Mountain View Department Awards
Mountain View High presented the following Department Awards, Feb. 5, to graduating seniors: English, Nina Iandolo; Business, Alexis Kharin Arriola; P.E., Reynaldo Gonzalez Martinez; Art, Nina Iandolo, Joshua Todd McDow, Trong LeDuc Bui; EFE, Aya Elhadi Abdelhalim; Family and Consumer Science, Chakoda Lanora Robinson. ESOL: Level 1, Jose Ramos Cantarero; Level 2, Ting Shi Zhong; Level 3, Evelin Clavel Delgado, Reynaldo Gonzalez Martinez; Level 4, Milton Fernandez Lemus, Maria Villafuerte Pineda.
Vandalism Suspects Arrested
Police have arrested three adults and obtained petitions charging two juveniles in connection with the recent series of vehicle vandalisms in Centreville. The apprehensions came about after a resident called police Friday, Feb. 21, around 4 a.m., to report a loud noise and a suspicious vehicle in the area of Bull Run Post Office Road. Responding officers from the Sully District Station found the vehicle and stopped it on Bull Run Post Office Road near Sudley Road. Several smashed mailboxes were also discovered in the area. Further investigation led officers to identify five people they believe were responsible for the Centreville vehicle vandalisms.
Budget Process: Get Involved
Chairman gives blueprint for community engagement in Fairfax County budget process.
In Fairfax County, when we adopt the budget, we are investing in the priorities and needs of the community. At the center of this open and transparent process is community engagement. It is critical that we have the community at the table with us when we are considering changes to the budget that the County Executive released for advertisement at our Board Meeting on Feb. 25. Below are some opportunities to learn about the budget, ask questions and make suggestions during the months of March and April. I look forward to hearing from you.
High Five
I made it. It’s five years after receiving a terminal diagnosis on February 27, 2009 from my oncologist: stage IV non-small cell lung cancer, accompanied by a "13-month to two-year" prognosis. Let’s be honest, medical professionals don’t toss around the word "terminal" because you’re going to be treated at an airport. Presumably, they know their facts and figures as well as the patient’s present condition, confirmed by a variety of diagnostic results from X-Rays, CT Scans, P.E.T. Scans, lab work and of course the ever-popular biopsy, so their diagnosis/prognosis is a bit more than an educated guess. Nevertheless, there are exceptions to every rule and until proven otherwise, I was not about to succumb to their statistics. Still, based on the best medical knowledge available at the time, this patient (yours truly) was given a limited life expectancy and encouraged to take the vacation I had always dreamed of – for obvious you’re-life-is-now-shorter-than-you-ever-imagined-type reasons, and yet, five years hence, here I am.
Bulova: ‘This Will Be a Challenging Budget’
Fairfax County average homeowner will see tax bill increase $330 under County Executive’s proposed $7 billion budget.
Fairfax County Executive Edward Long, Jr. unveiled a $7 billion budget proposal Tuesday that reflects his "cautious and deliberative approach to budgeting," a result, Long said, of continuing uncertainty over federal spending and sluggish commercial tax revenues.
Giving Bianca a Second Chance
A Fairfax County Animal Shelter happy ending.
Bianca, a nine-year-old, female, German shepherd mix dog, had been living her life on the end of a chain in a rural part of Virginia. In late January, an unknown stray dog approached Bianca and attacked her. Bianca’s owner came outside and in an attempt to stop the attack he hit both dogs with a shovel, striking Bianca over the head and injuring her. Rather than pursue vet care, the owner drove Bianca to the local pound and surrendered her. For the next 36 hours, Bianca sat with no medical care, until a sympathetic staff person called the shelter’s rescue partner at the Highland County Humane Society in rural Virginia.
‘We Will Not Tolerate Unsafe Driving’
Police want motorists to get the message from their new cruiser.
There’s a new weapon in the Fairfax County Police Department’s arsenal, but this one has four tires and an engine. It’s a new cruiser covered with messages warning people not to drive impaired or distracted. It was unveiled on Friday, Feb. 21, at the Sully District Station, and the station’s commander, Capt. Ed O’Carroll, explained its significance.
Mountain View Students Receive Scholarships
Graduating seniors received scholarships Feb. 5 during Mountain View High’s winter awards ceremony.
Centreville Grappler Love Wins 195-Pound Region Title
Chantilly’s Carlson wins 145-pound title.
Centreville's Tyler Love has a chance to win state championships in two sports.
Centreville Home Sales: January, 2014
In January 2014, 52 Centreville homes sold between $715,000-$222,000.
Centreville Home Sales: January, 2014
Chantilly Home Sales: January, 2014
In January 2014, 14 homes sold between $680,000-$175,000 in the Chantilly area.
