Thursday, February 26
Westfield Boys’ Basketball Wins Conference Championship
Bulldogs beat Herndon to win first conference/district title since 2008.
Westfield beat Herndon in the Conference 5 boys' basketball championship game.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova Bulova to Create Transparency Review Commission
Group would include citizens, legal community and other organizations.
When Alexandria resident Natasha McKenna was removed from life support and died on Feb. 8, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office posted a release on the county website.
Wednesday, February 25
Fern and Otter Come to ‘Work’
“My dogs Fern and Otter, both adopted from the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. They love to come to work with me at the shelter.
When Sam Met Frodo
“Sam and Frodo are both rescue cats. Frodo, the big orange guy with the furry feet, came from Home Alone Feline Rescue in 2011. He is part Maine Coon and part American bobtail. Lou and I had been thinking about getting a second cat as a companion for Frodo when I ran into Lee District School Board member Tammy Koufax at a community event in Springfield in August 2013..."
Shelter Gets Creative To Save Lives
Volunteers, social media assist in pet adoptions.
Since 2013, Fairfax County has been the largest jurisdiction in the United States with a placement rate of animals above 90 percent. Last year alone, nearly 2,500 animals were adopted, which is nearly double the adoptions just two years earlier.
Column: Not So Late This Time
But real-time once again: February 20, 11 hours, approximately, after our regularly-scheduled, post-scan meeting with the oncologist at 10:00 this morning.
Tuesday, February 24
Centreville Wrestler Love Repeats as 195-Pound State Champ
Wildcats place second in team standings, Westfield produces two champs.
Centreville's Tyler Love ended his high school career with three state championship between wrestling and football.
Editorial: Managing Mental Illness in Jails
Natasha McKenna’s death provides window on national concern.
A national report released on Feb. 11 highlighted the prevalence of people with mental illness incarcerated in local jails.
Fairfax County School Board Discusses New AAP Center at Poplar Tree
Board seeks more community feedback before taking action.
Greenbriar West Elementary School is far from the only Fairfax County Public School with an overcrowding problem.
Thursday, February 19
Chantilly Home Sales: January, 2015
In January, 2015, 16 homes sold between $625,000-$35,000 in the Chantilly area.
Chantilly Home Sales: January, 2015
Centreville Home Sales: January, 2015
In January, 2015, 62 Centreville homes sold between $802,000-$153,000.
Centreville Home Sales: January, 2015
Wednesday, February 18
Centreville’s Love Repeats as 195-Pound Region Champion
Westfield produces three individual wrestling champions.
Centreville wrestling produced two region champions on Feb. 14.
Column: Staying Ahead of the Feds
The federal government is not always wrong. At the same time, the state government is not always right.
The Virginia House and the Senate have penned similar but competing mid-point versions to the 2014-2016 biennial budget.
Stalled Labor Market Slows County Budget
Proposed budget calls for no real estate tax rate increase, but average homeowner would pay $184 more.
Supervisor Jeff McKay pointed out an irony in County Executive Ed Long’s proposed $3.8 billion budget. Three planning positions would be eliminated from the budget even though Long suggested the county needs more efforts to raise revenue from commercial and industrial venues.
Super-Insulation Talk Attracts Homeowners in Reston
How to lower electric, gas and water bills?
The Rose Gallery at Reston Community Center at Lake Anne in Reston was the venue for a well-attended presentation by Rich and Marian Taschler on proper home insulation and its mostly unknown benefits. The program was offered under the auspices of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at George Mason University.
Oh Deer! What Can the Matter Be?
The county Park Authority used aerial infrared surveys via fixed-wing airplanes to count the number of deer inside parks and within a small distance in the surrounding neighborhoods on Feb. 6, 2014 and Dec. 27, 2013, according to the 2014 Annual Report on the Environment for Fairfax County.
Column: Real-Time, Really Late
I’m not a night owl. More of an early bird, worms notwithstanding. But given the contents of last week’s column, “Scantsy,” I find it difficult to write about anything else while waiting for the results of my CT Scan.
Thursday, February 12
Matthew Charged In West Potomac Alumna Hannah Graham Murder
Suspect faces life in prison.
