<sh>Robinson Runs for Congress
<bt>Loudoun resident Ann Robinson plans to run as the Green Party candidate for the 10th Congressional District in November.
"Once I heard there were no progressives running for this seat, I realized I had to step forward," Robinson said in a press release.
Robinson is interested in protecting civil liberties, providing sustainable development and using alternative energy policies and conservation measures to lessen environmental damage.
Robinson characterizes herself as a populist candidate. She is not accepting money from corporations or political action committees and has limited funding to $100 per person. "I'm not interested in your money. I want your heart," she said, adding, "The only way to get true campaign reform is to elect a candidate who does not seek huge funding. America must not be for sale."
Robinson was elected last November to the Board of Directors of Loudoun's Soil and Water Conservation District.
<sh>Missing Person Endangered
<bt>The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office received a report May 11 of a missing person. Deputies were notified that a 34-year-old male, who is on medication for depression, has not been seen since May 8. Edward Christian Hamler is a white male, 6 feet, 1 inch in height, 225 pounds, with brown hair, green eyes and a full beard. He was last seen at his home in Lincoln, Va. He is believed to have been driving a 1994 Toyota pick-up, black in color with a green camper shell on the back.
Hamler is considered endangered due to his mental condition. Anyone who sees Hamler is asked to call the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at 703-777-1021.
<sh>Exposures in Ashburn
<bt>In the last three weeks, three exposure incidents have occurred in the Ashburn area.
A man reportedly exposed himself May 8 to people walking along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail between Tippecanoe Terrace and Bruceton Mills Circle. The man is described as having olive skin with black hair and as wearing wire-rimmed glasses, plaid shorts and a blue shirt.
Two other incidents involved schoolchildren.
In the first incident, two nine-year-old girls at Sanders Corner Elementary School reported on April 23 a man exposed himself to them while they were at recess. The man is described as a white male wearing a black shirt and jeans.
A second incident occurred on April 26 near the same school. A black man reportedly approached a 10-year-old girl who had just been dropped off at her bus stop. The man asked the girl if she could give him directions to the mall. She left the scene after the man asked her if she wanted to be friends. The man is described as being in his mid-thirties and having crooked teeth. He was driving a purple van, possibly used commercially, at the time of the incident.
The sheriff's office responded to 16 exposure reports so far this year, compared to 36 reports in 2001 and 55 reports in 2000. Some of the reports were stated to be exposures but turned out to be non-cases. The number of exposure cases is about the same as last year, said Kraig Troxell, public information officer for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
<sh>Old Funds Will Help Repair Shelter
<bt>Albert Bland of St. Louis asked the Board of Supervisors in January to return sewer feasibility study funding, plus interest, the St. Louis community provided for the village's waste water treatment plant. Bland requested the funding be allocated to serve the county's homeless. The county refunded $500 plus interest, which totals $3,620. The funds will be used for roof repairs and handicapped accessibility at emergency homeless shelters operated by Good Shepherd Alliance, Inc.
<sh>Foundation Receives Grant
<bt>The Sterling Foundation is expected to receive a $30,000 matching fund Transportation Equity Act grant for landscaping improvements along the median of Sterling Boulevard, according to Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling). The funding will be considered for approval in June. B.F. Saul, a hotel development firm in Sterling, pledged $20,000 at the Sterling Fest in October 2001 and the organization raised another $6,000 for the project.
<sh>Supervisors Recognize Volunteer
<bt>The Board of Supervisors honored Georgia Kinsley, a volunteer with the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP), at the May 6 board meeting. The board commended Kinsley for her service as a volunteer for the Clerk of the Circuit Court's office. She volunteered in the Case Management Division from March 2001 to April 2002, helping organize and file civil court papers and documents, prepare civil files for court proceedings and assist patrons with requests to review court files. The RSVP program encourages senior citizens to volunteer.
<sh>Parks Recognizes Volunteers
<bt>Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services celebrated its 14th annual Advisory Board Volunteer Appreciation Night, April 22 at the Senior Center in Cascades. Members of 33 volunteer advisory boards and commissions that work with the department were invited to an evening of entertainment, dinner, awards and presentations. Recipients of the Advisory Board Volunteer of the Year Award for service in 2001 included:
Deborah Bolt-Zieses, Commission on Aging; Claude Bradshaw, Mount Zion Church Preservation Association, Inc.; Etta Bright, Senior Center at Cascades Advisory Board; Stephanie Callahan, Douglass Community Center Advisory Board; Joe Coleman, Friends of Banshee Reeks; Jim Connors, Open Space Advisory Committee; Dixie Demory, Lucketts Community Center Advisory Board; Nima Ebrahimnejad, Bluemont Community Advisory Board; Chris Elardo, Loudoun County Adult Sports Advisory Board; William Fisher, Friends of Franklin Park Performing & Visual Arts Center; Gene Gould, Friends of the Senior Center; Kate Griffith, Lovettsville Community Center Advisory Board; Sheila Hallinan, Arcola Community Center Advisory Board; Thomas Hill, Friends of the Slave Quarters; Lyn Holmes, Loudoun Valley Community Center Advisory Board; Phyllis Hughes, Advisory Commission on Youth; Michelina Johnson, Senior Leisure Advisory Board; Barbara Kaylor, Special Recreation Advisory Board; Georgia Kinsley, RSVP Advisory Board; Rick Kowalick, Parks & Recreation Advisory Board; Mattie Lassiter, Friends of Carver Center; Philip Marshall, Friends of the Heritage Farm Museum; Terry Nelis, Friends of Franklin Park; Anne Plaster, E.E. Lake Store; Pam Rochon, Sterling Annex Community Center Advisory Board; Joan Rokus, Friends of the Stone House at Harper Park; Ruth Scott, Middleburg Community Center Activities Committee; Chris Simoncic, VSArts, Virginia-Loudoun County; Mary & Clair Sixma, Special Olympics Virginia-Loudoun County; Muriel Spetzman, Lanesville Heritage Preservation Society; Bill Stirling, Friends of the Respite Center; Karen Teague-Peko, Sterling Community Center Advisory Board; Ann Zatorski, Philomont Community Center Advisory Board.
<sh>Student Receives Cooke Scholarship
<bt>Twenty-two-year old Morgan Evans of Sterling was one of 50 college seniors nationwide to receive one of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarships. The scholars were selected from 675 applicants. The applicants who were eligible for this year's scholarship had to be greater Washington region residents or college seniors or students planning to attend graduate school in the region.
Cooke, who died April 6, 1997, owned several professional sport teams, including the Washington Redskins football team. The foundation was established in his name as a private, independent foundation to help young people reach their full potential through education.