Week in Vienna
Renovations at Town Hall began on Monday, Jan. 14, and will include upgrading the building’s HVAC system, installing new windows, carpet, lighting and ceilings, and upgrading the building’s security system. Renovations are expected to last through the end of October 2013.
Letter: Questioning Bus Route 432
An open letter to Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) and Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman.
I just received an email regarding the proposed Bus route 432 that will come through Old Courthouse Road to Trap then Wolf Trap.
Ritz-Carlton to the Rescue
Tysons Corner hotel leaves “Footprints” in community.
It’s not uncommon for Vienna-McLean businesses—from defense industry contractors to hospitality providers—to make themselves good neighbors, vital partners in the community in which their presence is known. They come into schools, they mentor, they support wounded warrior programs. They embrace the community spirit envisioned by their company’s corporate philosophy. Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner goes beyond McLean and Tysons, extending its hand to local service clubs, nonprofit and humanitarian projects, and to the hotel’s dedicated project, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, Fairfax County Region [Fairfax BGCGW Club].
Vienna Veteran Campaigns for Commander of American Legion
Mardi Gras fundraiser benefits Dan Dellinger’s campaign.
Other than time he spent in the service of the U.S. Army, Dan Dellinger lived most of his life in Vienna. He went through Vienna schools, as his children did. He served as a Vienna Town Council member and as an officer of Vienna’s American Legion Post 180. He’s active in local civic clubs. Now, Dellinger is stepping out into the national spotlight, traversing the country in his campaign to be elected the American Legion’s next national commander.
Beloved Teacher’s Legacy of Innovation Lives On
Candace Leyton Innovation Learning Lab opens at Wolftrap Elementary.
Talk about a lasting impression—and the impact that a great teacher can leave behind as her legacy. Chris Shumway didn’t keep in touch with Candace Leyton, his third grade math teacher from Wolftrap Elementary School in Vienna, who passed away from breast cancer in 2003, but nearly 40 years later, Shumway was back at school to dedicate the Candace Leyton Innovation Learning Lab in honor of the woman whom he says “believed that I could be so much more.”
Eight Scouts Honored for Heroic Deeds
Eight boys from National Capital Area Council (NCAC) Boy Scouts of America (BSA) received National Court of Honor Lifesaving and Meritorious Action Awards in 2012 for remaining calm in a crisis, making quick use of Scout training and for living up to the words “to help other people at all times,” which is part of the Scout Oath.
Colvin Run Elementary Gives to the Needy
Children of Colvin Run Elementary School gathered in the school sport auditorium on Monday, Feb. 4, to mark the beginning of the school’s food donation program.
Fairfax Softball and Special Olympics Raise Funds Bowling
Participants, family, friends and supporters of Fairfax Adult Softball, Inc. (FAS) came together on Sunday, Jan. 27, for the 13th Annual Bowling Tournament to benefit Northern Virginia Special Olympics and Fairfax County Park Authority field improvements.
Fairfax Connector Proposes New Routes
Public input meeting held to solicit feedback on new bus routes.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation kicked off the public input process for their new bus routes in McLean Thursday, Feb. 1. The Fairfax Connector routes will be altered to take advantage of the opening of Metrorail stations in Tysons Corner and Reston in December, with the new routes expected to begin the same day as the stations open.
Marshall Boys’ Basketball: Doormat to District Contender
Statesmen have more wins this season than previous two combined.
The Marshall boys' basketball team is in second place in the Liberty District.
The 'President's Own' of Vienna, Reston Play in 57th Inauguration
Tuba player Gunnery Sgt. Mark Thiele of Vienna, clarinetist Staff Sgt. Christopher Grant of Oakton and trumpeter/cornetist Staff Sgt. Robert Singer of Reston performed in the 57th Inauguration of the President of the United States on Monday, Jan. 21, as members of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. This marks the Marine Band's 54th consecutive inaugural appearance.
Redefining Service
Vienna mayor’s first goal: To make politician a nice word.
Politician. Noun: a person who is professionally involved in politics, or a person who acts in a manipulative and devious way, typically to gain advancement within an organization, as defined by Oxford. Mayor Jane Seeman, from the Town of Vienna, is not a politician, at least not in the current form of the word. She doesn’t seek to be a politician either, but instead wants to redefine the word and the meaning behind it. She wants to make government accessible to her citizens, and wants to give power back to the people who should be making decisions for her community: not the politicians.
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.