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Bonnie Hobbs

Stories by Bonnie

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Chantilly High Presents ‘Annie, the Musical’

“The sun will come out tomorrow.”

Complete with Daddy Warbucks, Sandy the dog and a certain red-haired orphan, Chantilly High is presenting “Annie, the Musical.” The curtain rises Thursday-Friday, Oct. 22-23, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 24, at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door or $10 via www.chantillyhsdrama.com.

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Centreville Day: Swordsmen, Parade, Music and Tightrope Walker

Centreville Day is Saturday, Oct. 17.

The leaves are starting to change colors and the weather’s turning cooler. That means it’s time for the 23rd annual Centreville Day celebration.

Marsh Leads Fair Oaks District Police Station

Keeping officers happy and the community safe.

The Fair Oaks District Police Station running smoothly, due to its officers as well as the man at the helm, Capt. Chris Marsh.

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‘We Made a Difference’

Girls raise money for animal shelter.

Take two girls, add in compassion, determination and a love for animals, and the result is a successful fundraiser for the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.

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Chantilly Snapshot: Officer of the Month

PFC Brian Rochefort (on left) receives the Officer of the Month certificate from 1st Lt. Matt Owens.

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Centreville/Chantilly: ‘I’ll See You in the Community’

Flanking Supervisor Frey are his staff members Kathy Buckley and Mike Coyle.

Overwhelmed after hearing the lavish praised bestowed on him by the community Friday night for his 24 years of service, Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) stepped to the podium to respond.

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Centreville/Chantilly: ‘The Epitome of a Leader’

Michael Frey honored as Sully’s longtime supervisor.

Heartfelt accolades, fond memories and good-natured ribbing marked Friday night’s Roast and Boast for Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully).

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Mountain View High School: Helping Students Reach Their Goals

Gary Morris takes the reins at Mountain View High.

Gary Morris is Mountain View High School’s new principal. But before he became an educator, he was a professional football player.

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Chantilly's Sully Historical Site: Where History Is ‘Touchable’

Celebrating 40th anniversary of Sully Historic Site’s restoration.

The Sully Historic Site in Chantilly provides a window into late 18th-century life in Northern Virginia. And on Sunday, Sept. 6, volunteers, visitors and dignitaries gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its restoration.

Centreville/Chantilly: The Sweet Sounds of Summer

Franklin Middle holds annual band and orchestra camp.

Each summer, students flock to Franklin Middle School’s Band & Orchestra Camp to fine-tune their musical skills and learn new ones. And Camp Director Lawrence Walker bases one of his philosophies for it on a simple proverb.

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Centreville/Chantilly: Students Improve Music Skills, Make New Friends at Orchestra Camp

Learning’s fun at band and orchestra camp.

Whatever their reasons were for attending Franklin Middle School’s Band & Orchestra Camp, the results for the students were the same — knowledge, improvement and fun. Rocky Run Middle seventh-grader Alexander Alvarez and his sister Christina, a Poplar Tree Elementary sixth-grader, attended for the first time. Both play clarinet and had a great time there.

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Centreville: ‘He Fought with Honor, Dignity’

Sully Police Sgt. Ryan Lindenbaum loses battle with cancer.

Friends, family and the Fairfax County Police Department said goodbye to one of their own this week when Sgt. Ryan Matthew Lindenbaum was laid to rest.

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Chantilly: A Glimpse of the Horizon

Homes, shops, restaurants and a Wegmans are proposed.

With the downturn in the office market, developers are looking at vacant parcels of land in the Westfields area of Chantilly as a place for residential and other uses, instead.

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Centreville/Chantilly: Moving Forward with Local Road Projects

What’s planned for I-66, Routes 28 and 29, Stone, Walney, etc.

Several local road projects are either underway, in the pipeline or nearing completion.

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Oak Hill: Sharing Stories and Emotions in Quilts

The Sacred Threads quilts exhibition comes every two years to Oak Hill’s Floris United Methodist Church. Within each work, the artists tell stories of love, loss, joy, hope, healing and inspiration. The display ran July 10-26.

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Centre View: Wegmans Grocery Store Proposed

Residents are pleased, but worry about traffic troubles.

The Wegmans grocery store in Fair Oaks has proved to be a hit with local residents. And now plans are afoot to bring a Wegmans to Chantilly, too.

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Centre View: ‘It’s Like a Giant Family’

Fair Oaks, Sully districts celebrate National Night Out.

