Fairfax County: School Board Renews Superintendent Garza’s Contract
Fairfax County Public Schools has secured four more years with Dr. Karen Garza at the helm as superintendent. The School Board members voted unanimously to extend her contract through June 30, 2020 at their June 30 meeting.
Lorton: Fireworks Set to Explode over Workhouse Arts Center Again July 2
A fireworks display will once again be the highlight of a Fourth of July weekend evening program at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton.
Fairfax County: Former Police Officer Torres sentenced to 12 months for killing John Geer
Torres released five days following sentencing due to time already served
For the first time in its three-quarters of a century in existence, a Fairfax County Police officer has been convicted and sentenced after an officer-involved shooting death.
Fairfax County: Torres Walks Free
Former police officer released five days after sentencing for killing John Geer
Former Fairfax County Police Officer Adam Torres walked free Wednesday morning, June 29.
Burke, Fairfax Station: Robinson Holds Graduation June 15
The students may have been graduating, but their principal assigned one more book for them to read. Robinson Secondary’s Matt Eline sent each 2016 graduate on their way with a copy of Brian Tracy’s “Achieve Any Goal.” He made goals the theme of his address to the young adults on June 15 at George Mason’s Eagle Bank Arena.
Supervisors Endorse Police ‘Re-engineering’
Action items approved include use of force and communications recommendations from Ad Hoc commission.
The possibility of body cameras being worn by Fairfax County Police officers and the release of officers’ names involved with critical use of force incidents dominated discussion during two action items in the Board of Supervisors June 21 meeting.
Natasha McKenna’s Mother Files $15 Million Wrongful Death Suit
Woman with mental illness died after being tased while in Sheriff’s custody.
Natasha McKenna’s mother is seeking more than $15 million in a wrongful death and gross negligence suit filed against Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid and five deputies.
Ten U.S. Air Force Band Conductors Assemble for 75th Anniversary Reunion Concert in Fairfax
The U.S. Air Force Band celebrated its 75th anniversary with a reunion concert on June 11 at the George Mason Center for the Arts.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Added to Fairfax County Student Handbook
School Board members debate whether students should be held accountable.
Students in Fairfax County Public Schools started the 2015-2016 school year without the words “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” as part of the nondiscrimination guide within their student handbook.
Burke: Shocked by Kidney Disease
Family searching, waiting in line for living donor.
Burke resident Hayden Shock graduated from Gallaudet University May 13 on the dean’s list with a marketing degree. That was expected. Fewer than two months before, he was diagnosed with acute kidney failure. For a healthy college senior -- Shock threw javelin and competed for Gallaudet track and field -- the diagnosis was totally unexpected.
Herndon Police Officers Train with Fairfax Fire & Rescue
Two menacing Dodge Charger sedans come to a stop, a dark silver one in front of the other, all black with gold lettering that reads Herndon Police. Officers from the cruiser get out, and begin barking commands at the driver of the suspicious car in front.
Fairfax County: High School Senior Addresses School Board on LGBT Issues
Board conducting community review of Family Life Education curriculum recommendations.
Bennett Shoop remembers first being bullied in second grade. He liked to dress all in black, wear weird shirts, be alternative in his outward expression.
Fairfax and Fairfax Station: VFW 8469 and American Legion 177 hold Memorial Day ceremony
Aaron Coffin of Fairfax is proud to say “Happy Memorial Day.” Some people say the national holiday to honor fallen soldiers should be sullen, reflective affair. But the ten-year Army veteran said he wouldn’t want it that way. Nor would anyone he’s served with.
Fairfax: Fire Chief Bowers Involved in Crash
Fairfax County Police and Deputy County Executive for Public Safety David Rohrer are investigating a collision between Fire and Rescue Department Chief Richard Bowers’ county vehicle and another car.
Memorial Day 2016 Observed at Burke Centre Conservancy
Piper Matthew Kuldell led the color guard -- members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5412 and Boy Scout Troop 1345 -- into the area of the Burke Centre Conservancy on May 31 to begin the observance of Memorial Day.
Fairfax County: School Board Adopts $2.7 Billion Budget
FY 2017 budget aims to raise teacher salaries, lower class sizes.
The Fairfax County School Board has made good on Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza’s promise when she introduced a FY 2017 budget for the school system.
Rare Sun Blesses 44th Clifton Fairfax Homes Tour
Braun home breathes history and inviting warmth.
May 19 was far from the first time Richard and Jane Elizabeth Braun of Fairfax have opened up their home to numerous guests.
Fairfax County shares plan for mitigating effects of Safe Track maintenance
Bracing for shutdown "surges" in face of Metro crisis
If you use Metrorail from Vienna or Reston or Tysons, be on notice: The Orange and Silver lines will be the first affected.
