Looming Crisis
Understanding the impacts and consequences of a Government Shutdown
Government shutdown
A Place at the Table for Everyone Born
Some catchy phrases that led to success at the ballot box resulted in some terrible public policies.
Letter: Eliminating Animal Protection Police?
Letter to the Editor
Beyer Shares Constituent Stories Of Hardship From 2018-19 Government Shutdown
Shutdowns are very bad, actually.
Editorial
Keeping a Republic
History records that at the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 Benjamin Franklin who was the senior member of the Convention was asked what kind of government the delegates who had sweltered through months of heat and compromises had produced. His oft-quoted response was “a republic if we can keep it.”
Early Voting Begins September 22nd
Get ready for the upcoming November General Election in Fairfax County, where all 140 seats in the Virginia General Assembly are up for grabs. Along with Senate and House seats, 12 other local offices are on the ballot, including Clerk of Court, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Sheriff, Chairman of Board of Supervisors, District Supervisor, School Board Members At-Large, District School Board Member, and Soil and Water Board Members.
Seniors Thrive in South Fairfax
Dedicated, beautiful 55+ communities like Spring Hill, The Fairfax, Gum Springs Glen and the new North Hill make the Mount Vernon District a great place to age in place.
No Miracle in Virginia Student Test Scores
There was more than a week delay in announcing Virginia student test scores this year. Last week we learned why.
How One Data Center Will Change Fairfax County … For the Worse
A rezoning to accommodate the tallest data center in Fairfax County is up for a vote by the Planning Commissioners at a Public Hearing, Sept. 20, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at 12000 Government Center Parkway (application RZ 2022-SU-00019/SE 2022-SU-00038). It will be adjacent to a resource protection area and a tributary to our drinking water, within earshot of a residential community, and of a size that is completely out of character for the area and threatens airport navigation. If approved, it will set a dangerous precedent.
Budgets Set Policy Directions
“I predict [the conference committee compromise] will be accepted as the best compromise that can be reached at this time.”
Affordable Housing-Talk Not Action in Fairfax, Reston
The shortage of affordable housing in Fairfax County and Reston rarely gets the analytical attention that the Connection’s edition of August 16-22 delivered in Mercia Hobson’s “3rd Wealthiest County in U.S. Fails to Provide Affordable Housing.” The article is based on conversations with several knowledgeable staff members of one excellent Reston’s charitable organization, Cornerstones, people serving the homeless and those in danger of becoming homeless.
Labor Day is So Much More
Every year on Labor Day it is important to pause to reflect on the monumental contributions of laborers that have shaped the prosperity of Virginia and our nation as a whole.
The First To Blink
The Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die back in June of this year when the work of the legislature was complete with one notable exception: a mid-point revision of the biennium budget on which the House, Senate, and Governor could not agree had gone to a conference committee that could not agree on its final form.