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Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.comJanuary 18-24, 2017 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com
Calendar, Page 12
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C
lassifieds, Page 10
Pho
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by Bo
nnie H
obbs/T
he C
onnectio
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ChantillyFair Oaks❖Fair Lakes
ChantillyFair Oaks❖Fair Lakes
Page 9
During ChantillyHigh’s “Goldilocks onTrial,” Goldilocks(Megan Dinneen) andher attorney, Wombat(Alex Yee), are confi-dent she’ll be foundinnocent.
Lockard Proposes$2.8 Billion FCPS BudgetNews, Page 8
Senate Panel Cracks DownOn Internet LendingNews, Page 11
Lockard Proposes$2.8 Billion FCPS BudgetNews, Page 8
Senate Panel Cracks DownOn Internet LendingNews, Page 11
Children’s Show with AttitudeNews, Page 3
Children’s Show with AttitudeNews, Page 3
2 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
Burke Springfield
Fairfax
Fairfax Station
Vienna
FallsChurch
Alexandria
McLean
Herndon
TysonsCorner
Reston
Oakton
Clifton
Centreville
Chantilly
WashingtonDullesAirport
Sterling
MountVernon
GreatFalls
Manassas
Woodlawn
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66
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PROJECT LOCATIONS
1 West Ox Complex Bus Garage, 4970 Alliance Drive, Fairfax
2 I66 Outside the Beltway, I-495 to Gainesville (University Boulevard)
3 PRTC West Bus Maintenance and Storage Facility, Balls Ford Road and Prince William Parkway, Manassas
4 VRE Broad Run Station, 10637 Piper Lane, Bristow
5 Innovation Center Metro Station, Dulles Toll Road, Herndon, just east of intersection with Route 28
6 Wiehle Reston East Metro Station, just northeast of Dulles Toll Road and Wiehle Avenue intersection, Reston
7 Route 7 Bridge Expansion over Dulles Toll Road, Dranesville
8 Route 7 Widening, between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive
9 I66 Inside the Beltway, widening from Dulles Connector Road to Fairfax Drive, exit 71
10 Stringfellow Park and Ride, Stringfellow Road & I66
11 I-395 Express Lanes Northern Extension, Edsall Road to Eads Street near the Pentagon
12 Route 28 Corridor Improvements, In Fairfax: widening from Route 50 to Dulles Toll Road and DTR to McLearen Road, and from Prince William CountyLine to Route 29.
By Tim Peterson
The Connection
The blessing of traffic, MartinNohe said, is that “there’s lotsof great transportation projectsto choose from.” Nohe is chair-
man of the Northern Virginia Transporta-tion Authority, which is responsible for long-range planning for regional transportationprojects.
Drivers sitting in that traffic may not agreewith Nohe. But on a bus tour of completed,pending and future projects hosted by stateSen. Dave Marsden (D-37), a group of leg-islators and transportation organizationleaders explained how thanks to a landmarkbill that passed out of the General Assem-bly three years ago, there is hope for a moreeffective transportation network.
Marsden is the ranking member of theNOVA delegation on the Senate Transpor-tation Committee.
Del. Vivian Watts (D-39) is former Vir-ginia Secretary of Transportation and Pub-lic Safety. She was the first one to take themicrophone on the rolling press conference.
Since July, 2013, Watts said, HB2313 hasproduced more than 1.25 billion new dol-lars that were raised, controlled by and ul-timately used in northern Virginia for trans-portation improvements.
“Getting the best return on the dollar tomove people, support Northern Virginia’sdynamic economy and reduce pollutiondemands that state, federal and local gov-ernments work together,” Watts said. “Themore we know about specific needs, thebetter we can shape win-win solutions.”
The projects on the bus tour, from an ex-panded bus garage at the West Ox trans-portation facility to the Wiehle Reston EastMetro station, span Fairfax County and partsof Prince William, Loudoun and Arlington.
Watts and the other leaders took turnsexplaining how money from the 2013 billhas been utilized by numerous entities —including Virginia Department of Transpor-tation (VDOT), The Northern VirginiaTransportation Commission, the Depart-ment of Public Rail and Public Transporta-tion, The Northern Virginia Regional Trans-portation Authority, and the Fairfax CountyDepartment of Transportation — partneringto chase the collective goal of reducing traf-fic congestion.
“Great strides have been made in movingpeople throughout Northern Virginia butthere is much more work to be done,”Marsden said.
Del. Jennifer Boysko (D-86), whose dis-trict includes the town of Herndon and fea-tures two new planned Metro stations, saidshe enjoyed hearing background on othercommunities.
“It’s been a great opportunity to learnabout other areas,” Boysko said.
Area ProjectsGainesville (University Boulevard)
Improvements for multiple modes of transporta-tion are planned for 22.5 miles of the I-66 corridor,including two express lanes in each direction, threegeneral purpose lanes in each direction, safety andoperational improvements, expanded carpoolingalternatives and new and upgraded bike and walk-ing paths. The $2.3 billion project is expected tobegin construction in the fall this year and be com-pleted by August 2022.
❖ PRTC West Bus Maintenance and Stor-age Facility, Balls Ford Road and Prince WilliamParkway, Manassas
The new facility cost of $38,688,050 is beingfunded by the NVTA from regional revenues andDRPT from state grant funding. It will help withovercrowding at the PRTC Transit Center inWoodbridge and house commuter buses that arepart of the I-66 Outside the Beltway project. Con-struction is expected to begin in summer 2017 andbe completed by spring 2019.
❖ Stringfellow Park and Ride, StringfellowRoad & I66
$7.2 million project to expand the commuterpark and ride facility was completed May 11, 2016.
❖ I-395 Express Lanes Northern Exten-sion, Edsall Road to Eads Street near the Pentagon
The plan is to expand and convert two existingtwo-way HOV lanes to three High Occupancy Tollor Express Lanes for eight miles from Edsall Roadto Eads Street. Construction is expected to beginthis year and be completed in 2019.
❖ Route 28 Corridor Improvements, InFairfax: widening from Route 50 to Dulles TollRoad and DTR to McLearen Road, and from PrinceWilliam County Line to Route 29.
Approximately $113,994,000 has been fundedby the NVTA for improvements along Route 28 inFairfax, Prince William and Loudoun counties, andthe City of Manassas. Construction is underwaywidening three lanes to four, and is expected to becompleted beginning in summer 2017.
❖ Planned Road Paving (Virginia Depart-ment of Transportation)
In FY 2017, 1,086 miles are planned for paving,including 28 interstate, 137 primary and 921 sec-ondary roads. The secondary roads are dividednearly evenly among Prince William, Fairfax andLoudoun counties.
Legislators tour past,present and futuretransportation projects.
Partnering to Reduce Congestion
Photo by Tim Peterson/The Connection
❖ West Ox Complex Bus Garage, 4970 Al-liance Drive, Fairfax
This $23.5 million project will add nine busmaintenance bays in order to manage an additional135 buses for increased Fairfax Connector bus ser-vice. Funding includes $20 million from NVTAregional revenue and $3.5 million for project de-sign from commercial and industrial property taxrevenue. The estimated completion date is spring2019.
❖ I-66 Outside the Beltway, I-495 to
Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Bonnie Hobbs
Picture Goldilocks and Baby Bearas a teenager and a preteen, re-spectively, and imagineGoldilocks being prosecuted for
breaking into the three bears’ house. That’sthe premise of Chantilly High’s upcomingchildren’s show, “Goldilocks on Trial.”
