Helping Rwandans
A prominent D.C.- area ophthalmologist from Vienna recently returned from a 10-day trip to East Africa where he performed and assisted with hundreds of surgeries on local residents and those from neighboring countries, many of whom traveled two or three days and lined up and waited for another day or two for their turn. Dr. Alex Melamud of The Retina Group of Washington recently made his third visit to the Kabgayi Eye Hospital in Rwanda, the first facility in the country to provide free retinal care. He and the hospital’s one ophthalmologist did as many as 40 surgeries a day, treating trauma injuries resulting from machete wounds and animal attacks, retinal detachments, cataracts and many extremely advanced cases of Diabetic Retinopathy.
Hilarious Comedy in 19th-Century England
Oakton High presents ‘The Pirates of Penzance.’
Ahoy, mateys! There are pirates on the horizon – but this bunch sings, dances and makes people laugh. And they’re all in Oakton High’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance.” It’s a satiric operetta about a group of inept pirates off the shore of Cornwall, England in the 1880s. And they’ll commandeer the stage, this Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Paladar Brings Latin-inspired Cuisine to Vienna
Restaurant launches with benefit for Food for Others, plans to be good neighbor in community.
Mix innovative Latin “comfort” food with a twist, a rum bar with more than 60 rums from throughout the Caribbean and South America, gracious staff, and a mission to be a friend to the community, and you have Vienna’s newest good neighbor, Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar. On May 8, Paladar hosted a benefit dinner on behalf of Food for Others, donating the proceeds to the Northern Virginia-area charity. It opened its doors to an enthusiastic public the following evening.
ViVa! Vienna! Returns Memorial Day Weekend
Rides, food, entertainment, kids’ activities and Memorial Day tribute celebrate community spirit.
Memorial Day is a time to honor America’s fallen and to celebrate life. ViVa! Vienna!, a three-day family-focused festival covering Memorial Day weekend, does both with fun activities and a Memorial Day tribute. ViVa! Vienna!, sponsored and hosted by the Vienna Rotary club, in partnership with the Town of Vienna and Navy Federal Credit Union, opens on Saturday, May 24, with food vendors and amusement rides for all ages. On Sunday and Monday, 350 vendors converge in the historic Church Street corridor and on the Town Green. Church Street closes down and nonstop live entertainment is presented on a children’s stage and a main stage. The Rotary Club returns its profit from the festival back to the community. It is awarding more than $165,000 to local nonprofits and schools in 2014.
Local Man Going to Prison Again
27 months incarceration for cheating government.
True, Henry Washington Yeh’s parents helped him file a fraudulent tax return. But it was his fault, in the first place, for involving them in his illegal activities. And last week in federal court, he was the only one of the three Vienna residents sentenced to prison – 27 months. For Yeh, it wasn’t the first time a family member ended up in legal trouble because of him. And when he goes to prison, that won’t be for the first time, either. In Philadelphia in October 2009, Yeh was convicted of drug distribution and later sentenced to 15 months behind bars.
Vienna Parents, Son Sentenced in Court
Defrauded IRS on income-tax return.
It’s not every day that a judge sentences a son and his parents together – but that’s what happened Friday in federal court to a Vienna family. Ultimately, two family members received probation and the third was sentenced to prison.
C-Section Boom in Northern Virginia
Region has some of the highest rates of cesarean-section deliveries for low-risk pregnancies.
Behind the closed doors at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church and the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, a quiet change has been taking shape over the last few decades.
Future Fund Gala May 16 Aboard the Cherry Blossom Charter
The Future Fund will celebrate its 2014 grantmaking and raise funds for the 2015 cycle at its annual Awards Gala on Friday, May 16 aboard the Cherry Blossom Charter in Old Town, Alexandria.
Despite Advances, Many Virginians Remain Uninsured
Affordable Care Act expands coverage, but more than 800,000 still have no health insurance.
What is the state of the uninsured in Virginia?
Vienna Celebrates ‘the Most Influential Rabbi of Modern History’
Tuesday, May 13, Chabad Tysons Jewish Center will present Paradigm Shift: Transformational Life Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, a new six-session course by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. The course will be offered as part of a series of local activities in Northern Virginia marking 20 years since the passing of "the Rebbe," Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson of righteous memory. The Rebbe was a visionary religious leader who inspired countless individuals during his lifetime and established a global network of educational, social, and religious institutions to revive the post-holocaust Jewish landscape.
Silver Line Phase 1 Reaches ‘Substantial Completion’
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced its concurrence Thursday with an April 9 Declaration of Substantial Completion for Phase 1 of the Silver Line Project to extend the Washington region's Metrorail public transit system. The concurrence affirms that the Phase 1 construction by Dulles Transit Partners, a construction consortium led by Bechtel Corp., has satisfied the contract requirements applicable to the project's major functional elements.
22 Years in Prison for Child’s Death
A Fair Lakes woman has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for murdering an 11-month-old boy in Vienna, nearly three years ago. She is Carol Nadine Lutsky, 22, of Summit Manor Court. The tragedy occurred Oct. 5, 2011. Town of Vienna police officers were called to the 1100 block of Lakewood Drive S.W. regarding a baby who was reported to be unresponsive. But before they arrived, the caretaker, Lutsky, then 20, transported the infant to his biological mother who was in Reston at the time. The baby was then rushed to Reston Hospital, from where – because of his critical and deteriorating condition – he was Medevaced to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The boy, Nehemiah Williams, died the next day, on Oct. 6.
YMM Art Space Beautifies Area
Some amusing trees are blooming in the heart of the Tysons Corner business district. YMM Art Space, a children’s art education center, is presenting a public art project by international artists. Environmentally friendly fabric is installed on 30 trees in Tysons’ Square at the intersection of Gallows and Old Courthouse road. Oncoming traffic and commuters enjoy vibrant colors of the fabric mixed in with the budding trees welcoming the early arrival of the spring season. YMM Art Space hopes to grow the surrounding artist community. Staff at the YMM Art Space have art backgrounds and exhibit their work including collaborations pieces by teachers and students. YMM Art Space is located at 8216 Old Courthouse Road.
Madison High’s Mimi Shang Wins Congressional District Art Competition
Five students from four Fairfax County public schools took top honors in Congressman Gerry Connolly’s sixth annual Congressional Arts Competition. Connolly announced the winners Saturday. Mimi Shang of James Madison High School in Vienna took first place honors with her artwork titled Bubble Talking. Her artwork will be hung in the U.S. Capitol for a year alongside the winners of congressional arts competitions from districts across the country.
Vienna Student Honored for Exemplary Essay
The United States Capitol Historical Society has announced that Richard Alec Merski of Vienna, a senior at James Madison High School, has been named one of the winners of the 2013 Making Democracy Work Student Essay Contest. Richard was awarded First Place in the Senior Division and earned a cash prize of $1,000. “The US Capitol Historical Society is pleased to recognize Richard Alec Merski for his exemplary essay,” said US Capitol Historical Society President Ron Sarasin. “As with all the winning essays, Richard’s essay reflected a deep understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our representative form of government.” Merski’s award-winning essay, “The Duties of Democracy: Reflections on a Citizen’s Rights and Responsibilities,” reminds us of the cost of defending the rights enjoyed by citizens of the United States.