Winter Storm Hits Northern Virginia - …connectionarchives.com/PDF/2014/021914/Vienna.pdf ·...

Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ February 19-25, 2014 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

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How Red Is the10th District?News, Page 4

Vienna Man Guilty inTeen’s DeathNews, Page 7

How Red Is the10th District?News, Page 4

Vienna Man Guilty inTeen’s DeathNews, Page 7

Winter Storm HitsNorthern Virginia

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Winter Storm HitsNorthern Virginia

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Center Street, from Maple Avenue to Moore, was barren of cars.A lone skier makes her way past Waters Field and the fire station.Center Street, from Maple Avenue to Moore, was barren of cars.A lone skier makes her way past Waters Field and the fire station.

2 ❖ Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ February 19-25, 2014 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Bonnie Hobbs

Centre View

The Town of Vienna wants to seehow well it’s doing, so it’s goingto survey some of its residents

to find out. Toward that end, it con-tracted this month with ETC Institute todo the deed.

“It’ll be the Town’s first statisticallyvalid, community-wide survey,” saidTown spokeswoman Kirstyn Barr. “It’s

intended to obtain citizens’ satisfaction lev-els with town services and programs. We’llalso be able to compare ourselves to simi-lar-sized towns.”

She explained the details during the Feb.3 Vienna Town Council meeting. If townofficials know how happy – or not – resi-dents are with the town’s offerings, they candetermine whether it’s delivering servicesin the most effective manner.

Vienna will then be able to use the sur-vey results as a tool during its budgeting

and strategic-planning processes. This writ-ten survey is to be conducted every otheryear and will not include commercial busi-nesses and other non-residential institu-tions. Only people living within the Townlimits will be eligible to participate.

ETC will work with Vienna to develop thesurvey, which will be about four pages long.It will also distribute the survey to a ran-dom sampling of Vienna residents, with aguaranteed return of at least 300 completedsurveys. The document will be mailed, but

will also be available online for thosewishing to take the survey that way.

PEOPLE WILL BE ASKED their opin-ions about Town services such as: streetmaintenance, water/sewer service, traf-fic/transportation issues, snow removal,leaf collection, street sweeping, streetlighting, cleanliness of streets and build-ings, Community Center programs andrecreational opportunities.

They may also be asked, for example,about quality of neighborhood life in

The town will conduct a survey on its programs and services.

Vienna Seeks Feedback from Town Residents

See Town, Page 7

News

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

Vienna’s Ceci Picard isn’tan Olympian, but she isan accomplished iceskater. And on Feb. 27,

she and her teammates will com-pete in the Synchronized SkatingNational Competition in ColoradoSprings.

The Madison High freshman isone of five girls from FairfaxCounty on the 15-member TeamAshburn. They skate at the Inter-mediate Level – the U.S. FigureSkating Assn.’s most competitivelevel. And this is the first time anIntermediate team from the Wash-

ington Metropolitan area hasmade Nationals.

“I am so excited,” said Picard,15. “We want to go out there andshow them what we’ve got. We’vemade a name for ourselves withinthe skating community, but neverhad a team that competed wellenough to qualify for Nationalsuntil this season.”

AS A SOLO ICE DANCER, she’smade Nationals twice, but syn-chronized skating is completelydifferent. Skating since age 7,Picard practices with her teameight hours each weekend, andbefore or after school on week-days.

“I like gliding across the ice,” shesaid. “The feeling of the blade onthe ice is just so cool. I neverwanted to do jumps – they scaredme. In synchro, we all have theexact same goal. The other teamsin our organization cheer for us inthe stands, and we’re like rolemodels for the younger skaters. Ialso help coach a team for ages 7-9.”

In synchronized skating, teammembers skate to music in unisonwhile demonstrating their team-work, speed and ability to performintricate formations and challeng-ing step sequences. Comprised ofgirls ages 13-18, this Intermediate-level team is the top group atAshburn. To compete on it, mem-bers typically have more than sixyears skating experience and havepassed various tests set by U.S.Figure Skating.

Picard likes being part of a teambecause, she explained, “I neverliked being out there skating all bymyself. There’s a lot of pressure onindividuals; if you mess up, it’s allon you. But if something goeswrong in synchro, we can compen-sate for it because there are 14other girls skating around you.And it’s like a family – we all sup-port each other and do everythingtogether.”

Regarding Nationals, she said, “Iknew that if we ever made it, thiswould be the year, because thisteam just works so hard andmeshes so well together. We’vebeen really dedicated since we gotour team choreography in June.”

The season goes from June-Feb-ruary, but competitions began inNovember. Team Ashburn com-peted in three Massachusetts ven-ues, but it was a Jan. 31 competi-

Vienna teen competing insynchronized ice skating Nationals.

‘I Like GlidingAcross the Ice’

tion in Hershey, Pa., that sent it toNationals. “We had to watch 10other teams skate, and then waitfor the results – it was awful,” saidPicard. “When we found out wemade it, we were all crying,screaming and hugging each other.It was like a weight lifted from us.”

THE TOP FOUR TEAMS fromeach of the Eastern, Midwest andPacific sections of the U.S. will vieat Nationals. “We’ll do one routineto a medley from the TV show, ‘SoYou Think You Can Dance,’” saidPicard. “We’ll skate to a swingsong, a sway song and JenniferLopez’s ‘On the Floor.’”

“I think we can finish in the topof the standings,” she said. “Butjust getting to Nationals is so goodfor our organization. It makes evenmore girls want to join it and ad-vance to the Intermediate team.”

Photo Courtesy of Wendilee Lassister

Ceci Picard performing at the 2013 Ice Dance Nationals.

The team performsa wheel element infront of the Pennsyl-vania judges.

Photo Courtesy of Jerothe Photography

Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ February 19-25, 2014 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

On Feb. 10, 2014, FlintHill welcomed four ofthe original Tuskegee

Airmen. Organized by the FlintHill’s Black Student Union, theevent featured a collective ad-dress to the entire student body.The Tuskegee Airmen represen-tatives, the oldest being 91, toldstories of their experiencesgrowing up, what it meant toserve their country, and gave acharge to students to be in-volved in theircommunity.

After the largeassembly, mem-bers of the BlackStudent Unionand other stu-dents gatheredwith the Airmenfor a time ofQ&A. Advice towork hard, tohelp others, and to lead in civicresponsibility were presented tostudents who soaked up thisopportunity to meet and talkwith true heroes.

“We were blessed to be in thepresence of greatness,” said

Headmaster John Thomas.“Clearly to have the TuskegeeAirmen to address our studentsin such a personal and intimateway was an honor. We owe ahuge debt of gratitude to Jun-ior Caira Blackwell and theBlack Student Union in bring-ing them to Flint Hill.”

The Tuskegee Airmen were agroup of African-Americanstrained for combat in WorldWar II. Though all were not air-

men, the titlerepresents theaviators, sincethey were thefirst African-American pilotstrained in theUS, at theTuskegee ArmyField.

Flint HillSchool is an in-

dependent school with 1,100students, transitional kinder-garten through Grade 12. BothEast and West Campus areclosely located to the intersec-tion of Jermantown and ChainBridge Roads in Oakton.

Tuskegee AirmenVisit Flint Hill School

Photos contributed

Four of the original Tuskegee Airmen visited FlintHill School last week, an invite from the Black Stu-dent Union. They addressed the entire Upper Schoolstudent body and also stayed for a Q&A session.

Flint Hill studentCaira Blackwell, amember of the BlackStudent Union,greets the TuskegeeAirmen last weekwhen four of theoriginal Airmenaddressed the entireUpper School studentbody.

“We wereblessed to be inthe presence ofgreatness.”

—Headmaster JohnThomas

News

By Ethan McLeod

The Connection

Northern Virginia residents took shelterfrom a snow storm that began theevening of Wednesday, Feb. 12 andlasted until the Thursday night. Fairfax

County felt the lasting effects well into the week-end, with schools unable to clear parking lots andcounty offices closed through the weekend.

Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emer-gency Tuesday, Feb. 11, giving state authorities andutility companies time to prepare for the storm.

“Just as state government is preparing for thisstorm, I urge every Virginian to take proper prepa-rations. Prepare to limit unnecessary travel duringthe storm, have emergency supplies on hand and beready in the event that power in your area goes out,”said McAuliffe in a statement.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)equipped around 4,000 plows to clean up the roadsstarting around midnight after the storm began.Dominion Power, which serves Virginia and NorthCarolina, called in 3,450 additional utility person-nel from as far as Oklahoma and Louisiana to helprestore power to areas affected by the snow. Manyof them were sent to areas further south such asSouth Carolina and Georgia by Thursday afternoon.

“We feel blessed that we have escaped the wrathof this storm,” said Chuck Penn, a spokesperson forDominion Power Resources.

The only major outage reported by Dominion oc-curred from a Wednesday evening accident at theintersection of Tyndale Street and Great Falls Roadthat knocked out power to 2,000 customers. Domin-ion workers restored power after about two hourslater that evening.

