Winter Fun Abounds in Vienna
Area hosts events to chase away the chill.
The Vienna-area hosts a variety of fun indoor events during the cold season. From live theatre to live music, from food and gaming to Washington’s most revered political satire, there’s a bit of something for every interest.
Reaching for Stars
Flint Hill student from Oakton is an aspiring professional athlete.
Carlyn Baldwin, a 16-year-old student-athlete from Oakton, hopes that she is well on her way to her dream of playing for the United States National Women’s soccer team. Baldwin’s soccer career began at the age of four-and-a-half when her mom signed her up for a local team. Since then, Baldwin has committed her life to soccer and received a plethora of individual awards and recognitions. At the National Championships in the summer of 2012, she was named to the Best 11 for the u16 (under age sixteen) all-tournament team. She was nominated for and attended multiple United States Soccer Training Centers, which are used for youth national team identification.
Letter: Taking Exception on Medicaid Expansion
Your recent editorial ["Expanding Medicaid Good For Virginia," The Connection, January 23-29, 2013] is noble in its desire to "extend health coverage to more than 400,000 residents who currently have no health insurance." If public policy making were just that easy. The editorial then goes on to indifferently say, "the Federal government picks up the tab.
Editorial: Extreme, But Brief, Volunteering
More than 150 volunteers needed to survey chronic homeless for three days in February.
The real solution to homelessness is housing. This week in Northern Virginia, a point-in-time survey will record all of the “literally homeless” individuals and families in the region. Last year, on Jan. 25, 2012, there were 1,534 people who were literally homeless in the Fairfax-Falls Church Community; 697 of them were single individuals and 837 were people in families. A third of the total number of homeless were children. Nearly 60 percent of the adult members of the homeless families were employed.
Classified Advertising Jan. 30, 2013
Read the lastest ads here!
McDonald’s Donates $4,200 to Fairfax County Schools
On Friday, Jan. 18, the McDonald’s Family Restaurants of Greater Washington, D.C. presented Fairfax County Public Schools with a check for $4,200.
Local Business Supports Operation Gratitude
Vienna, Springfield business owner promotes another opportunity for a random act of kindness.
It all started with a “tweet” from NBC News Correspondent Ann Curry last month suggesting a creative way to honor the 26 lives that were lost at a Newtown, Conn. elementary school. Why can’t we all try to perform at least 26 random acts of kindness this next year?
A Chorus of Praise
Fairfax County mentors celebrated during National Mentor Month.
Can we get an “amen?” The joyful noise coming from the David R. Pinn Center in Fairfax on Saturday wasn’t a gospel revival, but it was just as inspiring and enlightening.
Column: A Simple Question
I don’t quite know how to start this column so I’ll begin with its ending: “I’m fine.”
Nazi Commonwealth
Bipartisan team seeks compensation for victims of forced sterilization.
Nobody knows how many people are survivors of Virginia’s forced sterilization program, which targeted people with mental illness, mental retardation or epilepsy. But a bipartisan effort now under consideration in Richmond would hand each and every one of them a $50,000 check from the people of Virginia. According to one calculation, that could mean as much as $73 million.
Indoor Winter Fun with Children
Ideas for entertainment when Jack Frost appears.
Winter weather often means limited open air playtime for some children. “It is very important for children to get as much outdoor activity as possible, but there are times when it is not safe for them to be outside for an extended length of time, or any time at all, because it is too cold. ” said Shannon Melideo, chair of the Education Department at Marymount University in Arlington. “There are many other things that children can do besides sledding and ice skating.”
Winter Fun with Food
Easy and tasty ideas for winter meals.
The stove is fired-up, a sauté pan is sizzling and the thud of a steel knife blade hitting a wooden chopping block fills the air along with the woodsy aroma of fresh thyme. The temperature outside is frigid, but the kitchen feels like an inferno as Chef Kristen Robinson drives a knife though a fennel bulb, kale leaves and a tough-skinned butternut squash with staccato succession.
Oakton Swim and Dive Wins District Titles
Oakton High School’s Varsity Swim and Dive teams won both the boys’ and girls’ Concorde District Swim & Dive Championship Saturday night, Jan. 26, at Cub Run RECenter. The girls won with 532 points over Robinson in second place with 323 points. The boys won with 464 points over Robinson (460) in second place. Oakton’s divers set the stage for an incredible night. Bennett Fagan placed third for the boys. Julia Powell and Hana Burkly placed fifth and sixth overall respectively.
Classified Advertising Jan. 23, 2013
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Addressing Gun Violence in Oakton
Over 50 people from throughout Northern Virginia attended the initial meeting of the Community Committee on Gun Violence on Thursday evening, Jan. 18, in Oakton.
Attending Inauguration
Marcia Chamblin, who attended President Barack Obama’s second inauguration with her sister Mary Kay Houck, says she arrived at the Vienna Metro station at 5:30 a.m. to avoid crowded trains.
Oakton Rules the Pool
Oakton High School’s Varsity Swim and Drive teams continued their undefeated season with a win over Herndon High School Friday night, Jan. 11. The girls won with a score of 197 points over Herndon’s 112. The boys won 194 to 121. The Cougars started off the meet by recognizing their graduating seniors.
Editorial: Expanding Medicaid Good for Virginia
Real health coverage for an additional 400,000 people is in reach.
Virginia has an opportunity to expand Medicaid in a way that could extend health coverage to more than 400,000 residents who currently have no health insurance while the Federal government picks up the tab; Virginia would pay 10 percent of the additional cost after 2020.
News Briefs
As Democratic delegates fight to keep firearms further from school property, Republican Bob Marshall (D-13) is pushing legislation to bring more guns in. Marshall is the chief patron of HB 1557, which would require every school board in the state to designate one volunteer to carry a concealed weapon on school property. Training for selected volunteers would be provided by either the Virginia Center for School Safety or the NRA, of which he is a member.
Four Northern Virginia Senators Targeted
Redistricting effort puts Fairfax County seats in the spotlight.
Four Northern Virginia state Senators are targets of a Republican-led effort to draw new districts — Sen. George Barker (D-39), Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37), Sen. Toddy Puller (D-36) and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34). Democrats say the redistricting effort is a cynical attempt to take advantage of the absence of Sen. Henry Marsh (D-16), a prominent civil rights veteran, who was in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration on Monday. But state Sen. John Watkins (R-10) of Powhatan defended the effort as a way to create a sixth majority black Senate district in Southside. It passed the Senate on a 20-to-19 vote.