Dawson Lawsuit Settled
<bt>At its Nov. 16 meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted to settle a lawsuit filed against the previous board by the Dawson family, which owned a 225-acre tract south of Braddock Road and along the southern border of Ticonderoga Farms. The Dawsons had filed suit with seven other landowners in the area when the previous board reduced the amount of homes that could be built in the area. Part of the Dawson lawsuit went to the Virginia Supreme Court last year, which ruled in favor of the county. Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge) asked that Supervisor Stephen Snow (R-Dulles) recuse himself from the vote on the settlement, since the property's owner, Roma Dawson, had served as Snow's campaign treasurer last year. Snow declined, and the settlement passed 5-4, with supervisors Burton, Scott York (I-at large), Sally Kurtz (D-Catoctin) and Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) voting against settling. The property, which has been optioned to Greenvest, a major development planned in the area, will probably come before the supervisors again as a rezoning application.
<sh>Correction
<bt>In the Nov. 11 story, "In Fields Where Soldier Died," two historical errors were printed. First, it was not Brig. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton who was fired after the battles were over, but his boss, Gen. Joseph Hooker. Second, the cavalry battles of Loudoun Valley were not the largest of the Civil War, but rather the second largest after the Battle of Brandy Station, which employed an estimated 2,000 more soldiers. An equivalent number of casualties, however, took place in both instances.
<sh>Supervisor's Fed Up
<bt>Mild-mannered Sally Kurtz (D-Catoctin) has finally taken a stand against Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) in a written statement submitted to the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 16. Kurtz included e-mails from Delgaudio to his constituents where he refers to her constituents as "rich Western Loudoun citizens" and "Liberals" in his opposition to the parks referendum, which would purchase parkland for the Catoctin town of Lovettsville. "I no longer think that ignoring Mr. Delgaudio's inflammatory public statements will temper what I consider to be a chronic history of immature tirades designed primarily to be socially divisive and insulting to targeted groups of citizens," Kurtz wrote. She added that his tactics were, in her opinion, solely used to garner monetary contributions to further Delgaudio's political agenda. "The sad part of all this is, unfortunately, is that his name-calling, stereotyping, baiting and taunting tactics seem to work as well as they do."
<sh>Oprison to Run for Delegate
<bt>Local Attorney and conservative Republican Chris Oprison has officially announced that he has entered the race for delegate in Virginia's 33rd House. Oprison characterizes
himself as a solid social and fiscal conservative who has the guts to say "enough is enough" when it comes to tax hikes on the good people of the commonwealth, according to a press release.
On his principal motivation for running, Oprison cites this year's tax hike, which was passed with the help of several Republican legislators, including the 33rd district incumbent, Joe May.
Oprison contends that the tax vote marked a betrayal from within the Republican Party. As delegate, according to the release, Oprison will lead the fight to repeal the tax hikes. Oprison, a former Marine prosecutor, promises to work with other like-minded, anti-tax legislators to undo the taxes. He has already signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge provided by the Americans for Tax Reform, a national anti-tax organization headed by Grover Norquist in Washington, D.C.
Oprison and his wife, Jennifer, live in Leesburg with their three children. Oprison is a member of the Loudoun County Republican Committee, the National Rifle Association, the Club for Growth, and the Republican National Lawyers Association.
More information about Oprison's candidacy can be found at www.chrisoprison.com.
<sh>Teen Injured
<bt>A Sterling teenager apparently jumped onto the hood of a friends moving vehicle, eventually falling onto the street, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
According to witnesses, Steven E. Lawhorn, 19, ran from his house on Briarwood Court near Applegate Drive shortly after 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 10, and jumped onto the hood of a 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier operated by a Ryan Gansel, 18, of
Sterling. Lawhorn rode on the hood of the vehicle and continued for a short distance, slowed and Lawhorn tumbled onto the street.
Lawhorn was airlifted to Washington Hospital Center as a result of his injuries where he was listed in stable condition. Evidence at the scene did not suggest any excessive speed to be a factor in the incident.
The investigation into the incident is continuing.
<sh>Route 50 Accident
<bt>An accident Wednesday, Nov. 10, on Route 50 at
Gum Spring Road sent three people to area hospitals and tied up traffic for several hours. The accident occurred shortly after 5:30 a.m. when a van was struck by a tow truck pulling a passenger car, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. The tow truck was heading west on Route 50 when it apparently ran a red light and struck the van as it was turning left onto Gum Spring Road.