Take some firefighters, law-enforcement personnel and local residents; add in food, fun, handshakes and conversation in a relaxed, neighborhood atmosphere. Mix well, and the result is National Night Out.

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Centreville: Homes Instead of Offices at Trinity Centre

Developer wants to build 355 apartments at the Trinity Centre.

As the area office market continues to stall, more and more land-use applications are proposing to replace planned office uses with residential communities. One of the latest proposals is at the Trinity Centre, off Route 29, in Centreville.

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Chantilly: Getting a Look At Officer Training

Residents tour county’s Criminal Justice Academy.

About 30 local residents recently got a behind-the-scenes look at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy. They learned what recruits go through to become police officers and participated in a training scenario.

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Centre View: ‘Impeccable Work Ethic’

Police PFC Earl Culbertson is honored as the Officer of the Month.

Reliable, a team player and a skilled motorcycle rider — that’s how Lt. Tim Burgess describes police PFC Earl D. Culbertson. In fact, as Culbertson’s supervisor, Burgess thinks so highly of him that he nominated him for Officer of the Month.

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Centre View: Wanted: 2,300 School Backpacks

WFCM asks community to help local children in need.

Once again, Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) is collecting new backpacks for local students in need. Its goal is to provide backpacks for 2,300 qualified, low- income children attending schools in the Centreville, Chantilly and Westfield high school pyramids.

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Centreville/Chantilly: Recognizing Local Police and Firefighters

A look at Centreville High’s First Responders Support Club.

High schools offer a variety of extracurricular clubs for students, such as chess, language and robotics. But at Centreville High, students may also join the First Responders Support Club.

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Centreville: Commendation for ‘Job Well Done’

APO Tony Gul is honored as Officer of the Month.

Auxiliary Police Officer Tauheed “Tony) Gul” was recently honored as the Sully District Police Station’s Citizens Advisory Committee Officer of the Month. And in the letter nominating him, his supervisor, Lt. Tim Burgess, explained why. “APO Gul has demonstrated strong teamwork traits, contributing significantly to community activities in the Sully District,” wrote Burgess. “He volunteered 298 hours of time in 2014, including events like Touch a Truck, DWI checkpoints and patrols.”

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Centreville: Music, Laughter and a Flying Car

Alliance Theatre presents “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”

When eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts rescues an old race car from a junk heap, he decides to restore it with his children’s help. Little does he know then that it has the magical ability to fly and float. And once word gets out, an evil baron tries to get the car for himself.

Centreville: ‘She Started Shoving Me’

Kathy Smith assaulted while campaigning; woman arrested.

Add political campaigning to the list of things that can be hazardous to one’s health. At least that’s what Fairfax County Board of Supervisors hopeful Kathy Smith found out last Saturday. “I’m OK,” she said afterward. “But it was a scary situation.” So scary, in fact, that a local woman was arrested and charged with assaulting her and preventing her from making a 911 call.

Centreville/Chantilly: Frey Says, ‘It’s Been A Good Run’

Frey gives his final “State of Sully” address.

With Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) opting not to run for re-election, his recent State of Sully address may well be his last one. He gave it June 24 to the Sully District Council of Citizens Association.

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Chantilly: ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ Plus Magic

Westfield Summer Stage presents “Mary Poppins.”

Featuring a cast and crew of nearly 50, Westfield Summer Stage is bringing the Disney musical, “Mary Poppins,” to life. This production also marks 15 years of summer musicals for this local, theater group.

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Centreville: ‘Let Your Experience Shape Your Future’

Centreville High Class of 2015 graduates.

Dave Jagels has only been Centreville High’s principal since January, but he’s already become a proud Wildcat. And his feelings were evident during the school’s graduation ceremony on Tuesday, June 23, at GMU’s Patriot Center.

Centre View: Angel Fund Receives $10,000

During the June 13 Remembrance Cabaret for Westfield High grad/Virginia Tech victim Reema Samaha, New York Life presented a $10,000 grant to Angel Fund.

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‘Always a Part of the Family’

Students graduate from Mountain View High.

Mountain View High graduations always tug at the heartstrings. That’s because the students have had to overcome so much to reach that finish line.

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Chantilly: Remembering Reema in Song and Dance

8th Annual Remembrance Cabaret for Reema Samaha was June 13 at Westfield High.

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Chantilly: Little Children, Big Vehicles

Third annual Touch A Truck was Saturday, June 13, outside the Chantilly Regional Library.

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Centreville: ‘It Keeps Him Alive for Us’

Family, friends raise cancer-research funds in Jimmy Breslin’s name.

