Accessibility on a Different Level
New lower-level in-law suite becomes primary living space.
How can you tell when in an-law suite is outperforming the usual requirements? Well, for starters, when the owners themselves decide to occupy the new accommodation as their primary living space.
‘Camp David’ at Arena Stage
World premiere explores 13-day peace process orchestrated by President Jimmy Carter.
Arena Stage is presenting the world premiere historical drama “Camp David,” the story of how President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat came together to forge a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
Fairfax County Senior Centers
Senior Centers for Active Adults offer opportunities to make friends, stay on the move, and learn new things. Fairfax County residents age 55 and older may join any of the 13 senior centers sponsored by the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. Senior centers offer classes, health and wellness programs, computer and internet access, trips and tours, and opportunities to socialize with others and stay connected with your community. There is an annual membership fee of $48 for attending the senior centers. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ncs/srctrs.htm for more.
Boomers Find Answer to Fitness at Senior Centers
Business is booming at Arlington’s six senior centers as more and more 55+ residents register with the Office of Senior Adult Programs and find a wide array of fitness programs available. Several community centers also offer strength training and weight rooms for 55+ only and sports such as pickleball, volleyball and women’s basketball. Ice skating, table tennis, tennis, golf, cycling and line dancing are also offered.
Register with Arlington’s OSAP ASAP
Arlington County’s Office of Senior Adult Programs (OSAP), a unit of the Deptartment of Parks and Recreation, coordinates activities and programs at the County’s six senior centers and several community centers. It also administers a popular 55+ Travel Program. Arlington residents 55 years of age and older can register for a 55+ Pass with the Office of Senior Adult Programs which gives them access to programs at all of the centers plus free access to exercise facilities from 6:25 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Community Center and Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center. They will also receive a bi-monthly, 36-page magazine (55+ Guide) and be eligible to participate in the travel program. The cost is $20 annually.
Thanks, Coach…
…my Certified Holistic Health Coach, Rebecca Nenner, that is. (Visit www.healthcoachdiva.com for information leading to a healthier lifestyle.) More than a coach, Rebecca is my friend – and has been for many years. A former co-worker at the Connection Newspapers, Rebecca is as passionate about health and fitness as I am about the Boston Red Sox. She has been my guiding hand now for over five years, most especially when I was first diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer back in February, 2009. Although there are no whistles involved in her coaching, there are phone calls, e-mails, YouTube videos, Webinars and miscellaneous other advisories regularly landing in my in box. To say Rebecca has saved my life might be an overstatement, given that I am being treated by an oncologist; however, she has given me an alternate perspective on what I can do to help my body survive my treatment and live like I have a present and a future, a gift if ever there was one.
Spring in the Offing
Power tool retailer celebrates season.
On the day before spring arrived this year, a stubborn bank of snow signaled the “pre-season” event held at Virginia Outdoor Power Equipment Co.
Classified Advertising March 26, 2014
Read the latest ads here!
ArtStream Performances Return
Inclusive Theater Companies debut original musicals.
This spring, two original theatrical productions are hitting the stage of Gunston Theater One in Arlington. Brought to audiences by the non-profit organization, ArtStream, the productions have casts of talented adults with a range of disabilities.
McAuliffe Talks Medicaid Expansion
Patients share stories at Medicaid expansion roundtable.
Just a few days before the Virginia General Assembly convened in a special session in Richmond to decide on the budget and the possibility of Medicaid expansion, Gov. Terry McAuliffe met with patients of Alexandria Neighborhood Health Services in Arlington, as they shared with him how Medicaid expansion would change their lives for the better.
Chefs Discuss Spring Vegetables
When Dara Yaffe Lyubinsky was growing up in Potomac she always enjoyed cooking, whether it was with her family and friends, or for her synagogue. Today, she’s passionate about cooking fresh, seasonal meals. Lyubinsky, like many chefs and culinary enthusiasts, is looking forward to strolling through farmers markets and creating fanciful spring dishes with the season’s freshest bounty, especially as she prepares to return to D.C. from New York. However, she and other chefs are making the most of the available spring produce even if warm weather seems a like a distant dream. “Since it’s still so chilly outside, and the forecast is still calling for snow, we’re incorporating some of spring’s newest produce into some heartier, cold weather dishes,” said Lyubinsky, a professional personal chef and the owner of Tastes Like More Personal Chef Service (www.tasteslikemoreDC.com), a boutique culinary service. She’s also a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education and the University of Maryland, as well as a 2001 graduate of Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville.
Bishop O’Connell Softball Suffers Rare Defeat
After losing two all-Americans, Knights fall to Lake Braddock.
The Bishop O'Connell softball team recently suffered its third loss in three years.
Arlington Lifestyle Blooms in the Spring
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are on the rise, and Arlington residents are ready to finally enjoy the benefits of their urban neighborhoods. After what felt like an exceptionally long winter, people throughout Arlington have paid their dues and are planning their recreational activities for the upcoming months. Longtime locals and newer transplants to the area agree that a world of opportunities opens up in Arlington as springtime weather approaches. Whether in search of an endorphin rush, or somewhere to mingle with other Arlingtonians, places to go are aplenty and the area has more luster after the snow banks melt and the air loses its bite.
Editorial: Challenging Budgets
Local Government should be able to access income taxes to give relief on real estate taxes.
Northern Virginia governments are facing shortfalls in the classic budget sense: projected revenues are less than last year’s expenditures plus increases in costs.
Another Milestone
March 30, 2014. My age 59 and a half (9/30/54 is my date of birth). The age at which money deposited into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) can be withdrawn without incurring a 10 percent early-withdrawal penalty from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Not that I’m retiring. I am remembering though when this cancer-centric life of mine began.
Virginia Bluebells: Native Spring Beauty
Carpets of bluebells coming soon to a park near you.
The Virginia Bluebells are coming. In early Spring, these native wildflowers will burst into bloom profusely throughout much of the Washington area. Botanically named Mertensia virginica, one of a number of species of Mertensia, Virginia Bluebells can be found in many moist, woodland areas, especially along streams and rivers. Depending on the weather, they first appear in early April as light pink buds, and then open into several shades of pink, blue and even white. In some areas along the local rivers they bloom in stunning profusion, creating a veritable carpet of color.
Spring Fun for Dogs
Say goodbye to the dreadful polar vortex and ring in warmer weather with your dog at James Hunter Park.
“Flourishing After 55”
“Flourishing After 55” from Arlington Office of Senior Adult Programs for April 7-12. Senior trips: Monday, April 7, U.S. Botanic Garden, D.C., $8; Wednesday, April 9, Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, Pa., $35; Friday, April 11, Lee-Fendall House and Garden, Alexandria, $13. Call Arlington County 55+ Travel, 703-228-4748. Registration required.
‘Carmen’ Comes to Area
Virginia Opera brings "Carmen" to Center for the Arts.
Virginia Opera, the Official Opera Company of the Commonwealth of Virginia, will present Georges Bizet’s sultry tragedy about opera’s most famous femme fatale, "Carmen." The opera has enthralled audiences for more than a century and is one of the most popular. "Carmen" follows Don José and his ill-fated obsession with the alluring Carmen who tosses him aside for another man leading to jealous rage.
Commentary: Mental Health and Expansion of Medicaid
There is a growing consensus forming in the General Assembly that now is the time to improve the safety net for mental health services. Both the House and Senate budgets increase funding for these services by millions of dollars (House proposed a $10 million increase and the Senate $20 million) above the proposed budget of $36 million that Governor McDonnell presented in December.