Chantilly Day: Food, Fun, Music and Astronauts
Third annual Chantilly Day celebration is May 17, 2014
Fun for the whole family is planned for the third annual Chantilly Day celebration, Saturday, May 17, at the Sully Place Shopping Center, off Route 50 West in Chantilly. There’ll be two U.S. astronauts, live music and dancing, food and children’s activities. The festival runs from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., rain or shine, in the Kmart and Babies R Us parking lots. The day’s events will include onstage performances by the Chantilly High Jazz Ensemble and Latin Dance Club, School of Rock Centreville, a pet adoption, trackless train, robotics demonstration, business expo and awards ceremony.
Cougar Clash Victors
The Demarini Stars Prime won the first annual Cougar Clash as sponsored by Oakton High School.
‘Entertaining for Whole Family’
Chantilly presents children’s play, ‘Goldilocks on Trial.’
Somebody’s been inside the three bears’ home and eating their porridge. But did she commit a crime? That’s for the jury to decide in Chantilly High’s upcoming children’s play, “Goldilocks on Stage.” The curtain rises Friday, May 16, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, May 17, at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door or via www.chantillyhsdrama.com.
Meals Tax Possible for Fairfax County
Tax could generate $88 million in revenue.
At a public hearing on the 2015 budget, Fairfax County resident Kimberly Adams joined numerous other individuals who urged the Board of Supervisors to consider a meals tax. “To have the quality of life that we’ve come to depend on in Fairfax County, we must move the needle closer to the regional average when it comes to taxes. We must not be afraid to look for new streams of revenue, such as a meals tax for instance,” Adams told the Board of Supervisors at the budget hearings. “Never have I actually thought, well, there’s a meals tax in Alexandria, so I’ll drive 10 more minutes into Fairfax and order my pizza. I go to the place that’s convenient and where I want to eat.”
Remembering Jeffrey By Helping Others
Angel Kisses 5K/2K is set for Mother’s Day.
Superheroes do some pretty amazing things, such as thwarting villains and saving people. In life, Chantilly’s Jeffrey Virostek only got to pretend to be a superhero; but in death, he’s become a real one. He was only 4 in September 2003 when he succumbed to acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). But a fund his parents started in his name has enabled many nonprofit organizations to help other children in their battles against cancer.
Editorial: Yes to the Meals Tax Referendum
Voters could decide on the tax in November.
Economic diversification is worthy goal. All of your eggs shouldn’t be in one basket. All of your revenue shouldn’t come from one source. In Fairfax County, adding a meals tax at the same level as Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and the City of Fairfax, 4 percent, could generate $88 million a year. The county estimates that 25-30 percent of the meals taxes collected would be paid by non-county residents. The inability to implement alternative revenue sources will mean continued dependence on one basket. The combined increase in the real estate property tax rate and home values means that most homeowners will be paying hundreds of dollars more in property taxes regardless of their ability to pay.
Airbag Thefts on the Rise in Fairfax
Doesn’t take long to steal.
This year, Fairfax County has become one of the biggest suppliers of stolen airbags for Virginia’s auto parts black market. Since January, more than 50 airbags have been stolen in Fairfax County alone, and, in April, Arlington reported that a dozen airbags had been stolen.
Feeling Repercussions of Winter
Schedule adjustments for Northern Virginia public school students.
This winter, thousands of area students were given more days off than expected. Day after day, parents, students and faculty received notice that school had yet again been cancelled due to the heavy snow and cold weather, which forced students and faculty to watch one of the coldest and heaviest winters since the 2010 Snowmagedden from home.
Hearing Loss Doesn’t Have to be Life-changing
“What?” May is Better Hearing and Speech Month.
On any given workday, you might find Arlington resident Erin Weiner sitting in a family-friendly restaurant causally coloring or playing games with a young child. At first glance, she might be mistaken for any young mother entertaining her offspring while they wait for a meal. In actuality, Weiner, who is a speech-language pathologist, is employing what she describes as an innovative approach to therapy that involves working with a child in his or her natural environment.
A Tale of Two Seasons
It is not the best of times, nor is it the worst of times; it is, simply put: the time between the end of winter and the beginning of summer. It is the season known as spring, but more to the point of this column, it is the time when, if the weather cooperates/accommodates, I won’t need to turn the heat or the air conditioning on in my house. I will instead be able to ride the wave, so to speak, and not incur any post-winter/pre-summer utility bills. Possibly, I might even be able to pay off my oil-heating budget bill balance for the 2013/2014 season – before the 2014/2015 budget cycle begins, and hopefully not have to cool down the house at the same time – due to an early summer – so that on the day my oil-heating bill is due, it won’t be competing for cash with my upstart electric/air conditioning bill for money not well spent and for money hardly in abundance.
Supervisors Pass County Budget
Three supervisors vote against the $3.7 billion budget.
Educators are not happy that the school district will receive $64 million less than they asked for next year. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors passed the county’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget, which includes a 3 percent increase in the School Fund Transfer, at the April 29 meeting.
Going into Business with Mom
Mother-daughter Realtor teams say working together can work.
Allison Goodhart has a vivid childhood memory: pulling a wagon filled with pumpkins and her younger sister around her family’s Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria, helping to promote her parents’ real estate business. Today Allison Goodhart works alongside her mother as part of Old Town Alexandria-based Goodhart Group of McEnearney Associates Inc., Realtors.
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.
Roundups for 5/7/2014
The editor presents the roundups for 5/7/2014.
Advisory Issued on Possible Measles Exposure
The Fairfax and Loudoun County Health Departments are informing people who were at various locations in both counties between April 23 and May 1, 2014 that they may have been exposed to a person with measles.
Woman Convicted of Tax and Wire Fraud
Fair Oaks tax preparer filed false returns with the IRS.
Thuy Tien Le, 40, pleaded guilty last week in federal court to preparing false income tax returns and committing wire fraud.
Special-Needs Children Given Wings to Fly
Therapy and recreational center opens in Chantilly.
When Donna Shank’s son Ryan was diagnosed with autism eight yeas ago, she traveled throughout the Washington Metropolitan area to get treatment for him. “Most children with autism, and other children with special needs, require several different types of therapies, such as speech and occupational therapy and additional tutoring,” she said. “But it’s difficult to find all these services in one location. So my dream was to provide an all-in-one, integrated, therapy center.”
Face-to-Face with Arrests, Prison, Death
Parents, students learn substance-abuse dangers.
It’s one thing for people to warn others about the dangers of substance abuse. But it’s more powerful when they share personal stories of how drugs and alcohol affected their own families. And that’s what happened during the recent forum at Madison High. Called “Protecting Against the Realities of Substance Abuse,” it was put on by Parents Reaching Out To Educate Communities Together (PROTECT), a task force of the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC).
Classified Advertising April 30, 2014
Read the latest ads here!
Choosing a Summer Camp
Camp experts offer advice on selecting a camp, but now is the time to register.
Many families with school age children will plan to have their children spend some of the much-anticipated summer season in camp. If you haven’t yet selected camps for your children, now is the time.