It takes the stage Friday, Jan. 27, at 7p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 28, at 2 and 7 p.m.;and Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. Tickets are$5 at the door. Featuring a cast and crew ofmore than 45, it was written by the school’sformer theater director, Ed Monk. And al-though he retired last June, he’s returnedto direct this show.
“We held auditions in early November andrehearsals began in December,” he said. “Iagreed to do this before an assistant direc-tor was hired, and it’s a nice way for me totransition into retirement.”
“The kids have been doing great, and theyreally stepped up under unusual circum-stances,” continued Monk. “We have astrong cast; and, as always, we’re pleasedto have a really talented and nice bunch ofkids.”
Playing the title role is senior MeganDinneen. “In this show, Goldilocks is 15 or16 and very cunning,” said Dinneen. “Sheknows how to play ‘innocent’ to her advan-tage so she can manipulate people. She’salso loud and doesn’t really care a lot aboutwhat happens to anyone else, as long as shegets her way. She’ll ruin anyone else’s life,as long as she doesn’t have to suffer, her-self. So this is definitely a twist on her usual,fairytale character.”
Dinneen loves her role because it’s sohigh-energy and because her character is“all over the place emotionally since she’sdesperate to convince everyone she’s inno-cent. It’s fun to play an evil-like twist onsomething we all read growing up. AndGoldilocks is so loud, out there and expres-sive that I don’t need to hold back on any-thing.”
And that’s why children’s shows are such
fun, said Dinneen. “All the characters arelarger-than-life and not normal,” she said.“You can shout and use big motions andgestures to make your point.”
She said both children and adults will likethe humor, and parents will “get to see theirkids enjoy the same characters they experi-enced when they were young. And all thecharacters are so over-the-top that kids ofall ages will like them.”
Sophomore Zoe Hutcheson plays BabyBear.
“She’s a sassy, grumpy preteen who wantsto do her own thing and wear her own styleof clothes,” said Hutcheson. “She’s also avegetarian, which most bears aren’t, so thatcan cause problems, too. She just wants tobe herself and not have her parents tell herwhat to do.”
Since this part is larger than her previousroles and is so much fun to play, Hutcheson’s
having a good time portraying Baby Bear.“As an exasperated, eye-rolling preteen,she’s full of emotions and unintentionaljokes,” said Hutcheson. “And it’s fun to playoff Jared Belsky [Papa Bear] and AnnaRhodes [Mama Bear] because their person-alities are so opposite to Baby Bear’s.”
In a children’s show, she said, “You canbe exaggerated and take things to an ex-treme. And you can be as ridiculous as youwant because kids love slapstick humor.”
Hutcheson said the show has the basicelements of the classic story of “Goldilocksand the Three Bears,” but with differenttwists. “Some characters aren’t who youexpect them to be,” she said. “For example,Baby Bear is a preteen and there are new,fun characters not in the original story, suchas Merwin, the Big, Bad Wolf. There’s alsothe third Little Piggie and a porridge ana-lyst called Dr. Cantaloupe.”
Sophomore Jared Belsky said that, attimes, Papa Bear is the strict dad. “But it’sfunny when he’s yelling at his daughter andshe’s complaining and not taking him seri-ously,” he said. “He pretends to be the headof the house; but when his wife steps up,he backs down. And each of the three bearshas a different view of what happened. Hethinks everything was fine in their housebefore then, but it wasn’t.”
Belsky likes playing Papa Bear because“he’s a fun character and I get to interactwith both Mama and Baby Bear. He’s bigand goofy — a combination of the jokes hemakes and his personality.” He also saidchildren’s shows are fun for the audiencebecause everyone onstage is having such agood time.
“This is a funny show, and both childrenand adults will find a lot to laugh at,” headded. “And it’s really high-energy andnever skips a beat.”
Portraying a person named Wombat,who’s Goldilocks’s defense attorney, is fresh-man Alex Yee. “She’s accused of breakingand entering into the bears’ house and eat-ing some of their porridge, so she’s on trial,”he said. “He’s loud and vocal and reallybelieves he can win every case he has, sohe’s pretty arrogant. He also likes to be niceto his defense witnesses, but vicious to theothers.”
Enjoying his role, Yee said, “I have somegreat lines I can do a lot with. Wombat be-lieves he’s serious; but to the audience, he’sfunny.
He interacts with all the witnesses, butdifferently with each one. He eventuallyreaches his wit’s end, and almost every linehe says is overdramatic because he believesthis is the case of his life.”
Yee said children’s shows allow actors tobe over-the-top all the time. “You engagethe audience and make them laugh, and it’slike you’re a child again,” he said.
“People will like how all the jokes comeone after the other, and the actors are greatat keeping the fun going all the waythrough.”
Children’s Show with Attitude Chantilly High presents“Goldilocks on Trial.”
From left: Papa Bear (Jared Belsky) and Baby Bear (Zoe Hutcheson)point accusing fingers at Goldilocks (Megan Dinneen) while attorneyWombat (Alex Yee) looks on.
Pho
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Free CarseatInspections
Certified technicians from the Sully Dis-trict Police Station will perform free, childsafety carseat inspections Thursday, Jan.19, from 5-8:30 p.m., at the station, 4900Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. No appoint-ment is necessary. But residents shouldinstall the child safety seats themselvesso technicians may properly inspect andadjust them, as needed.
Because of time constraints, only thefirst 35 vehicles arriving on each date willbe inspected. That way, inspectors mayhave enough time to properly instruct thecaregiver on the correct use of the childseat. Call 703-814-7000, ext. 5140, to
confirm dates and times.In 2016, police inspected 418 carseats in
25 sessions at Sully District Police Station.
Dulles SuburbanCenter Meetings
As the Dulles Suburban Center Study en-ters into its second phase, the AdvisoryGroup has set its schedule for the next sev-eral months. Residents are invited to attendthe meetings and hear what the group isdiscussing regarding land use in the DullesSuburban Center. The upcoming meetingswill be held at 7 p.m. at the Sully DistrictGovernmental Center, 4900 StonecroftBlvd., Chantilly, on Feb. 6, Feb. 21, March6, and March 21.
Specific meeting topics will be posted onthe Dulles Suburban Study website http://w w w. f a i r f a x c o u n t y. g o v / d p z /dullessuburbancenter/meetings.htm closerto the date of each meeting.
Apply for CivilianReview Panel
Residents are invited to apply to serve onthe Civilian Review Panel. This panel wasestablished by the Board of Supervisors toreview complaints concerning alleged mis-conduct by Fairfax County police officers.The panel will have jurisdiction to reviewcomplaints of abuse of authority and seri-ous misconduct by a Fairfax County Policeofficer.
The Board of Supervisors seeks to cre-ate an independent and fair body for thepanel. The board will consider the fol-lowing factors, among others it maychoose, in appointing members of thepanel: community and civic involvement;diversity; law enforcement and/or crimi-nal investigative experience; reputationin the community; geographical repre-sentation and other factors.
To apply to serve on the committee,submit a resume and a 1-2 page coverletter explaining how one fits the crite-ria to [email protected] mail the information to the Clerk tothe Board of Supervisor at ATTN:Catherine Chianese, 12000 GovernmentCenter Parkway, Suite 533, Vairfax, VA22035.
Roundups
4 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Bonnie Hobbs
Take some talented guitarists, addother musicians and singers andstir well, and the result is aCentreville High tradition: The
school’s annual Gumbo Concert. And thisone is extra-special because it’s the 30th.
Under the guidance of guitar teacher andPerforming Arts Department Chair BillBurke — himself a noted guitarist andCentreville’s director of guitar studies — theshow is set for Friday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m., inthe school theater. Tickets are $5, students;and $10, families, at the door.
“I’m really proud of the way the kids stepup to the plate for this show,” said Burke.“Sometimes they come into an auditionpretty raw; but when they step onto thestage and get that audience feedback theyrise to another level.”
He puts on two Gumbo shows a year —one in winter and one in spring. “I wantedto have a concert inclusive to everyone inthe school, even if they weren’t a guitar stu-dent,” he said. “Students could come andaudition and play whatever instrument theywanted. Or they could sing or even do com-edy.”
And since gumbo is made with a mixtureof ingredients, that name also describes thisshow that offers a variety of acts and typesof music. After coming up with the name,said Burke, “I decided how cool it would beto serve gumbo afterward to the perform-ers and their families. So we do it in thehallway backstage; my wife Naila makes itand I’m her sous chef. Then we bring it toschool and heat it up in crock pots.”
This year’s Gumbo Concert features about20 acts and will have both professionalsound and lighting. “So it’s like going to aprofessional concert without leaving
Centreville,” said Burke. “It’s difficult toproduce because each act goes back to back,with different sound requirements, and nolulls in the show’s pace. So while one act isperforming on one side of the stage, anotherone is setting up in the darkness on theother side of the stage.”
Most involve some sort of guitar and pi-ano performance, plus singing. And thewinter Gumbo generally showcases stu-dents doing solos or entertaining in smallgroups. And, said Burke, “The most grati-fying part is that the audience is always veryattentive to the performers, who get goodfeedback from the applause.”
Francis Swinson is emceeing, and thosetaking the stage will include ESOL studentRicardo Avalos. He’ll sing “Hasta mi Final”(Until the Day) in Spanish, accompanied bysenior Olivia Yslas on guitar and juniorDaniel Levin on piano.
“Ricardo has only been in the country a
year, but he auditioned and has a beautifulsinging voice,” said Burke. “So I hooked himup with Olivia and Daniel. They didn’t knowRicardo beforehand, but volunteered tolearn his song and perform with him.”
Students Saptarshi Biswas and ImanSanie, a guitar/vocal duo, will make theirGumbo debut. Sanie is in Burke’s guitarclass and will perform “Chains” by NickJonas with Biswas. And Maddy Lee andSophie Lee, billing themselves the LittleDuo, will be performing Paramore’s tune,“Let the Flames Begin.”
The Led Zeppelin song, “Dazed and Con-fused,” will be done by power trio theGeddysburg Address, featuring senior NoahDail (nicknamed Geddy). Dail, who recentlyperformed in Cuba with a community jazzband, will also accompany Victoria Magoryon Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling inLove.”
“Noah is a phenomenal guitarist/singer,”said Burke. “And he’s been in my guitar pro-gram all four years.”
Another special performer will be sopho-more violinist Michelle Li, who recently wonthe Music Teachers National Associationconcerto competition for the Common-wealth of Virginia. She’ll compete next forthe Southeastern Region of the U.S title.
The Multi-muses, comprised of CindyTran, Kavya Iyappan and Sophie Lee, willentertain the crowd with a mash-up ofBeyonce’s “Halo” and Passion Pit’s “CarriedAway.” And a new, heavy-metal drum/gui-tar duo called Wings of the Fallen, featur-ing Aidan Reeves and Nicolas Bettger, willoffer a song by Avenged Sevenfold.
In addition, Ian Kelly, Sarah Naimy, OliviaYslas, Maddy Lee, Denny Jeong and Tho-mas Cummings have united to create agroup called “Whitney Houston, We Havea Problem.” Together, they’ll sing “GoldenDays” by Houston.
“This group is an example of the spirit ofGumbo,” said Burke. “Ian, Sarah and Oliviaare upper-level, guitar-program students,Denny and Thomas are members ofCentreville’s band program, and Maddy isa member of the choir program.”
An accomplished musician, Burke hasreleased four CDs; and on the most recenttwo, “December Skies” and “Shelter No. 3,”he plays all the instruments. His authorwife, who wrote a book, “Under the Mag-nolia Tree,” is also an artist and created thecover art for his CDs.
So besides the show’s student acts fea-turing an array of musical styles and genres,Burke will also perform an original song hewrote, “You Are My Country,” accompaniedby percussionists Jose Oquendo and RonGoad, a former Centreville High Englishteacher.
“And because it’s my 30th Gumbo Concert,I’m also going to have some guest perform-ers, Helton Pereria and Jacob Walker,” saidBurke. “They both went through my guitarprogram, performed on the Gumbo stageand graduated from Centreville in 2005.Helton is now a firefighter in Northern Vir
Centreville High guitarists, performers present 30th Gumbo Concert.
‘They Rise to Another Level’
Photos Courtesy of Bill Burke
From left: Maddy Lee, Francis Swinson and Sophie Lee will all partici-pate in the upcoming Gumbo Concert.
From left: Noah Dail, Thomas Cummings and Lauren King entertain thecrowd at last winter’s Gumbo Concert.
Guitar students jamming at the end of last winter’s Gumbo. After thecoming concert, more than 600 acts and 2,200 students will have per-formed in 30 shows.
See CVHS, Page 5
Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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From Page 4
News
ginia and Jacob is the guitar director at FallsChurch High.”
Gumbo is also a real family affair. Sincethere’s no Wildcat Guitar Booster organi-zation, each act provides a parent to helpwith the tickets, door, concessions, security,stage set-up, break down and cleanup.
Burke started Centreville’s guitar programin the 1999-2000 school year, working parttime and teaching 50 students. He became
full-time the next year and now teaches fourguitar classes to more than 100 students.
Pleased with the program’s growth, hesaid his greatest satisfaction is “When I’vereally taught a good lesson and the studentsrun with it. I give them the opportunity toexperiment creatively. And from time totime, I’ve also tried to instill in them somekind of civic responsibility. One year, wedonated our show profits for a guitar stu-dent at another school who died, and wedid a Thanksgiving food drive for families
in need.”After the earthquake in Nepal, the Gumbo
show profits were donated to help the vic-tims. And at the next concert, a Nepalesechoir student gave Burke an award for do-ing that. “Teachers give a lot and don’t of-ten get positive feedback,” he said. “Butevery so often, you get a shining momentthat validates what you do. And it’s a re-minder that what you do can make a dif-ference in people’s lives.”
Looking forward to the upcoming show,
Burke said, “Throughout my tenure atCentreville, the administration has beensupportive of my guitar program and per-forming arts, in general. A Gumbo icon iseven painted on a wall in the school. Yousay, ‘Gumbo,’ and everyone here knowswhat you’re talking about.”
Calling the event “an opportunity to hearyoung, raw talent in a professional concertatmosphere,” he said, “You come to the con-cert, you’re going to hear some good musicthat’ll surprise you.”
CVHS Guitarists, Performers Present Gumbo Concert
6 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Opinion
While most voters in the UnitedStates did not vote for DonaldTrump for president, it was allthe more so here in Northern
Virginia. Hillary Clinton won the popular votenationwide by 2.9 million votes.
In Virginia, Clinton won 49.75 percent to44.43 percent over Trump; 1,981,473 votes forClinton to 1,769,443 votes for Trump.
In the City of Alexandria, Clintonwon 75.56 percent of the vote, with17.54 percent voting for Trump; 57,242to 13,285 votes.
In Arlington, Clinton won 75.83 percent ofthe vote, with 16.64 percent voting for Trump;92,016 to 20,186 votes.
In Fairfax County, Clinton won 64.43 per-cent of the vote, with 28.61 percent voting forTrump; 355,133 to 157,710 votes.
