<sh>Condo Fire Ruled Accidental
<bt>The Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office has determined that the April 9 fire that damaged a Leesburg condominium located on Clubhouse Drive was accidental.
On Tuesday, April 9, at approximately 7:10 p.m., Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services received a 911 call for a structure fire at 125 Clubhouse Drive, SW. Fire and rescue personnel from Leesburg, Hamilton and Ashburn arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke coming from one of the condominiums. Firefighters went to work quickly and were able to bring the fire under control in a matter of minutes. The fire resulted in approximately $200,000 damage to the building.
Capt. Pat Brandenburg of the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office reported that the fire, which started in the kitchen of Apartment C4 and spread to the apartment's interior, was due to ashes from an ashtray dumped into a trash can. The ashes smoldered and ignited nearby combustibles.
As a result of the fire, 12 occupants were temporarily displaced. Eleven people were staying with family and friends Tuesday night, while one occupant required additional assistance from the American Red Cross.
<sh>Unattended Candle Causes Fire
<bt>The Loudoun County Department of Fire-Rescue Services' Fire Marshals Office stated that the April 12 fire that damaged a Leesburg townhome located at 161 Meadows Lane was accidental. The fire, which resulted in approximately $15,000 damage, started when a candle that was left unattended in an upstairs bedroom. The Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Service was called around 12:25 p.m. for a structural fire at the named house. One of the residents of the house had returned home to find a heavy smoke coming from an upstairs bedroom and called 911. As a result of the fire, nine residents have been temporarily displaced pending repairs to the home. Three of them will be staying with family and friends, while six occupants will require additional assistance from the American Red Cross.
<sh>'Rising Political Star'
<bt>Campaigns and Elections magazine selected Tim Powers, a longtime Cascades resident and local Republican activist, as one of its "Rising Political Stars" for the 2002 election cycle. Powers is the founder and president of Powerstrategies and he has been active in Republican party politics for more than 16 years.
<sh>Death Ruled Accidental Overdose
<bt>The Office of the Medical Examiner in Fairfax has ruled the cause of death of Anne Elizabeth Pemberton, 24 years of age, and Jason Andrew Morris, 25 years of age, to be from an accidental overdose of the drug heroin.
On March 16, Sheriff's Deputies were called to the 47600 block of Whirlpool Square in Sterling in response to two unconscious persons. Deputies arrived on the scene and found the two people dead. Pemberton and Morris had rented a room at the Sterling home since October 2001.
<sh>Fatal Accident Under Investigation
<bt>The Fairfax County Accident Reconstruction Unit is investigating a fatal accident that occurred on Pleasant Valley Road near Cub Run in the Centreville area April 10; 32-year-old Omar Mimish of South Riding, was driving southbound on Pleasant Valley Road when he lost control of his 1999 Saturn on the wet roadway, according to police. His car spun and ran off the left side of the roadway, hitting a tree on the passenger side. A Fairfax County Police helicopter medevaced Mimish to Inova Fairfax Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Speed was not the factor. Mimish was not wearing a seatbelt.
<sh>Road Construction Update
<bt>Construction has begun for the traffic signal at the intersection of Route 659 and Ashburn Farm Parkway. However, the contractor hit rock and is now working on putting spread footers for the foundation. VDOT estimates that they should have the equipment in within 30 days. Once power is installed by Dominion Virginia Power, VDOT can do the rest of the work in a couple of days.
<sh>What Do Trail Users Want?
<lst>Last fall, the Friends of the W&OD solicited opinions via a trail-side survey posted at kiosks along the trail and at their Web site (www.wodfriends.org). The survey asked how and with what frequency the trail is used, the mileage of the last visit, experiences with trail crossings, and what trail users want to see more of along the trail. Over 350 responded and the following reports their answers to the question, "What would you like to see more of along the trail?"
Water fountains - 54 percent, trees/vegetative screening - 37 percent, flowers/gardens - 28 percent, benches - 26 percent, trash receptacles - 23 percent, info/directional signs - 21 percent, restrooms/portajohns - 16 percent, safety signs - 10 percent, picnic tables - 9 percent, and info kiosks - 7 percent.
Next month's issue answers the question, "How are you using the trail?" For more information about their newsletter, e-mail newsletter editor, Janet Hays at hays@wizard.net.
<sh>Priorities in Richmond
<bt>Chuck Harris, Broad Run District Supervisor, recently reported on a Dulles Area Transportation Association (DATA) forum on transportation issues in Northern Virginia: Representatives from VDOT spoke on funding issues and road construction projects in the region. Following this, Delegates Tom Rust, Vivian Watts, Ken Plum and Sen. Bill Mims provided their insight into the recently concluded General Assembly session.
Plum (36th district) stated that Virginia is the 14th wealthiest state in the country and ranks 46th in levying taxes. Virginia is 47th in funding higher education, yet the General Assembly again decreased education spending. Expect higher tuition and fee costs in the future.
Rust (86th district) talked about the 20/20 Transportation Plan (this is the 20-year transportation plan to the year 2020) needing $32 billion to complete all projects, yet less than $16 billion will be available.
Delegates cited an example where members of the General Assembly from southern areas of Virginia successfully lobbied for funding of the Coal Fields Expressway to encourage economic development in Southwest Virginia. This project will cost $1.6 billion for a road that carries less than 1/3 of the traffic now on Elden Street, the main street in Herndon.
<sh>Creating Tech Time Capsule
<bt>The George Washington University Virginia Campus in Ashburn and the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) in Herndon are partnering to create the region's first Technology Time Capsule, in celebration of the region's prominence in the technology industry and the 10-year celebration of both organizations. All regional technology companies are invited to participate by donating a product, device, software, brochure, or white paper that represents their companies' state-of-the-art technology in 2002. Items will be collected at Fast Forward 02: the GW Technology and Business Expo, Wednesday, April 24 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the GW Virginia Campus. The time capsule will be dedicated at 4:30 p.m. at a special ceremony at the Expo and will be reopened in the future. The time capsule will be on display at GW and NVTC and other selected sites throughout the region. For more information on the time capsule and the GW Tech Expo visit www.gwvirginia.gwu.edu/expoFF02 or call 703-726-8300. For more information on the GW Virginia Campus visit www.gwvirginia.gwu.edu. For more information on NVTC visit www.nvtc.org.
<sh>Correction
<bt>The School Board previously cut $9.4 million from Superintendent Edgar Hatrick's proposed budget down to $355.6 million. The Board of Supervisors cut the budget by another $5.4 million and with additional cuts and additions, the school district's budget is $347.9 million.