Richmond Report: Redistricting Shenanigans Distract
From gun safety and uranium mining to electoral reform and redistricting, the General Assembly is dealing with a wide range of issues this year in our fast-paced 46-day session.
Classified Advertising Jan. 23, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Chantilly Boys' Basketball Team Snaps 3-Game Losing Skid
Three Chargers score in double figures against Yorktown.
Brian Sydnor led Chantilly with 15 points, DeAndre Harris scored 13 and Sean Huelskamp finished with 12.
Editorial: Expanding Medicaid Good for Virginia
Real health coverage for an additional 400,000 people is in reach.
Virginia has an opportunity to expand Medicaid in a way that could extend health coverage to more than 400,000 residents who currently have no health insurance while the Federal government picks up the tab; Virginia would pay 10 percent of the additional cost after 2020.
News Briefs
As Democratic delegates fight to keep firearms further from school property, Republican Bob Marshall (D-13) is pushing legislation to bring more guns in. Marshall is the chief patron of HB 1557, which would require every school board in the state to designate one volunteer to carry a concealed weapon on school property. Training for selected volunteers would be provided by either the Virginia Center for School Safety or the NRA, of which he is a member.
Four Northern Virginia Senators Targeted
Redistricting effort puts Fairfax County seats in the spotlight.
Four Northern Virginia state Senators are targets of a Republican-led effort to draw new districts — Sen. George Barker (D-39), Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37), Sen. Toddy Puller (D-36) and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34). Democrats say the redistricting effort is a cynical attempt to take advantage of the absence of Sen. Henry Marsh (D-16), a prominent civil rights veteran, who was in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration on Monday. But state Sen. John Watkins (R-10) of Powhatan defended the effort as a way to create a sixth majority black Senate district in Southside. It passed the Senate on a 20-to-19 vote.
Making Schools Safer
Two Northern Virginia Democrats take part in panel to consider school security.
Do Virginia schools need more guns? That question is at the heart of a debate that’s now reaching a fever pitch in the commonwealth, especially after a man with a Bushmaster assault rifle blasted his way into a Connecticut elementary school and killed 20 children and six adults before killing himself. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell responded to the tragedy by creating a School Safety Task Force, which is considering a proposal for every school in Virginia to have an armed school resource officer.
Shorthanded W-L Searches for Positives Against Mount Vernon
Senior guard Urcia scores team-high eight points in loss.
The Washington-Lee girls' basketball team is 5-4 in the National District after losing to Mount Vernon and beating Wakefield.
Calendar: Arlington, 01/23/13
Community entertainment and events. Email announcements to arlington@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is noon the Thursday before publication. Photos are welcome.
Bulletin Board: Arlington, 01/23/12
Community meetings and events, worship and volunteer opportunities.E-mail announcements to arlington@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is noon the Thursday before publication. Photos are welcome.
Arlington Home Sales: December, 2012
In December 2012, 180 Arlington homes sold between $1,950,000-$9,500.
Arlington Home Sales: December, 2012
Fairfax Families4Kids
Fostering bonds with children.
Nationwide, more than 463,000 children live in foster care. In many states, including Virginia, the number of foster youth has tripled in the last 25 years. As of Sept. 30, 2011, nearly 5,000 youth were in foster care in Virginia, according to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Physical abuse is the most common reason children enter foster, but it’s not the only reason. Often there’s emotional abuse, sexual abuse and the parent or caretaker’s inability to provide a safe environment due to substance abuse.
A Family Made Whole
After a tragic loss, Reston couple creates a family through adoption.
The Granvilles look like a made-for-TV family. On a bright October afternoon, Chris, a computer engineer, is teasing his teenage son, Kenny, about what kind of pet to adopt, while Tiffany sits on a sofa, cradling Elijah, Kenny’s baby brother, who has just woken up from an afternoon nap. “Fish? No way,” Kenny, 15, says. “They just go ‘round and ‘round in a bowl.” Kenny is lobbying hard for a dog or—at the very least—a guinea pig or hamster.
Dancing Life into Books
Upcoming performances from Jane Franklin Dance incorporate movement and storytelling.
Jane Franklin likes to keep busy and to keep her company moving. During the next few weeks, the Arlington-based dance company is performing a number of pieces, each of which depend in movement and music to tell stories.
Area Residents Attend 57th Inauguration
Many brave crowds to witness history.
Local residents were among the hundreds of thousands who left their homes on a cold winter holiday, Jan. 21, to brave packed Metro trains and slow-moving security check points for a chance to celebrate and witness President Barack Obama’s second inauguration.
Letter: Many Subsidize the Few
You need to redo your argument [“Transportation Money,” editorial, The Connection, Jan. 16-22] for people living near metro and people using the transportation it provides.
Building at Williamsburg Middle Site
New elementary school to address crowding.
The Arlington County School Board and County Board met Thursday, Jan. 17, for a work session about the construction a new elementary school at the site of Williamsburg Middle School.
Board Discusses Overcrowding
Elementary schools to be tackled first.
Leadership Arlington hosted a discussion on overcrowding in Arlington public schools among county officials in the WETA building on Tuesday, Jan. 15, as part of its Speaker Series.
Marching for Gun Control
Arlington residents volunteer to help organize march on Washington.
Responding to the Sandy Hook massacre, local citizens have volunteered their efforts in organizing a March on Washington for Gun Control to take place Saturday, Jan. 26.
A 10-Year Mission: End Homelessness
Our Fairfax-Falls Church community is one of the most affluent in the country. Our schools are second to none. We are the home for many Fortune 500 businesses. Even with the challenging economy, our unemployment rate is among the lowest in the country.