Most people in this area didn’t vote for the
kind of changes that might be coming with thischange of administration and party. They didn’tvote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Theydidn’t vote to give massive tax breaks to thenation’s wealthiest families, in many casesmillions of dollars per family. Certainly theydidn’t vote for broadside attacks on Medicare,or to undo progress on climate change. This
list could go on for some time.With all of this and much more un-
der consideration, we rely on our mem-bers of Congress, including our two
U.S. senators, to fight, to stand up and resistchanges that are against the values and beliefsof most Virginia voters, to sound the call toaction in every case it is needed.
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer says he will not attendthe inauguration.
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly and U.S. Sen. MarkWarner rallied with thousands in Alexandria
last weekend to oppose the repeal ofthe Affordable Care Act.
Even the one Republican memberof Congress from the region, U.S. Rep.Barbara Comstock (R-10), spoke outagainst Trump during the election.
Comstock could play an important role stand-ing up for the values of voters in her district,and will play an important role in represent-ing the interests of the region.
Call your representatives and tell them whatmatters to you. Every Virginia resident is rep-resented by Virginia’s two U.S. senators andone member of Congress. Of course this per-tains to those who supported Trump as well.
Beyer: 202-225-4376Connolly: 202-225-1492Comstock: 202-225-5136Warner: 202-224-2023U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine: 202-224-4024We welcome your letters to the editor; sub-
mit at http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/contact/letter/
— Mary Kimm
Counting on Our Reps in CongressSound the call to action; resist changes that areagainst the values and beliefs of most Virginia voters.
Editorial
THROUGH JAN. 31Fairfax County Civilian Review
Panel. Seeking applications frommembers of the community for thisnine-person panel.To apply, submit aresume and 1-2 page cover letterexplaining how the nominee fits thecriteria set forth by the Board for thePanel to Clerk to the Board ofSupervisors, Attn: CatherineChianese, 12000 Government CenterParkway, Suite 533, Fairfax, VA22035, or [email protected] Board hopes to make selectionsin February. 703-324-2321.
THROUGH FEB. 325th Annual Fairfax County
Volunteer Service AwardNominations. Now open for the2017 Fairfax County VolunteerService Awards. The awardscelebration on Friday, April 21 from
8-10 a.m. at the Waterford, 6715Commerce St., Springfield.www.volunteerfairfax.org/
WEDNESDAY/FEB. 22Sully District Community Meeting.
7 p.m. at Sully Governmental Center,4900 Stonecroft Blvd. Agendaincludes Transform I-66 —developments inside and outside thebeltway. 703-814-7100
MONDAY/FEB 27Free Financial Counseling Clinic. 6-
9 p.m. at Chantilly Computer LearningCenter Partnerships, 4101 ElmwoodSt.Fairfax-based non-profit Britepathsoffers free sessions at variouslocations in the Fairfax County area tolow- and middle-income adults whoreside throughout Northern Virginia.The offerings are free and open to thepublic, but reservations are [email protected] or 703-988-9656x108
MONDAY/MARCH 6Emergency Response Team
Training. 7-11 p.m. at FairfaxCounty Fire and Rescue Academy4600 West Ox Road. For theCommunity Emergency ResponseTeam to help families and neighborsin the event of a disaster in theircommunity. Visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/cert/ orcall 703-246-3926.
MONDAY/MARCH 8Emergency Response Team
Training. 7-11 p.m. at FairfaxCounty Fire and Rescue Academy4600 West Ox Road. For theCommunity Emergency ResponseTeam to help families and neighborsin the event of a disaster in theircommunity. Visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/cert/ orcall 703-246-3926.
MONDAY/MARCH 13Emergency Response Team
Training. 7-11 p.m. at FairfaxCounty Fire and Rescue Academy4600 West Ox Road. For the
Bulletin Board
ROTARY CLUBChantilly/Centreville Rotary Club,
11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. every Tuesdayat Eggspectation Restaurant, 5009Westone Plaza, Chantilly. Join themen and women of the Rotary Clubfor their weekly luncheon meetingand meal. Rotary is a service clubactively involved in the community.Email [email protected] join the group as their guest.
MONDAY/JAN. 23Free Financial Counseling Clinic. 6-
9 p.m. at Chantilly Computer LearningCenter Partnerships, 4101 ElmwoodSt.,Fairfax-based non-profit Britepathsoffers free sessions at variouslocations in the Fairfax County area tolow- and middle-income adults whoreside throughout Northern Virginia.The offerings are free and open to thepublic, but reservations are [email protected] or 703-988-9656x108
Community Emergency ResponseTeam to help families and neighborsin the event of a disaster in theircommunity. Visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/cert/ orcall 703-246-3926.
THURSDAY/MARCH 16Free Financial Counseling Clinic.
7-9 p.m. at Chantilly High School4201 Stringfellow Road. Fairfax-based
non-profit Britepaths offers freesessions at various locations in theFairfax County area to low- andmiddle-income adults who residethroughout Northern Virginia. Theofferings are free and open to thepublic, but reservations are [email protected] or 703-988-9656x108
ELECTRONICS RECYCLINGResidents Can “E-cycle” at the I-66
transfer station. It is free butresidents may be asked to show proofof residency. Personal waste only.The I-66 station is located at 4618West Ox Road, Fairfax and open from8 a.m.-4 p.m. from Monday-Saturdayand from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sundays.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling/electric-sunday.htm formore.
DONATIONSThe Student Auto Sales Program
operating from Centreville HighSchool works in conjunction with theCVHS automotive technology classesto bring in donated automobiles,boats and motorcycles for students towork on. Some refurbished vehiclesare sold, with 75 percent of theproceeds going back to the auto techprogram. The program is in need ofcars, trucks or motorcycles, which arefully tax deductible, for studenttraining. Contact Lyman Rose at 703-802-5588 or by [email protected] for more.
Cell Phones for Soldiers is acceptingdonations of old cellphones so thattroops can call home. Patrons maydrop off donations at 14215ECentreville Square, Centreville.
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Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date, time, location, description and contact for event:phone, email and/or website. Photos and artwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least two weeks before event.
In March, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy isoffering training for the county Community EmergencyResponse Team, various days from 7-11 p.m. at FairfaxCounty Fire and Rescue Academy 4600 West Ox Road. Visithttp://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/cert/ or call 703-246-3926. See Bulletin, Page 12
Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Schools
All About WellnessThe Chantilly High School Leadership held a ZUMBA class on Friday,Jan. 13 as part of their Wellness Week. Dawne LeKang, owner of NotJust Dance, and certified ZUMBA instructor, led the class as part of theNot Just Dance Community Outreach program. Other recent outreachprograms included teaching a ZUMBA class for Fairfax County Depart-ment of Family Services and providing face painting for the BrookfieldElementary School PTA sponsored Winter Carnival.
Pho
to
C
on
tributed
Email announcements [email protected]. Photos wel-come.
People Notes
Children’s Science Center elected new officers onits board of directors. The new officers includeAmy Burke, chair, from Chantilly.
8 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Tim Peterson
Fairfax County Public Schools
interim superintendentSteve Lockard is asking for$130.4 million more for the school
system’s FY2018 operating budget than theprevious year, a 4.9 percent increase, to atotal of $2.8 billion.
Lockard spoke at the school board’s regu-lar business meeting, announcing the bud-get, on Jan. 12.
“This really is a basic needs budget,”Lockard said in an interview. He stressedthat two key priorities of the proposed bud-get are employee compensation and class-room resources.
