New Address
<bt>The Sterling Annex Community Center has a new address, 22084 Shaw Road, Sterling, because of the renaming of a portion of Church Street. However, the location remains the same. For more information, call 703-430-6673.
<sh>Extended Hours
<bt>Two area post offices have extended their retail hours.
* Sterling Potomac Falls, 46164 West Lake Drive, Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
* Leesburg Main, 25 Catoctin Circle S.E., Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
<sh>Absentee Balloting to Begin
<bt>Registered voters may apply for an absentee ballot and vote at the main office of the General Registrar, Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., in the Virginia Village Shopping Center, 26-C Fairfax St. S.E., Leesburg. Beginning Oct. 24, the office will offer extended hours for absentee voting and will be open Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. The main office will also be open on the two Saturdays prior to the election, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, for absentee voting from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
From Oct. 24-Nov. 5, absentee voting will also be available at the Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Hours will be Monday-Friday, from 4-8 p.m. and on the two Saturdays prior to the election, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
The deadline to apply to vote an absentee ballot by mail is Thursday, Nov. 3, while the deadline to apply to vote an absentee ballot in person is Saturday, Nov. 5.
More information about the election, including a link to an absentee ballot application, is available on the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/government/absentee.htm.
<sh>Hazardous Waste Collection
<bt>Residents throughout Loudoun County are invited to rid their homes of poisons, flammable, corrosive and other household hazardous wastes by delivering them to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event, from
9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29, at Loudoun Valley High School, 304 North Maple Ave., Purcellville. The event is for
Loudoun County residents only and is free.
For more information on what is and isn't accepted at this event, visit the Loudoun County Web site at www.loudoun.gov/oswm/hhw.htm.
<sh>Animal Foster Homes Needed
<bt>At the request of the Humane Society of Southern Mississippi, Loudoun County Animal Control representatives are planning to travel to Gulfport, Miss., at the end of this month to select homeless animals and bring them to Loudoun County for adoption.
Animal Care Control Director Tom Koenig expects the team to return with approximately 10 to 20 dogs and/or cats who were displaced as a result of the recent hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region.
Before becoming available for adoption, these animals would be housed in foster homes in order to allow them time to adjust from some very stressful and disruptive circumstances, including their long journey to Virginia. Loudoun County Animal Care Control is currently accepting and reviewing applications for persons interested in becoming foster care providers.
Information about the Loudoun County Animal Care Control Foster Program can be found online at www.loudoun.gov/animals in the "News" section. Interested participants are encouraged to visit this site to read the foster program requirements, as well as to download the Foster Care Application.
Completed applications can be sent via e-mail to animals@loudoun.gov or faxed to 540-882-3984. Questions regarding the foster care program should be directed to the Animal Shelter at 703-777-0406. About Loudoun County Animal Care Control.
<sh>Victims Wanted
<bt>Sheriff's Investigators have information about a crime but no victims.
Last month the agency received information of an alleged attempted robbery that occurred at the Goose Creek Reservoir but the crime was never reported by the victims.
A phone call to the Sheriff's Office Sept. 28 provided credible information regarding three suspects who approached two
teenagers who were at the reservoir, according to the Sheriff's Office. One of the suspects was said to have brandished a large knife and forced the victims to empty their pockets. The incident was said to have occurred in the evening hours of the same day as the tip was received. Investigators believe the incident may have occurred in the Ashburn area near Belmont Ridge Road and Mount Hope Road.
The Sheriff's Office is encouraging the victims to contact
Investigator K. Fognano of the Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777-0475 or to call Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.
<sh>Two Arrested
<bt>Two teens were charged after a pursuit of a stolen vehicle early Tuesday, Oct. 11, near South Riding.
The pursuit began shortly before 1 a.m. when a Sheriff's deputy observed a vehicle pull out in front of him on Old Ox
Road near Route 28 with a license plate of a vehicle that was reported stolen from Caversham Terrace in South Riding.
The deputy initiated a traffic stop in the area of Loudoun County Parkway and Evergreen Mills Road and the vehicle appeared to be pulling over. As the car pulled into the grass the driver instead sped off and ran a red light at Route 50 continuing on Loudoun County Parkway.
Deputies lost sight of the car. However, the car struck a sign and crashed at the intersection of Loudoun County Parkway and Tall Cedars Parkway. The suspects fled from the car on foot.
A Sheriff's Canine Unit located one of the suspects, Cindy Carruitero, 19, of South Riding, lying in the grass, according to the Sheriff's Office. She was charged with possession of stolen property and released on a $10,000 bond. The canine unit also found a 15-year-old suspect in the nearby woods. He was charged with possession of stolen property and transported to the Juvenile Detention Center.
The vehicle, a 1996 Honda Accord, had been taken from a parking lot of an apartment complex in South Riding sometime between 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday.
<sh>Playing with Matches
<bt>The Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office determined that a fire resulting in $30,000 damage to an Ashburn home Saturday, Oct. 8, was accidental. An investigation by the Fire Marshal's Office indicated that the fire started when a small child playing with a lighter ignited combustibles in a bedroom. Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services received a 9-1-1 call around 11:17 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 8, for a structure fire in the 20600 block of Rainsboro Drive in Ashburn.
A family of four was displaced by the fire and is staying with relatives pending repairs to the home. The Loudoun County After the Fire Program provided assistance to the family.
The Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office encourages families to use precaution with lighters and matches and offers these suggestions and reminders:
* Store matches and lighters out of children's reach and sight, up high, preferably in a locked cabinet.
* Use only lighters designed with child-resistant features.
* Remember child-resistant does not mean child proof.
* Never leave matches or lighters in a bedroom or any place where children may go without supervision.
* Teach young children to tell an adult if they see matches or lighters, and teach school-age children to bring any matches or lighters to an adult.
* If a child expresses curiosity about fire or has been playing with fire, calmly but firmly explain that matches and lighters are tools for adults only.
<sh>Budget Award
<bt>Loudoun County has received a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).
The association cites Loudoun County government and staff for a "commitment to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting." In order to receive the budget award, Loudoun County had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well a government's budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device.
Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all categories to receive the award. Loudoun County's budget for fiscal year 2006 met or exceeded this requirement. The document was rated as "outstanding" for its presentation of the county's financial policies and received high marks for its explanation of short-term initiatives, functional descriptions and its debt and fiscal trends section.
In addition to the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation has been presented to Mark Adams, director of the Department of Management and Financial Services, which includes the Budget Office.