Area leaders did their best to keep citizens in-formed of unsafe driving conditions, weather updates

and safety tips. In Herndon, Mayor Lisa Merkel pro-vided updates through social media throughout theday on Thursday responding to readers’ commentsabout which neighborhoods and roads remainedunplowed. Dranesville Supervisor John Foust alsosent out emails with a link to an interactive maptracking plows in neighborhoods, as well as winterweather tips issued by Fairfax County for stayingwarm and snow removal.

On Wednesday evening before the storm, area resi-dents stocked up on emergency supplies, such as icemelt, batteries, Duraflame logs, shovels, and propane.Cyndee Cannon, an employee at McLean Hardware,said that three trucks of winter weather merchan-dise had been unloaded and sold to customers onWednesday.

“In case the power goes out, people are buying alot of flashlights and batteries to get prepared, aswell as water jugs in case they can’t get out or getwater,” said Mike Cannon, store manager of McLeanHardware and Cyndee’s husband. Cannon noted thatan East Coast-wide ice melt shortage has left manybusinesses in short supply.

Shoppers on Wednesday also stocked up on sledsfor their kids, foreseeing that schools would likelybe closed for the rest of the week. “When I’m notworking on snow days we do a lot of sledding andfort building,” said McLean resident Jack Sava. “Dur-ing snow days they spend four to six times as muchtime outdoors as they normally do during the day,which is excellent.”

Around Reston, families took to the hills alongWiehle Avenue, such as the field in front of theChildren’s House Montessori School, to enjoy a sunnyday of sledding. With some schools in Fairfax Countyunable to clear parking lots until Friday morning,students enjoyed two more snow days before havingto make up school on President’s Day the followingMonday.

Fairfax County is still determining which days stu-dents will make up in school to account for lost timefrom snow days, having used six of them already.Virginia law requires that public schools hold instruc-tional time for at least 180 days, or 990 hours. How-ever, exceptions for certain makeup days have beenbefore when the governor declared a state of emer-gency, as in 2010 following “Snowmageddon.”

Winter Storm Hits Northern VirginiaFairfax County residentstook shelter as over a footof snow shutdown power,school, and roads.

Photo courtesy Pete Elias

Skis, sleds and horses were the preferredchoice of travel on Vienna’s big “snowday.” This horse wandered down the W &OD trail.

Photo courtesy Erica Rose

There’s so much to do in snow ... you cansled down hills, build snowmen, or build asnow fort. These Vienna youngsters didall three snow activities.


10th District:Still Solid Red or Swing Seat?

In 2011, after the last round of redistricting, the risk of competitivecongressional races diminished for Virginia’s three Democratic membersof Congress and eight Republicans members of Congress. On paper, the10th district was considered safe Republican territory.

But that was 2011.“The demographics are shifting as we’re talking,” state Sen. David

Marsden (D-37) said in an interview Sunday. “Foust is the one to beat.”Republican Supervisor John Cook (Braddock) said the seat will remain

in Republican hands.“It is a Republican seat and I think we will have a strong candidate, in

which case we will win,” Cook said in an interview Sunday night.In December, Rothenberg Political Report and Roll Call rated the 10th

district contest a “Lean Republican” race, based on Bloomberg’s number-crunching in the most recent state and national elections.

In last year’s presidential race, for example, Mitt Romney won the 10th

district, 50-49 percent.In this year’s gubernatorial race, Republican Ken Cuccinelli carried the

district over Democrat Terry McAulliffe 48-47 percent. Republican MarkObenshain and Democrat Mark Herring fought to a standoff in the in therace for attorney general, with Obenshain winning the 10th district by 72votes before the recount. The 10th gave Democrat Ralph Northam a moresolid victory, with a 52-48 percent win over Republican E.W. Jackson.

The district includes all of Clarke, Frederick, Loudoun, and Warrencounties and the independent cities of Manassas, Manassas Park, Win-chester, along with portions of Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William counties.Wolf won the 2012 race with 58 percent of the vote against DemocratKristin Cabral (39 percent) and Independent J. Kevin Chisholm (3percent).

Who is Running?REPUBLICAN DECLARED CANDIDATES

❖ Barbara Comstock, State Delegate, 34th District❖ Luellen Hoffman, Director of Exhibits at the National Defense

Industrial Association❖ Stephen Hollingshead, former U.S. Department of Housing and

Urban Development adviser❖ Bob Marshall, State Delegate❖ Tareq Salahi, television personality and write-in candidate for

Governor in 2013❖ Marc Savitt, President of the National Association of Independent

Housing Professionals❖ Richard Shickle, Chairman of the Frederick County Board of Supervi-

sors❖ Rob Wasinger, former Chief of Staff to U.S. Rep. Kerry BentivolioDemocratic Declared Candidates❖ Richard Bolger, Fairfax attorney❖ John Foust, Fairfax County Supervisor, Dranesville district❖ Sam Kubba, Leesburg architect❖ David Wroblewski, Iraq War veteran

How Will PartiesSelect Nominees?

❖ The Republican nominee will be selected in a “firehouse primary,”also called a party canvas, to be held April 26.

❖ On Feb. 8, the 10th Congressional District Democratic Committeevoted unanimously to hold a convention on April 26 to select the 2014Democratic nominee.

Source: Ballotpedia

Photos contributed

Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34) and Supervisor JohnFoust (D-Dranesville) are considered frontrunnersfor the 10th District Congressional seat.

News

By Victoria Ross

The Connection

U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf’s announcementin December that he would not seek re-election to an 18th term in Congresscame as a surprise to both Republicans

and Democrats.Wolf’s retirement notice instantly set off a feeding

frenzy among politicians maneuvering to gain theNorthern Virginia Congressional seat.

The 74-year-old Republican held the seat for morethan three decades. But Democrats now see a prizepickup opportunity for this year’s midterm elections,and potential candidates have rapidly dropped in andout of the race as political pundits question how redthe district will remain.

Democrat John Foust, a Fairfax County Supervisorfrom McLean, announced he would challenge theincumbent a week before Wolf’s retirement news.

Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34), a McLean attorneyand Wolf’s former senior aide, emerged as the oneto watch when she announced her candidacy in Janu-ary. Like Foust, Comstock is a formidable fundraiserand she quickly received the endorsement of manyparty officials, including presidential hopeful MittRomney, for whom she worked in the 2012 campaign.

DEMOCRATIC STRATEGISTS considered Foust tobe one of Wolf’s most challenging opponents in years,and Foust quickly racked up a slew of endorsementsfrom more than 50 former and current elected offi-

cials, including Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and U.S. Rep.Jim Moran (D-8). Moran later announced he wouldnot seek reelection. Foust’s momentum had a rain-making impact on donors. In late January, Foust re-ported raising more than $217,000, with nearly thatamount — $210,000 — reported as cash on hand.

“This is another clear sign that our message ofbringing problem solving, bipartisan leadership backto Congress is resonating with Northern Virginia resi-dents,” Foust said in a statement about his success-ful fundraising.

“We had fewer than 20 days to do three months ofwork, but residents sent a clear message that they’retired of the gridlock and finger-pointing in Washing-ton and are ready for our brand of commonsenseleadership.”

“My money is on John Foust,” said Sharon Bulova,chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervi-sors in an interview Sunday. “His constituent serviceis second to none and he has really delivered for hisDranesville constituents. Republicans and Democratsalike love him.”

In less than a month, three other Democrats cur-rently join Foust in vying for the seat: Fairfax lawyerRichard Bolger, Leesburg architect Sam Kubba andIraq War veteran David Wroblewski. Several othersmight still consider a run.

ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE, speculation aboutwho would enter the race ran the gamut from theobvious to the absurd. Tareq Salahi, a write-in can-didate for last year’s governor’s race, remains in therace. A vintner and television personality, Salahigained national attention when he and his ex-wifecrashed a White House state dinner in 2009.

When announcing her candidacy, Comstock said:“I have a demonstrated record of winning importantlegislative victories for Northern Virginians as wellas winning hard fought, principled elections.”

Wolf’s retirement sparkscrowded political stage asboth parties vie for covetedCongressional seat.

How Red Is the 10th District?

Map courtesy of VPAP.org

The 10th district includes all of Clarke, Frederick, Loudoun, and Warren counties andthe Independent Cities of Manassas, Park, Winchester, along with portions of Fairfax,Fauquier, Prince William counties.

See Battle, Page 5


Comstock’s mainstream GOPplatform includes “repealingand replacing Obamacare,” aswell as promoting policies for ahealthier economy and “fight-ing to protect our national se-curity and dedicated military.”

“I will be a tireless advocatefor one of the most vibrant anddiverse communities in theCommonwealth and I will de-mand and work hard for com-mon sense results,” she said ina news release. “I am runningfor Congress because I believemy strong record as a commonsense conservative leader iswhat is needed in Congress. Iknow how to effectively fightfor Northern Virginia’s hardworking taxpayers having firstlearned from CongressmanWolf, working in his congres-sional office.”

