<sh>Two Injured in Wind Storm
<bt>A 14-year-old Dominion High School student and a 30-year-old male were injured Thursday during a wind storm that downed trees and power lines throughout the county.
The student was injured that morning as she waited for the bus in front of her home on Lakeland Drive in Sterling. An oak tree blew over and fell across the roadway, taking several power lines with it. The top branches of the tree struck the student, trapping her underneath the tree.
"It came over and unfortunately she was in the wrong place," said Kraig Troxell, public information officer for the Sheriff's Office. "We thought the injuries were life threatening. She was taken to Children's National Medical Center, and they worked their magic."
Paul O'Brien, her neighbor and a member of the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad, stabilized her until personnel from the Department of Fire and Rescue Services and the Sterling Volunteer Fire and Rescue companies arrived at about 8:20 a.m., removing her from beneath the tree by 8:39 a.m. The girl was transported to the medical center in Washington, D.C. where she was later listed in stable condition.
At 12:30 p.m., the Department of Fire and Rescue Services was dispatched out to the River Creek Golf Course where a man had been struck in the head by a falling tree limb and sustained serious injuries. He had been working on a golf cart path. The man was transported to Loudoun Hospital Center then to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he was later listed in stable condition.
The wind storm caused power outages to 14,875 Dominion Virginia Power customers. Dominion expected to restore the power by 11 p.m. the next day.
"It's a rolling outage when you have high winds and trees blowing over the lines over a period of time," said David Botkins, spokesperson for Dominion Virginia Power.
<sh>Storm Damage to Fairground
<bt>Due to the storms moving through Loudoun County last Nov. 5, the roof of the Small Show Pavilion was lifted and spread across the countryside to the east of the fairgrounds. The Loudoun Fair and Associates is awaiting response from the insurance company. The Glenwood Livestock Show uses the fairgrounds in April for an early spring show for 4-H livestock project participants. The Small Show Pavilion is used for the Sheep Show.
<sh>ADAMS Center Van Vandalized
<bt>Vandals targeted a van belonging to the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center Mosque with graffiti. They spray-painted it with an obscene anti-Islamic statement that referred to Allah, the Muslim word for God.
The Sheriff's Office is investigating the vandalism incident, which occurred between 5 p.m. on Sunday and 8 a.m. on Monday, as a hate crime.
"We are committed to finding perpetuators of crimes of this nature," said Kraig Troxell, public information officer for the Sheriff's Office. "The Sheriff's Office has not and will not tolerate acts of hatred in Loudoun County."
The incident marks the third time the ADAMS Center has been a victim of a hate crime. The van was parked in the mosque parking lot on Sugarland Road in Sterling, used to transport children to and from the Center for basketball and scouting programs.
The Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the incident. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call 703-777-0475.
<sh>Juveniles Arrested in Burglary
<bt>Two juveniles were arrested early on the morning of Nov. 10 in connection with a burglary of a convenience store in Sterling.
Shortly after 3:30 a.m. a Sheriff's Deputy was on routine patrol in the area of the Community Plaza when a newspaper delivery man flagged him down. The delivery man said he had noticed the front door of the High-Up Food Mart had been smashed.
During a canvass of the area the deputy observed a vehicle with its lights on, two 16-year-old boys from Sterling occupied the vehicle. Inside the vehicle deputies discovered various items from inside the convenience store including beer and several cartons of cigarettes.
The two juveniles were charged with possession of burglarious tools, destruction of property, breaking and entering and grand larceny.
<sh>Woman Dies in Accident
<bt>A 39-year-old Ashburn woman was killed after her car was struck by a dump truck. On Nov. 10, Kathy Varney, of Churchill Downs Drive, was turning left onto Westfields Boulevard from southbound Route 28 when the driver of a dump truck, traveling northbound on Route 28, struck Varney's Ford Explorer. According to witnesses, each driver had a red light in their direction of travel. A Fairfax County Police helicopter medevaced Varney to Inova Fair Oaks Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the dump truck, Patricia Jo Keener, of Damascus Drive in Manassas, was also taken to Inova Fair Oaks Hospital with minor injuries. Both drivers were wearing seat belts and alcohol was not a factor. The investigation is continuing and charges are pending.
<sh>Pedestrian Dies in Accident
<bt>A pedestrian died Sunday night after a vehicle struck her as she attempted to cross Sugarland Run Drive.
The victim was attempting to cross the road shortly before 5:30 p.m. yesterday near the intersection of Potomac View Road when a 1990 Jeep Cherokee struck her. The victim, 60-year-old Sandra Shapiro Tedder of Reston, was airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital where she later died.
The driver of the vehicle, 35-year-old Jose Anibal Andrade of Leesburg, who was uninjured in the accident, was traveling eastbound on Sugarland Run Drive from Potomac View Road.
The accident remains under investigation by members of the Sheriff's Office Accident Reconstruction Unit. Witnesses to the accident are asked to contact DFC Cenate at 703-771-5798.
<sh>Car Crashes Into Townhouse
<bt>A family of five was displaced from their Sterling home early Saturday morning after a vehicle crashed into the rear of a townhouse and ignited a fire. The 26-year-old driver of the car, Roberto Carlos Guzman of Sterling, was charged in the incident with driving under the influence.
