Falls Church and Northern Virginia's Premier Weekly Newspaper Thursday, September 29, 2022
Protecting rights to abortion care is the reason I am in the General Assembly today. That’s how I opened my May column, when we only had a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion indicating that, in spite of their assurances to the contrary, recently confirmed justices were prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Wow! It seems this has been the shortest summer ever! The free summer concerts at Mason District Park end on Sunday, August 21 (a few concerts continue at other park properties through August 27); Fairfax County schools resume classes on Monday, August 22; and pumpkin spice-flavored items already are being advertised. I expect to see Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday displays in stores soon!
Natural talents blended with natural delights at the shady Lubber Run amphitheater July 30. Two of Arlington’s most cosmopolitan musicians offered a one-of-a-kind opportunity for a baby-boomer audience sing-along.
In the past two weeks, Falls Church City Public Schools has welcomed back our leaders for a day-long retreat working on how to set a great tone, goals, and outcomes for the coming school year. We also welcomed back our Collaborative Team Leaders (CTLs) to engage in how our new Strategic Plan impacts the quality of education we provide, what best practices in curriculum and instruction look like, and also help set us up for success for the coming year.
Folks ask me why I find holding public office rewarding — how can any political work be positive and worthwhile in this increasingly divisive and nasty political climate? Sometimes the work of researching and developing legislation relevant to real life that also has a chance of surviving the legislative process, being signed by the Governor and ultimately implemented is not only a worthwhile effort which brings attention to an important issue in Virginia and elsewhere, but also actually helps real people. These ‘sometimes’ coupled with effective constituent service constitute a public servant’s job well-done.
Pedestrian safety was the focus as more than 100 Culmore residents gathered for a community meeting last Thursday evening. A furious last-minute rainstorm deterred neither the residents nor the presenters from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT).
Got a home owning problem or a beef over county services? Ombuds Ben Aiken may be your man (person). “In the last several years, we’ve been using ‘Ombuds’ rather than the ‘Ombudsman’ title to avoid gender-exclusive perceptions about the job,” said the eight-year, multi-position county employee whose official title, he told me, since autumn 2018 has been director of constituent services.
Virginia’s annual sales tax holiday returns August 5 — 7. Virginians have the opportunity to purchase qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items and Energy Star™ and WaterSense™ products without paying sales tax (currently at 5.13 percent in most localities). Learn more about what items are eligible at tax.virginia.gov/virginia-sales-tax-holiday. Virginians are also seeing lower prices at the pump.
Electric vehicles (EVs), once thought to be a curious and risky idea, appear to be the wave of the future and local governments and businesses are responding.
Some victories arrived this month for those who value Arlington history, though preservationists felt the strain of uphill battles to stay in touch with our past roots.