“Our programs are what separate FairfaxCounty from other school systems,” he said.“We’re only as good as the people we haveleading them.”
Fairfax County Public Schools’ populationhas eclipsed 188,000 students at around200 schools and centers. The staff is nearly28,000 employees, 90 percent based in theschools.
In 2016, former superintendent Dr. KarenGarza led a charge for increasing teachersalaries, which she said have been laggingbehind the market average and are causingFairfax County to lose teachers to surround-ing jurisdictions as well as fail to attract highquality new instructors.
Last year’s approved budget managed astep increase for employees and began afour-year plan for bringing salaries to themarket average.
“We really started in earnest last year,”Lockard said, “the biggest part of the bud-get proposal continues that work.”
The FY2018 proposed budget includes$44 million for an average step increase of2.5 percent for all eligible employees, in-cluding teachers and non-teachers. As partof that multi-year market average-match-ing plan, there’s also a $33.2 million invest-
ment for teacher pay.Another $41.2 million covers “anticipated
increases in health insurance and contribu-tions to the retirement systems,” accordingto a release from FCPS.
Kimberly Adams is president of the FairfaxCounty Council of PTAs. She’s also a librar-ian at Mantua Elementary School.
“The most encouraging thing is the su-perintendent kept class size and teachercompensation at the forefront,” she said.
But getting a 5.7 percent raise overFY2017 in the transfer from the FairfaxCounty Board of Supervisors “is going tobe a struggle,” said Adams.
Lockard said the FCPS budget requires72.2 percent of the total revenue from thecounty.
“We’re so appreciative of our fundingpartners at the Board of Supervisors for thecollaborative work last year,” he said. “Wewanted to advocate for the needs that wehave, but we need to be prepared shouldthe funding not occur. We recognize thechallenging fiscal times.”
Pre-empting the school board’s adoptionof this budget and an advertised transferfrom the supervisors, Lockard has alreadyreconvened a budget task force that spentsix months combing through the budget lastyear looking for inefficiencies and oppor-
tunities to trim.“The group will examine work from last
year, but also, any additional things wehaven’t considered,” Lockard said, addingthat the group is already at work.
One added stress contributing to whatLockard anticipates will be a $90 millionshortfall is a change in the schedule forpaying into the Virginia Retirement System.An earlier plan had the school system pay-ing a $25 million obligation in FY2019,however that has been pushed up toFY2018. “We’ve been actively lobbying tosee if there’s any way that can get movedback,” Lockard said.
FCPS had also hoped to benefit from ameals tax that was on the ballot last No-vember and could have contributed an es-timated $70 million to the school system.The measure was voted down, much to thedismay of teachers like Precious Crabtree,who teaches K-6 art at Deer Park Elemen-tary School in Centreville.
“I was devastated as an employee,”Crabtree said. And looking at the FY2018budget, she acknowledged, “the reality iswe’re not going to get all of it.”
But Crabtree added that she and otherteachers are still hopeful, encouraged by theambitious proposal.
“If you don’t ask, say what you need, you
don’t get anything,” she said.Lockard is continuing Garza’s work, she
said, though the school board hopes to havea new superintendent in place by the endof the current school year.
“We need someone who is strong,”Crabtree said, “who isn’t going to backdown. It’s frustrating that every year is astruggle, that you have to fight.”
Lockard said since 2008, FCPS has cuthalf a billion dollars from the operatingbudget, including 2,200 positions.
“We’re constantly peeling back the layersof the onion to try to continue to becomeas efficient as possible,” he said. “Therecomes a point where you begin to impactservices you can provide.”
Part of the proposed budget includes pre-liminary changes to the ERSC local retire-ment fund. Though perhaps not as visceralof a threat as cutting fourth grade strings,Fairfax Education Association presidentKevin Hickerson said that potential changestops short of providing more competitivecompensation overall.
“We cannot provide the level of educa-tion our students deserve if we are shortstaffed, stretched thin and losing employ-ees to surrounding areas,” Hickerson saidin a statement.
Lockard emphasized that this proposedbudget is just the beginning of a long bud-get process, and that the Commonwealthof Virginia has yet to sign into law its bud-get, which will have an impact on that FCPSshortfall. “We remain hopeful and recognizethe challenge,” he said.
“We’re preparing ourselves to roll up oursleeves, figure out how to best meet ourbudgetary needs and continue to provideexcellent services students deserve and havecome to expect in FCPS.”
A public hearing on the proposed budgetis scheduled for Jan. 30. For more informa-tion, visit www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/bud-get/FY2018.
Lockard Channels Garza, Proposes $2.8 Billion BudgetFY2018 focuses on employee compensation and classroom resources.
Fairfax County Public Schools interim superintendent Steve Lockardspoke at the FCPS school board regular business meeting, announcingthe budget, on Jan. 12.
FC
PS Pho
to
By Ken Moore
There is increasing interest in FairfaxCounty in opening breweries forcraft beer that might also serve beer
and food.For example, Scott Adams, of Maguire
Woods, has a client interested in potentiallyexpanding and operating a craft-brew puband tasting room out of former cell blocksor buildings of the D.C. Department of Cor-rections’ Lorton Prison.
The county is currently stirring the per-fect mix for its new proposed zoning ordi-nance amendment on craft beverage pro-duction establishments; debating such is-sues as whether 15,000 or 20,000 barrelsof beer can be brewed on site, or whetheron-site tasting rooms can be included toproduction activities or whether “produc-tion activities shall be the accessory to theonsite tasting room.”
Because of increased interest from busi-nesses seeking opportunities in FairfaxCounty, the Board of Supervisors directedplanning staff to research and prepared thezoning amendment that “adds food andbeverage manufacturing, production andprocessing establishments” as a by right usein industrial zoning districts.
The Planning Commission will hold adecision-only hearing on the amendment onJan. 26.
“The amendment itself is rather easy,”said At-large Planning Commissioner JamesHart. “The decisions on the options aremore difficult.”
The Board of Supervisors is currentlyscheduled to hold a public hearing on Feb.28 at 4 p.m.
“Despite the relatively low number ofexisting breweries within the county, staffhas received inquiries from small-scalebreweries considering locations within the
county,” said Andrew Hashour of the De-partment of Planning and Zoning, who pre-pared the report for the commission’s pub-lic hearing on Jan. 12.
“According to the ABC’s license database,there are currently seven establishmentswith active brewery licenses within thecounty. Three of these are operating as eat-ing establishments with accessory brewing.
“Of the four breweries that are not asso-ciated with an eating establishment, one isoperating at the lowest level production li-cense from the ABC (a maximum of 500barrels annually) and three are operatingat the mid-level license (501-10,000 bar-rels annually).”
Adams’ client believes it needs to oper-ate at the highest producing license in thelong-run to be successful.
LORTON PRISON was rezoned so the re-formatory portion (buildings, dormitories)
can be used for the development of 352-364 dwelling units.
The former penitentiary portion, 15.99acres, was rezoned to use up to 110,000square feet for new and adaptive reuse de-velopment, according to Planning Commis-sion documents.
“The penitentiary portion includes 15structures including cell blocks, towers anda dining hall. Most of the structures are pro-posed to remain on-site and to be adaptivelyreused,” according to Planning Commissiondocuments.
“This is a public private partnership be-tween Fairfax County and the applicant,”said Adams, who requested a slight amend-ment for minimum required yard setbacksto the Final Development Plan for the 74.41-acre Laurel HIll Adaptive Reuse Develop-ment before the Planning Commission onWednesday, Jan. 11.
