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

Jude, Reporting for Duty

Herndon PD’s new bomb-sniffing dog a friendly workaholic.

Herndon Police Department’s newest officer is charismatic, ambitious and, well, a little furry. Jude, the department’s new explosive-detecting English Springer Spaniel, is a lovable pup who will be used to snuff out bomb threats in the town and beyond. The town acquired him in February after he received six weeks of training. His partner-in-law, HPD Officer Lee Trawick, was chosen to be his handler and had to receive six more weeks of training together. Both will have some type of training each month. “My training was to learn how to read him and handle him,” said Officer Trawick. Chief of Police Maggie DeBoard said there were many good candidates to handle the dog.

Editorial: For Nonpartisan Redistricting

Virginia is a purple state, gerrymandered to bleed red.

Consider that in statewide elections, Virginia voters have chosen Democrats in the last two presidential elections, for U.S. Senate, for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. Almost none of these elections was by a wide margin, but it’s clear that Virginia is a purple state leaning blue.

Petition Halts Senior Housing Development at Cornwell Farm

More than 700 people signed online petition to stop Clark Realty’s plans to build senior housing on historic property.

An outpouring of opposition from the Greats Falls community quickly halted a developer’s application to purchase and re-zone the historic Cornwell Farm Property on Monday, Feb. 3. Clark Realty had proposed building 39 senior living residences on 20 acres of land on and around the property. But in a matter of days, more than 700 community residents signed an online petition, titled “Oppose Zoning and Cluster Development of historic Cornwell Farm Property,” and the developer withdrew its application the following week.

Robinson Students Receive Scholarships

Claudia Torres and Carolina Castedo honored by Hispanic Leadership Alliance.

Claudia Torres, a senior at Robinson Secondary School, and Carolina Castedo, also a senior at Robinson, both moved to the United States at a young age over 10 years ago. Torres is Peruvian, and Castedo is Bolivian and Chilean. Burke residents Torres and Castedo, both 18, wrote about challenges they have overcome as newcomers to the United States, as well as reasons they wish to attend college, in an application for a Fairfax County Hispanic Leadership Alliance Scholarship. “I didn’t know how to speak English, and that was hard for me when I got here,” Castedo said.

McAuliffe Talks Medicaid Expansion

Patients share stories at Medicaid expansion roundtable.

Just a few days before the Virginia General Assembly convened in a special session in Richmond to decide on the budget and the possibility of Medicaid expansion, Gov. Terry McAuliffe met with patients of Alexandria Neighborhood Health Services in Arlington, as they shared with him how Medicaid expansion would change their lives for the better.

Commentary: Continuing the Conversation

For the second year in a row, Alexandria is holding an unusual exhibit of art. Its purpose is both a celebration of creativity and the artist's own special vision, and an opening gambit to begin the conversation on what mental health is, what it means to have a mental illness and how those with intellectual and developmental disabilities see and deal with the world around them.

Communities Practice Disaster Recovery in Hunter Mill

Volunteer group forming to help area recover from potential disaster.

More than 185 people registered to learn about forming a Community Resiliency Group for the Hunter Mill District, which would be activated to aid in the local area’s recovery after a disaster.

Cracking Down on On-the-Road Screen Time

Texting while driving is already illegal, but what about all the other screen time?

Lawmakers in Richmond are a bunch of angry birds, frustrated at existing law they believe does not solve the problem of drivers devoting their attention to their handheld screen instead of the road.

Bravo To Present ‘Annie Jr.’ and ‘Legally Blonde Jr.’ in Silver Spring

Celebrating her 20th year in the business of “show business” — providing school age children an opportunity to perform in musical theatre productions — Bravo Executive Producer Laurie Levy Issembert has chosen to present two shows this season.

Christmas Angel Warms Hearts of Children

‘Facilitating Connections’ in Quarantine in Great Falls

Siblings start charitable initiative during COVID-19 pandemic.

It only took two days of quarantine for Isabel and Nathaniel Mathew of Great Falls to become restless. After Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced on March 23 that all schools would remain online for the rest of the school semester, the Langley High School siblings didn’t know how they were going to spend their newfound free time. That is, until they figured out a way that they could give back to those in the community who have been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis.