Stories for August 2015

Fairfax County: Meet the Candidates for County Board

All politics is local, in Fairfax County, too: Who runs for Board of Supervisors in November?

You may be surprised – or dismayed – to learn that the 10 men and women who occupy Fairfax County Board of Supervisors wield enormous power and influence over your everyday lives.

Weekend Fun in Fairfax County - Aug. 28-Sept. 7, 2015

A roundup of entertaining things to do this weekend.

Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: July, 2015

In July, 2015, 151 homes sold between $2,000,000-$190,000 in the Vienna and Oakton area.

Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: July, 2015

Torres Trial Date Set for December

Bond denied for former police officer charged with murdering John Geer.

Shortly after 10 a.m. on Aug. 19, former Fairfax County Police officer Adam Torres entered the circuit courtroom for his arraignment, dressed in a baggy, blue-green prison jumpsuit. Torres was indicted the previous Monday by a special grand jury for killing Springfield resident John Geer in August, 2013.

Vienna: Madison Volleyball Returns Key Players

Warhawks finished state runner-up in 2014.

The Madison volleyball team reached the 2014 6A state championship match.

Classified Advertising August 26, 2015

Read the lastest ads here!

Column: 'Bulky Boy'

Although this title invokes the nickname of one of my three male cats – Andrew, to be specific – he is in fact not the point of th is column.

Letter: Welcome from Police Chief Ed Roessler

Newcomers Guide

Dear Community Members: The Fairfax County Police Department was established on July 1, 1940 and today we have an authorized strength of 1,372 sworn law enforcement officers who protect and serve the communities of the County. On average, officers respond to over 400,000 calls for service each year.

Friends of the W&OD 10K Continues Tradition as Area’s ‘Green Race’

On Saturday evening, Aug. 1, Safety And Health Foundation and ACE Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Institute presented the 9th annual Friends of the W&OD 10K race in Vienna, Virginia.

McLean Teacher Trained to Teach About the Holocaust

Cristian Manoatl doesn’t claim the most traditional approach to his own schooling when he was a McLean High School student.

Classified Advertising August 19, 2015

Read the latest ads here!

Weekend Fun in Fairfax County - Aug. 21-30, 2015

A roundup of entertaining things to do this weekend.

Fairfax County: Policy Changes Recommended on Mental Health and Crisis Intervention

About half of the inmates in the Fairfax County Jail have a mental health illness or substance abuse disorders. The Mental Health and Crisis Intervention Team subcommittee of the Fairfax County Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission included this information from County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid in the introduction to its list of policy change recommendations to the full commission on Aug. 17.

Fairfax County: Former Police Officer Charged with John Geer Murder

Adam Torres indicted by special grand jury.

Adam Torres has been charged with murdering John Geer. Though Torres shot the unarmed man once in the chest nearly two years ago, the then-Fairfax County Police officer remained on the department’s payroll until being terminated July 31, 2015.

Vienna: Madison Football Focused on Beating Rival Oakton

Warhawks look to snap seven-year losing streak to Cougars.

The Madison football team looks to beat Oakton for the first time since 2007.

Column: Accommodate or Exacerbate

As a diagnosed-as-“terminal” cancer patient (is that better, Rebecca?), I feel I am due some accommodations. However, when offered or given, I am hesitant to accept (not always, though; I’ll be honest).

Checking the Back-to-School Healthcare Blocks

Local governments, clinics offer free immunizations for all and physical exams for the uninsured.

As the lazy days of summer wind down, beach trips, lemonade stands and lax bedtimes give way to alarm clocks, textbooks and backpacks. Public health officials say that a back-to-school list should include more than pencils and paper. For many, the first order of business is a well-child physical, a dental exam and required immunizations.

Editorial: Sea Changes in Policing?

Report offers blueprint for transforming aspects of policing, jail and services for people with mental illness.

Yesterday, for the first time in the history of Fairfax County Police Department, a Fairfax County Police officer was charged in a shooting death.

Music Attracts Residents to Vienna Town Green

Classic and Contemporary Folk Band Shenandoah Run performed on Sunday.

A nine-piece American folk band occupied the Vienna Town Green this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Families with picnic materials, couples with lawn chairs and even local bikers hopped off nearby trails to gather on the green to enjoy the concert at the shady town park.

Cybersecurity Week at Marshall High

Marshall’s Cybersecurity Camp opens for the fourth summer.