Planning drafts zoning amendment.Brewery Changes on Tap
Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
WEEKDAYS • SATURDAYS • EVENINGS 24 HOUR EMERGENCY CAREMET LIFE, DELTA, BCBS/CAREFIRST, & UNITED CONCORDIA PROVIDER
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By Marilyn Campbell
The Connection
In an effort to confront religious intolerance, agroup of local middle school students will at-tend a camp aimed at bringing together chil-dren from different religions and giving them
the chance to come together, make new friendships,visit houses of worship, learn about other traditionsand practice dialogue to confront Islamophobia andAnti-Semitism.
“Campers will get experiences in synagogues,mosques and churches,” said Shoshana Abrams ofKids4Peace. “They’ll see how others pray, how theycelebrate and what they believe.It’s helping to break down stereo-types. A lot of interfaith action isneeded to combat Islamophobiaand bring together people of dif-ferent faiths.”
Kids4Peace’s Interfaith DayCamp is one of a diverse varietyof summer camps available tolocal children. From performingarts, wilderness adventures andsports to language immersion,standardized test prep and com-munity service, the summer offerings in the Wash-ington region are plentiful. Though warm weatheris months away, this is the time to start planning forcamp and finding the best fit, say child developmentexperts. “You want to include your child from thebeginning of the process,” said Carolyn Lorente, Ph.D, professor of psychology at Northern Virginia Com-munity College in Alexandria. “Explore options byfollowing their interests. I like to ask kids ‘What prob-lem would you like to solve?’ For instance, would
they like to learn how to play basketball, how to makea rocket, how to see other galaxies, how to paintwith acrylics, how to star in a play? These [ques-tions] will point you in a direction that is good forboth you and your child.”
Local camps fairs such as the Northern VirginiaCamp & Summer Fun Expo, offer access to a varietyof both day and overnight options in one location.“We want parents to know that there are many dif-ferent options out there, and they’re going to findout all the specifics about many camps,” said JackyDooly, of Northern Virginia Camp & Summer FunExpo and Washington Parent in Bethesda, Maryland.“There will be specific sports camps like swimming
and martial arts. Maybe child hasacademic issues and they need toget caught up. If so, there areacademic programs.”
Before attending a camp fair,Dooly suggests that families pre-pare themselves, and there arequestions that she recommendsparents ask prospective campofficials. “Does the camp offerearly morning care as well aslater evening care?” she asks.“Find out information about the
food that is offered at the camp. How much activitywill your child get during the day? If you’re inter-ested in a particular camp, find out if it fits withinyour budget.”
“I’d also want to know how they are going to keepyour child safe, how they encourage participation,and the percentage of returning camp counselors andcampers,” added Lorente. “If you have a camp withhigh return rates that indicates that it is a place wherepeople want to be.”
Mandarin immersion, public speaking and scienceexploration are among the choices that will be avail-able this summer at BASIS Independent SummerMcLean. Noting that this will be the camp’s inaugu-ral summer, Asha Bruot, spokeswoman for McLeanBASIS, says that there will also be “a traditional daycamp for students in first through fifth [grades] withthematically-linked activities, classroom projects, out-door games, drama, music, and art.”
“Summer camp should be a place for your child toexplore, play [and] become,” said Lorente. “Theschool year has become so structured. I would wanta camp that has embedded in it time for child-di-rected exploration [and] free-time.”
Local camp fairs help families navigatethe maze of summer camp offerings.
Planning for Summer Camp
The Kids4Peace Interfaith Summer Camp is aimed at helping to break down religiousstereotypes.
For More Information2017 CAMP & SUMMER FUN EXPOSSunday, Jan. 29: The Montgomery County Camp & Summer
Fun Expo/Hilton Hotel & Executive Meeting Center/Rockville, Md.
Saturday & Sunday, Feb, 25-26: The Northern VirginiaCamp & Summer Fun Expo/Dulles Town Center Mall,Dulles, VA.
www.washingtonparent.com/
Kids4Peace Camp: http://www.k4p.org/chapters/washington-dc/
Tips on Trips and Camps: (Feb. 12, 1-3:30 p.m.(, WaltWhitman High School(, 7100 Whittier Blvd. Bethesda, Md.,301-881-0547 or http://tipsontripsandcamps.com/dc/
Pho
to
co
urtesy o
f K
ids4
Peace
“We want parents toknow that there aremany different campoptions out there.”
— Jacky Dooly,Northern Virginia Camp &
Summer Fun Expo
10 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
I ThinkThereforeI’m Not
As much as I write a good game, and talk agood game, I don’t think as good a game as Iwrite and talk. As I sit and write this column,on Saturday, January 14, I am four days awayfrom my regular, recurring, quarterly CT Scan,scheduled for Wednesday, January 18, fol-lowed up almost immediately by my normalpost-scan, face-to-face appointment (I havehad telephone appointments) with my oncolo-gist two days later on Friday, January 20. Asyou all are reading this column, it’s almost likereal time, except you only know my feelingsand some dates, but not the results/facts.
Nor do I, of course, as of this column’spublication and of your reading it, and thereinlies the reason for this column. Waiting, won-dering, worrying and hoping is what I/TeamLourie will be doing for the next six days. Andthough we’ve all been through it before(nearly eight years of ‘it’), enduring ‘it’ nevergets any easier. In fact, it gets more difficult ina way. Partially because, given my original “13month to two-year prognosis, this waiting forscan results shouldn’t be happening. I can’thelp thinking that I’m borrowing time. I wasn’tdiagnosed as “terminal” for nothing. I was/ama stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, meaningthe cancer had (1) metastasized (spread)which is never good and (2) was inoperable,which is self-explanatory. Both of which deter-mine a stage IV diagnosis thereby minimizingone’s options. Ergo, my prognosis. Yet here Iam, nearly eight years later, anticipating theresults of my next CT Scan to learn whetherI’ve been given another reprieve or anotherreminder of why I was diagnosed stage IV inthe first place: tumor growth and/ormovement.
Somehow, I must ignore the facts and thestatistics, ignore the reality; and as AndyDufresne said to “Red” in “The ShawshankRedemption:” Get busy living or get busydying.” Which as you regular readers know iswhat I try to do, or at least write like I try todo. And to friends and family, it appears to bewhat I’m doing. However, in my head, sixdays away from learning my fate (at least forthe next three months until my next CTScan/brain MRI), I am not exactly ‘living’ it.I’m stuck, more or less, between “why worry”and “what if?” As a consequence, I can’t getout of my own way, sort of; heck, I can barelyget out of other people’s way.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not mopingaround “woeing-is-me;” that’s not my nature.But I am having some difficulty deludingmyself into thinking (living) that the next fewdays are somehow a random-type meaning-less occurrence that will have no bearing onmy life. Quite the contrary, it’s everything.There’s no more important time in my lifethan waiting for the results of the varying diag-nostic tests that I have. And though I remainmostly asymptomatic now, (last week’s col-umn: “Slippery Hope” notwithstanding), I wasalso asymptomatic (generally speaking) when Iwas first diagnosed in February 2009.Consequently, feeling nothing does not pro-vide the same comfort and joy as you mightthink. Granted, feeling symptoms would beworse. But considering that over the yearsfeeling/not feeling symptoms have both leadto encouraging and discouraging results, I’mnot comforted by anything until after myoncologist tells me if my warranty has beenextended.
Feeling something, feeling nothing; I neverknow what to feel except fear — of theunknown, and for the next few days, myfuture is what’s unknown. Living through thatis always a challenge. If I’ve convinced readersand friends and family otherwise, all the bet-ter. Personally speaking, it’s only easy writingand talking about it. Living it is another storyentirely.
