Serial Burglaries in McLean Area

Police are investigating a series of burglaries that occurred Friday, May 3. Sometime between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., 10 residences were broken into and jewelry, cash and electronics taken. Forced entry was used in all cases. The streets where these burglaries occurred were Strata Street, Sawyer Place (2), Barbee Street, Powhatan Street, Wise Street, Poole Lane, Dalmation Drive (2) and Mulroy Street.

Suspects are described as a white man and white woman in their 30s driving a pickup truck or El Camino body style vehicle.

Police are looking into the possibility that these may be related to other burglaries in the area. The investigation continues. Residents are urged to call police if they witness anything suspicious in their neighborhood.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

Trail Map Signs Installed at Pimmit Stream Valley

Residents and public officials met on May 2 at Olney Road Park to officially dedicate 14 new trail map signs recently installed along the Pimmit Run Stream Valley trail in Falls Church and McLean. Present at the ceremony were Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, representatives from the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) and representatives from the community organization Fairfax Trails and Streams.

The 14 signs are made of aluminum and printed with weatherproof full-color images. The route marked by the signs extends approximately 5 miles along the stream valley trail and are posted at trail decision points beginning at Olney Road Park in Falls Church (southeast of the Dulles Toll Road) and extending northeast to Bryan Branch. Each sign features a large map of the trail in the vicinity of the sign, with a “You Are Here” designation and a smaller insert map showing the neighboring trail as it relates to the complete Pimmit Run Stream Valley trail.

Fairfax Trails and Streams, a regional, volunteer trail advocacy organization dedicated to trail maintenance, connectivity and development in Northern Virginia, initiated the project. The group’s president and former-president, Bill Niedringhaus and Ed Pickens, respectively, worked with Supervisor Foust’s office and with Liz Cronauer, trail program manager for the Fairfax County Park Authority, to determine the sign locations and arrange for the design, manufacture and installation of the signs.

Church Yard Sale in McLean

Charles Wesley United Methodist Church, 6817 Dean Drive, McLean, holds an annual church yard sale on Saturday, May 11, inside from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., rain or shine, with an aggregation of items from several families, with everything from electronics to glassware featured; hot dog lunch served midday. http://www.TheHungerChurch.org.

Book Collection and Sale to Support Scholarships for Women

The McLean Area American Association of University Women’s (AAUW) Annual Book Collection in preparation for its 44th annual Book Sale begins Saturday, May 18, at the Sun Trust Bank, 515 Maple Ave., Vienna from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional collection dates are: June 8; June 29; July 20; and, Aug. 10. The Book Sale will be Sept. 20-22 at the McLean Community Center on Ingleside Ave. in McLean. The AAUW needs books, CDs, DVDs, software for children as well as for adults.

Proceeds provide scholarships and support professional development for women.

At last year’s sale there were an estimated 46,000 books on display sorted into 32 categories and AAUW members gave more than 1,700 volunteer hours to generate over $36,000 in revenue. AAUW hopes that this year’s 44th annual sale will do even better with the support of the metropolitan community.

BlogPaws Conference to Be Held at Tysons Corner

This year's national BlogPaws conference will be held in Tysons Corner, at the Sheraton Premiere Hotel. "BlogPaws is a pet-welcoming three-day conference that brings pet parents and enthusiasts together with each other," said Carol Byrant, BlogPaws marketing manager.

Pet lovers, pet bloggers, social media enthusiasts, pet brands and industry experts are expected to come together for a weekend of learning, networking and fun, according to Byrant.

From May 16 through May 18 the BlogPaws conference will have a number of workshops, including one by Animal Planet’s Kenn Bell, who will be filming an episode of "Dog Files." David Frei is a celebrity emcee. Frei is the public spokesperson for the Westminster Kennel Club and has been the television voice of Westminster since 1990.

For BlogPaws conference and registration information go to: www. blogpawsconference.com.