Comstock is currently facingseven declared candidates forher party’s nomination, includ-ing a challenge from VirginiaDel. Bob Marshall, who enteredthe crowded Republican pri-

mary field last week.In a news release announcing

his candidacy, Marshall, whohas represented parts of PrinceWilliam and Loudoun countiesin the General Assembly formore than 20 years, vowed tovote no to any tax increases,and said he would “be on thefront lines to defund and dis-mantle Obamacare. ”

Marshall also said in his an-nouncement that he would op-pose “the creation or mainte-nance of a police surveillancestate to spy on us,” and opposethe “executive assault” on con-gressional powers. He told re-porters he believes his candi-dacy will appeal to the conser-vative party activists.

Earlier this month anotherRepublican, Rob Wasinger ofFairfax Station, announced hiscandidacy, citing 20 years ofexperience of working forprominent conservative law-makers on Capitol Hill.

Potential candidates haveuntil March 27 to file the nec-essary paperwork for a run.

From Page 4

Battle for the10th District

See Week, Page 13

Vienna PoliceSeek Burglar

Vienna police are looking for aman who broke into a home lastweek in the 500 block of OrchardStreet, NW. Police responded tothat address, last Tuesday, Feb. 11,around 11 a.m., after receiving areport of a possible stabbing there.

The resident told the officersshe’d returned home to find anintruder upstairs in her home. Ascuffle ensued between them andthe resident was cut. She wastaken to the hospital for treatment.

The intruder was described as ablack man, age 30-40, approxi-mately 5 feet 10 inches, with amedium-to-heavy build and shortdreadlocks. He wore a black, pull-over, hooded sweatshirt (hoodie)and jeans and carried a black back-pack.

The Alexandria PoliceDepartment’s K-9 unit was re-quested and responded to aid intracking the suspect. Anyone withinformation relating to this case isasked to call Det. Elias at 703-255-6395.

Week in

Vienna


SupportingMental HealthTo the Editor:

The editorial by Mary Kimm[“On Mental Health,” Connection,Feb. 12-18, 2014], referencing re-porting by Michael Pope, makes anincorrect assertion that our ser-vices to people with mental illnessin Fairfax County have been “dra-matically cut back.”

In fact, the Fairfax-Falls ChurchCommunity Services Board (CSB)served more individuals in FY2013than in previous fiscal years,thanks to the generous and con-sistent support of Fairfax Countygovernment and the taxpayers ofFairfax County and the cities ofFairfax and Falls Church. The bulkof our budget comes from local,rather than state, dollars. This en-ables our CSB to provide servicesthat many other Virginia jurisdic-tions are not able to have, includ-ing a mobile crisis unit, crisis sta-bilization, and many other ser-vices. To suggest that our localgovernment has dramatically cutback mental health services is sim-ply not true and needs to be cor-rected for the record.

Here are the numbers (totalnumber of individuals served bythe CSB, which includes thosewith mental illness and/or sub-

stance use disorders, intellectualdisability, and infants and toddlerswith developmental delays):

FY 2013: 20,988FY 2012: 20,446FY 2011: 20,058What appeared to the reporter

as a dramatic drop in the numberof individuals served was the re-sult of a change in the way wedefine the categories of individu-als served. The county’s Compre-hensive Annual Financial Report(CAFR) he referenced does notinclude an entire category (that weare now required by the state tocount separately) of individualswho receive “Services Outside ofProgram Area,” including emer-gency services, assessment andmonitoring. Prior to FY2012, thoseindividuals were included in either“mental health services,” “alcoholand drug services,” or “intellectualdisability services.” The county’sCAFR has retained the old catego-ries but has not added this newone. Therefore, there is an appear-ance that services have been re-duced, when in reality we are justmore narrowly defining who iscategorized as receiving a servicedefined by a particular disability.The number of individuals servedwho are not counted in the CAFRis large: in FY2013, there were13,249 individuals who receivedCSB services that were not catego-

rized in those three disability areacategories.

If you actually compare applesto apples, our numbers have re-mained consistent, and have evenincreased slightly, despite the eco-nomic difficulties of recent years.For this, we can thank our countyleaders and our community whorecognize, as you do, the impor-tance of supporting these criticalCSB services.

Thank you very much for yoursupport.

George BraunsteinExecutive Director

Fairfax-Falls Church Commu-nity Services Board

Win-win-winSolution forOakcrest SchoolTo the Editor:

As a member of SupervisorCatherine Hudgins’ (D-HunterMill) outreach committee regard-ing Oakcrest School’s proposedSpecial Exception Amendment, Iwrite to update the community onthis important matter before theBoard of Supervisors.

Our community has submitteda compromise proposal that webelieve is a win for the School, win

Letters to the Editor

See Letters, Page 15

Opinion

In 1967, Virginia was one of 16 states thatbanned interracial marriage and hadcriminal penalties for violators.

Mildred Jeter, an African-Americanwoman, and Richard Loving a white man,married in 1958, were convicted and banishedfrom living in Virginia for 25 years toavoid serving a one-year prison sen-tence. On June 12, 1967, the U.S. Su-preme Court, in Loving v. Virginia,overturned the convictions of Mildred and Ri-chard Loving, declaring the ban on interracialmarriage unconstitutional.

Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion:“Marriage is one of the ‘basic civil rights of

man,’ fundamental to our very existence andsurvival. … To deny this fundamental freedomon so unsupportable a basis as the racial clas-sifications embodied in these statutes, classifi-cations so directly subversive of the principleof equality at the heart of the FourteenthAmendment, is surely to deprive all the State’scitizens of liberty without due process of law.The Fourteenth Amendment requires that thefreedom of choice to marry not be restrictedby invidious racial discriminations. Under ourConstitution, the freedom to marry, or notmarry, a person of another race resides with

the individual, and cannot be infringed by theState.”

Less than 50 years ago, it was still illegal inVirginia, punishable by prison time, for a whiteperson to marry someone of another race.

Judge Arenda Wright Allen last week onValentine’s Day, ruled that Virginia’s ban onsame-sex marriage is unconstitutional. In theopening of her order, Allen quotes MildredLoving in a statement she made in 2007 onthe 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia:

“We made a commitment to eachother in our love and lives, and nowhad the legal commitment, called mar-riage, to match. Isn’t that what mar-

riage is? ... Today’s young people realize thatif someone loves someone they have a rightto marry. Surrounded as I am now by won-derful children and grandchildren, not a daygoes by that I don’t think of Richard and ourlove, our right to marry, and how much itmeant to me to have that freedom to marrythe person precious to me, even if othersthought he was the ‘wrong kind of person’ forme to marry. I believe all Americans, no mat-ter their race, no matter their sex, no mattertheir sexual orientation, should have thatsame freedom to marry. Government has nobusiness imposing some people’s religiousbeliefs over others. ... I support the freedomto marry for all. That’s what Loving, and lov-ing, are all about.”

Judge Allen’s written decision is compelling

and well worth reading. You can find a copy ofit on the Connection website.

It begins:“A spirited and controversial debate is un-

derway regarding who may enjoy the right tomarry in the United States of America. Americahas pursued a journey to make and keep ourcitizens free. This journey has never been easy,and at times has been painful and poignant.The ultimate exercise of our freedom is choice.Our Declaration of Independence recognizesthat ‘all men’ are created equal. Surely thismeans all of us. While ever-vigilant for thewisdom that can come from the voices of ourvoting public, our courts have never long tol-erated the perpetuation of laws rooted in un-lawful prejudice. One of the judiciary’s noblestendeavors is to scrutinize laws that emergefrom such roots.

“Plaintiffs assert that the restriction on theirfreedom to choose to marry the person theylove infringes on the rights to due process andequal protection guaranteed to them under theFourteenth Amendment of the United StatesConstitution. These challenges are well-taken.…

“The Court is compelled to conclude thatVirginia’s Marriage Laws unconstitutionallydeny Virginia’s gay and lesbian citizens thefundamental freedom to choose to marry.”

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

Virginia is historicallyslow in extending rights.

Fundamental Freedom To Choose To Marry

Editorial

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Vienna & Oakton

for Fairfax County, and a win forthe community. This win-win-winsolution was submitted in ourcompromise plan to the Board anddiscussed at length with Supervi-sor Hudgins. The key highlights ofthe compromise proposal are:

1. School access at the currentGolf Park Hunter Mill Road access,the same access as the SE that wasapproved in 2010.

2. Improvements at the intersec-tion of Hunter Mill and Crowell –which retain the stop sign but addadditional turn lanes.

3. Preserving the ecologicallysensitive character of CrowellRoad and the highly effectivesound/visual buffer of the forestedberm.

There are several reasons whythis compromise makes sense:

1. It allows school constructionto take place. All the members ofthe community are united in wel-coming Oakcrest to the neighbor-hood and sympathize with theirpredicament (they sold their ex-isting property prior to finalizingtheir new property).

2. It eliminates the safety con-cerns and additional congestionfrom Crowell Road.

3. The latest traffic counts prof-fered by Oakcrest are well withinsafety limits for an access onto


Casino for a Cause

News

From Page 2

Vienna, property mainte-nance in the neighborhoods,trash and recycling, service re-ceived from town employees,Vienna’s budget, communica-tion of Town information, pub-lic safety, community eventsand various town policies andprocedures.

“It’ll show us where we’re fall-ing short or doing well,” saidVice-Mayor Laurie DiRocco.

