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Samirah Wins Democratic Nomination for 86th DistrictNews, Page 3
Impacted? How To Survive the ShutdownNews, Page 4
It’s Snow Fun In Herndon
News, Page 2
“Keira loves the snow, but she turns into a big snow-ball,” said Tom Speirs of the Town of Herndon after he and his Kerry Blue Terrier, Keira walked from home to the downtown district via the W & OD Trail.
online at www.connectionnewspapers.com January 16-22, 2019
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2 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 16-22, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
By Mercia Hobson
The Connection
The first snowstorm of the sea-son unexpectedly persistedthrough the weekend in the lo-cal area. After the first snow late
Saturday, the storm ramped up Sunday,dumping a total of 9 inches of the powderywhite stuff according to the NationalWeather Service, creating work and play forthose living in Herndon.
On Monday, Tom Speirs of Herndon satat Green Lizard Cycling, a local gatheringspot on the W&OD Trail known for its“Bikes, Beer and Coffee.” Beside him sat hisdog Keira, a Kerry Blue Terrier. Snow clungin icy clumps to her soft, dense, wavy bluecoat. Speirs and Keira had walked intodowntown Herndon via the plowed W&ODTrail and stopped for a few minutes to playon the Town Green.
While some people let others do theirshoveling, Speirs said even though he’s 70-
First accumulation ofthe season bringswork and play.
It’s Snow Funin Herndon
ish, he knew that over the weekend and intoMonday, as the snow accumulated he’d beout there shoveling it himself.
“I started about 10 yesterday morning,”said Speirs. “I do my driveway and five oth-ers - my elderly neighbors, family and goodfriends. I shoveled for about two hours.Then, this morning I did my second pass.”Speirs decided to reward himself for hiswork with a little treat, a glass of beer.
Asked how Keira liked the snow, Speirssaid, “Keira loves the snow, but she turnsinto a big snowball.”
News
Photo by Mercia Hobson/The Connection
Tom Speirs of the Town of Herndonand his dog, Keira, romp and playin the snow on the Town Greenbeside the W & OD Trail after thefirst snowfall of the 2019 season.
Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 16-22, 2019 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Mercia Hobson
The Connection
Minutes into the second hour of the six-hour Unassembled Democratic Cau-cus for Virginia House District 86,held Jan. 12, 2019, a woman dropped
her ballot into the ballot box at Dranesville Elemen-tary School in Herndon, one of the twopolling places in the district. The offi-cial clicked her tally counter.
“What number am I?” the voter askedthe official.
“Yours is the 242nd ballot,” the poll-ing official said.
For registered voters in the VA District 86 whoself-identified as a Democrat and pledged to sup-port the eventual nominee, less than five hours re-mained to cast their ballots at either of the twopolling places, Dranesville E.S. or Franklin MiddleSchool in Chantilly.
Outside, voters and candidates spoke out aboutthe apparent high voter turnout, why they partici-pated and shared their viewpoints about thefirehouse primary for VA House District 86.
Ibraheem Samirah won the four-way primary with733 votes. A dentist who commutes daily fromHerndon to D.C., Samirah writes on his campaignwebsite that he is running for Virginia Delegate, “to
give back—by helping families stayhealthy, with more opportunities tosucceed, and more time to spend to-gether.” Samirah states transportation,education, jobs and economy,healthcare, drug policy reform and pro-tecting the environment are his priori-
ties. “As a Delegate, I will fight to make our com-mutes better by decreasing travel times, lowering tollcosts, expanding our public transportation systems,and encouraging public partnerships with the pri-vate sector to make sure that all Northern Virginiansbenefit from our area’s rapid development.”
Ibraheem Samirah of Herndon WinsDemocratic Nomination for 86th District
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS,FIREHOUSE PRIMARYIbraheem Samirah, 733 votesKofi Annan, 615 votesMike O’Reilly, 503 votesChad Thompson, 196 votes
“To be part of the commu-nity, you have to partici-pate.”- Candidate Kofi Annan,Herndon
“Very excited to cast myvote in today’s electionwhere the Democrats haveseveral very qualifiedcandidates willing to servethe 86th District.”- Candidate Mike O’Reilly,Town of Herndon
Candidate Chad Thompson, Oak Hill standswith his son, Tyler, 12 in front of DranesvilleES, one of two polling places for the Demo-cratic caucus. Thompson said, “Congratula-tions Ibraheem Samirah on DemocraticNomination for the 86th District. The turn-out yesterday was extraordinary, and itshows the power of the Democratic party inNorthern Virginia. I pledge my support forhim (Dr. Samirah) in the upcoming specialelection on Feb. 19.”
“The turnout today has been incredible- atestament to the excitement surroundingthis election and to the hard work of theDemocratic Party officials who organizedthis primary to ensure everyone in the86th District has a say in who their nomi-nee will be.” - Candidate IbraheemSamirah, Herndon. Samirah won theDemocratic nomination for the VA House86 District race later that evening.
Viewpoints
“True democ-racy beginsat the grassroots level.”- VickyRobertson,Town ofHerndon
“I’m here forthe primarybecause of itsimportance.Whoeverwins here,will run offagainst
someone else. Make yourvote count. It all begins inthe primary.”- John Leach, Town ofHerndon
“I’m volun-teering formy brotherbecause he isthe mostexperiencedand will getthings donein Richmond.”- Peggy O’Reilly, Town ofHerndon
“I think thatour currentnational stateof awarenesshas elevatedthe socialresponsibilityfor express-
ing one’s viewpoint andsocial needs through theelection of governmentrepresentatives at alllevels.”- Keven Leblanc, Town ofHerndon
Herndon Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic
703-778-9414 or [email protected]
“Voting is aprivilege. Iwant to bepart of posi-tive change.”- DavidLickwar,Herndon
“Exercisingmy civicresponsibil-ity.”- RichardBrown,Herndon
“It’s the100th Anni-versary thisyear ofWomen’sRight to Vote,so I’m repre-senting.”- Susan Murray, TownHerndon
The line tovote at theUnassembledDemocraticCaucus for VAHouse District86 held atDranesvilleElementarySchool inHerndon onJan 12, 2019,moved quickly.
Photos by
Mercia Hobson/
The Connection
4 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 16-22, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Mercia Hobson
The Connection
Both businesses and people needto prepare for the extended fed-eral government shutdown. “Theimpact to federal contractors and
their workforce, as well as impact to localretail, is already being felt,” said John P.Boylan, President & CEO, Dulles RegionalChamber. The Chamber hosted a free panel,“Survival Guide for Businesses Impacted bythe Federal Government Shutdown” at theHilton Washington Dulles in Herndon onThursday, Jan. 10, 2019.
Membership heard from CPAs, bankers,insurance experts and lawyers on steps toprotect themselves, their families and as-sets, businesses and employees. Presentersdiscussed the direct and indirect costs ofthe partial shutdown, advised how compa-nies could remain solvent, provided optionsfor employees and employers, describedremedies available to government contrac-tors and more. “We will be practical, notpolitical. We will talk about solutions,”Boylan said in his opening remarks.
Boylan explained that while people talkabout the partial government shutdownthat’s left 800,000 essential and non-essen-tial federal employees without a paycheck,federal contractors are also impacted. Inaddition, the missed payments on Fridaywill begin to ripple down to affect local re-tail, restaurants and entertainment. “Weneed to get ahead of the problem and al-low people to ask questions,” Boylan ex-pressed.
Jeff Bentley, CEO & President NorthwestFederal Credit Union (NWFCU) spoke firstat the panel. “We’ve kind of jumped intothe fray … We are in the community, andwe’re here to help,” he said. Bentley out-lined NWFCU’s Furlough Relief line of creditavailable to members and prospective mem-bers given a credit check for up to $10,000at an introductory 0% APR for 90 days af-ter which it converts to 7.00% APR for thelife of the balance. Bentley added that forthose who already have a loan withNWFCU, it is offering a “skip a pay … putthat payment at the back of the loan.”
Michael T. Westwick, Senior AccountantStitely & Karstetter, PLLC provided finan-cial guidance for small government busi-nesses with contract workers. “The nameof the game is cash flow,” he said. Incomeis not coming in so watch expenses,Westwick cautioned. As for retaining keyemployees not being paid now, Westwicksaid, “Let them go...and have them file Vir-ginia unemployment. They will receivesome money there; then you can rehirethem right back.” Westwick noted that theVirginia Unemployment Tax would go up,“maybe a couple hundred a year,” but it maybe worth it to retain the employees.
Maureen Schultz, McLean InsuranceGroup, spoke about business and personal
solutions. She said that if companies withcontractors see a big drop in employees, callthe insurance agent; they can decrease theWorkers Compensation exposure. If insur-ance is based on sales, give a call too. “Havethat talk,” Schultz said.
ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, Schultz did notrecommend individuals impacted by thepartial government shutdown cancel theirlife, auto, homeowners or health insurancepolicies. “I do not recommend that … di-sasters happen every day, bad disasters. In-stead, increase the deductibles on your autoor homeowners. Have the conversation withyour agent,” she said. Inquire if benefits canbe reduced, not canceled for a time.
Schultz cautioned those present not tomiss an insurance payment because thepolicy would be canceled. She stated wholeand variable life insurance policies can havevery low-interest loans at 3 and 5 percentthat can be paid off at any time. “Tap intothat,” Schultz said.
Lavanya K. Carrithers, Attorney at Law,The Carrithers Law Office in Reston pro-vided strategies for employees and employ-ers. For employees, she urged them to re-view contracts and talk to the other partyin the agreement about temporarily rene-gotiating the contract in light of the partial
shutdown.As for employers, re-
view contracts andcommunicate withthird parties and em-ployees Carrithers said.Government contractsthat are funded andfunds received shouldbe performed unlessthere is stop work sta-tus.” Know your burnrate obligations, shesaid. As for compliancewith the law during theshutdown and how to prepare for shut-downs in the future, Carrithers said, “Talkto an attorney...see what your obligationsare.”
Fairfax County government and FairfaxCounty Public Schools are aware of the chal-lenges that lie ahead and are preparing saidspeaker Supervisor John Foust, (D-Dranesville). “We have an infrastructure inplace to deal with the challenges that wethink will get much worse over the comingweeks if the shutdown does not get re-solved.”
FOUST said there are about 361,000 fed-eral workers in the Washington Metropoli-
Dulles Regional Chamber presents panel to advise individuals and businesses.
Impacted? How to Survive the Shutdown
tan region, and about 40 percent of those,which is 145,000, are impacted by the par-tial shutdown. There are 400,000 contractworkers Foust reported. “The ones you seethat work till 9 at night. They are cleaningyour office. They are really low paid,” hesaid. “They do not have the resources to getthrough losing a paycheck for long.”
Fairfax County Public Schools are offer-ing support to families though. “They cameright out front and said, they are not goingto let any kid go hungry,” Foust said.
Foust detailed information about hiringfairs offered by Fairfax County PublicSchools for furloughed federal employeesinterested in substitute teaching positions.
Photos by Mercia Hobson/The Connection
John Boylan, President & Chief Executive Officer-DullesRegional Chamber of Commerce: “We will be practicalnot political. We will talk about solutions.”
Jeff Bentley, President/Chief Executive OfficerNorthwest Federal Credit Union: “NWFCU is offer-ing a Furlough Relief Line of Credit to their mem-bers and potential new members...for up to$10,000 at an introductory 0% APR for 90 days.”
Michael Westwick, Senior Accountant Stitely &Karstetter, PLLC: “Now is the time to get yourstuff together [for the IRS]. Put that money backin your pocket now, so you are not going throughyour vacation pay, savings account. That’s theeasiest money.”
Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 16-22, 2019 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Public Hearing Scheduled on E-Bike Use on Park Trails
A public hearing will be held in Lorton, Va., on Thursday, February
7, 2019, on proposed changes to regulations on the use of Elec-
trically Assisted Bicycles, or e-bikes, in Fairfax County and NOVA
Parks.
The hearing will cover proposed changes to Park Authority Reg-
e-bikes and mopeds. E-bikes would be allowed anywhere tradi-
tional pedal-powered bikes are allowed. Mopeds would be allowed
only where motor vehicles are permitted.
As part of the proposed change in regulation, draft guidelines for
the use of e-bikes within Fairfax and NOVA Parks’ will be present-
ed. These guidelines outline the type and level of performance for
e-bikes that are suitable for use within Fairfax and NOVA Parks.
with (i) pedals that allow propulsion by human power and ii) an
electric motor with an input of no more than 750 watts that reduces
mountain style (e/MTB) e-bikes.” These use guidelines will be rec-
ommendations only and will not be enforceable by law.
The guidelines for e-bike riders would call for them to yield to pe-
per hour. In addition, e-bike riders would be strongly encouraged
to operate only in areas where traditional bicycles are allowed and
to not disturb wildlife, livestock or domesticated animals on park
property. E-bike riders would be expected to follow the same reg-
ulations and rules regarding access to the parks as other visitors.
Riders would assume responsibility for the safe and respectful op-
eration of their e-bike. For more information, visit online at https://
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/e-bikes
The joint hearing to be held by the Northern Virginia Regional Park
Authority Board and the Fairfax County Park Authority Board will
-
gional Park, located at 9751 Ox Road, Lorton, VA.
or [email protected] to sign up to speak at the public hearing,
-
ers are welcome; it is not necessary to sign up in advance.
Written comments must be received by March 11, 2019 to be
either the Fairfax County Park Authority or NOVA Parks:
Email (preferred): [email protected] or
advance of the registration deadline or event.
Learn About Adver� sing in the Connec� on
and Digital Op� ons!Adver� sing in the Connec� onAdver� sing in the Connec� on
and upcoming special sec� ons: and upcoming special sec� ons:
connectionnewspapers.com/advertisingconnectionnewspapers.com/advertising
or call 703.778.9431
By Marilyn Campbell
Jessica DeBoer’s 13-year-old son just re-turned to school after a six-day suspensionbecause he was caught vaping in the boysbathroom of his elite private school. Until
she received a call from one of the school’s adminis-trators, DeBoer was not familiar with the practiceand never dreamed her son would partake in it.
“Now I feel like I might have been naive consider-ing how widespread it seems to be,” she said. “Myson told me that many of the kids in his school havetried vaping and some even do it regularly.”
Vaping is the use of e-cigarettes to inhale and ex-hale an aerosol, often referred to as vapor, which isproduced by an e-cigarette orsimilar device. The term is usedbecause e-cigarettes produce anaerosol that consists of fine par-ticles, many of which containvarying amounts of toxic chemi-cals.
For parents like Deboer, keep-ing the line of communicationopen is a key weapon in keep-ing kids away from e-cigarettes,says therapist Lisa Baguio,LCSW. “Before talking with yourteen about vaping, or any sensitive issue for thatmatter, educate yourself and make sure you knowwhat you’re talking about,” she said. “Kids know morethan we give them credit for. Be prepared with unre-futable facts and scientific evidence because you canguarantee yourself that your kids will have their ownset of facts, which are often false.”
Once you have those facts, be prepared to sharethem during a conversation with your teen. “It’s im-portant that parents are open and honest with their
children,” said child psychologist Laurie Jones,Psy.D. “You first have to tell them your expec-tations. For example, ‘In our family, we havezero tolerance for e-cigarette or tobacco use ofany kind.’ You then should explain the dan-gers and risks involved and make sure that your
teen knows that this is not your just opinion, butproven hazards.”
A teen might be less likely to engage in vaping ifthey can connect it to negative consequences thataffect them personally, advised marriage and familycounselor Joyce McCarry, M.A. ”One thing that teensvalue is their image among their peer group,” shesaid. “If vaping a substance causes bad breath, thatwill deter a teen from using it. If getting caughtvaping means that they are kicked off a sports team,that will be a deterrent.”
A parent’s best tactic is creating an environmentwhere one’s teen feels comfortable sharing informa-tion about vaping and working with them
collaboratively to find ways toavoid it, says McCarry. “Youwant your child to let you knowif they’re vaping or have friendswho are doing it,” she said. “Youcan also let them know that ifthey’re ever in a situation wherethey’re being offered an e-ciga-rette, real cigarettes or drugs oranything dangerous, that theycan call you and you will pickthem up immediately with noquestions asked.”
“You also want you to give your child a way to getout of a risky social situation without feeling embar-rassed,” continued McCarry. “I have a patient whoseparents tell him to text them a numerical code when-ever he’s in a precarious situation with friends. Theparents know to call his cell phone and tell him thatthere’s a family emergency and he needs to comehome right away. This gives the child an excuse toleave without feeling embarrassed or like he’ll be ridi-culed for not engaging in risky behavior.”
How to Talk About VapingApproaching conversationabout dangers of e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes come in a variety of forms.
Im
age C
ourtesy o
f Partn
ersh
ip fo
r D
rug-Free K
ids
“You also want you togive your child a way toget out of a risky socialsituation withoutfeeling embarrassed.”
— Joyce McCarry, M.A.
6 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 16-22, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Entertainment
Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.
THURSDAY/JAN. 17Basic Fundamentals of Figure
Drawing. 2:30-4:30 at ArtSpaceHerndon, 750 Center St., Herndon.Basic Fundamentals of drawing willbe taught and demonstrated, toinclude the principal application ofcontour line, gesture and shade whileperforming exercises in drawing fromlife. With John Koebert. $175 foreight-week session. Call 703-956-6590 or visitwww.artspaceherndon.org.
Buying and Using a New T.V. 7 p.m.at Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.Discover the latest features\ of TVs,including “streaming” of movies andother programming, “Smart TVs,”and free programming available foranalog TVs, in this presentation bythe Fairfax County Dept. of Cableand Consumer Services. Adults,teens. No registration required. Call703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
FRIDAY/JAN. 18Baby and Me Yoga. 10:30 a.m. at
Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Anurturing yoga workshop is designedfor the two of you. No experienceneeded. Please bring a towel or yogamat. Age 6 weeks - 16 months withadult. Register beginning Jan. 4. Call703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
The Storytime Social Hour. 11 a.m.at Scrawl Books, 11911 FreedomDrive, Reston. Every Friday, moms,dads, caregivers and kids are invitedto join a Storytime Social Hour.Scrawl will provide coffee and treatsfor the adults; stories and fun for thelittle people. Visitwww.scrawlbooks.com or call 703-966-2111.
SATURDAY/JAN. 19Arts Herndon Reading Nook. 11
a.m.-noon at ArtSpace Herndon, 750Center St., Herndon. Read Surf’s Upby Kwame Alexander and complete aPaper Frog Project. The ReadingNook by Valerianne reading activitiesand crafts are appropriate forchildren up to 5 years old. $10 perfamily. Call 703-956-6590 or visitwww.artspaceherndon.org.
Fantastic Films at Reston: AWrinkle in Time. 11 a.m. atReston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Warmup with hot cocoa and a literarymovie – A Wrinkle in Time (2018,PG), based on the classic book byMadeleine L’Engle. All ages. Noregistration required. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
Light Painting. 2 p.m. at RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Create aparallel circuit that illuminates LEDson a seasonal card or a glowing giftof a personal creation. All projects gohome. Age 6-11. Register beginningJan. 5. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
MONDAY/JAN. 21Children’s Performing Arts Series:
Rocknoceros. 10:30-11:15 a.m. atHerndon Community Center, 814Ferndale Ave., Herndon. CoachCotton, Williebob, and BoogieWoogie Bennie perform popularaward-winning music for the wholefamily. Ages 1-10. $4 in advance, $5at the door per person, per show.Children under the age of one arefree. Call 703-787-7300 or visitherndon-va.gov for more.
TUESDAY/JAN. 22Baby Lapsit. 10:30 a.m. at Reston
Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Enjoy nurseryrhymes and songs while buildingearly literacy skills for your child.Age Birth to 11 months with adult.Register beginning Jan. 8. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
INOVA Blood Drive. 1-6 p.m. besidethe Pavilion at Reston Town Center.Schedule Bloodmobile appointmentsat 1-866-256-6372 or at inova.org/donateblood. On-site registrationavailable.
THURSDAY/JAN. 24Tai Chi Fitness. 6:30-7:30 p.m. at
Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Join afun new Tai Chi fitness class for thenew year, led by local instructorSusan Shen. Adults, teens. Registeronline at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/events or call 703-689-2700,ext. 4. Free.
FRIDAY/JAN. 25Family Yoga. 10:30 a.m. at Reston
Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Explore yogaposes and movement while enjoyingbooks and songs with a children’syoga instructor. Age 2-4 with adult.Register beginning Jan. 11. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY/JAN. 25-26“Just Be” — An Evening of Musical
Favorites. 7:30-9:30 p.m. atHerndon High School Auditorium,700 Bennett St., Herndon. LetHerndon High School students raisethe audience up as they present their2019 cabaret “Just Be.” An annualhighlight, each year’s cabaret featuresstudents singing and dancing tofavorite pieces from popularmusicals. Students and seniors, $5;adults, $10 at the box office. Allproceeds support Herndon HighSchool Choir.
SATURDAY/JAN. 26“Making Stone Soup.” 10-11:30 a.m.
in the historic Floris Schoolhousekitchen at Frying Pan Farm Park,2739 West Ox Road, Herndon.Discover how easy and satisfying it isto prepare home-cooked soups inwinter. Learn the history and originsof several different ethnic soup stylesand sample each style featured.Create a new soup with members ofthe group based on the story of“Stone Soup.” Participants will get totake home a serving of “Stone Soup”to enjoy. $10 per person, designedfor participants age 7-adult. Call 703-437-9101 or visit fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/frying-pan-park.
SUNDAY/JAN. 27YA Book Trivia. 3:30 p.m. at Reston
Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Join in for anafternoon of YA book trivia withrefreshments and prizes for thewinning team. Age 12-18. Noregistration required. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
Capitol Steps 2019 Fundraiser. 6p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Reston,1800 Presidents St., Reston. Annualfundraising benefit that helpsindividuals and families atCornerstones’ Embry RuckerCommunity Shelter on their journeytoward stability. In addition to anight of comic relief, the eveningincludes desserts, wines, and chancesto win silent auction items and raffleprizes. $100. Visitwww.cornerstonesva.org/2019-capitol-steps/ for tickets.
Live Music: Only Lonesome. 7 p.m.(doors open at 6) at Frying Pan FarmPark Visitor Center, 2739 West OxRoad, Herndon. Make plans to “hitchup the team” and head to Frying PanFarm Park this season for BluegrassBarn. Food and beverages availablefor purchase. $18 in advance, $20 atthe door. Purchase tickets online atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/frying-pan-park/bluegrass-barn or by phoneat 703-222-4664 or 703-437-9101.
DeRay Mckesson
Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr. BirthdayCelebration
Reston Community Center will havea full slate of community events Jan. 19-21 as it presents the 34th Annual RestonDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Cel-ebration. DeRay Mckesson, organizer,activist and author of the new book Onthe Other Side of Freedom: The Case forHope, will deliver this year’s keynote ad-dress.
❖ Saturday, Jan. 19 – CommunityService Projects 9 a.m. at SouthgateCommunity Center, 12125 PinecrestRoad, Reston or 1 p.m. at North CountyGovernment Center, 1801 CameronGlen Drive, Reston. All ages. Free. Reg-istration required at 703-435-7986 [email protected].
❖ Saturday, Jan. 19 – 4 p.m., Reston Community Orchestra 13th Annual Trib-ute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at RCC Hunters Woods - Community Room. Free,donations appreciated. Visit reston.org for more.
❖ Sunday, Jan. 20 – 2 p.m., Singer-Songwriter Crys Matthews at RCC HuntersWoods – the CenterStage. $15, Reston; $20, non-Reston (tickets sold through theCenterStage box office).
❖ Sunday, Jan. 20 – 4 p.m., Voices of Inspiration at Northern Virginia HebrewCongregation, 1441 Wiehle Ave., Reston. All ages. Free.
❖ Monday, Jan. 21 – noon, Keynote Address by DeRay Mckesson followed bycommunity lunch at RCC Hunters Woods: the CenterStage and Community Room.$5 Reston; $10 non-Reston (tickets sold through the CenterStage box office)
❖ Monday, Jan. 21 – 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Especially for Youth (grades 1-6) atRCC Hunters Woods, for 6-12 years old. Children will rotate through a series ofactivities including a performance, an age-appropriate video, and arts and crafts.Free. Registration required. Reg. #704750-8A at reston.org
Visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com or call 703-476-4500.
Pho
to
by Spitz
Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 16-22, 2019 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
Today, Jan. 12, 2019 is National Glazed Donut Day and the day after my most recent post-scan appointment with my oncologist. A day when, if I’m lucky – as I have been for the past 10 years – my world will change for the better (donut consumption notwithstanding). However, the ‘world’ to which I refer is one fraught with danger and offers no more guarantees than I’ve been accustomed to.
To invoke the late, great Rod Serling: I am now entering “The Immunotherapy Zone.”
Yes, a brand new – for me – treatment protocol: new drug, new side effects, new frequency, new lifestyle/fewer hassles (potentially), and most impor-tantly: shrinkage (possibly), of my tumors, especially my “Adams Apple” tumor, as I’ve come to nickname the mass just below my Adams Apple (which is sort of bothering me, if you want to know the truth).
The nature of cancer treatment as I’ve experi-enced it – and learned from my oncologist is – if the drug is working, you continue it until it isn’t (sounds simple I know). When it stops working, you change
-cer cells are smart that way.)
Generally speaking, the cancer drug doesn’t start working (shrinking, stabilizing) after it has stopped working (growth). Over my nearly 10 years, I have switched drugs upwards of a dozen times.
Now, I am switching again: to Opdivo, an immu-notherapy drug, a class of drugs that didn’t even
and one that has only been approved for the treatment of lung cancer since 2015. A drug that, to quote the television advertisement: “offers a chance at longer life.”
And so, Team Lourie, two-thirds of it anyway,
Friday, I will be infused into the great unknown.From what my oncologist explained yester-
some potentially unpleasant side effects. However, continuing with my present infusion drug, Alimta, now that there’s been some growth, is also likely to produce some unpleasant side effects: growth and movement.
And more growth/movement is the worst side effect, relatively and comparatively speaking. So we
cancer works). If we opt for Opdivo, maybe there won’t be growth, and maybe there might even be some shrinkage (the good kind).
As for lifestyle changes, there are, according to my oncologist, some quality of life improvements as well, or at least, more weeks in the month when potentially I’ll be less impacted by my disease/treatment. Which along with my quality of life has always been a concern of my oncologist.
And, without getting into the details, I’m ready for a change.
-age and fewer/different side effects (some patients report few side effects from Opdivo), I wouldn’t say switching to an immunotherapy drug was enticing/a “no-brainer,” but it does offer an alternative of sorts. And given where I’ve been treated from and where I’ll be treated now, I am ready for something different.
improve my life or it could make matters worse, a ‘worse’ from which quite frankly I might not recover (do you remember my yo-yo down-the-stairs visual from a few columns ago?). And I am familiar, unfor-tunately, with some less-than-encouraging accounts of patients not faring so well.
I just hope there’s not a hole in my thinking. Oh wait. That’s a hole in my donut. No worries. I’m happy to buy the donut and I never complain about the hole. That’s the trade-off. I’m hoping, given the
trade-off with side effects. My philosophy has always been to take the good
with the bad – and vice versa, and after almost 10 years of rolling with the punches, I see no reason to change now.
What To Right About
Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.
Prescription Drug Take Back Box Program.Fairfax County announced the expansion of thePrescription Drug Take Back Box ProgramCountywide. The boxes are available 24/7/365at each district police station for any person toanonymously and safely dispose of theirprescription medications 24/7/365 - noquestions asked. It is important to get unusedmedicines, especially opioids, out of yourmedicine cabinets to prevent accidental or illicituse. Several Fairfax County pharmacies also takeback unused prescription drugs. For a currentlist, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news2/4-ways-to-safely-dispose-of-unused-medications/.
DONATION REQUESTSupport Reston Historic Trust & Museum.
The Reston Historic Trust & Museum haslaunched a GoFundMe campaign with the goalto raise $15,000 to go towards the repair,cleaning, and reinstallation of icons on thefaçade of the former Lakeside Pharmacy, anoriginal Lake Anne Plaza store, in a newpermanent exhibit. The new exhibit will beunveiled during Reston’s annual Founder’s Dayevent, April 6th, 2019. Read more about theirhistory and donate at www.gofundme.com/preserve-lakeside-pharmacy-icons to assist intheir preservation.
INPUT SOUGHTUnmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program.
Fairfax County is developing a comprehensivePublic Safety Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)program and would like to hear from residents.Each of six public information meetings willinclude a static display of unmanned aircraftfollowed by a presentation outlining theprogram. After the presentation, there will be anopportunity to ask questions. The formalpresentation will begin at 7 p.m. To find outmore about the UAS program go towww.fairfaxcounty.gov/uas. Send feedback orquestions to [email protected] or throughthe link located on the UAS webpage. Writtencomments on the draft program must bereceived by the close of business Feb. 8, 2019, tobe included in the official public record.
❖ Wednesday, Jan. 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at SouthCounty Governmental Center (Room 221C),8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria.
❖ Wednesday, Jan. 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at McLeanDistrict Governmental Center, 1437 Balls HillRoad, McLean.
❖ Thursday, Jan. 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at SullyDistrict Governmental Center, 4900 StonecroftBlvd, Chantilly.
❖ Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at RestonCommunity Center – Hunter Woods, 2310 ColtsNeck Road.
❖ Wednesday, Jan. 30, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at BraddockHall – Kings Park Library, 9002 Burke LakeRoad, Burke.
TUESDAYS THROUGH FEB. 19Workshop Series: Mind in the Making. 6:30-
8:30 p.m. at Dunn Loring Center for ParentServices, 2334 Gallows Road, Entrance 1 –Room 100, Dunn Loring. Mind in the Making:The Seven Essential Life Skills Every ChildNeeds by Ellen Galinsky, encompasses anevidence-based list of life skills that are essentialfor children to succeed socially, emotionally andintellectually in the short and long term.Participants may register for one or all of theworkshops and do not need to attend theprevious class. Registration is limited. Call 703-204-3941 or visit www.fcps.edu/resources/family-engagement/parent-resource-center formore or to register.
❖ Tuesday, Jan. 22 – Communicating (part 3)❖ Tuesday, Jan. 29 – Making Connections (part 4)❖ Tuesday, Feb. 5 – Critical Thinking (part 5)❖ Tuesday, Feb. 12 – Taking on Challenges (part 6)❖ Tuesday, Feb. 19 – Self-Directed, Engaged
Bulletin
8 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 16-22, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Opinion
A week is already completed in theshort (45-day) session of the Vir-ginia General Assembly, and somany important things are in the
works, in danger of happening or not happen-ing, that no one can have a clear view of it all.
An example: The Senate Courts of JusticeCommittee voted for a bill 8-6 that would barthe execution of people with serious mentalillnesses. Possibly you didn’t realize that it islegal to execute someone with serious mentalillness, because it makes no sense. But this billfailed last year.
Another success for the moment: increasingthe minimum wage to $15 over several yearsalso cleared Senate committee.
Do you know who your Virginia delegate andsenator are? Every resident of Virginia gets oneof each. Enter your address here: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/ to findout all of your representatives, plus contactinformation. Call and tell them, or leave amessage, about what matters to you. Send anemail. Connect to them on Facebook and watchfor live Q&A sessions.
Here you can search legislation by bill num-ber or keyword, find video and streaming:https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/
Last week’s editorial, a long legislative wishlist, http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2019/jan/08/opinion-editorial-wish-list-things-session-general/ still omitted many im-portant actions, despite its length. One in par-ticular made it into some editions and not oth-ers: To establish equal rights for LGBT Virgin-
ians, especially in housing and public employ-ment.
Here are a few more important items:The Virginia State Conference NAACP Crimi-
nal Justice Committee supports the passage ofthe following bills that are up for debate inthis legislative session:
❖ HB 1651 - Raises grand larceny limit from$500 to $750 (Del Hayes)
❖ HB 1642 - Increases data collection on useof solitary confinement (Del Hope)
❖ SB 1013 - Repeals suspension of driverslicences for not paying fines (Sen Stanley; DelKory)
❖ SB 1053 and HB 1745 - Makes juvenileoffenders sentenced to life automatically eli-gible for parole after serving 25 years. (SenMarsden; Del Lindsey)
❖ HB 2616 - Raises the minimum age a childcan be tried as an adult from 14 to 16 (DelGuzman) (And this is still far too low.)
❖ SB 1551, HB 1685, HB 1873 and HB 1688- Limits the scope of what School Resource Of-ficers can get involved, prohibits students frombeing charged with disorderly conduct, andmandates data collection of use of force againststudents. (Sen Surovell, Del Schuyler T.VanValkenburg, Del Bourne; Del Mullin)
❖ SB 997 - Decriminalizes simple marijuanapossession. (Sen Ebbin)
❖ SB 1008 - Bans mechanical devices de-signed to increase rate of bullets firing. (SenEbbin)
❖ SB 1013 - Repeals the requirement thatthe driver’s license of a person convicted of
any violation of the law who fails or refuses toprovide payment of fines be suspended. (SenStanley)
❖ SB 1034 - Prohibits any person who is nota licensed firearms dealer from purchasingmore than one handgun in a 30-day period.(Sen Locke)
❖ HB 1991 - Labels violent hate groups asdomestic terrorists (Del Price)
❖ HB 2472 - Adds gender, disability, genderidentity, and sexual orientation to the catego-ries of victims whose intentional selection fora hate crime results in a higher criminal pen-alty for the offense. (Del. Kenneth R. Plum)
House Courts of Justice members: Robert B.Bell (chairman), Leftwich (vice chair), Kilgore,Gilbert, L.R. Adams, J.L. Campbell, Collins,Miyares, Ransone, R.R. Campbell, Watts,Toscano, Herring, Hope, Mullin, Bourne,Simon, Carroll Foy.
Senate Courts of Justice members:Obenshain (chairman), Saslaw, Norment,Howell, Lucas, Edwards, McDougle, Stuart,Stanley, Reeves, Chafin, Deeds, Sturtevant,Petersen, and Peake.Find contact information https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/
See our websitewww.ConnectionNewspapers.com for manystories from the General Assembly from theCapital News Service, written by journalismstudents from VCU.
— Mary Kimm
Thousands of bills considered over 45 days could havea big impact on your life, for better or for worse.
Pay Attention, State Legislature Not Gridlocked
By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum
State Delegate (D-36)
In a recent social media post,I indicated that the annualGeneral Assembly session
would be underway very soon.AutoCorrect changed the text tobe “underwater very soon.” Myson alerted me to the change, andI made what I thought was a cor-rection. As the General Assemblysession has gotten underway I am starting towonder if AutoCorrect knew something that Iam now coming to realize: The General As-sembly may well be underwater! The sessionis scheduled to go until Feb. 22. Meeting fivedays a week means 38 actual days for work onmore than 2,000 bills and resolutions. While Ihave highlighted big issues like redistrictingreform, preventing gun violence and ERA rati-fication, there are many more issues large andsmall that make up the agenda for the session.
Virginia has always conformed its incometax policies to the federal system. With themassive changes that have been made in fed-eral tax law, the General Assembly will wrestlewith what we will do in Virginia. There will
be an effort to resolve the issueearly in the session to accommo-date taxpayers who want to filetheir returns early. Part of the taxpolicy debate will be making theEarned Income Tax Credit (EITC)refundable as promoted by theGovernor in a bill that I have in-troduced. The purpose would be
to allow persons of low income to keep moreof the money they earn and be more self-sup-porting.
As a Dillon Rule State meaning local gov-ernments have only the powers granted tothem by the state, dozens of bills, called localbills, are introduced to extend powers some ofwhich are very minor to a particular locality.Another group of bills is called housekeepingto make corrections or clarifications to legisla-tion that passed in previous sessions. All thesebills are important but add to the workload ofa session.
Challenging environmental issues will becoming before the legislature many of whichrelate to energy. There are proposals to increase
the required uses of alternative and renewablefuels. Cleaning up from the past use of fossilsfuels and the resulting growth in coal ash pondswill be taken up.
There is strong need to deal with the degra-dation of water quality in the Chesapeake Bayarea. The Tidewater area is subject to recur-rent flooding coming about with climatechange that needs addressing now rather thanlater.
There are many bills dealing with criminaljustice reform including bills intended to re-duce the school to prison pipeline. The Gover-nor has announced his support of decriminal-izing possession of small quantities of mari-juana. A bill that has been introduced wouldallow casino and sports gambling.
There will be a number of dog and cat billsthat include high levels of emotion from inter-ested parties. Being able to limit dogs runningacross the properties of land owners is a bigconcern in rural areas.
To review all the bills on the agenda of theGeneral Assembly go to http://lis.virginia.gov
If you have not done so already, let me knowyour positions on issues by going to my website(www.kenplum.com). Click on Legislative Ses-sion Survey.
General Assembly AgendaCommentary
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