A Fairfax County firefighter for 28 years, Jimmy Breslin died of cancer last year at age 55, but he’s never far from the thoughts of his friends and family.

Centreville: Roundups for Week of June 10, 2015

Each year, a cabaret is held in honor of Westfield High grad and Virginia Tech victim Reema Samaha. And the 8th Annual Remembrance Cabaret is this Saturday, June 13, in Westfield’s theater. It begins with a silent auction at 6 p.m., followed by a variety show at 7 p.m.

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Centreville: A Time for Celebration

CPMSAC honors high school students’ academic achievements.

It was a time to celebrate. And that’s just what happened at the Chantilly Pyramid Minority Student Achievement Committee’s (CPMSAC) 30th Annual Youth Motivation and Academic Awards program.

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Centreville: ‘Diverse Travel Choices?’

Residents hear I-66 improvement plans, give opinions.

VDOT plans to improve travel on the 25 miles of I-66 between Route 15 in Haymarket and the I-495/Capital Beltway. So it’s created three alternatives and will take the best elements from each — tempered by residents’ comments from several public hearings — and develop the final design.

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PHOTOS: Hot Songs and Cool Jazz

Chantilly High’s 29th annual Jazz & Pizzazz was May 27-30.

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Chantilly: Remembering, Honoring Reema

8th annual cabaret is Saturday, June 13.

Reema Samaha was one of the victims killed April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech, but the Westfield High graduate will always be remembered by her friends and family. And each year, a cabaret is held in her honor.

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Centreville/Chantilly: Local Schools Countdown to Cappies

Directors react to high-school theater nominations.

Celebrating the best in high-school theater, the 16th annual Cappies Gala will be held this Sunday, June 7, at 7 p.m., at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

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Centreville/Chantilly: ‘Long Time Coming, But Worth the Wait’

Celebrating Stringfellow Road’s reconstruction.

As a major conduit between Chantilly and Centreville, Stringfellow Road is heavily used by area residents. It’s also the gateway to four elementary schools, a middle school and a high school, a regional library, two parks, several athletic fields, churches, shopping centers and highly populated neighborhoods.

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Looking at the Alternatives

Information presented on I-66/Route 28 interchange improvement.

One day, in the not-too-distant future, the I-66/Route 28 interchange in Centreville will be improved to reduce congestion and make life easier for every driver using it. But first, VDOT and area residents are deciding how best to proceed.

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Fairfax County Looking at the Alternatives for I-66

Information presented on I-66/Route 28 interchange improvement.

One day, in the not-too-distant future, the I-66/Route 28 interchange in Centreville will be improved to reduce congestion and make life easier for every driver using it. But first, VDOT and area residents are deciding how best to proceed.

Centreville/Chantilly Roundups for the Week of May 27

Fairfax County Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a critical missing adult. Fifty-six-year-old In Hong Won walked away from his home in Centreville on May 20.

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Chantilly High Presents 29th Jazz & Pizzazz

Annual extravaganza of singing and dancing.

Bright lights, colorful costumes and spectacular singing and dancing – that’s Chantilly High’s Jazz & Pizzazz. And this year’ extravaganza, the 29th annual, is slated for Wednesday-Saturday, May 27-30, at 7 p.m. each night.

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‘Showing the Soul of a Community’

County, private sector unite to build workforce housing.

With an eye toward providing workforce housing in the local area, Fairfax County recently broke ground on a 270-unit apartment complex in Fair Oaks.

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Chantilly Takes Virginia Economic Championship

Third state victory in a row and sixth altogether.

For the third year in a row, a team from Chantilly High has won the state championship in economics. The four students took first place in the Adam Smith Division (advanced economics) of the 2015 Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance.

20 Cappie Nominations for Local Schools

The 2014-15 Cappie nominations for high-school theater were announced Monday night, May 18, with the three local schools garnering a total of 20 nominations.

Shaving Heads in Solidarity

Tara Sankner is a 10-year-old Fairfax girl who’s fighting Astrocytoma Grade 2 brain cancer.

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Work Starts on Roundabout in Centreville

Work starts on controversial roundabout in Centreville.

Despite the objections of many local residents, work is now beginning on the roundabout at the Braddock /Pleasant Valley roads intersection beside Cox Farms in Centreville.

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Born to Run 5K Set for June 6

Fundraiser honors deceased middle-school teacher.

Nothing can bring back Jannine Parisi. A well-respected Franklin Middle School teacher, she died in November 2013 at age 47 as a result of domestic violence.