So finally we say goodbye to both the Washington Redskins and the “we try harder” Washington Football Team.

Checking the two lead stories in this edition, the City of Falls Church is really on a roll when it comes to economic development. One story touts the imminent advance of yet another mixed use project in the center of town, and the other highlights the impending opening of the long-awaited new multi-screen, dine at your seat movie complex. Both stories include lots of other things going on around these developments, as well.

It happened again this morning. The first driver stopped at the neighborhood intersection STOP sign, and had the right-of-way, while the second driver simply ignored the sign and barreled through the intersection, without slowing down. Fortunately, the first driver knew enough to wait for the cross traffic to pass. This was not the first time a driver blew through that STOP sign. In fact, in unscientific observations at that particular intersection, drivers failed to stop more than 50 percent of the time. Some slowed down, or hesitated, but none came to a full, braked stop. Sound familiar?

After two years of corporate and pandemic delays, BB&T Bank and SunTrust on Feb. 20 will officially become Truist.

Last week I had the distinct honor of being sworn in for my 5th term representing greater Falls Church in the Virginia House of Delegates. The 60-day “long” session that has just begun will be my 9th session as a Delegate.

Fairfax County’s geographic location, adjacent to the white-hot center of global politics, provides the foundation for an economy based on government employment and contracts. That was the image of Fairfax County for decades, as the county grew exponentially following the end of World War II. Sometimes overlooked was the small business sector, which maintains a symbiotic relationship with the community it serves. Customers rely on small business, and vice versa, for many of their everyday needs.

At a time of Covid and parental anger toward schools (only some of it justified), Arlington Public Schools is mulling a standards-based pedagogical reform.

On Wednesday I will take my oath of office in the Capitol Building, and the 2022 General Assembly Session will formally begin. This session is fraught with uncertainty: uncertainty about the politics at play and uncertainty about the health of the members of the General Assembly and the health of all Virginians.

Last week’s heavy snowfall, and the havoc it created for drivers on I-95 in Virginia, proved, once again, that Mother Nature is in charge. It also proved that the many weather advisories, from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and local emergency agencies about how to prepare for snow emergencies, were serious, and timely. Unfortunately, too many drivers were not prepared for the day-and-night-long traffic jam that stranded thousands of vehicles for nearly 50 miles in freezing temperatures and ice-filled highways.

If you watched delighted children sledding during the recent snowfalls, know that they are forming memories that will stick for decades.