“Yes,” said Barr. “This willhelp us see what the residents’priorities are and where thegaps are. And you can use thisinformation as a tool for whereyou want to guide the town.”

The results will also providea window into residents’ over-all satisfaction with their town,as a whole. And ETC will do asurvey analysis includingbenchmarking data allowingVienna to compare its residents’satisfaction levels with similar,national and regional data formore than 80 types of local gov-

ernment services.

THE SURVEY RESULTS willbe provided in a written report.In addition, GIS mapping/Geo-Coding will enable these resultsto be displayed in a map for-mat pinpointing satisfactionlevels throughout Vienna onspecific questions.

At its Feb. 3 meeting, theTown Council formallyawarded the survey contract toETC to the tune of $12,000. Itwas money Vienna had alreadyearmarked for this purpose.

During the FY2013-2014budgeting process, the Councilapproved adding $10,000 tothe Public Information budgetto procure and undertake sucha survey. The additional $2,000for this project was provided bythe Departments of PublicWorks and Parks and Recre-ation to pay for the Geo-Cod-ing and GIS Mapping.

“I think it’s a nice idea toreach out and ask the town,”said DiRocco. “I’d like to haveit implemented by May.”

Town to ConductSurvey on Services

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

Kyle Alifom, 20, of Vienna pleaded guiltylast Monday, Feb. 10, in federal court inconnection with the death of a 16-year-old McLean girl.

Charged with tampering with evidence, he admit-ted that he hid the body of Emylee Lonczak, whodied after a heroin overdose. Alifom now faces apossible maximum punishment of 20 years in prisonwhen he’s sentenced May 16.

In a statement of facts filed with his plea, Alifomadmitted that, on Aug. 21, 2013, he and three otherpeople – two friends plus Lonczak – drove from Vir-ginia into Washington, D.C., to buy heroin. Each of themthen used it via injections from separate hypodermicneedles, each containing about 30cc of the narcotic.

“Lonczak, who wasn’t a heroin user, was unable toadminister the heroin to herself intravenously becauseshe couldn’t find a vein,” the document stated. Sothe person who’d made the drug buy “injected her.”

They then headed back to Virginia and, during thedrive, Alifom and the others noticed Lonczak wasunconscious. They dropped off the drug buyer at hishome and the other friend dropped off Alifom andLonczak, who remained unconscious, at Alifom’shome in Vienna.

According to the statement, Alifom and the friendplaced Lonczak in a bed in a basement bedroom andthe friend left. The following morning, Alifom dis-covered that Lonczak had died.

According to his statement, Alifom “draggedLonczak’s body through the grass behind his resi-dence to an area of shrubbery behind a neighbor’shouse. [He] covered [her] body with an abandonedscreen window in an attempt to conceal [it].”

Meanwhile, the teen had been reported missing,Aug. 21, when she failed to return home. Using abloodhound, Fairfax County police discoveredLonczak’s body, Aug. 23, 2013, after the dog trackedher scent to a wooded area. An autopsy and toxicol-ogy report confirmed she had a fatal level of heroin inher system and that heroin use had caused her death.

The statement concluded that Alifom’s actions inconnection with this tragedy were, “in all respects,knowing and deliberate.” Now that he’s been con-victed, he’s scheduled for sentencing May 16 in U.S.District Court in Alexandria before Judge Claude M.Hilton.

This case was investigated by the Fairfax Countypolice and the Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Ben’Ary,formerly a commonweath’s attorney in FairfaxCounty, is the prosecutor.

Dana J. Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney for the East-ern District

of Virginia; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Chargefor the DEA’s Washington Field Division; and FairfaxCounty Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. made theofficial announcement of Alifom’s guilty plea.

McLean girl, 16, died afterusing heroin.

Vienna Man Guilty in Teen’s Death

8 ❖ Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ February 19-25, 2014 Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ February 19-25, 2014 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

The Newton School serves studentsin grades K-8 who benefit from:• Small classes (4-8 students) with a 4:1 student

to teacher ratio

• Strong academics, customized to meet student’s needs

• Lots of physical activity integrated into the day,in a beautiful 24,000 sq. ft. facility

• Nurturing socialenvironment

• Weekly field trips toenhance hands-onlearning

• Daily communicationwith parents

Please call703.772.0480 or e-mail

[email protected] arrange a personal

tour today.

45965 Nokes Blvd., Suite 120 | Sterling, VA 20166www.thenewtonschool.org

The Newton SchoolENHANCING MINDS THROUGH MOTION

Send announcements [email protected] is Friday for the followingweek’s paper. Photos/artwork encour-aged.

THURSDAY/FEB. 20Dance and Dessert. 7:30 p.m. Old

Firehouse Teen Center, 1440 ChainBridge Road, McLean. Regionalchoreographers will showcase anddiscuss their latest works-in-progresswith lots of opportunities for audiencemembers to ask questions.

Memory Café. 1 p.m. Andrew ChapelUnited Methodist Church, 1301 TrapRd, Vienna. Memory Café celebrate itssecond anniversary. A memory café isa casual social meeting venue forthose with progressive memory orcognitive impairment and theircaregivers. 571-236-6933.

Chad & Jeremy. 8 p.m. Wolftrap, 1551Trap Road, Vienna. Veteran Brit-popfolkies Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clydefirst achieved success during the ’60swith breezy guitar anthems, wittyrepartee, and songs like “Yesterday’sGone.” Chad & Jeremy’s biggest hit inthe United States is “A SummerSong.”

FRIDAY/FEB. 21Artist Talk with Eric Celarier. 7 p.m.

McLean Project for the Arts, 1234Ingleside Avenue, McLean. McLeanProject for the Arts (MPA) willpresent a talk by exhibiting artist EricCelarier. This presentation will coverartists who use

trash to touch on subjects as far rangingas globalization, environmentalism,consumerism, classicism andcolonialism. Free, but reservations aresuggested. Please [email protected] or call 703-790-1953.

“Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Lifeof Florence Foster Jenkins” at1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road,McLean, 8 p.m. Tickets: $22-$27; $15for students and military. Informationcall 703-854-1856 or visit:www.1stStageTysons.org

SATURDAY/FEB. 22MPA Workshop for ages 9 -14 with

artist Eric Celarier: Anatsui andReuse Art. 1-4 p.m. McLean Projectfor the Arts, 1234 Ingleside Avenue,McLean.

A special opportunity for young people towork with exhibiting artist, EricCelarier. During this workshop, 9 - 14year olds will create a woven piecefrom waste materials, similar to thework of well-known African artist ElAnatsui. $10 per person. Register forthe workshop atwww.mcleancenter.org

Langley Fashion Show. 7 p.m.Langley High School, 6520Georgetown Pike, McLean. Over 100students participate as well as someof the Langley administration andfaculty. Tickets are $10 in advance or$15 at the door. [email protected] for moreinformation.

Celtic Invasion. 8 p.m. The Alden,1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean. NovaScotia’s Celtic rock ambassadors,Grand Dérangement, will perform arousing mix of new Acadian music.Tickets are $20, $15 for McLean taxdistrict residents.

“Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Lifeof Florence Foster Jenkins” at1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road,McLean., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets:$22-$27; $15 for students andmilitary. Information call 703-854-1856 or visit:www.1stStageTysons.org

SUNDAY/FEB. 23Chili Cook- Off. 5-8 p.m. Vienna’s

American Legion Post 180, 330Center St, N, Vienna. $8.

Young Soloists Recital. 3 p.m.McLean Project for the Arts, 1234

Ingleside Avenue, McLean. The recitalwill feature young violinists andpianists.

It will include music by Haydn,Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Hamelin,Bartok, Beethoven, Vieuxtemps, andChopin. 703-620-9535.

“Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Lifeof Florence Foster Jenkins” at1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road,McLean, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets:$22-$27; $15 for students andmilitary. Information call 703-854-1856 or visit:www.1stStageTysons.org

MONDAY/FEB. 24”Good Guys in the Garden.” 1 p.m.

Emmanuel Lutheran Church-Upstairs,2589 Chain Bridge Road, Vienna. Dr.

Raupp’s presentation on the history ofbugs and how they contribute to ourlives and gardens may change a lot ofminds. Presented by the Ayr HillGarden Club. Non-members wishingto attend should contact CherieLejeune at [email protected] or203-400-3668 so the Club can adjustarrangements for seats andrefreshments.

SATURDAY/MARCH 1Ballroom Dance. 8-9 p.m. Merengue

lesson, 9-11:30 p.m. dance. ColvinRun Dance Hall, 10201 Colvin RunRoad, Great Falls. Live music fromHelmut & Andre playing favoritedance tunes from the 1930s to today.Attire is ballroom casual, no partneror experience is needed. $20 for theevening. www.colvinrun.org.

By Michael Lee Pope

The Connection

What is the future of the neighborhoodlibrary? That’s an open question as ju-risdictions across America are rethink-

ing their library system, a revaluation brought onby tight budgets and technological change. Herein Northern Virginia, jurisdictions have taken avariety of approaches to funding libraries. Some,such as Arlington, have restored almost all thefunding cut during the recession. Others, such asFairfax County, lag behind the statewide average.

