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.
End of an Era for Town Council
Mike Polychrones steps down, moves to North Carolina.
For nearly two decades, Mike Polychrones has been a fixture on the Vienna Town Council. But Tuesday morning, after voting in the Town election, he and his wife Patti headed south to their new home in North Carolina. His last Council meeting was April 28 and, at its outset, he was honored by Mayor Laurie Di Rocco and Del. Mark Keam (D-35). Di Rocco gave Polychrones a plaque “in recognition of dedicated service” from 1996-2003 and 2004-2014, and Keam read a resolution from the Virginia General Assembly thanking him for all he’s done.
Storm Hits the Area
The pictures taken during the storm last Wednesday, April 30, at the intersection of Old Courthouse Road and Wolftrap Run.
County Chamber Moves to Tysons
FCCC makes new location official with ribbon-cutting party.
Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce (FCCC) members loyalty runs river deep. More than 400 people braved the flooding Potomac and heavy traffic due to severe thunderstorms to celebrate the Chamber’s Open House and ribbon cutting in Tysons Corner on Wednesday.
Timely Discussion On Drug Abuse
To the Editor: Through columns on your newspaper website like "Avoidance Better Than Arrests, Prison, Death" my attention has been drawn to your spotlight on forums focused on drug prevention in high schools. With the increase in use of drugs for recreational use among youths, this is a timely and well-covered issue in your newspaper.
Patrick Henry Library Hosts Book Sale
Shoppers browsed among 4,000 donated books.
The semi-annual book sale sponsored by Friends of Patrick Henry Library took place on May 3 and 4 at the library, indoors and out. Hundreds of local residents turned out to browse through the more than 4,000 books organized by genre at the library. All books for sale were donated by the community. For kids, it was an opportunity to choose inexpensive books from a vast array. From New York Times best-selling authors to esoteric geo-political topics, there was a genre for pretty-much everyone.
First Bears Are Seen in Vienna
Fairfax County police received the first seasonal reports of bear sightings in Fairfax County on Saturday, April 26 in Vienna. A bear was reportedly struck on the Dulles Toll Road; then a resident called around noon, reporting a bear in his backyard in the 1600 block of Fremont Lane, just behind the busy roadway. Officers do not know whether or not this bear was the one that was struck. According to Animal Control Officers, it’s not unusual to see black bears this time of year, and residents shouldn’t panic or feel alarmed when they see one. It’s likely that this bear has already moved through the area. Bears typically avoid humans; but in their search for food, it’s not uncommon to see one. Most often, bears will keep moving through an area once they fail in their attempts to find food.
Tysons Corner Doctor Named Sports Chiropractor of the Year
The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (ACBSP™) recently held its annual sports sciences symposium in Orlando, Fla. During the symposium they announced the annual winner of the “Sports Chiropractor of the Year” award; Dr. Anne P. Sorrentino of McLean. She is only the third woman ever to receive this honor.
Bike Rodeo Tested Skills, Good Riding Habits
Police Department teaches safety with fun.
It was an ideal spring day for the Vienna Police Department’s bike rodeo on May 3. The sky was sunny and clear and it was warm but not too hot to be riding around the pavement of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department’s parking lot. The event, held from 9 to noon, was not crowded, either, but the kids who steered through the obstacle course enjoyed themselves.
‘I’m Just Grateful My Son Is Still Alive’
Useful information about substance-abuse dangers.
Part Two If anyone knows about substance abuse, it’s Sarah McDade who, admittedly, has been to hell and back with her son. And she shared his story during a recent, substance-abuse forum at Madison High. Called “Protecting Against the Realities of Substance Abuse,” it was put on by Parents Reaching Out To Educate Communities Together (P.R.O.T.E.C.T.), a task force of the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County. “My son had his own set of horrors,” said McDade. “I kept an eye on him and found out where he was going – and it didn’t matter. My son was already a drug addict at 15; he started with alcohol and went to marijuana. He had his first arrest, with two other boys. But the county evaluated him and said he didn’t have a substance-abuse problem.” Then when he was 16, he fell in the street. “He had a .27 blood-alcohol content, and .3 and above can kill you,” said McDade. “But my son was bullied and wanted to fit in; he thought drinking and using marijuana made him cool. He could be charming and he also had ADHD, and he bamboozled the psychiatrist we got him into prescribing him more drugs. Looking back, he probably peddled half of them.”