The 2002 Nissan four door sparked the fire when it struck a gas meter, rupturing the gas line. Fire and rescue personnel reported upon their arrival there was heavy fire coming from the rear of the townhouse. The residents of the townhouse, a couple, their 2-year-old child and two other adult relatives were uninjured in the incident. The residents of three neighboring townhouses had to be evacuated from their homes for over an hour.
The incident happened shortly before 1 a.m. on Nov. 15 as the driver, who was traveling southbound on Thomas Jefferson Drive, traveled through a stop sign and hit the residence in the 21800 block of Stoneington Square.
According to Fire Officials damage to the home is estimated at $125,000.
The driver was treated for minor injuries at the scene. He was taken to the Loudoun Adult Detention Center where he has since been released.
<sh>LCPS Receives SOL Accreditation
<bt>For the second straight year, the Public Schools received full accreditation under Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOL).
The Virginia Department of Education announced last week that all 54 Loudoun schools taking the SOL tests in 2003 had at least 70 percent of their students pass tests in English, mathematics, history and science. Statewide, 78 percent of schools received full accreditation.
"We're very pleased that we still have all of our schools accredited," said Sharon Ackerman, assistant superintendent for instruction, adding, "It doesn't become routine because each year you're testing a different group of students and, for us, with the number of schools we're opening, it might even be a different school."
The Department of Education adopted the SOLs in 1995 and requires schools to meet the standards by 2007 or lose accreditation.
<sh>Forum to Help Boost Tourism
<bt>U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) will host a forum Nov. 21 to help area tourist attractions benefit from the December opening of the Smithsonian's new Air & Space Museum annex near Washington Dulles International Airport.
A representative from the Smithsonian will provide an overview of the new museum and officials with Commonwealth's Virginia Tourism Corporation will discuss ways area attractions can market their sites to the three million visitors the new museum is expected to attract every year.
The forum, "Helping Our Tourism Industry Take Off," will be from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in the Cottage House at Oatlands Plantation, which is on Route 15 just south of Leesburg. Anyone involved in the tourism industry in the 10th District is encouraged to attend the free event. To register, contact Neil Siefring or Elizabeth Becker in Wolf's Washington office at 202-225-5136.
<sh>Make a Difference Day
<bt>Loudoun Volunteer Services invites families in Loudoun County to make a difference by volunteering in support of their community during National Family Volunteer Day on Nov. 22. The event is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving and kicks off National Family Week.
Loudoun Volunteer Services has put together a planning packet for groups or families that will provide some project ideas, "how to" tips and a registration form for an event.
For more information, or to receive a registration packet, contact Lisa Rose, Loudoun Volunteer Services at pivs@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0113. All materials are available online at www.loudoun.gov/pio/volunteer.htm.
<sh>First Night Volunteers Sought
<bt>The First Night Leesburg Committee is calling for volunteers and business sponsors to help with its family-focused celebration of the arts held on New Year's Eve. First Night, the New Year's celebration of the performing arts sponsored for the families, friends and neighbors of Loudoun County, relies on more than 100 volunteers each year.
The First Night Committee is looking for volunteers on New Year’s Eve to help with one of four shifts between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m. The Committee is particularly interested in hearing from business and civic groups that would like to help with financial contributions, volunteer as a group at a site or take on special work projects. Individuals and/or groups interested in volunteering at the 2003 First Night Leesburg Celebration should contact Ann Langdon at 703-777-6306. Businesses interested in sponsoring First Night should contact Amy Cross-Monroe at 703-669-1650. For general information, write Volunteers, First Night Leesburg, P.O. Box 203, Leesburg, Virginia 20178, or go to www.bluemont.org.
<sh>Integrated Water Use
<bt>The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has approved the establishment of integrated communal water and wastewater utilities in a section of eastern Loudoun.
The Board acted on an application by the Loudoun County Sanitation Authority (LCSA) to define the service area and facilities plan for the Lower Sycolin and Goose Creek sub-areas. These are sub-areas of the Transition Policy Area established by the county's Revised Comprehensive Plan. The properties affected are generally located south of Sycolin Creek, west of Goose Creek, west and south of Beaverdam Reservoir and east of Route 621.
The LCSA proposal would establish up to three water storage tanks — one in Lower Sycolin and two in Middle Goose — with a capacity of 250,000 gallons each and a wastewater treatment plant in both sub-areas.
The county's Comprehensive Plan supports the implementation of communal water and wastewater systems in the sub-areas as a way to assure the quality and quantity of groundwater and to protect it from contamination from septic tanks and drainfields.
<sh>Meeting on Purcellville
<bt>The public input session on the update of the Purcellville Urban Growth Area Management Plan originally scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 30, has been rescheduled for Dec. 6. Details regarding format, time and location will be announced later.
A work session for property owners adjacent to the Town of Purcellville's corporate limits will be held Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. at the Town of Purcellville office, 130 E. Main St., Purcellville.
The Joint Policies Review Committee will meet Dec. 16, at 5 p.m. at the Town office to discuss input from the earlier public work sessions. Comments from the sessions have been compiled and are available online at www.loudoun.gov/compplan/purcellville.htm.
The Town of Purcellville and Loudoun County are in the process of updating the Purcellville Urban Growth Area Management Plan, which contains land use goals and priorities for the area surrounding Purcellville's corporate limits. The area is known as the Joint Land Management Area (JLMA) and is jointly planned by the town and county.