Man Wanted in Stabbing
<bt>Loudoun County Sheriff's Investigators are searching for a man wanted in connection with an alleged stabbing that occurred outside a bar this weekend in Sterling.
Jesus Ayala Jr., 35, of no fixed address, is alleged to have assaulted and cut a Herndon female with a sharp object while on the loading dock at the back of a bar in the Sterling Park Mall.
Deputies were called to the Reston Hospital Emergency Room where the 29-year-old victim was being treated shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday morning.
According to the investigators, the incident occurred shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday and Ayala fled the scene in a 1999 white Ford Taurus belonging to a witness at the scene. The vehicle was discovered Monday in the parking lot of the Dulles Town Center.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office immediately at 703-771-1021 or call Investigator Remick at 703-777-0475.
<sh>Money for Dulles Rail
<bt>The six-year $275 billion transportation bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives April 2 included federal approval of funding for the Dulles Rail project. Although the bill did not include a dollar amount to be allocated to the project, U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10), called the approval "a major step forward."
"If the project failed to get in, it would have been another six years before the chance would come around again," Wolf said in a release.
Rail backers have said the federal government needs to fund $600 million towards the project's construction for it to be completed on time. It is unclear at this point how much money Congress will put towards the project.
Earlier this year, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved creation of a special tax district requiring commercial landowners in the Dulles Corridor to pay higher real estate taxes to fund the county's share of the project. The state of Virginia will also consider raising the tolls on the Dulles Toll Road to help pay for rail.
The Senate has already passed its own $318 billion version of the bill.
The White House, however, is pushing for a pared back transportation bill not to exceed $256 billion.
<sh>Herndon Tree City Streak Continues
<bt>The Town of Herndon has been named a 2003 Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation in honor of the town's commitment to community forestry. This is the 15th consecutive year that the town has received the recognition.
The program is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. In order to be recognized as a Tree City USA, localities must have a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance. The town's recognition is a result of the hard work and dedication of the community forester, John L. Dudzinaky and the many volunteers, who are devoted to tree preservation in the community.
<sh>Ordinance Revision Project
<bt>A meeting has been scheduled for the Zoning and Subdivision Ordnance Revision Project Advisory Committee Thursday, April 15, from 7-10 p.m., in the second-floor conference room of the Herndon Municipal Center, 777 Lynn St.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Gilleran, zoning administrator, at 703-787-7380 or through e-mail at lisa.gilleran@town.herndon.va.us.
<sh>Candidate Forum
<bt>The Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce and HCTV will host the biannual Candidates Forum for the Town of Herndon Sunday, April 25, beginning at 4 p.m., at the Council Chambers, 765 Lynn St.
The 12 candidates for Town Council will be presented from 4-7 p.m. The forum breaks for an hour's dinner and resumes with the mayoral candidates from 8-9:30 p.m.
The public is invited to attend the free event and there will be an opportunity for questions from the audience and the local press.
All of those running for the offices of mayor and Town Council are requested to contact the chamber at 703-437-5556 in order to receive an invitation to participate.
<sh>Town of Herndon Praises LINK
<bt>The Town of Herndon plans to express their appreciation to LINK for more than 30 years of service to the Herndon community Tuesday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m., in the Council Chambers on Lynn Street. LINK president Nancy Smith and vice president Carol Lavery will accept the award.