Chantilly Home Sales: January, 2014
Money on the Shelves: Jurisdictions Take Variety of Approaches to Funding Libraries
Some have recovered from the recession, others are still struggling.
What is the future of the neighborhood library?
Roundups
House Fire: $100,000 Damage A house fire over the weekend caused an estimated $100,000 damage to a single-family home in Centreville. Fire investigators say the blaze was accidental. They blamed it on an electrical anomaly in the air-conditioning wall unit in the garage that had been converted into a daycare center. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units responded Sunday, Feb. 16, around 2:15 p.m. to 7105 Ordway Road. First-arriving firefighters saw smoke and fire coming from the garage. They brought the fire under control in approximately 10 minutes. Working smoke alarms provided early warning and allowed the home’s occupants to escape unharmed before the firefighters arrived. No one was injured, but the fire displaced four adults and three children.
‘To Be Graceful and Fast’
Westfield High freshman Nicole Bachman isn’t an Olympian, but she is an accomplished ice skater. And on Feb. 27, she and Team Ashburn will compete in the Synchronized Skating National Competition in Colorado Springs. A resident of Centreville’s Virginia Run community, Bachman’s among five girls from Fairfax County on the 15-member team. They skate at the Intermediate Level — the U.S. Figure Skating Assciation’s most competitive level. And this is the first time an Intermediate team from the Washington Metropolitan area has made Nationals.
Just Chillin’ in the Snow
Two snowstorms, Feb. 12-13, brought 14 inches of snow initially, plus 4 more inches later, to the local area, bringing dogs and people out to play.
Women of Faith Discuss Peace
Concerned about unrest in the world and wanting to do something about it, the Women’s Auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community hosted an interfaith event. Held Feb. 8 at the Mubarak Mosque in Chantilly, it gave women from different walks of life the chance to discuss their perspectives on peace. The event was called “World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace.” And during its course, the women presented their ideas on: * How to save the world from destruction, * How to create true peace and harmony in the world, and * What’s the role of religion in promoting justice, freedom, human rights and peace?
Man Charged with Setting Home Fire
A Centreville man has been charged with arson in connection with a fire at the home where he was a renter. He is Giancarlo Deleon, 25, and the fire was at a single-family home on Scotch Run Court. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units responded there last Thursday, Feb. 13, around 12:30 a.m. And despite heavy snow and dangerous driving conditions, firefighters arrived at the scene quickly. They encountered flames coming from the basement of the three-story house and spreading to a neighboring home.
Editorial: Fundamental Freedom To Choose To Marry
Virginia is historically slow in extending rights.
In 1967, Virginia was one of 16 states that banned interracial marriage and had criminal penalties for violators. Mildred Jeter, an African-American woman, and Richard Loving a white man, married in 1958, were convicted and banished from living in Virginia for 25 years to avoid serving a one-year prison sentence. On June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Loving v. Virginia, overturned the convictions of Mildred and Richard Loving, declaring the ban on interracial marriage unconstitutional.
Until Further Notice
Not to state the obvious (which I readily admit I do), but to be given a terminal diagnosis: stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, along with a rather disappointing prognosis: "13 months to two years" is a challenging set of extremely unexpected (given my immediate family’s medical history) circumstances. I don’t want to say that I live under a dark cloud – because I don’t like the negative implication or reaction it conjures, but I definitely feel as if I have a metaphorical sword of Damocles hanging over my head; which I only refer to as an-out-of-context Three Stooges reference wherein a non-Stooge was innocently standing under a pie which Moe had thrown to the ceiling and there it stuck, hanging precariously over the character’s head. Now I still don’t know the proper historical context of the sword of Damocles, I only know the Three Stooges version, but there was some imminent danger involved (not death, mind you), but rather a falling pie which ultimately landed flush on the character’s face as she looked up to make further inquiries. Nevertheless, pie issues/references notwithstanding, having seen my oncologist today while being infused and receiving a big smile/ "you’re going great"/thumbs-up set of gestures/reactions while reclining in my Barcalounger with a chemotherapy I.V. dripping medicine into my right arm, is the kind of super-positive feedback with which I can live. Along with my every-three-week pre-chemotherapy lab work and my every-three-month CT Scan followed by my every-three-month face-to-face appointment with my oncologist, this is how I roll. Worrying about upcoming tests, waiting anxiously for results, trying not to anticipate good, bad or indifferent; living day to day and trying to appreciate my good fortune and the unexpected above-average quality of life with which I’ve been blessed – for a terminal cancer patient, that is.
How Red Is the 10th District?
Wolf’s retirement sparks crowded political stage as both parties vie for coveted Congressional seat.
U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf’s announcement in December that he would not seek reelection to an 18th term in Congress came as a surprise to both Republicans and Democrats. Wolf’s retirement notice instantly set off a feeding frenzy among politicians maneuvering to gain the Northern Virginia Congressional seat.