Nearly five months after the disappearance of University of Virginia sophomore and West Potomac High School alumna Hannah Graham, the primary suspect in her death investigation has been indicted by a grand jury in Albemarle County.
Combining Health and Mental Health
Community Services Board provides emergency services, prevention and treatment.
One teenager who attempted suicide revealed that if anyone had asked him beforehand whether he was thinking of hurting himself, he would have said yes.
Fairfax County Judge Orders More John Geer Materials Released
Family’s lawyer’s motions supported.
Though extensive, the thousands of pages of documents, dozens of audio files and handful of videos released last month by Fairfax County, documenting the shooting death of Springfield resident John Geer, aren’t exhaustive.
Wednesday, February 11
Letter: Failing in Their Duties
Letter to the Editor
I applaud your editorial on the Geer murder (“No Justification for Secrecy, Delay on Geer Shooting,” Connection, February 4-10, 2015). The Connection has done yeoman’s work in keeping this tragedy in front of the public, unlike other newspapers which are johnnie-come-latelies.
Editorial: Not the First or Only Time
Secrecy around police shootings has been a problem for at least a decade.
The official position of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on the need for changes in policy after the shooting of John Geer by police in Springfield in August of 2013 appears to be that this is the first time police policies have been a problem: “Policies for handling police-involved incidents, which served us well for decades, were inadequate in this complicated situation.”
Column: ‘Scantsy’
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to characterize the feelings I regularly experience during the final few weeks leading up to my every-three-month CT Scan, and even more so the feelings I experience waiting the following week or so to see my oncologist to discuss the results.
Thursday, February 5
Fairfax County Goes Public with Geer Documents
FCPD report confirms John Geer was shot while unarmed, hands raised.
Of the seven eyewitness accounts of the shooting death of John Geer, only one describes Geer quickly bringing his hands down to his waist. That was the perspective of PFC Adam Torres, the officer who shot Geer in the chest, killing him in the doorway of his home on Aug. 29, 2013.
Wednesday, February 4
Letter: An Open Letter to Virginia Delegates
Letter to the Editor
Many of you know our story well. We are the parents of Morgan Harrington. Morgan, a student at Virginia Tech, went to a rock concert in Charlottesville in 2009 and never came home. Her remains were found 100 days later.
Citizens to the Rescue
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy accepting applications.
The Fairfax County Citizens Fire and Rescue Academy, a free nine-week program to learn about the work of firefighters and paramedics, will begin its next session March 12, with the deadline for online applications closing on Feb. 16.
Free and Low-Cost Dental Care for Children
Special programs available as part of National Children's Dental Health Month.
Dental hygiene should start even before a baby’s first tooth emerges. That is one of the messages that dental professionals are hoping to convey this month.
Mental Health First Aid
County program offers insight into mental illness and teaches strategies for intervention.
Leslie Roberts recalls hearing a mother talk about getting her stepson admitted to a psychiatric hospital. “Her stepson was angry and acting out,” said Roberts. “She didn’t understand what her stepson was doing.”
Editorial: No Justification for Secrecy, Delay on Geer Shooting
Everything about this case erodes public trust and demonstrates police departments should not be allowed to apply “blanket” exemptions to release of information.
After waiting 17 months for any information about the investigation into the shooting death of John Geer, the information released last week is deeply troubling.
GMU Students Rally to Lower Student Debt
Members of GMU Student Power Travel to Richmond to voice concern over rising debt.
Twelve students from George Mason University traveled to Richmond with the Virginia Student Power Network, rallying and calling for debt-free education, and for increased educational opportunities for undocumented students. Rodrigo Velasquez, a junior at Mason from Springfield and GMU Student Power’s organizer, was one of the 12 from Mason who also went to Richmond.
Column: The Past Future is Now Present
Presumably, maybe even obviously, nearly six years into a “terminal” diagnosis, arrangements for a smooth transition of power should have been made already.
Tuesday, February 3
Local Prep Football Coaches React to End of Super Bowl XLIX
Majority say they would have called a run play from 1-yard line.
Lake Braddock football coach Jim Poythress sticks up for Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Sunday, February 1
Be Part of the Pet Connection
The Pet Connection, a bi-annual themed edition, will publish Feb. 25, 2015.