Two passengers in the van, Carlos Mendoza, 31, and his wife, Juana Mendoza, 28, who are from Manassas, were airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital. Both were said to have non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the van, Quintanilla Jose Orlando Mendoza, 26, also of Manassas, was taken to Loudoun Hospital.
The driver of the tow truck, Scott Alan Miller, 38, of Warrenton, was charged with reckless driving. Miller was not injured in the accident.
Westbound traffic on Route 50 was slowed for two hours due to the accident.
The accident remains under investigation and witnesses to the accident who have yet to come forward are asked to contact DFC Garis with the Traffic Safety Unit at 703-771-5798.
<sh>Teens Arrested
<bt>Four Sterling teenagers have been charged in
connection with a Halloween BB gun shooting incident that injured four juveniles, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Three 14-year-old boys and one 13-year-boy have been charged with four counts of malicious wounding, one count of brandishing, and one count of underage possession of a firearm.
The charges stem from an incident where a 14-year-old Sterling girl and three other teens were with a group of friends near a residence on Kentwell Place near Woodmere Court in Sterling when the juvenile suspects allegedly discharged a BB gun into the crowd.
One of the victims, a 14-year-old, suffered minor injuries to her face in the incident and was treated at the emergency room at Loudoun Hospital for facial wounds. Three other teens suffered injuries in the incident that did not require medical treatment.
Investigators assigned to the case have recovered the weapons used in the incident, a CO2 handgun and a CO2 rifle that had a sniper scope attached.
<sh>Sterling House Fire
<bt>On Thursday, Nov. 11, at approximately 7:41 a.m., Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services received a 911 call for a structure fire in the 100 block of Fox Road South in Sterling. Fire and rescue personnel arrived on the scene of 151 Fox Road South and discovered heavy fire coming from a single-family home. The cause of the fire, which resulted in extensive damage, is under investigation by the Loudoun County Fire MarshalÕs Office. The dollar loss is still pending. The two residents of the home were displaced as a result of this incident. The American Red Cross assisted with temporary housing pending repairs to the home. There were no injuries.
<sh>Bank Robbery
<bt>On Nov. 12, at approximately 11:07 a.m., Loudoun Country SheriffÕs deputies were dispatched to the 4600 block of Harry Byrd Highway for a hold-up alarm. Upon arrival deputies learned that a lone male subject had entered the Provident Bank, approached the counter area, allegedly brandished a handgun and announced a robbery. The suspect left the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. He is described as a male, 6 feet tall, 170 pounds, medium build, wearing a black jacket, blue pants and a mask during the incident.
Anyone with information regarding this incident, is asked to contact Investigator Edward Ankers Jr. of the SheriffÕs Office Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777-0475.
<sh>Buckle Up
<bt>Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services wants to remind parents of the importance of making sure that their children are safely protected when traveling in a vehicle. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, all children 12 and under should ride in the rear seat and should always be buckled up or in properly installed car seat. Furthermore, children under the age of 6 are required to ride in safety seats which are properly used and approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
To assist in a proactive approach to helping assure a safe and happy holiday, the Loudoun County Department of Fire and Rescue Services conducts child-safety seat inspections at a number of the fire and rescue stations throughout the county. These inspections are done by appointment only. Residents are asked to call their local fire or rescue station to schedule an appointment.
For more information about child passenger safety, contact Public Education Manager, Joy Dotson at 703-777-0333.
<sh>Flu Clinic
<bt>The Loudoun County Health Department will hold a flu vaccination clinic for high-risk Loudoun County residents will be held Saturday, Nov. 20, at Simpson Middle School, 490 Evergreen Mill Road, Leesburg, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., on a first-come, first-served basis.
To be eligible to receive the flu vaccine, Loudoun County residents must meet at least one of the Centers for Disease Control's high-risk criteria. These include:
* Adults aged 65 years and older
* Children ages 6 months to 23 months
* People of any age who have an underlying, long-term illness (heart or lung disease, diabetes, kidney disease, a blood disorder, or a weakened immune system)
* Pregnant women
* Health-care workers who take care of patients
* People in nursing homes or other chronic-care places
* People 6 months to 18 years old who take aspirin daily
* People who take care of a baby under 6 months old
There is an $18 charge for the flu vaccine, payable by check or cash. For those who have Medicare A and B and bring their Medicare card, the Health Department will bill their insurance. Residents who will be participating in the flu clinic should wear a short sleeve shirt to better speed them through the process.
Loudoun County residents can receive updated flu vaccine information by calling the Health Department's flu vaccine hot line at 703-771-5512 or by visiting the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/codeflu.