaminatha, mother to Tara Swaminatha (Robert Kaplan), Sheela Myers (Stephen), Meara DeRose (Paul) and Neala Swaminatha and sister to Regina McGraw; grandmother to Arin and Molly Kaplan, Emily and Mason Myers, and Vinny and Lucy DeRose; The Mass of Christian Burial was held Friday, Jan. 10 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Vienna. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Norine's memory to the American Brain Tumor Association (on Norine's page at http://hope.abta.org/goto/Norine, by phone 773-577-8750, or by mail at 8550 Bryn Mawr Ave, Suite 550, Chicago, Illinois, 60631-3225).
Petersen Proposes Amendments, Bills
Over the next couple months, the General Assembly will be dissecting the biennial state budget proposed by the outgoing governor. Individual members may propose amendments, and state Sen. Chap Petersen did so on Jan. 10. “They are all relatively small amounts, but could have a critical role,” Peterson said.
What’s Next for I-66
VDOT will hold a public information meeting on the next steps to identify potential traffic improvements in the I-66 Corridor. It’s set for Thursday, Jan. 30, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Oakton High School, 2900 Sutton Road in Vienna. (If cancelled due to weather: Tuesday, Feb. 4). VDOT and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation have identified 10 concepts to increase capacity within the I-66 corridor, plus options to increase travel-mode choices, improve individual interchanges, address spot safety needs and enhance travel efficiency.
Greater Vienna Babe Ruth Baseball
Registration is now open for the Spring 2014 Season. Offering Prep League for 13’s, American League for 14’s and 15’s, Senior League for 16-19’s, and Senators travel teams. Returning players, please register online at gvbrl.org. New players must register in person. Two sessions are planned, Jan. 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Feb. 1 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St SE, Vienna, VA 22180. Early-bird discount applies to everyone registering in person. More information at gvbrl.org. Play ball!
‘This’ Opens in Vienna
Vienna Theatre Company presents comedy-drama exploring challenges of a certain-age.
On Jan. 24, the Vienna Theatre Company debuts “This,” a drama with a humorous take on the tribulations of life at about 40 years old … give or take a year or two in either direction.
Vienna Mayor to Retire in 2014
After 14 years at the helm, M. Jane Seeman will not seek re-election.
IT WAS 1996 when M. Jane Seeman stepped in to fill her husband’s unexpired term on the council after his death. She ran and won seats on the council in 1997 and 1999. When then-mayor Charles Robinson approached Seeman about running for mayor in 2000, she had some trepidation. “I was thinking I wasn’t capable at all,” Seeman said. “I felt as if I swallowed a rock. “If you really believe in something, you have to step forward and do it. I believe in Vienna and that’s what this was all about.” Seeman was diagnosed with lung cancer in spring, 2013, but her decision to turn the reins of the town over came a year before her diagnosis. Other than the cancer, she called herself a “healthy” person. Throughout Seeman’s administration and in the years before, the town’s emphasis was on maintaining Vienna’s way of life, a small-town feel with a family focus, Seeman said. “It’s paid off. We have all these young families moving to Vienna, raising their kids here.”
Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: December, 2013
In December 2013, 82 homes sold between $2,775,000-$204,000 in the Vienna and Oakton area.
Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: December, 2013
Classified Advertising January 15, 2014
Read the latest ads here!
Virginia Supreme Court Opens Access to Audio Recordings of Oral Arguments
Policy change overturns blackout instituted in 2008.
Members of the Virginia Supreme Court have a New Year’s Resolution — become more transparent.
South Lakes’ Aghayere, Rendle Dominate Boards in Victory
Madison’s Koshuta scores 28 points in defeat.
The South Lakes girls' basketball team defeated Madison 60-52 on Jan. 10.
Oakton’s Weaver Leads Gymnastics Team to Victory
Sophomore wins all-around competition.
The Oakton gymnastics team won a home meet on Jan. 9.
Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna Raises Funds for Two Local Charities
For the last fifteen years, the Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna (SCOV) has been hosting their Community Thanksgiving Service along with participating congregations. The monies raised from the service offering are then distributed to local charities.
New Exhibition Opens at Vienna Arts Society Center
Award-winning art showcased through January.
There are a lot of things the Vienna Arts Society [VAS] does well: it offers art classes to adults and children; it sponsors and hosts a major art show each fall; it supports a local nonprofit every year with art pieces donated by its artists; it provides children’s activities at community events. Its claim to fame, however, is probably the new exhibitions by local artists it produces every month.
Week in Vienna
Fairfax County police are looking for the person who robbed a BB&T Bank, last Wednesday, Jan. 8, in Oakton. The incident occurred around 11:29 a.m. when a man entered the bank at 2941 Chain Bridge Road.
From Late Night Comedy to Your Bedroom
Why the General Assembly matters more in Virginia than most states.
The Virginia General Assembly began its annual session last week on Jan. 8. The actions of the Virginia General Assembly matter more to localities than it would in many other states. In Virginia, localities have only the power specifically granted by the General Assembly, the Dillon rule. So, for example, Montgomery County and Prince Georges County in Maryland recently voted to increase the minimum wage in those localities. They didn’t need permission from Maryland General Assembly to do so. Arlington and Alexandria might be inclined to follow suit (the District government also voted to increase the minimum wage) but do not have that power.
In Case Someone Is Wondering
I don’t mind being alive, really I don’t. Occasionally though, I receive well-intended inquiries – electronic and otherwise, from people (who know my cancer story) who are sort of wondering if perhaps I’m not. When people haven’t heard from me in a while – and this is a category of people with whom I don’t have regular/recurring interactions, but rather a group of people who reach out and attempt to touch me (figuratively speaking) every three or four months or so – there is a presumption on their part that my silence (so far as they know) is not in fact golden, but rather ominous, as in the cancer might have won and yours truly didn’t. And when I respond, their pleasure/relief at my not having succumbed to the disease is quite positive, generally speaking. Their honesty and joy in learning that I’m still alive is both rewarding and gratifying. Rewarding in that they care and gratifying in that I must be doing something right which enables me to sustain myself through a very difficult set of medical circumstances: stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, the terminal kind (is there any other kind?).
Let Sun Shine on Virginia’s Financial Disclosure Laws
State legislators turn attention to ethics in wake of McDonnell gift scandal.
As members of the Virginia General Assembly convene for the first time since last February, legislators are stampeding to introduce ethics legislation in response to the gift scandal which engulfed then Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R). The revelations last spring about numerous undisclosed gifts and purported loans from businessman Jonnie Williams to McDonnell — including a $6,500 Rolex watch engraved to the "71st Governor of Virginia" and $35,000 in gifts and catering for his daughters’ weddings — shined a spotlight on Virginia’s porous financial disclosure laws.