News
By Michael Lee Pope
The Wild West of online lendingmight be about to become a littletamer. That’s because a state Sen-
ate panel narrowly approved a bill thatwould subject internet loans to the samerestrictions that currently exist for consumerfinance loans, a move that would cramp theanything-goes culture of online loans in Vir-ginia.
“These international companies and In-dian tribes shouldn’t be able to run aroundand do things that companies here in Vir-ginia are not allowed to do,” said state Sen.Scott Surovell (D-36), who introduced Sen-ate Bill 1126. “This bill would basicallymake it clear that Virginia’s Consumer Fi-nance Act does apply to companies whomake loans over the internet, and it wouldmake it clear that State Corporation Com-mission has the authority to license them.”
The shadowy world of internet lendingallows companies from all over the worldto offer loans at interest rates from 600percent to 5,000 percent. Recent years haveseen a proliferation of Indian tribes alsogetting into the act, taking advantage of theuncertainty of a law that crafted regulationsin 1918. Surovell’s bill would make the com-panies apply for the same kind of licensethat other consumer-finance companies.
“This will provide for a level playingfield,” said Dave Irvin, manager of thePredatory Lending Unit at the Office of At-torney General. “They will be subject to thesame limits on their rates under existinglaw.”
Consumer-finance loans are currentlysubject to an annual limit on the amount ofinterest that can be charged, 36 percent forloans that are worth less than $2,500. Aseparate bill introduced by Senate Demo-
cratic Leader Dick Saslaw increases thatthreshold to $4,000, although that has notyet been considered in committee. If suc-cessful, that bill would mean all consumer-finance loans offered over the internetwould be subject to a 36 percent limit onthe annual interest rate if the loan was forless than $4,000.
“In the absence of action, the internetbecomes a lawless place that plays by dif-ferent rules than traditional commerce,”said Kevin Mauer, associate director of theVirginia Catholic Conference. “Without pro-tective regulation, the commonwealth’svulnerable consumers may fall prey to moreand more opportunistic lenders.”
Nobody spoke in opposition to Surovell’sbill, which passed the Senate Commerceand Labor Committee with an eight-to-fivevote. “I just think it’s helpful to make surewe regulate the internet like we do Virginiacompanies,” said state Sen. Steve Newman(R-23), who made the motion to report thebill out of the committee to the Senate floor.
LAST YEAR, lawmakers considered andultimately rejected a bill that would havelegalized online lending in Virginia. It wasan effort pushed by an Indiana-based com-pany known as OneMain Financial. Com-pany officials approached Del. Terry Kilgore(R-1) about legalizing internet lending inVirginia, and Kilgore agreed and introducedlegislation to do just that.
“I don’t want to get between somebodyand their money and somebody and what
they want to do,” said Kilgore at the time.“That’s something that, as far as payday ortitle loans, I’ve not done that. If you wantto borrow the money and that’s the lastperson you can borrow it from then, youknow, you may be in a position where youcan borrow the money.”
When Kilgore’s bill was considered inHouse committee, Ken Kinion of OneMaindisagreed with the idea that his companyshould have a physical location in Virginia.
“When you’re making loans over theinternet for synergy purposes, it’s better tobe done at a central location because it justcomes through a wire in your home,” saidKinion. “So it would be prohibitively expen-sive for us to set up an internet location ineach state.”
Del. Greg Habeeb (R-8) took issue withthat.
“I find it frankly a little bit suspicious thatsomebody says well we don’t want to setup an office in Virginia because man that’scheap to do,” said Habeeb.
In the end, the committee killed the bill.Democratic Del. Mark Keam was happy thebill died but displeased at what the episoderepresented.“This is a classic example ofhow in Virginia at the state General Assem-bly unfortunately lobbyists and special in-terests come up with a business plan forthemselves. They come to the governmentto get the government to endorse and ap-prove their business plan and then they goout and do what they want to do.”
Senate Panel Cracks Down on Internet LendingBill would subjectunregulated loansto rules that apply toconsumer-financeloans.
State Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36) presents his bill regulating internetlending to the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee.
Pho
to
by M
ich
ael Lee Po
pe
Gun BattleThe celebration of Martin Luther King
Day in Richmond is known as “Lobby Day,”a time when people use their day off totravel to the Capitol and lobby about ev-erything from education funding to disabil-ity awareness. One particular issue alwayssteals the spotlight: guns. Every year, MLKDay provides a backdrop for a pro-gun rallyand and anti-gun rally.
This year is an election year, though,which means the pro-gun rally includedsome not-so-subtle politics. Most Republi-can candidates for statewide office spokeat the pro-gun rally, although there was oneconspicuous absence: former RepublicanNational Committee Chairman EdGillespie. Prince William County Board of
Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewarttook the opportunity to go on the offensive.
“You know he’s here today. I just saw himup there in the General Assembly Building,”Stewart told the crowd. “But did he evenbother to show up and address you? Hedidn’t. He sent somebody else, another poli-tician to come and talk to you. The guy’safraid of his own shadow. He doesn’t doanything unless his consultants approve ofit. Everything is poll driven. Folks, that’s notleadership. It’s cowardice.”
A spokesman for Gillespie says he sentDel. Scott Lingamfelter (R-31) to speak onhis behalf because he had a scheduling con-flict, a Martin Luther King Memorial Dayevent at Mount Vernon Baptist Church inRichmond.
Heart StoppingMoment
Longtime Dominion lobbyist Bill Tho-mas was testifying against a bill introducedby state Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34) aboutcarbon emissions when a sudden beepingsound flooded the committee room. Tho-mas stopped speaking and started fiddlingwith a machine at his side.
“I’m wearing a heart monitor, and it seemsto want to tell me that my heart is beatinga little rapidly,” said Thomas, promptingnervous laughter from the other lobbyistsin the room. “Some would say they weren’tsure that I had a heart, but we’ll blame thaton Senator Petersen.”
— Michael Lee Pope
In Session
12 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date,time, location, description and contact forevent: phone, email and/or website. Pho-tos and artwork welcome. Deadline isThursday at noon, at least two weeks be-fore event.
ONGOINGArt Guild of Clifton Exhibit. 10
a.m.-8 p.m. at Clifton Wine Shop,7145 Main St., Clifton. Includes oilpaintings of European settings;doors, windows, and flower shops.Free. Call 703-409-0919 for more.
Carolina Shag Dance. Wednesdays,6:30-10 p.m. at Arlington/FairfaxElks Lodge, 8421 Arlington Blvd.,Fairfax. Free lessons at 7:30 p.m.; nopartners needed; dinner menu at6:45 p.m. Tickets are $8. Visitwww.nvshag.org for more.
Open Rehearsal. Wednesdays, 7:30p.m. at Lord of Life church, 13421Twin Lakes Drive, Centreville. TheFairfax Jubil-Aires barbershop chorusinvites men of all ages who enjoysinging. Free. Visitwww.fairfaxjubilairs.org for more.
Toddlin’ Twos. Tuesdays, 10:30 and11:30 a.m. at the Chantilly Library,4000 Stringfellow Road. Earlyliteracy storytime with songs andactivities included. Age 2 withcaregiver, free. Call 703-502-3883 toreserve a spot.
Storytime for Three to Fives.Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m. at the ChantillyLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Stories and activities for children age3-5 with caregiver. Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve a spot.
English Conversation Group.Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the ChantillyLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Practice English with a group of
students and adults. Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve a space.
