Chantilly Crash Kills Man
<bt>A 32-year-old Fairfax man was killed, early Monday morning, when his car slammed into a tractor-trailer on Route 50 at Pleasant Valley Road in Chantilly. Dead at the scene was Sterling K. Niemann of Westbrook Mill Lane in Fairfax. Fairfax County police say he was delivering newspapers at the time of the crash, around 5:25 a.m.
Crash Reconstruction Unit investigators say the truck was making a U-turn from the left through-lane of Route 50 east when Niemann's 2001 Honda Accord ran into the rear of it. The accident is still under investigation, but police say neither speed, nor alcohol, were factors in the crash.
<sh>Teen Is Suspected of 30 Auto Thefts
<bt>A loud muffler last week in Chantilly led to the arrest of a 15-year-old Falls Church boy who police believe is responsible for more than 30 automobile thefts. Last Wednesday, Feb. 11, around 3:25 p.m., a Fairfax County police officer on routine patrol heard a loud muffler on a Honda Civic that she saw traveling on Lees Corner Road near Pennsboro Drive.
After checking the registration, the officer discovered the Honda had been reported stolen. The officer then tried to stop the Honda on Kincaid Court, but the driver ran from the car into the neighborhood. Several additional officers — including a police K9 team and a county police helicopter — began to search the area.
Police caught the suspect running in a field in the 4200 block of Lees Corner Road. They say investigation has connected the teen to more than 30 automobile thefts in the Northern Virginia area. He was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center and charged with grand larceny. The investigation is continuing, and police say additional charges may be placed against the boy.
<sh>Drag Racing Bill Passes House
<bt>Del. Tim Hugo's House Bill 993, a bill that strengthens reckless driving penalties by allowing for a felony conviction for any person who causes bodily injury to anyone due to an accident resulting from drag racing, overwhelmingly passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 98 to 2 this week.
<sh>Centreville Community Coalition
<bt>The Centreville Community Coalition will meet Friday, Feb. 20, at 10 a.m. For location and further information, call Debbie Martin at 703-802-9454.
<sh>CCF Meeting is Feb. 24
<bt>The Centreville Day committee of the Centreville Community Foundation will meet Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m., in the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. Call Sandy Shapiro at 703-266-3653.
<sh>Datta Addresses Sully Council
<bt>Susan Datta, director of Fairfax County's Department of Management and Budget, will be the guest speaker at the Wednesday, Feb. 25, meeting of the Sully District Council of Citizens Associations. It will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly.
Datta will review the county executive's advertised budget for the 2005 fiscal year and discuss how federal and state budget constraints impact county residents. For more information, call Mark McConn at 703-818-9124.
<sh>Park Authority to Meet
<bt>The next meeting of the Fairfax County Park Authority will be Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Herrity Building, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 900, in Fairfax. Call Judy Pedersen at 703-324-8662.
<sh>Mature Drivers Improvement Program
<bt>Fairfax County police will conduct a class for mature drivers, Saturday, Feb. 28, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. Sign-in begins at 7:30 a.m.
Crash data, each year, indicates that age plays a significant role in traffic deaths and injuries. So this class is being offered for Virginia residents, age 55 and older, to better help them cope with the demands facing them behind the wheel.
<sh>WFCM Seeks Used Computers
<bt>Fairfax County schools require that middle- and high-school students do much of their work on a computer. And Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) has a program that tries to reach children from low-income families who do not own computers. Therefore, any company upgrading its computer system that's capable of running Windows 98, please contact WFCM Executive Director Dorothy Fonow at 703-988-9656 to discuss donating these computers to WFCM's program.
In addition, many Pentium II and III computers now being thrown out by businesses and replaced by newer models could still be used by most nonprofit organizations for: e-mail, Web browsing, office applications, databasing, and accounting.
<sh>Blood Is Urgently Needed
<bt>The Inova Blood Donor Center in the Centremed I Building on Route 29 in Centreville (across from the Centreville Multiplex Cinemas) is in urgent need of blood donations — especially O positive or negative, as well as A and B. They're accepted Tuesday-Friday, noon-8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. For an appointment to give blood, call (703) 322-1970, or drop in at your own convenience.
<sh>Baby Supplies Are Sought
<bt>Western Fairfax Christian Ministries is currently in need of baby food, formula and large-sized diapers. Please drop off items to WFCM at 13981 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly.