"how to keep one's financial affairs in order"

Potomac Entertainment Calendar, Dec. 12, 2012

Email community entertainment events to almanac@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Thursday at noon. Photos and artwork encouraged.

Brief: Barclay Selected as President of County Board of Education

Christopher S. Barclay was unanimously selected by his colleagues Dec. 11, to serve as president of the Board of Education for the second time. Philip Kauffman was also unanimously selected as vice president. Both officers will serve a one-year term. Barclay replaces Shirley Brandman, who has served as president for the past year.

Brief: School Superintendent Proposes $2.22 Billion Operating Budget

Superintendent Joshua P. Starr released his recommended operating budget for Fiscal Year 2014 this week — proposing a $2.217 billion budget for FY 2014, which is a $48.95 million increase over FY 2013 — about 2.3 percent.

Potomac Bulletin Board, Dec. 12, 2012

Email announcements to almanac@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Thursday at noon.

Offering Gifts from the HeART

Local artists and Reston Community Center come together for a good cause.

The Reston Community Center at Lake Anne hosted Gifts from the HeART on Saturday, Dec. 8. Gifts from the HeART featured works from 20 local artists as well as more than 85 pieces of artwork on the walls of the Jo Ann Rose Gallery and pieces in the 3-D case displays.

Week in Reston

Find out what is going on this week in Reston.

Week in Herndon

Find out what is going on this week in Herndon.

Brief: Alarmed Over ‘Fiscal Cliff’

Virginians rally in Reston to end Bush tax cuts for wealthy.

Dozens of Virginians gathered on Saturday to rally for an end to the Bush tax cuts for the top 2 percent.

Letter: Hiking Taxes and Tolls

Letter: “Most political commentators,” Del. Plum (D-36) nebulously says [“Never Say Never,” Reston Connection, December 5-11], “would agree . . . that the no tax pledge has made it difficult . . . to get agreement on a financial plan that would reduce the deficit and help with economic recovery.”

Letter: Bill Developers for Tysons Infrastructure

Letter: The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has just given the residents of Tysons Corner a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings.

Column: County Failing to Preserve Natural Resource Areas

Fairfax County has done a pretty good job of setting aside parkland for public use for athletics and recreation, but gives short shrift to preserving and protecting natural resource areas so vital to a healthy environment.

Letter: Saving the World, or at Least Fairfax County

Letter: I’ve lived here my entire life. I’ve ventured through trails all over Northern Virginia, I’ve gazed upon the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, I’ve sat next to the awesome power that makes up the tidal region of the Potomac River, I’ve stalked trout lying in a stream bed, slowly making their way up to the surface and back down once again.

Brief: Herndon Resident Completes 14-day Expedition

Brief: Kristen Joyce, 21, of Herndon, recently completed a 14-day expedition in the Teton Valley with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

Sikhs Bring Foundation of ‘Service to Others’

Fairfax Station temple active in community outreach.

On a recent Thursday evening, Ajaib Singh, 78, one of the founding members of the Sikh Foundation of Virginia, politely escorts a visitor to the area where one removes shoes and dons a headscarf.

Dynamic and Diverse

New immigrants bring religious diversity to Fairfax County.

At the intersection of Hooes Road and Silverbrook Drive, on the dividing line between Lorton and Fairfax Station, is the largest Hindu structure in three states.

Bienvenido! Huān yíng! Welcome!

Chantilly Bible Church thrives on diversity by providing outreach to immigrants.

Pastor Isaac Huang vividly remembers the day he landed in the United States from Taiwan. It was Jan. 7, 1982, and Huang, 25, was looking forward to studying computer science at Old Dominion University.

Being Muslim in Fairfax County

Immigrants face the challenge of balancing Islamic faith and American culture.

Over the years, Muslims from different countries migrated and settled in the Fairfax County area; however, the children of immigrant parents often struggle the most because they have to balance their Islamic faith along with the influence of American culture.

Making Their Voices Heard

Caroling about "fiscal cliff" at Tysons Corner Center.

On Monday, Dec. 10, a group of 30-40 residents of Northern Virginia and beyond met by the entrance of California Pizza Kitchen in Tysons Corner Center in preparation to go caroling.