English Conversation Group.Selected Saturdays, 3 p.m. at theCentreville Regional Library, 14200St. Germain Drive. Practice Englishwith a group of students and adults.Free. Call 703-830-2223 for a list ofdates.
English Conversation Group.Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. at the ChantillyLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Practice English with a group ofstudents and adults. Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve a space.
Plant Clinic. Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. atthe Chantilly Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. A neighborhoodplant clinic with horticultural tips,information, techniques, and advice.Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve aspace.
ESL Book Club. Mondays, 7 p.m. atthe Centreville Regional Library,14200 St. Germain Drive. Meet anddiscuss a book chosen by group. Free.Call 703-830-2223 with questionsand to reserve a spot.
ESL Book Club. Every other Saturday,11 a.m. at the Chantilly Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Adults learningEnglish are welcome to meet anddiscuss a book chosen by the group.To find out book title, call 703-502-3883.
Lego Block Party. Every otherTuesday, 3 p.m. at the ChantillyLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Legos will be provided for anafternoon of building. Grades 3-6.Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve aspot.
Duplo Storytime. Every otherWednesday, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. atthe Chantilly Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Develop andreinforce early literacy skills forreading success. Ages 1-3 with adult.
Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve aspot.
Live After Five. Fridays at 5:30 p.m.at The Winery at Bull Run, 15950 LeeHighway. Every Friday night a bandplays on the patio of the winery. Freeto attend. Visitwww.wineryatbullrun.com for a fullschedule.
Singing. 7:30 p.m. at Lord of LifeLutheran Church, 13421 Twin LakesDrive, Clifton. The Fairfax Jubil-Airesrehearse every Wednesday whichincludes training by an award-winning director. Visitwww.fairfaxjubilaires.org for more.
Legos Kids Club. Every otherTuesday, 10:30 a.m. at theCentreville Regional Library, 14200St. Germain Drive. Thousands ofLegos for children to play with. Ages6-12. Free. Call 703-830-2223 toreserve a space.
Starlight Storytime. Every otherWednesday, 7 p.m. at the CentrevilleRegional Library, 14200 St. GermainDrive. Stories under the stars for ages4-8. Wear pajamas and bring stuffedfriends. Free. Call 703-830-2223 toreserve a space.
PET ADOPTIONSAdopt a Cat or Dog. Fridays, 6:30-
8:30 p.m. at PetSmart, 12971 FairLakes Center, Fairfax. Visitwww.lostdogrescue.org for more.
Adopt a Dog. Saturdays, 12-3 p.m. atPetco, 13053 Lee Jackson Highway.Visit hart90.org for more.
Adopt a Dog. Sundays, 1-4 p.m. atPetco, 13053 Lee Jackson MemorialHwy. Adopt a puppy or dog.Visitaforeverhome.org for more.
Adopt a Dog. Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. atPetSmart, 12971 Fair Lakes Center,Fairfax. Adopt a puppy or dog. Visitwww.lostdogrescue.org for more.
SATURDAY/JAN. 21Let Them Eat Cake at a Birthday
Party at Sully Historic Site. 11a.m.-3 p.m. at Sully Historic Site,3650 Historic Sully Way. RichardBland Lee represented NorthernVirginia in the first congress of theUnited States, and Sully was hiscountry home. Learn about Lee’spolitical career and how hedemonstrated his concern for thefuture of the nation. $7 for adults,$6 for students and $5 for seniorsand children, weather dependent.Call 703-437-1794 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully-historic-site/ for more.
FRIDAY/JAN. 27Hot Dogs Over the Campfire.
5:30-7 p.m. at Ellanor C. LawrencePark, 5040 Walney Road, Chantilly.Enjoy a wagon ride through theRocky Run stream valley and a hotdog dinner cooked over thecampfire. Learn who Ellanor C.Lawrence was and hear about thearea’s local history. Hot dogs, buns,condiments and s’mores for dessertare provided, bring drinks andsides. $10 per person, and childrenmust be accompanied by an adultregistered for the program. Meet atCabell’s Mill. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/eclawrence for more.
SATURDAY/JAN. 28Preschool Open House. 10 a.m.-
noon at The Learning Experience ofChantilly / South Riding, 4150Pleasant Valley Road. The LearningExperience in Chantilly, winner ofNational “Center of Excellence”
Distinction award, is hosting an openhouse. Call 703-378-7391 or [email protected] formore.
SUNDAY/JAN. 29DanceFest 2017. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at
Ernst Cultural Center, NorthernVirginia Community College, 8333Little River Turnpike. Master classes,performances, wellness seminarspresented by Virginia DanceCoalition. Registration is $110-$155,observation packages available. Call703-409-7988 or visitwww.VirginiaDanceCoalition.org formore.
SUNDAY/FEB. 5Historic Valentine’s Day Gifts. 1-4
p.m. at Fairfax Station RailroadMuseum, 11200 Fairfax StationRoad. Make your own Valentine’sDay gift with special railroad andhistoric themes at the Valentine’s Dayevent. Museum members andchildren 4 and under, free; 5-15, $2;16 and older, $4. Call 703-425-9225or visit www.fairfax-station.org formore.
Entertainment
From Page 6
SUPPORT GROUPSupport Groups. Jubilee Christian
Center of Fairfax is having its “LivingFree” support groups for the springon Wednesdays, 7:15 p.m. Thesupport groups are free, and willcover “Stepping into Freedom,”“Concerned Persons Group” (forfamily and friends of addicts), “TheImage of God in You,” and “HandlingLoss and Grief.” There are alsosupport groups on Sundays, 10:10a.m. 4650 Shirley Gate Road, Fairfax.For information or to register, call703-383-1170, [email protected] or seewww.jccag.org.
Telephone Support Group forFamily Caregivers of OlderAdults. 7 p.m. every second Tuesdayof the month. This telephone supportgroup is designed to help caregiversof older adults share experiences,gain support and get importantinformation without having to travel.These are one-hour free sessions.Find out more and register atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/ and click onCaregiver Telephone Support Group.
Fair Oaks Parkinson’s SupportGroup for people living withParkinson’s disease, caregivers andfamily, meets on the fourth Saturdaymonthly, 10 a.m.-noon at Sunrise atFair Oaks, 3750 Joseph SiewickDrive, Fairfax. Call 703-378-7221 orvisit www.fairoaksparkinsons.com formore.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDVolunteers Needed as Bird
Counters. Volunteers are needed inthe field and as feeder watchers. Thecount circle includes ManassasNational Battlefield, Bull RunRegional Park, undeveloped areassouth of Dulles Airport, and manyother locations. [email protected]
Respite Care volunteers give familycaregivers of a frail older adult abreak so they can go shopping,attend a doctor’s appointment or justhave coffee with a friend. Volunteersvisit and oversee the safety of theolder adult for a few hours eachmonth. Support and training areprovided. Contact Kristin Martin at703-324-7577, TTY 711, [email protected].
Bulletin Board
C E N T R E V I L L ECOMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP
To highlightyour faith
community,call
Karenat
703-778-9422
bThe Church of the Ascension
Traditional Anglican Catholic Services1928 Book of Common Prayer, 1940 Hymnal,
and the King James Bible with Apocrypha
www.ascension-acc.org (703) 830-3176
Holy Communion 10 a.m. Sundays (with Church School and Nursery)
13941 Braddock RoadCentreville VA 20120
in the “Old Stone Church”of Historic Centreville
The Church of the Ascension(703) 830-3176 www.ascension-acc.org
Centreville Baptist Church(703) 830-3333 www.cbcva.org
Centreville UnitedMethodist Church
(703) 830-2684 www.Centreville-UMC.org
