Eat Pizza To Help Local Girl
Paisano’s holding fundraiser for Tara Sankner.
A fundraiser being held by a local pizza chain won’t cure Tara Sankner’s cancer — but it’ll certainly help her parents pay for her medical bills. Called “Let’s Take Care of Tara,” it began Sept. 3 and will run through Sept. 30 at all Paisano’s and Bella Pizza locations. This is National Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and Paisano’s owner and founder, Fouad Qreitem — who has children, himself — wants to do all he can to help this local family. “I would love to see Tara get into remission,” he said. “I met Tara and her mother, Tammy, and they didn’t ask for anything. But I could tell they were a family struggling and in need.” Tara, 8, is now a third-grader at Lees Corner Elementary. Her dad Craig is a letter carrier with the U.S. Post Office in Oak Hill and her mom is a medical biller at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital. And in February, their only child was diagnosed with an astrocytoma, a treatable but inoperable form of brain cancer. “It would be a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Qreitem. “I have two daughters, 8 and 12, and cannot imagine my family being faced with this situation. So I want to help Tara and her family.”
School’s Picnic Brings Family Fun
London Towne welcomes students and parents.
Students at London Towne Elementary eased back into the school year with a back-to-school picnic. The family-friendly event was held the evening of Aug. 29 on the school playground. Among those attending were Emily Horning and sons William and Dimitri, in third and fourth grades, respectively. “We met William’s teacher and she was really nice,” said Horning. “London Towne is family-oriented, always coming up with new activities for the families to do. I’m amazed at how hard the teachers work. Even at this picnic, they were grilling hot dogs.”
Robinson’s Lambert Named Business Teacher of the Year
Chantilly resident founded programming and FBLA clubs.
Earlier this summer, Robinson Secondary School teacher Cara Lambert received a pre-back-to-school surprise. The Virginia Business Education Association had named her the 2013 Al Roane Middle School Business Teacher of the Year. “It was exciting,” said Lambert. “This wasn’t my chosen career to begin with, but it’s a career that I love, so it’s nice to be recognized. Anyone would enjoy winning an award.”
Agility Cats Perform at National Cat Show
Reston woman’s Abyssinian cats are famous for athletic prowess.
Cat trainer and breeder Lisa-Maria Padilla, 52, of Reston, appeared with her blue Abyssinian cats at the National Capital Cat Show at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly over the weekend, Sept. 7-8. The show featured 450 cats from 40 pedigreed breeds from around the world — Sphynx to Burmese to Maine Coons to Persians — plus hybrids, crossbreeds and mutations. There were six all-breed categories, two specialty rings, household pets in eight rings, plus a display of feline agility. In addition to the cat judging, vendors sold feline products, jewelry, food, and artwork. Cats were also available for adoptions.
Saving Jobs in Hard Times
Virginia lawmakers will push work sharing legislation this session.
“Having been through the recession and recent slight increases in Virginia unemployment rates as federal sequestration takes effect, it is important that we give Virginia businesses all the tools we can to help them and their employees get through challenging times. This bill does that.” —State Sen. George Barker (D-39)
Every Year Is Election Year in Virginia
Northern Virginia has most two-party races on ballot.
While the Virginia governor’s race is the one getting the most attention, both nationally and in the state, Virginia’s House of Delegates race is shaping up to be the most competitive in a decade. According to an official candidate list released last month by the Virginia State Board of Elections, 57 House seats will be contested this November — marking only the second time in the last decade where at least half of the 100 House seats will have more than one name on the ballot.
Obsessed With Politics? Fairfax County Welcomes You!
What newcomers need to know to be politically-savvy insiders.
Fairfax County may be physically separated from Washington, D.C.—the ground-zero of All Things Political—but residents here are a politically-savvy bunch. We know who Larry Sabato is—a prominent University of Virginia political analyst—and we pay attention to Not Larry Sabato—a Virginia politics blog by Ben Tribbett, a Fairfax County resident and self-described “vicious campaign insultant.” We follow our politicians on Twitter and Facebook.
Chamber Gives Voice to Businesses
The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce (Fairfax Chamber), the Voice of Business in Northern Virginia, represents 650 member companies with nearly 500,000 employees throughout the region.
Chambers
Find a comprehensive online listing of county business resources at http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/business-resources.
Fairfax Republicans Nominate Bryan ‘BA’ Wolfe for Sheriff
Wolfe faces Democratic nominee Stacey Kincaid in Nov. 5 special election.
When retired Fairfax police officer Bryan “BA” Wolfe was selected as the Republican nominee for Fairfax County Sheriff last week, he vowed to “restore the public trust” by making the 500-member department more “accountable and transparent.”
Shedding Sunshine on the Secret World of Regulation in Virginia
Advisory panel rejects effort to open records of the State Corporation Commission.
Ever wonder what happens during deliberations that regulate payday lending? How about the effort to oversee your health insurance?
Preserving History’s Jewels
Fairfax County considers new “resident curator” program to save historic properties.
“A successful resident curator program would allow the county to restore, maintain and protect important historic properties at little or no cost to the public.” —Cindy Walsh, Fairfax County Park Authority’s Resource Management Division director
Fairfax County Public Libraries: Version 2.0?
Staff, volunteers urge supervisors to reconsider “disastrous” library reorganization plan that cuts staff and services.
In a world where the Internet has replaced newsprint, e-books have supplanted paperbacks and the latest films stream directly to laptops, how do public libraries compete?
Outdoor Elegance Meets Cutting Edge Technology
A design/build team explores fine architecture in weather-resistant materials.
If anything in the summer of 2013 points to still evolving homeowner expectations, it may be the frequency with which locals are integrating screen porches, patios, fire pits, and outdoor kitchens into original landscaping schemes that artfully marry the house to its setting.
Geocaching Diversifies
Urbanites embracing new game.
Geocaching usually has been portrayed as someone with hiking boots and a walking staff gazing afar from a hilltop in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not so anymore. Substantial numbers of those joining the sport are placing and hunting for caches in urban settings, and that includes Northern Virginia.