“We are very concerned about this because ourfunding is far down behind the rest of the state ofVirginia and in the entire metropolitan area aswell,” said Charles Fegan, vice chairman of theFairfax County Public Library Board of Trustees.“How are we going to get books on the shelves?How are we going to get hours?”

Supporters of pubic li-braries are concernedthat elected officials whocontrol funding don’tseem as committed to theidea of public libraries asthey once were. Some ofthat change is technologi-cal. In an era when book-stores are vanishing andbooks are available for download, some are ques-tioning the logic behind having public libraries atall. That’s why libraries across Northern Virginiatook massive hits when budgets became tighterbecause of the recession.

“The libraries are a convenient target because alot of people look at the libraries relative to manyother things and decide they are not as important,”said Alexandria City Councilman Justin Wilson. “Idon’t necessarily always come to that conclusion,but I do think libraries are changing. They’re defi-nitely changing.”

BACK IN FISCAL YEAR 2009, before the re-cession hit, the Fairfax County Public Library sys-tem had a budget of $33.1 million. Since that time,members of the Board of Supervisors have slashedabout 20 percent out of budget for the library sys-tem, which has reduced the numbers of hours li-braries are open and the collections available onthe shelves. As a result, library officials have had

to get creative to stretch their limited budget asfar as they can. “As an example, there are somedays that we don’t answer the telephone,” saidMary Mulrenan, marketing director with the FairfaxCounty Public Libraries. “We just don’t have thestaffing.” When the recession hit, all Northern Vir-ginia jurisdictions cut back on library funding.Some have made efforts to restore funding, whileothers have lagged behind. Arlington had led theway in restoring almost all the hours that were cutin their neighborhood libraries, although the Cen-tral Library still opens an hour later than it used toand closes an hour earlier than it used to. But over-all, Arlington’s library system remains one of thebest in the region. Earlier this month, the LibraryJournal named the Arlington Public Library one ofsix “star” libraries in Virginia.

“The library is the only place you can get face-to-face personalized research assistance that youwould never get online,” said Peter Golkin, publicinformation officer for Arlington Public Library. “Li-brarians are a professionally trained group of ex-perts. They’re kind of like concierges for all sortsof life issues.”

LIBRARIES REMAIN a budget target, even asjurisdictions emerge from the recession. Last year,for example, Alexandria City Manager Rashad

Young’s proposed budgetincluded a proposal toreduce hours at three li-braries as well as the ma-terials budget at the cen-tral library and servicesto the visually impaired.The proposal would haveeliminated three em-ployee positions and

slashed about $240,000 out of the operating bud-get, but members of the Alexandria City Councilrestored funding when they voted on a final bud-get. “The citizens really turned out and said no.The City Council responded, and the cuts were re-stored,” said Oscar Fitzgerald, vice chairman of theAlexandria Library Board. “We’re facing the samething again this year because the city is facing asubstantial downturn in their income, and they arelooking for cuts across the board.”

Nowhere will the battle be more pitched thanFairfax County, where libraries are still workingwith reduced staffing and reduced collections.Members of the library’s board of trustees say theyare ready to make a pitch to the Board of Supervi-sors that it’s time to restore the hours that werereduced and add back the funding for the collec-tions. “A library is the heart of a community,” saidFegan. “I’ve spoken to a number of people who havecome into this country, and the first thing they didwas get a library card.”

Money on the ShelvesNorthern Virginia juris-dictions take a variety ofapproaches to fundinglibraries.

“How are we going to getbooks on the shelves? Howare we going to get hours?”— Charles Fegan, vice chairman, FairfaxCounty Public Library Board of Trustees

Calendar

From left: Brian Keith MacDonald as Cosme McMoonand Lee Mikeska Gardner as Florence Foster Jenkins in‘Souvenir: A Fantasia on the life of Florence FosterJenkins’ at 1st Stage Now playing Friday, Saturday,Sunday through March 2.

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By Joan R. Brady

The Connection

Imagine if in your childhood, it wasnormal for a social worker to showup unexpectedly, hand you a bigblack garbage bag and tell you to pack

your things.That’s what happened to Tyrell in the first

quarter of his senior year of high school.Left behind were Tyrell’s friends, the foot-ball and wrestling teams he had played onand the security he had finally found afternine years in foster care.

Tyrell, a resident of Fairfax County, wasonce among the 500,000 kids who are infoster care across the United States. Hestruggled to earn his high school diplomain his new school but succeeded, thanks inpart to a mentor from Fairfax Families4Kids.

Earning that high-school diploma putTyrell ahead of more than 50 percent of kidswho have been in foster care, according toa report by the Association of Small Foun-dations/Annie E. Casey Foundation.

In Fairfax County, foster kids can chooseto stay in foster care until they are 21, ratherthan aging out at 18. The extra years of ser-vices come with requirements that are de-signed to prepare kids for adulthood. Theymust go to school or work with little over-sight. Imagine young adults who, in manycases in foster care, were housed more thanthey were raised. Kids whose caregivers didnot work to instill ambition, confidence,self-esteem, work ethic or core social skills.What are their chances for becoming self-reliant? Many former foster children can’tmeet the requirements to stay in the sys-tem, and even those who made it throughuntil 21 did not gain the skills needed to besuccessful.

NOW 22, TYRELL IS one of the 26,000young adults who age out of the foster caresystem each year in the U.S. without fam-ily and the emotional and economic sup-port that often come with family. In FairfaxCounty in 2012, 49 foster children aged out.Nationwide, four years after aging out offoster care, 25 percent have been homelessand more than 80 percent are unable to sup-port themselves, according to Associationof Small Foundations/Annie E. Casey.

Despite his winning smile, good natureand potential, Tyrell was living precariously.He has been essentially homeless. Alternat-ing between the couches of friends and nothaving a place to sleep, there have beentimes when Tyrell stayed on the bus, whereit was warm, until it stopped running at 3a.m. Then he would head to an all-nightMcDonald’s where he would hope that themanager didn’t kick him out.

Mentors and other adults tried to supportTyrell, both emotionally and materially bypaying his phone bill and providing him withleads on jobs. He never followed throughon the job leads. Like the social workers be-fore them, these well-meaning adults, my-self included, became frustrated. For anadult who was raised with caring parents, itwas mind-boggling. How could he not makeone single phone call to help himself? Why

didn’t he see that he had to change his life?This was a kid who we believed in, whycouldn’t he believe in himself?

But Tyrell represents so many youngadults who have grown up in the system.They are focused on survival, food and shel-ter. They don’t trust. They have seen onlyfailure, despite their potential. Their expec-tations are low. Their dreams don’t exist.They are lacking that one person who ispivotal to success: the full-time, caring mo-tivator. The person who is on them, asemerging adults, every waking minute toget out of bed, to follow up on job leads, tonever give up.

I was working to develop a plan for Tyrelland others that would incorporate this “car-ing motivator,” that could include housingand maybe even employment, when KyriaHenry, co-founder of paws4people.org, con-

Launch Pad for Young Adults?Paws4people develops pilot for former foster children, others.

Tyrell with his new boss April Cook (left), Terry Henry, Claire, a psychiat-ric service dog, and Kyria Henry, founder of paws4people.org.

2008: Hayfield High wrestling

2008: Tyrell as a young photogra-pher, Lake Accotink Park during theannual 5K to benefit kids in fostercare.

2008: Voices for Change arts com-petition for Virginia foster kids.Tyrell won 2nd place awarded atthe Governor’s mansion

2009: Tyrell’s high school gradua-tion selfie which he combined withan image of the FairfaxFamilies4kids group, winning 3rd

place in the 2009 Voices for Changecompetition

2009: After graduation, Tyrellplayed for the Northern Rivernecksemi-pro football team

Feb 1, 2014 Tyrell arrivesat his housing for thepilot program

2013: Tyrell was living precari-ously, without prospects for abetter future

Feb 2, 2014 - Tyrell’sselfie, pouring over his jobmanual before his firstofficial day of work.

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tacted me. Un-derstanding thehuman and ac-tual price tag thatcomes along withfoster care’s fail-ures, Kyriawanted discussdeveloping a pro-gram for younga d u l t s ,paws4potential.

The non-profitthat Kyria Henryfounded with herp a r e n t s ,paws4people.org,has a mission toenhance the livesof those livingwith serious ill-nesses or disabili


ties by utilizing highly trainedassistance dogs for children, vet-erans and civilians. The bulk of thedog training is done in prisons byinmates. I have seen firsthand themagic that happens when youbring together dogs and peoplewith emotional and physicalneeds. Many lives have been for-ever changed by paws4people.

Kyria’s proposal had the right in-gredients to create success. Theprogram frees participants fromthe stresses of seeking shelter andjob. These emerging adults havestability inside a supportive com-munity of staff, volunteers, stu-dents, clients and the dogs them-selves. They learn marketableskills, among them dog grooming,care and training as well as facil-ity maintenance skills. The bossbecomes the full-time, caring mo-tivator.

Tyrell said he was ready to gethis life on track. He agreed that ifhe was accepted into the program,he would leave friends and familybehind here to move toWilmington, N.C. for the three-month pilot program.

The first hurdle was getting himdown to Wilmington for his inter-view. Tyrell was more than threehours late to meet me for the six-hour drive. Biting back my frus-tration, I told him that, if he wasaccepted, being on time was asomething they would help himwith. I knew he could do this. Hehad to believe it too.

When Tyrell was offered the oneplace in the pilot program, he wasshyly pleased.

There were two weeks betweenthat day and the day I drove himto North Carolina to start his newlife. We were in constant commu-nication, talking through thewhat-ifs, me constantly reassuringhim that he could do it. And hereminding himself that it was onlythree months.

TWO DAYS BEFORE we were todrive down to Wilmington, I got atext from Tyrell. He couldn’t do it,he wrote. He wasn’t going to go.

My heart fell. The statistics werealready against him. He had toreally want this in order for himto have a chance of succeeding. Inmy opinion, this pilot programwould give him the best chance ofhaving a successful life. Then hetexted, “I new I would get u. Haha.U fell for it. See you at 10:30amon Saturday.”

The kids I have watched growup in the foster care system are innow prison, living on the streetand/or are parents. There are veryfew success stories. I believe thatthe many young adults who havebeen let down by both their fami-lies and the foster care system cansucceed if given the right oppor-tunity. These were once babieswho entered the world expectingto be loved, taken care of and sup-ported. They didn’t get thosethings as children. Nothing aboutthis is easy. It will take commit-ment and caring support.

Tyrell texted me after I left himat the extended stay hotel whichwould be his home for the nextthree months, “I am going to domy best to complete the program.[This] is what I’m starving for. Iknow it’ll all work out for me. Ijust have to leave everything in thepast and I will be ok.”

Paws4potential isn’t going to bethe right fit for everyone, but I be-lieve that paws4people.org is onthe right track to change outcomesfor kids who have aged out of fos-ter care and others similarly atrisk. According to a study by theJim Casey Youth Initiative, everyperson who gets his or her life ontrack, saves society an average life-time cost of $300,000. Getting ex-foster kids successfully launchedmakes for a better society and abetter world.

If you are interested in findingout more and/or would like tohelp turn this pilot into a long-term program, please contact [email protected] go to paws4people.org and clickon the paws4potential programpage.

Joan Brady is a professionalphotographer; mentor and advocate for

current and former foster children;volunteer with Paws4People; and a

resident of Great Falls.

Tyrell working with ayoung dog atpaws4potential

Tyrell, selfie with JoanBrady

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Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

Brendan Grammes said he lost to a“stronger” opponent during the6A North region wrestling cham-pionships on Sunday, but the

McLean freshman’s pre-season goals remainattainable.

Jacob Adams came up short in the regionfinals, but the Langley senior said he willlearn from his experience in the spotlight.

Connor Eckhardt suffered a knee injuryin defeat, but the Madison senior vowed toreturn for the state meet.

For wrestlers unable to secure a title dur-ing Sunday’s region finals at CentrevilleHigh School, the state meet on Feb. 21-22at Robinson Secondary School will provideanother opportunity to prove themselveswith a championship up for grabs.

Grammes lost to Battlefield junior Mat-thew Asper by decision, 10-4, in the 113-pound region final. Grammes entered thematch with a 43-3 season record, includingan 11-6 victory over Centreville’s VictorEcheverria in the semifinals, but settled forregion runner-up.

“He was just stronger than me, for themost part,” Grammes said. “I felt like he wasmore developed than me. He was a littlequicker. In the very beginning, I felt like Icame out a little tense because I was a littlenervous. I worked that out by the end, butI was down by a little bit at that point.”

EARLY IN THE SEASON, Grammes setgoals of winning the Conference 6 champi-onship, finishing runner-up in the regionand placing at states. The McLean grapplercame through with a conference crown andremains on track to achieve his goals.

“I thought it was a little [far-fetched], like[they were] pretty challenging goals,”Grammes said, “but I thought I could do itif I really tried.”

Adams lost to Robinson senior DaneRobbins by decision, 4-1, in the 138-poundfinal. He entered the match with a 42-4 sea-son record, having won the Conference 6championship.

“I want to win,” Adams said about his goalat the state meet. “I’ll be on the oppositeside of the bracket as [Robbins], so I shouldget another shot at him in the finals.”

Adams wrestled at 132 pounds as a jun-ior, when he placed fifth at regionals. Hesaid Sunday’s experience in a championshipsetting should help him at states.

“It’s probably the biggest crowd I’ve everwrestled in front of,” he said. “I’m startingto get used to it and I think it will definitelyhelp at states — the spotlight and every-thing.”

Eckhardt, a Conference 6 champion ex-periencing his best season as a high schoolwrestler, injured his left knee during the145-pound final. He finished the match, butlost to Chantilly senior Walter Carlson bydecision, 10-4.

Eckhardt said he had multiple surgerieson the knee in the past. He walked with anice pack on the knee after the match, butsaid he will “definitely be able to competeat states.”

“I wrestled terribly,” Eckhardt said about

his performance in the region final. “… Ididn’t wrestle my match. I didn’t take myshots. I could have wrestled a better match,and that’s what I’m going to have to do nextweekend to get a state title.”

McLean sophomore Conor Grammesplaced third in the 132-pound bracket, beat-ing Westfield junior Ryan Yorkdale via in-jury in the third-place match.

Langley senior Alex Pratte placed sixthin the 145-pound class, losing to Centrevillesenior Connor Mitchell via pin in the fifth-

place match.Madison 195-pound senior Chris

Hines finished fourth, falling toOsbourn Park sophomore Jacob Maileby decision, 16-9, in the third-placematch. Warhawks junior Ryan Barrettcaptured fifth place at 182 pounds,beating Chantilly senior Logan Barrvia decision, 7-4, in the fifth-placematch.

Herndon senior Sean Pike took fifthplace in the 160-pound bracket, beat-ing Chantilly senior Jeffrey Weinbergvia decision, 9-5. Hornets sophomoreSam Milligan finished sixth in the 138-pound bracket, falling to WestSpringfield’s Junior Ramos by majordecision, 15-5, in the fifth-placematch.

South Lakes senior Colby Laxton fin-ished fifth in the 195-pound bracket,pinning Robinson senior MaksymSears in the fifth-place match.

Robinson won the team champion-ship with 257.5 points, giving theRams three region titles in four sea-sons. Robinson has also won two ofthe last three state championships.

“This is a pretty special team, a greatgroup of kids,” Robinson head coachBryan Hazard said. “They’ve been to-gether a long time. They have an ex-pectation that they place on them-selves and they really competed well.”

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS: LakeBraddock’s Dante Wiles (106); Asper(113); Lake Braddock’s Ryan Haskett(120); Robinson’s Mason Rockman(126); South County’s Hunter Manley(132); Robbins (138); Carlson (145);Robinson’s Jack Bass (152);Robinson’s Zak DePasquale (160);Robinson’s Daniel Mika (170);Robinson’s Cole DePasquale (182);Centreville’s Tyler Love (195);Osbourn’s Robin Garcia (220); andRobinson’s Jake Pinkston (285).

Robinson wins third region championship in four years.

Madison Grappler EckhardtFinishes Region Runner-Up

Photo by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection

Madison senior Connor Eckhardt, left, finished runner-up in the 145-pound bracket during the 6A North region wrestling championshipson Sunday at Centreville High School.

“I didn’t wrestle mymatch. I didn’t take my

shots. I could havewrestled a better match,

and that’s what I’m goingto have to do next weekend

to get a state title.”— Madison senior Connor Eckhardt

Photo by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection

McLean freshman Brendan Grammes placed runner-up in the 113-poundbracket during the 6A North region wrestling championships on Sundayat Centreville High School.


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House Fire:$100,000 Damage

Fire investigators say combustibles too close to aheat source caused an accidental house fire in Vienna,last Thursday, Feb. 13. Officials estimate the dam-age at $100,000.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department unitsresponded around 8:25 p.m. to a single-family homeat 2251 Richelieu Drive. First-arriving firefighters en-countered fire showing from the roof of the one-story,split-level house.

They conducted an aggressive attack and extin-guished the blaze in approximately 20 minutes. Theresidents were able to get out of the house beforethe firefighters arrived; two adults and two childrenwere displaced. No one was injured.

Oakton WomanIs Charged

For an Oakton woman, things recently went frombad to worse. Last Monday, Feb. 10, at 9:30 p.m., aFairfax County police officer stopped a vehicle forsuspected DWI in the area of Emerald Rock Driveand White Flint Court. The driver, Nadine MarianneLee, 36, of Oakton, was taken into custody. Duringher arrest, however, police say she allegedly assaultedthe officer. Lee was charged with assaulting a policeofficer, DWI and refusing to take a breath test.

Week in Vienna

Music Contest Feb. 22The 52nd Annual James A. Bland Music Contest,

sponsored by the Vienna Host Lions Club, will beheld Saturday, Feb. 22, at 1 p.m., at the Vienna As-sembly of God Church, 100 Ayr Hill Ave. The contestwill include vocalists and instrumentalists who’ll eachpresent a song or piece of no more than eight min-utes and will be judged by local experts in their field.

