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Editorial: Diversity Growing

Tune in to our series on immigration.

This week, the Connection kicks off a series about immigration, diversity and the growing population of foreign-born residents in Fairfax County. County reporter Victoria Ross opens with a story that captures vignettes and statistics of the changing population. It is a topic consistent with the original Thanksgiving story. More than 28 percent of Fairfax County's population is foreign born; that's 317,000 residents.

Independent School Admissions: Interviews and Teacher Recommendations

Admissions officers at local schools offer insight into the application process.

Mark Fischer sat with his parents in the plush reception area of one of the region’s elite independent schools, biting his fingernails and tapping his left foot while waiting to speak with an admissions officer for the interview portion of his application.

The much-debated 495 Express Lanes opened Saturday, Nov. 17, providing two new toll lanes over …

Money experts say this is the time to locate and organize your financial records. “Save …

Upcoming Bazaars and Craft Shows Yield Gift Ideas

Showcasing one-of-a-kind items.

A number of near-by bazaars will be taking place within the next few weeks. Each bazaar has a distinctive feel and offers a variety of items that could never be found at the mall.

Commentary: Taking a Toll on Virginians

Governor Bob McDonnell came to Tysons Corner last week to participate in a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the opening for the 495 Express Lanes that took place on Nov. 17.

Moral Obligation Or Old Wounds?

Old roller-hockey rink at community center could be used for adaptive sports.

The county has “moral and legal obligations” to provide opportunities for people with disabilities, Steve Landsman said last week. The county also has a significant resource in the roller hockey rink at the Potomac Community Center. But one resident’s comments showed lack of awareness or understanding of the need.

Editorial: Potomac Shop Locally …

There is a joy to shopping in local stores at the holidays, to walking along a sidewalk with the streets decked out for the holidays, to being greeting by someone likely to be the owner of the store, to finding gifts that are not mass-produced.

Walk of Lights at Meadowlark

In one of the season’s more spectacular holiday gestures, the chairman of the board of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, Brian Knapp, ceremonially threw a switch at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, illuminating hundreds of trees and scenes within Meadowlark’s 100-acre parkland.

Brief: Vienna Police Chief to Retire Jan. 1

Brief: On Nov. 12, Vienna Police Chief Robert Carlisle notified the town manager of his intent to retire, effective Jan. 1, 2013.

Potomac Calendar: Nov. 21, 2012

Upcoming events and activities in Potomac

Cappies Review: Witty Enthusiasm and Bold Choices

Oakton High presents “Suite Surrender.”

In a conflict fierce enough to rival the war, a pair of 1940s starlets grapple for control of the presidential suite at the luxurious Palm Beach Royale.

Brief: McLean-Great Falls Keller Williams Cares Presents Check to Lift Me Up!

A check of $15,274.16 was presented to Lift Me Up! at their annual Gala held on Nov. 17, at BMW of Sterling.

From left, Karen Briscoe, a Lift Me Up! board member and principal Realtor® of the …

Fairfax Becomes Immigrants’ Gateway

Focus on immigration.

Yesuf Beshir spent nearly three years gathering the mountain of paperwork he needed to leave Ethiopia and emigrate to America.

A Way Out of No Way

Two women — one African-American and one from Africa — learn to see America through each other’s eyes.

Rosemary Osei, 22, and Lillie Reynolds, 61, have been good friends for four years. The two women, who help teach special needs students at a Vienna elementary school, are sometimes mistaken for mother and daughter.