Fairfax County: Supervisors Review Use of Force Guidelines
Public Safety Committee meets before June 21 vote: gun carry positions, release of information, body cameras discussed.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is standing by its Chief of Police and his department.
Fairfax County: Kaine Requests Funding for School Drinking Water Testing
FCPS developing testing plan; last test was 2004.
In response to the lead contamination of drinking water of Flint, Michigan, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine joined 24 other senators asking Congress for funding to have school drinking water tested for lead and other toxins.
Fairfax County: 15th Day Prom held for students with disabilities
Students’ bodies bounced, swayed and spun on the dance floor while the Black-Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” blared from towering speakers. In another room, glamorous girls and boutonniered boys waited in line to pose for a professional photographer. It was a prom.
Fairfax County: Female Firefighters Share Experiences
Offering to bring balance into gender issue.
For five-year veteran firefighter-paramedic Alisha Reakoff, her “gender has been a non-issue” in her experience with the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department.
Fairfax County School Board members respond to Obama transgender bathroom guidance
When a student in Fairfax County Public Schools identifies as transgender and they bring it to the attention of their school staff, the school brings in the student’s parents and together they work out a tailored bathroom plan: where to use single-stall facilities on campus that will make the student feel most comfortable.
Fairfax County: Hispanic Leadership Alliance awards scholarships to 14 seniors
West Springfield High School senior Fernanda Justiniano-Rivero fought back tears as she thanked her mother for everything. “She worked three jobs, barely raised me, would come home and be so tired,” Justiniano-Rivero said. “But she still would bring me gifts, ask me if I did my homework. I used to pretend we would travel the world and it be just us, I would live in a fairy tale.”
Police to Continue Improving Transparency
Public Safety Committee reviews recommendations for police use of force and communications; vote scheduled for June 21.
Fairfax County Supervisors and the Public Safety Committee met Tuesday May 10 to review police use of force and communications policy recommendations from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission.
Fairfax County: Training to Reverse an Overdose
In 30 to 45 seconds, a single dose of the drug Naloxone can be the difference in whether someone experiencing an opiate overdose lives or dies.
Fairfax County: Shining a Light on Addiction and Overdose
Herrity’s Town Hall addresses heroin and prescription drug abuse in Fairfax County.
South Lakes High School and George Mason University graduate Ginny Lovitt lost her brother Chris to a heroin overdose. He was 21 and had been discharged from the Sagebrush Treatment Center of Northern Virginia just a week before, in January of 2013. His tolerance was down.
Fairfax County Fire Chief Moves to Address Department Cyberbullying
After the suicide of Fairfax County firefighter-paramedic Nicole Mittendorff and suspected cyberbullying of the 31-year-old that came to light after her death, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue is cracking down on workplace harassment, bullying and discrimination.
Fairfax County 2017-2018 School Year to Begin Before Labor Day
Fairfax County Public Schools delaying their start date until after Labor Day will be a thing of the past. Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, the School Board decided classes will begin one week before Labor Day, rather than immediately following it, as has been the tradition.
Burke and Fairfax: Young Artist with Autism Shows Work at Our Daily Bread’s “Artful Living”
“HERE MY WORK IS YELLING AT THE STONE INSIDE THAT REFUSES TO LEAVE MY SOUL AND BODY IN PEACE.” Those are 16-year-old Fairfax resident Ben Breaux’s words that accompanied his mixed-media painting “The Kidney Stone” at the April 23 juried art contest and Our Daily Bread fundraiser “Artful Living.”
Fairfax Station: Fourth annual Fragile X walk raises $55,000 for molecular bank for research
Jimi Grande of Fairfax Station may never get to teach his ten-year-old son Jimmo to throw a baseball. Jimmo was born with effects from an inherited genetic mutation called Fragile X that can cause moderate to severe mental impairment and learning disabilities, and is linked to autism spectrum disorder.
Fairfax County: Chief Investigating Cyberbullying of Dead Female Firefighter
Search for Nicole Mittendorff called off after police “preliminarily identify” female remains, find suicide note found in her abandoned vehicle.
The search for Nicole Mittendorff, a paramedic-firefighter based at Fire Station 32 in Fairfax Station, has been suspended, a release from Virginia State Police said on Thursday, April 21.
Fairfax County: Supervisors Approve 4-Cent Tax Rate Increase
The gap between the Fairfax County School Board and total county budgets is a formality away from being the smallest since before Jan. 7 when FCPS Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza announced she wouldn’t be making any additional cuts in her $2.67 billion Fiscal Year 2017 budget.
Burke & Fairfax: 5K Fundraiser to Honor Robinson Grad RJ Hess
First Lt. Robert Joseph “R.J.” Hess of Fairfax graduated from Robinson Secondary School in 2005 and Old Dominion University and the University of Virginia’s Army ROTC program in 2010. He was killed in Pul-E-Alam, Afghanistan on April 23, 2013.