Cash prizes will be awarded to first- and second-place winners in each category. The first-place win-ners move up to the next level of competition. Formore information and an application, contact LionNancy Volpe at 703- 938-7716, 703-851-1313 [email protected]. Application deadline is Mon-day, Feb. 17.

Chilly? Eat Some ChiliA Chili Cook Off is slated for Sunday, Feb. 23, from

5-8 p.m., at American Legion Post 180 at 330 CenterSt. N. in Vienna. Cost is $8; call 703-938-9535 forinformation.

Donate UsedGreeting Cards

Local residents may help the St. Jude’s Ranch forChildren by donating their used greeting cards. Justseparate the front from the back of the cards – asonly the fronts are needed – and make sure there’sno writing on the card. Then drop them off at theFairfax City Hall, Parks and Recreation Office, 10455Armstrong St., in Fairfax, through Feb. 28.

From Page 5

www.lostdogandcatrescue.org

lost (adj): 1. unable to find the way.2. not appreciated or understood.

3. no longer owned or known

HelpingAnimals FindTheir WaySince 2001

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EmploymentEmployment

Auto/Equipment MechanicSeeking self-motivated, energetic individual to perform

maintenance and repair of Estate vehicles and equipment.Minimum of 2 years combined experience in automobile mechanicand equipment maintenance trades. Excellent benefits package.

See website www.MountVernon.org<http://www.MountVernon.org>

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<mailto: [email protected]>or Fax: 703.780.8320. EOE

Network Security Engineer (Bachelor's with 4 yrs exp or Associates with 6 yrs exp; Major: CS, IT, Comp. Engg. Math or equiv.; Other suitable qual-ifications acceptable) - McLean, VA. Job entails working with and requires experi-ence including: CISCO PIX firewalls, Cisco ASA 5500 series, VPN Concentrator, ACS (Access Control Servers), Routing and switching, Intrusion Prevention Systems, IOS and VPN Router, Window, configura-tion and troubleshooting of VPN's - DMVPN and GRE. Must have "CCIE Cer-tification". Send resumes to Advanced Computer Concepts, Inc., Attn: HR, 7927 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 600 North, McLean, VA 22102."

BUSINESS OPP

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Not to state the obvious (which I readilyadmit I do), but to be given a terminal diagno-sis: stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, alongwith a rather disappointing prognosis: “13months to two years” is a challenging set ofextremely unexpected (given my immediatefamily’s medical history) circumstances. I don’twant to say that I live under a dark cloud –because I don’t like the negative implication orreaction it conjures, but I definitely feel as if Ihave a metaphorical sword of Damocles hang-ing over my head; which I only refer to as an-out-of-context Three Stooges referencewherein a non-Stooge was innocently standingunder a pie which Moe had thrown to theceiling and there it stuck, hanging precariouslyover the character’s head. Now I still don’tknow the proper historical context of thesword of Damocles, I only know the ThreeStooges version, but there was some imminentdanger involved (not death, mind you), butrather a falling pie which ultimately landedflush on the character’s face as she looked upto make further inquiries.

Nevertheless, pie issues/references notwith-standing, having seen my oncologist todaywhile being infused and receiving a big smile/“you’re going great”/thumbs-up set of ges-tures/reactions while reclining in myBarcalounger with a chemotherapy I.V. drip-ping medicine into my right arm, is the kind ofsuper-positive feedback with which I can live.Along with my every-three-week pre-chemo-therapy lab work and my every-three-monthCT Scan followed by my every-three-monthface-to-face appointment with my oncologist,this is how I roll. Worrying about upcomingtests, waiting anxiously for results, trying not toanticipate good, bad or indifferent; living dayto day and trying to appreciate my good for-tune and the unexpected above-average qual-ity of life with which I’ve been blessed – for aterminal cancer patient, that is.

Ergo, the title of this column: “Until FurtherNotice.” Whenever I’m asked by those in myknow how I’m doing, I typically respond: “I’mdoing fine, until further notice.” And “furthernotice” is my way of lightening the emotionalload under which I live and thankfully stillbreathe; any port in a storm, you might say.Moreover, even though there’s relative calmright now, given my diagnosis/prognosis,there’s likely to be some inevitable unpleas-antness down the road – as I’m semi-fond ofsaying/joking. And as many changes as I’vealready made to diet and lifestyle since I wasdiagnosed, I don’t suppose I’ll know whatturns I’ve taken until my oncologist advises meafter my miscellaneous test results have beenanalyzed. As much as I’m doing internally, Istill feel as if the news will come externally. Asa result, I feel pressure every day; self-assess-ing, analyzing, introspecting; it’s a constantbattle of mind over what may or not matteryet. And of course, I can never forget the pie.

The great Satchel Page joked to not lookback because you never know who’s chasingyou. And though I’m certainly mindful ofdeath and what’s chasing me (figurativelyspeaking), ignoring certain facts as they werepresented to me by my oncologist is mucheasier said than done. When I first learnedabout my medical situation/diagnosis/ progno-sis, it certainly sounded like a death sentence;now, five years later, it has evolved into moreof a life sentence. And though it’s unlikely I’llever make parole, it is life nonetheless, andthough there are some days when it’s not verypretty, these are days I didn’t anticipate hav-ing. And so far, there’s been no pie or swordto diminish them – all things considered.

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Until FurtherNotice

Flower Garden DelightPart time help needed, providing

gardening services for residential clients.Own transportation, Vienna area.Contact Stacey 703-819-7678 [email protected].

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• McLean • Vienna/OaktonEmploymentEmployment

For a free digital sub-scription to one or allof the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Complete digital rep-lica of the print edition,including photos andads, delivered weeklyto your e-mail box.

Questions? E-mail:[email protected]

From Page 6

Letters

Hunter Mill. In fact, these counts are nomore than the existing Golf Park and FairfaxChristian School – current establishmentsthat access Hunter Mill Road at this point.Furthermore, Oakcrest offered to providepolice assistance for entering/exiting ve-hicles – exactly what is in place at otherschools in Fairfax County which front onbusy streets. FCDOT and VDOT approvedthose arrangements in the past and there-fore should have no concerns with this ar-rangement at the exit onto Hunter Mill –especially due to its interim nature.

4. The compromise also enables futureHunter Mill Road/Crowell Road intersec-tion improvements as part of future devel-opments for the residual land.

5. The “green buffer zone” between theReston-Herndon Suburban Center and theTysons Corner Suburban Center is pre-served.

Finally, and most importantly, it upholdsthe integrity of the Special Exception Pro-cess… something that Community residentsas well as builders in the area are closelywatching. The County does not need a pre-cedent for letting developers wriggle out ofprior critical commitments and require-ments.

The community’s compromise proposal isa solution that holds significant promise.It enables school construction to start andalso provides time for the school to takeadvantage of the Hunter Mill Road improve-ments that will come with the opening ofthe Silver Line and increased developmentin Reston. The County needs to conduct anexpeditious, thorough, and transparent con-sideration of the proposal instead of sim-ply making an expedient decision driven bythe school’s schedule.

Laddie SukVienna

ExpandMedicaid in VIrginiaTo the Editor:

Do you know someone who works butcannot afford health insurance? I do. Myhairdresser supports an adult son who can-not work because of a physical condition,and her four-year-old granddaughter. Shesimply does not have the money to buy in-surance even under the Affordable Care Act.And she is not alone. In Virginia, 70 per-cent of the uninsured come from familieswhere at least one person is employed.

According to the Centers for Disease Con-trol, the uninsured are more likely to usethe Emergency Room because they do nothave a family doctor. Hoping their symp-toms will go away, they often delay gettingmedical help until their condition is seri-ous and more expensive to treat.

Those of us who can afford insurance bearthe cost of the uninsured (working folks,pregnant women and children) in severalways. The General Assembly usually appro-priates $100M from the General Fund (ourtax revenues) for indigent care at stateteaching hospitals. Hundreds of millionsmore are lost by private hospitals when they

don’t get paid by the uninsured. Those ofus who do have insurance pick up thesecosts in higher premiums.

Virginia is the eighth wealthiest state, yetit is 46th in Medicaid expenditure.

If Virginia accepts Washington’s help tomake more people eligible for Medicaid, thefederal government will pay 100 percent ofthe cost through 2016 and 90 percent there-after. And if sometime in the future, the fed-eral government reduces its contribution toMedicaid expansion, Virginia can modify itsprogram. The state budget already includeslanguage that compels the Department ofMedical Assistance Services to disenroll theexpansion population if the federal matchrate falls below current legal requirements.

I’d like to see my federal tax dollars usedto insure my hairdresser and other hard-working people right here in Virginia so theycan address health problems before theybecome health emergencies. It’s a morecommon-sense approach and a better useof our tax dollars.

Helen KellyHerndon

Ending Fox PenningTo the Editor:

The American Society for the Preventionof Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) applauds Vir-ginia state Senator David Marsden (D-37) forhis tireless efforts to pass legislation to crackdown on fox penning, a brutal blood sport inwhich wild-caught foxes are released intofenced enclosures and made targets for packsof dogs in gruesome competitions. When thefoxes are cornered and forced to fight for theirlives, the dogs are also often injured. A billto place a moratorium on fox pens – S.B. 42– passed the Senate earlier this week, thanksto Sen. Marsden’s continued efforts to keepthe issue of fox penning front and center toensure that the foxes – and dogs – are pro-tected against this vicious activity.

