Latest stories

Latest stories

Subscribe


After Graduation: Dorm Room Set-Up

Local organizers show how to maximize storage in small spaces.

After graduation comes off-to-college season. Often this means parents making design choices for their children or parents and their soon-to-be-college freshmen searching for supplies that will serve dual purposes, particularly when it comes to storage. For those who find themselves in a dorm room design conundrum, local organizers offer tips and tools for creating stylish yet space-saving designs for new college students.

Editorial: More Affordable Housing Needed

Anticipated job growth to exacerbate problem.

In Northern Virginia, affordable housing means more than human services or helping those who are less fortunate. It means more than housing the chronically homeless, although that is not optional.

A Dream Come True, Sort Of

Growing up in the 60s, if you loved sports, as I did/still do, you spent hours listening to games on a transistor radio. There certainly wasn’t “Cable” television back then; heck, there wasn’t even color television, let alone “HD,” “interactive,” or whatever else television technology has evolved into. And of course, there were no “big screen” television sets either. We had a 19" Zenith black and white television and we received three channels: 4, 5 and 7 (in Boston), and as much as sports was/is important in Boston/New England, viewing options, given the limited VHF/UHF band frequencies, meant listening to games on radio – AM radio. Games were regularly televised on weekends, more so if the home team was playing on the road. As the decades have passed, so too have transistor radios, black and white televisions and limited viewing on only three channels. Between “Cable,” computers, and more recently, the introduction of hand-held devices, access to and familiarity with sports has grown exponentially. Add in the explosion of sports-talk radio and the abundance of sports-themed content on television (regardless of whether the games are at home or on the road) and one could be in his “man cave” for hours on end “channeling” his – or her – passion, for any team, in any city, at almost any time.


Tease photo

Me & My Dad 2014 — Father's Day Photo Gallery

My father died in 1989. At the first wedding I photographed afterwards, my son Steven who was assisting me, nudged me aside during the Father-Daughter dance. He noticed that I was weeping and that I couldn't see to focus because of the tears in my eyes. I still miss my father. My father was a quiet man, a gentle man. I never heard him raise his voice. He worked two full time jobs when I was growing up and I didn't see him very much but somehow he managed to teach me lessons I still haven't forgotten.

Tease photo

School Calendar Changes Examined

Fairfax County considers ending half-day Mondays, at the cost between $4 to $7.6 Million.

Changes could be coming soon to school schedules in Fairfax County, under a new plan announced by Superintendent Karen Garza at a work session on May 28.

Tease photo

Cappies Awarded For High School Theater: Centreville and Chantilly

The 15th Annual Cappies Awards Gala for high school theater was held Sunday, June 8 at The Kennedy Center.


Letter: Truly Educating

To the Editor

Letter: Late Start Affects Commuters

To the Editor

Tease photo

Summer Fairs and Festivals Calendar 2014

Your guide to this summer's hottest events in the area.

Your guide to this summer's fun festivals and events.


Cappies Awarded for High School Theater

The 15th Annual Cappies Awards Gala for high school theater was held Sunday, June 8 at The Kennedy Center. Nine Cappies went to West Potomac High School for “Spamalot,” including the coveted Best Musical award. The Best Play award went to Langley High School for “The Children’s Hour.” The Cappies’ show season extended from October 2013 to May 2014, and Cappies shows were attended, on average, by 45 student critics. This year’s event included 58 public and private high schools from Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Montgomery and Prince William counties, the cities of Falls Church, Alexandria and Manassas, and Washington, D.C. The event was hosted by Judy Bowns, Janie Strauss and Ed Monk.

Tease photo

Creating Private, Restful Retreat

Designers offer suggestions for decorating the perfect bedroom.

While most people crave a good night’s sleep, it remains a dream for many. A bedroom that is both chic and comfortable can help the overworked find that restful slumber.

Column: Something New – or Old, to Consider

And therein lies the anxiety. Although, all things considered – and as you regular readers know, I like, maybe even need, to consider all things – the medical assessment of the most recent CT scan of my upper torso and thorax/lungs showed a new object in my left lung, “approximately the size of a silver dollar,” according to my oncologist. What this object is, exactly, cannot be determined at this juncture; technology prevents such clarity, unfortunately. Nevertheless, its appearance and location are possibly cause for concern, possibly not.


Tease photo

Eat. Drink. Pay?

Fairfax County task force debates voters’ appetite for another meals tax referendum.

It has been 22 years since Fairfax County asked voters to approve a tax on restaurant meals, an issue that ignited protests, caused deep divisions among community leaders and threatened to melt down several political careers. The reverberations of that epic failure — what many consider the third rail of county politics — continue to echo in the ears of county politicians.

Comfort Women Memorial Highlights Human Trafficking

New Peace Garden a beacon of hope for victims.

When members of the Washington Coalition for Comfort Women Issues unveiled a new memorial on May 30, they also illuminated the issue of local human trafficking in Northern Virginia. Elected officials including Supervisor John Foust, Japanese and Korean representatives, and human rights activists gathered to remember the women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery during WWII. Now the memorial stands sunlit on the back lawn of the Fairfax County Government Center, as a reminder for today’s community to take a stand against these crimes against humanity in their own neighborhoods.

Tease photo

Why Education Needs Its Foundation

More than 100 business leaders attend luncheon.

Approximately 33 percent of Fairfax County Public Schools kindergartners are living in poverty.


Tease photo

100,000 Homes Fairfax Wins Blue Ribbon Partnership Award

The 100,000 Homes Fairfax campaign was presented with a Blue Ribbon Partnership award from the Fairfax County Office of Public Private Partnerships (OP3) as part of its "Celebrate Partnerships" awards ceremony held on May 29.

Opinion: Transitioning to Summer

Summer is a time of change — always welcomed by students. The break during the hottest months gives a chance for kids to de-stress and prepare for their next grade on their short path to adulthood. After five summers at FACETS, I’ve had the opportunity to watch many children make this transition. What’s fun for kids though, can be a huge struggle for their parents. Finding appropriate and affordable care, providing enough meals during the day, and incurring the extra costs of entertaining children can be an enormous challenge for families that FACETS serves.

Opinion: Clearing the Air on New Carbon Standards

The EPA‘s new proposal to safeguard the air we breathe and contain a primary driver of climate change by reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants is the lynchpin to reducing our carbon footprint. As co-chairs of the House Sustainable Energy and Environmental Coalition, we welcome action on carbon pollution and look forward to working with all stakeholders in a responsible manner to advance a 21st century energy economy for America.


Roundups for 6/11/2014

The editor presents the roundups from the week of 6/11/2014.

Mixed-Used Development Proposed for Chantilly

Multifamily homes, retail, restaurants in Westfields Corporate Center.

The Westfields Corporate Center has attracted top-quality firms — including the federal government — to its business park in Chantilly. So it’s not surprising then that Akridge wants to join them.