An advanced group of 20 high school students learned about sequel injections and cryptography as their white computer screens illuminated the classroom. T

Vietnamese Heritage Festival Held on Tysons Plaza

Yellow ribboned Vietnamese style leaf hats specked the crowded Tysons Corner Center Plaza at the fifth annual VietFest, a celebration of Vietnamese culture featuring live performances, traditional and modern Vietnamese music, pageants, pho and much more.

Weekend Fun in Fairfax County - Aug. 14-23, 2015

A roundup of entertaining things to do this weekend.

Vienna: Oakton Football Returns Most of Starting Lineup

Cougars hope to improve from 2014 record of 5-5.

Oakton reached the playoffs in 2014.

Column: B.D. Versus A.D.

If my experiences as a cancer patient/ “terminal” “diagnosee” are at all typical, then the following generalization might in fact be true: certain situations and/or feelings that were once tolerated before diagnosis are nearly impossible to tolerate after diagnosis: traffic, waiting in lines, rudeness, compromise, sacrifice, delayed/deferred gratification, to list just a few. Life becomes so much more precious, that wasting some of it – or the perception of wasting some of it – on unpleasant, unrewarding, aggravating, stressful, menial tasks, obligations, duties, etc. becomes almost too much to bear; on a consistent basis, anyway.

2015-16 Deer Archery Program

Two information meetings about the county’s Deer Management Archery Program are scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Fairfax Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, and Tuesday, Aug. 18, 7 p.m. at Mount Vernon District Station, 2511 Parkers Lane in Alexandria, Community Room.

Function Meets Beauty

Wheelchair accessible bathroom doesn’t have to be utilitarian.

After Curtis Brand was diagnosed with amyotrophic laterals sclerosis (ALS) and he could no longer climb stairs, he and his wife, Judith, had to make the difficult decision to sell their home in northwest Washington, D.C. They then purchased a two-bedroom, two-bathroom property on the 18th floor of Turnberry Tower in Arlington.

Home’s Makeover Enhances Family Life

With time constraints, Sun Design converts large, dated house into residence that satisfies everyone’s agenda.

Meet Roger Lataille, senior design consultant at Sun Design Remodeling and — more importantly — a remodeling resource homeowners turn to, and return to, whenever they need expert advice, hands-on support and commitment.

Editorial: 'Our Community Deserves Better'

Strongly worded recommendations for police on transparency and public trust; FCPD has miles to go.

Outrage over the shooting death of John Geer of Springfield on Aug. 29, 2013, by a Fairfax County Police officer led the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to form of the Ad Hoc Police Practice Review Commission, which began meeting in March 2015. The Communications Subcommittee was the first to give recommendations to the full commission, and the report pulled no punches.

Weekend Fun in Fairfax County - Aug. 7-16, 2015

A roundup of entertaining things to do this weekend.

Fairfax County Seeks Partner to Develop Training Center Property

Deadline for offers on the surplus land is Sept. 1.

Potential buyers have until September to make their offers to purchase the roughly 80 acres of property along Braddock Road where the Northern Virginia Training Center currently sits.

Column: Back on Track

Having reread last week’s column a time or two now, I’ve realized that I neglected to update you regular readers – especially those of you who read my most recent pre- and post-scan columns: “Abyssful” Ignorance and Scant Know For Sure Anymore – on the previous week’s scan results. Once again, I have defied the odds – maybe statistics would be a better word?

Helping Aging Parents

Event will highlight resources available for long-term care planning.

Antonio M. Taguba says his life changed forever during a family reunion in 2006, starting with an announcement from his mother.

Teams in Training

Getting in shape while raising money for charity.

Rain poured from a gray March sky. Drenched racers wound their way through Washington, D.C. before spilling across the finish line at R.F.K. Stadium, their running shoes heavy and soaking wet.

Sunset Party at Tysons Plaza

Little children raced to get first-choice seats on the lawn for Andy Grammer, whose hit single “Honey, I’m Good” peaked at no. 9 on Billboard Hot 100 this summer.

Now Showing: Sensory-Friendly Films at AMC Theatres

Dancing, shouting, singing welcome at special screenings for children, families affected by autism.

July is the hottest month for Hollywood’s cavalcade of blockbuster films, as studios compete for audience dollars and crash into each other to be the first to release their tent pole films, such as Avengers, Jurassic World, Mission Impossible-Rogue Nation, and Fantastic Four.

'Fiddler on the Roof' Comes to Vienna

Vienna Youth Players brings beloved musical to life.

The musical is an extravaganza of haunting song and spirited dance, focusing on preservation and loss of “traditions” and changing times, and is a departure from the more contemporary pieces the Vienna Youth Players has done.