Over the past six years, more than 7,000wild-caught foxes have been forcibly trans-ported to Virginia pens often hundreds ofmiles away, where they are forced into thesecruel fox penning competitions. As if thisdeplorable activity wasn’t cruel enough, thetransportation of foxes and coyotes acrossstate lines can also lead to the spread ofrabies and other zoonotic diseases to do-mestic animals and humans, posing a threatto everyone involved.

Virginians have spoken on this issue. Ac-cording to a 2014 Mason-Dixon poll, Vir-ginia residents oppose fox penning by amargin of 9 to 1. It’s time to turn publicopinion into law and stop this vicious andunnecessary cruelty inflicted upon defense-less foxes and dogs. These animals cannotspeak for themselves, so it is our job to givethem a voice and fight for their protection.

The ASPCA thanks Sen. Marsden for hisconcern for animals, and we strongly urgethe Virginia House of Delegates to pass S.B.42 to crack down on this barbaric and in-tolerable practice.

Ann ChurchVice President of State Affairs for the

ASPCAMcLean


2013 DonorsABC Web Consulting • AGBM • Amy Dozier • Amy Sommer • Andi Michael • Anella Oliva • Angie Carrera • Anna Schneider • Anna Smith • AOC Key Solutions• Apple Federal Credit Union • Attain, LLC • Balfour Beatty Construction • Bank of America • BB&T • Bill (William H.) Berry • Bryan Krinzman • Burdette Smith &Bish LLC • Capital One Bank • Capital One Bank Mid-Atlantic Business Banking • Carol Jackson • Catherine Hudgins • Centreville Chiropractic Center – MarlaGebaide • Centreville Eye Care Center, Optometrists • Centreville United Methodist Church • Centreville / Chantilly Rotary Club • Charles Hunter • Cherlyn A. Hayes• Chess Consulting LLC • Christine Manley • City of Fairfax Regional Library • Communications-IDT • Connection Newspapers • Connie Maniscalco • ConradEgan • Cook, Craige & Francuzenk • Law Firm • Cornerstones, Inc. • CPS Professional Services • Creative Read, Inc. • Darin G. Kabalkin • Darnell Wise-Lightbourn • Daryl & Michelle Hall • Dean Klein • Debbie K. Lewis • Deloitte Touché, LLP • Deltek, Inc. • Diane Brace • Dianne Quebral • Dixon Hughes Goodman,LLP • Dominion Virginia Power • Don Owens – Griffin-Owens Agency • Douglas Hansen • Dulles Regional Chamber • Eileen Curtis • Elisa Joseph • EngineeringServices Network • FACETS • Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce • Fairfax Church of Christ • Fairfax County Convention and Visitors Corporation • FairfaxLibrary Foundation • Fairfax United Methodist Church • Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) • Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board(CSB) Northern Virginia Regional Projects Office • Fairfax-Falls Church CSB-Chantilly Center • FCPS Annandale High School • FCPS Coordinated Business &Community Partnerships • FCPS Deer Park Elementary School • FCPS Department of Communications and Community Outreach • FCPS Edison High School• FCPS Fairfax Villa Elementary School • FCPS Great Falls Elementary • FCPS Great Falls Elementary • FCPS Hayfield Elementary School • FCPS HomelessLiaison Office • FCPS Out of School Support • FCPS- School Social Work • FCPS Superintendent Office – Karen Garza • First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),Falls Church • FXCO Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office • FXCO Department of Administration for Human Services (DAHS) • FXCO Department of Family Services• FXCO Department of Family Services Child Youth & Family / Child Protective Services • FXCO Department of Family Services Medical Respite Program • FXCODepartment of Housing & Community Development • FXCO Department of Information Technology – DIT • FXCO Department of Neighborhood & CommunityServices • FXCO Department of Planning and Zoning • FXCO Department of Public Works • FXCO Department of Purchasing and Supply Management (DPSM)• FXCO Department of Tax Administration • FXCO Health Department • FXCO Health Department – Long-Term Care • FXCO Health Department – Office ofEmergency Preparedness • FXCO Health Department-Ft. Belvoir ES • FXCO Library: Access Services Branch • FXCO Library-Pohick Regional Library • FXCOOffice of Women and Domestic & Sexual Violence Services • FXCO Office of Elections • FXCO Office of Emergency Management (OEM) • FXCO Office of PublicPrivate Partnerships (OP3) • FXCO Office of the Chairman Board of Supervisors, Sharon Bulova • FXCO Office of the County Attorney • FXCO Office of the CountyExecutive • FXCO Office to Prevent & End Homelessness • FXCO Office – Braddock District Supervisor, John C. Cook • FXCO Office-Dranesville District Supervisor,John Foust • FXCO Office – Hunter Mill District Supervisor, Catherine M. Hudgins • FXCO Office-Mason District Supervisor, Penny A. Gross • FXCO Office-Mt.Vernon District Supervisor – Gerald W. Hyland • FXCO Office-Providence District Supervisor, Linda Smyth • FXCO Park Authority • FXCO Retirement AdministrationAgency • Gangi Family • Gary A. Schaffert / Mr. & Mrs. • Gerry & Harriet Hopkins • Gina Poindexter-Premier Realty Group • Glen Rowan • Glynda Mayo Hall • GregCarter • Gregory Frazier / Mr. & Mrs. • Helios HR • Herndon Adult Day Health Care Center • Homewood Suites • Innovative Defense Technologies • IntelliDyne,LLC • Intouch Credit Union • Jacqueline P. Cannon • Janet Roseman • Janey George • Jared Butler / Mr. & Mrs. • Jarom Hagen • Jean & Bill Rosenbluth • JeffLisanick • John P. Sekas-Sekas Homes • Jon Scaggs / Mr. & Mrs. • Jonathan Shames • Julia Meletti • Julie Maltzman • Karen Mellon • Kathleen Kline Moore• Kathy Albarado • Kayla E. Dineen • Kebbie Clements • Kenneth B. Lourie / Mr. & Mrs. • Kenneth T. Rebstock / Mr. & Mrs. • Kerri Miller • L. Gluskpter • L. H. Cines• Leadership Fairfax, Inc. • LeapFrog Solutions, Inc. • Linda A Christ • Linwood Hoffman / Mr. & Mrs. • Lisa Delgado • Lucinda Ford • Main Street Bank • MarciaLevy • Marianne Ofsonka • Mary Blood • Mary E. Kesser • Mary Holden • Mary Kimm • Mary Williams • Matthews, Carter & Boyce • McGuireWoods, LLP • MervatOlds • Michael Corkery • Michael O’Reilly-O’Reilly Law • Michelle Wooding • Mike Finkle • MorganFranklin Consulting • Nancy Bleeker • Natalie Oddenino• Nativity Catholic Church • Nicole Rawlings • Nikki Thomas-Campbell • Northern Virginia Association of Realtors • Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS)• Northern Virginia Long-Term Ombudsman Program • Northern Virginia Mediation Service • Our Daily Bread • Pat Williams • Pathway Homes • Paul M.Maniscalco / Mr. & Mrs. • Peaches Pearson • Penny Gross • PRS, Inc. • Reston Association • Rodney Lusk • Sarah McGarity • Shan Teel • Sharon Bulova• Sharon Okrend • Shelter House, Inc. • Stacey Kincaid • Stephanie Bernstein • Steve Gladis Communications • Steve Greenburg • Susan Jacoby • Susan O’Boyle• Ted Lutz • Temple Rodef Shalom • Terri Freeman – The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region • Tetra Partnerships • The Community Foundationfor the National Capital Region • The Networking Community • The Production Stable • The Street Family / Amanda Street • Thomas Barnett • ThompsonHospitality • Tim Stahmer • Tommy Greene / Mr. & Mrs. • Transurban • Vera Hirschman • Verdia Haywood / Mr. & Mrs. • Virginia Commerce Bank • Volunteers ofAmerica, Chesapeake • W&H Kindel Family Trust • W. Allen Moore / Mr. & Mrs. • Ware Thompson & Greenspon • Western Fairfax Christian Ministries –WFCM • Will Jasper / Mr. & Mrs. • William Gary • William Geist • William Lauer – Tetra Partnerships • Windstream • XO Communications, LLC

THANK YOUTOGETHER WE DID IT!

We Met Our Jeans Day ChallengeWe Turned $5 Into $60,000!

Thank you to these businesses, organizations and individuals inour community for their contributions to Jeans Day and for theircommitment to ending homelessness in Fairfax County and Falls Church.The $60,000 raised will make a difference for the more than 3,000children, women and men facing homelessness and the threat of severetemperatures and hunger today in the Fairfax-Falls Church community.The awareness raised by Jeans Day will help in the continued effortsto end homelessness in our community by 2018.

Our Jeans Day 2013 goal was to partner with our Fairfax-Falls Churchcommunity and raise $25,000 to meet the Philip L. Graham FundChallenge for a $25,000 match and together we did it.

This list includes donations of $25 or more.

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