Let’s hope the next round of candidate forums — starting tonight — throw more light onto the Falls Church City Council and School Board elections, now underway, than we’ve seen so far. Despite the best efforts of the City’s formidable League of Women Voters chapter, hosting online forums for both races and an information-laden five-page spread in this paper last week, we fear that citizens of our election-happy berg (Falls Church has almost always had the highest voter turnout in the state) still may not be sufficiently clear about who’s who and what’s what on the ballot.

“Conduct Us!” instructed the sign held up at this August’s county fair by Scott Wood, artistic director of the Arlington Philharmonic.

In just a few short weeks, the November elections will be history. That’s the good news. If you’re reading this, I’d say you are likely an engaged voter.

Fairfax County history is fascinating and varied, as demonstrated by two celebrations last weekend, one at the James Lee Community Center, and the other at Annandale United Methodist Church. Stories of both institutions go back to the 1800s, and reflect times in local history that can be troubling today. Bringing those stories to light helps us both to understand and to mitigate actions of previous generations.

community up to any when it comes to providing aid to desperate Afghan refugees. With the Defense Department now providing temporary housing to some 50,000 at multiple military bases (Fort Lee in Virginia), Arlingtonians are pitching in to share life’s basics while the new arrivals go through screenings.

Statements from four of the candidates running for school board. Statements from other three candidates will appear online and in print next week.

The first Falls Church City Council debate was held under pandemic conditions last week, meaning it was all online. It is hard to know how such circumstances impacted the course of the debate.

Two Northern Virginia leaders of the opposing major political parties, one a Republican, the other a Democrat, joined on a conference call last week for an exclusive interview with the News-Press to explain why both have endorsed Terry McAuliffe in his run for re-election as governor of Virginia this fall.

DMV Connect dates at the American Legion, or it’s about the Real ID Driver’s License, or the City’s new Permanent Decal. I’ll cover these subjects giving you the information you need to get important things accomplished at home or at work.

Each year since 1984, each member of the Board of Supervisors has been asked to designate two outstanding community volunteers as Lord and Lady Fairfax, an honor usually bestowed during Celebrate Fairfax!, the June celebration of all things Fairfax.