Fairfax County: Torres Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter of John Geer
Former Police officer faced murder charges for 2013 shooting
It was over before it began. Neither prosecution nor defense gave opening statements in former Fairfax County Police Officer Adam Torres’ trial for the August 2013 murder of Springfield resident John Geer. Instead on Monday, April 18, Torres pleaded guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter for the August 2013 incident.
Mount Vernon Grad, Mclean Resident Opens Tropical Fruit Smoothie Café in Dunn Loring
McLean resident Trung Tang has worked in food service since starting as a busboy for East Wind in Alexandria at age 14. The 1996 Mount Vernon High School graduate made a career out of serving in and managing restaurants.
Fairfax County Police Hold Assessment Public Hearing
As part of an on-site assessment by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., Fairfax County Police held a public forum on April 11 at the Fairfax County Government Center.
New Fairfax Location of Hooters Opens on Lee Highway.
A collection of multicolored lights dangling casually above the hostess station is an homage to one of few interior similarities between the old Christmas light-laden Hooters at 10334 Lee Highway and the gleaming new location down the road at 10060, which opened March 21.
‘Shark Tank’ for Seniors
High school students design and present tech products to improve lives of older adults.
Chantilly High School freshman Aru Rajpurohit remembers seeing her great-grandfather struggle to drink his morning tea and other beverages, his hands shaking from Parkinson’s disease.
Burke and Fairfax: New Bike Lanes Proposed for 7 Braddock District Roadways
New bicycle lanes are being proposed for Ravensworth Road, Coffer Woods Road, Burke Road, Patriot Drive, Guinea Road, Queensberry Avenue and Heritage Drive in Braddock District. The improvements would come as part of the Virginia Department of Transportation 2016 summer road repaving program.
First Responders Honored at 38th Annual Valor Awards
‘Ready for All Emergencies’
Technician Ryland Chapman and Lieutenant Lawrence Mullin with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were preparing to return home from a deployment with Virginia Task Force 1 to earthquake-rocked Kathmandu, Nepal when another quake sent them back out for duty.
Lawmakers Wrap-up Richmond Legislative Session
Unspent TANF grant money, prisoner rights among social issues discussed.
On average, low income families in Virginia who are eligible and sign up for funds from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant receive $269 monthly and are cut off after five years. But lawmakers say there’s a lot more unexpended money available in the federal grant that, if it remains unused, could one day be taken back.
New decision-making training meant to alter how Fairfax County police officers approach use of force
Making decisions can be instinctual, from the gut. It can also be practical and informed, coming to the best judgement considering all variables. For police officers responding to calls where there might be a threat of violence to civilians and or themselves, their decision whether to use force and which type to neutralize the situation quickly must be a hybrid.
Community Foundation for Northern Virginia Awards $380,000 in Local Grants
Five of 36 grant awardees speak at “Cocktails & Conversation” event.
When Lorton residents Marcy Mager and husband David Lunter’s daughter Michell Merhige was killed in 2009, they wanted to establish a scholarship in her honor but knew handling the financial logistics would be tricky.
Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Springfield: Brain Injury Services honors volunteers and community partners
Maya Simbulan of Fairfax is thankful for being normal. The Lake Braddock Secondary School freshman would like to pursue work with computer graphics and plays electric wheelchair soccer.
Burke: Alcohol and Speed Suggested Factors in Fatal Crash
Crash reconstruction detectives are investigating a fatal car crash that occurred March 14 around 12:23 a.m. near Burke Commons Road and Roberts Common Lane.
Fairfax County Public Schools to Seek FEMA Relief Funds
Winter Storm Jonas, Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse 2.0 — no matter what it’s called, the county-crippling January 2016 blizzard cost Fairfax County Public Schools $7.2 million to pay for employee overtime compensation, additional contractors and equipment rental.
Burke Historical Society begins new research education series.
When Col. Blake Meyers’ (U.S. Army, ret.) mother and grandmother died, he inherited boxes of family records that no one had ever taken the time to archive, much less even go through and organize.
Fairfax County: Commonwealth's Attorney Finds No Criminality in Paul Guida In-Custody Death
After a determination from the medical examiner that Falls Church resident Paul Guida, 68, died of natural causes while in the Sheriff’s custody at the Fairfax County Detention Center, Commonwealth’s Attorney Raymond F. Morrogh concluded there was no evidence of criminality associated with involved law enforcement or staff at the jail.
Fairfax and Mount Vernon: Matthew Takes on Four More Life Sentences with Guilty Plea for Murders
Jesse L. Matthew, Jr., now 34, will never leave prison. Matthew was already beginning to serve three consecutive life sentences after he entered an Alford Plea for charges of abduction, sexual assault and attempted murder in Fairfax in 2005.