<sh>Tennis Instructor Charged With Sexual Abuse
<bt>A 35-year-old Maryland tennis instructor has been arrested and charged with having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old Arlington girl, police officials said.
Tyrone Tomas Taliaferrow of Glenelg, Md., was apprehended on Aug. 23, by the Howard County Police, and transported to the Arlington County Detention Center.
Taliaferrow, who works at the Aspen Hill Club in Aspen Hill, Md., as been charged with two counts of carnal knowledge of a minor. Each count carries the possibility of two to ten years in a state penitentiary and up to a $100,000 fine.
According to detectives, Taliaferrow had a sexual relationship with a female student at the JTCC which lasted for approximately 10 months spanning 2001 and 2002.
The suspect lived in Arlington at the time and the illegal sex acts took place at his residence in the Maywood neighborhood of North Arlington.
The victim, now 18 years old, contacted police in June. Detectives are investigating whether Taliaferrow had any inappropriate contact with other children.
Anyone with information about Taliaferrow is asked to call Detective Lee Petta at 703-228-4240.
<sh>Feds to Assist Flood Victims
<bt>Although FEMA refused to reconsider its denial of individual disaster assistance, Arlington residents whose homes flooded in June learned last week that they will still be getting some help from the federal government.
The Small Business Administration has opened a Disaster Loan Assistance Center at the Arlington parks and recreation building, located at 3700 South Four Mile Run in Arlington. The hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Loan officers recommend you come with all insurance and financial information, including policy numbers, income and debts. To process applications immediately, all income earners in the household must come in to apply.
The SBA announcement means that residents affected by the flooding are eligible to apply for loans with interest rates as low as 2.9 percent. Loans are available at up to $200,000 for structural repair and $40,000 to replace personal property.
Marc LaFountain, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, advised people to bring their insurance and financial information with them to speed the application process.
"There is no benefit in waiting," LaFountain said. "If you think you might need this money you should come in and apply."
He said that processing of the application can take between 10 days and three weeks, because an SBA assessor must visit the home. If approved, it will be another two weeks before any money arrives. He added that people can apply for the loan without committing to accepting it.
Flooded residents waited weeks for a verdict from FEMA on individual disaster assistance. FEMA’s decision to deny this aid prompted outraged letters from residents as well as state and local elected officials. But FEMA denied Gov. Tim Kaine’s appeal of its ruling, effectively ending any hope for individual disaster grants from the federal government.
For more information, call 1-800-659-2955 or visit www.sba.gov/disaster.
<sh>Campaign Season Begins
<bt>The fall campaign season kicks off with a series of candidate debates at the Civic Federation’s monthly meeting on Sept. 5.
The forum will be held at the Hazel Conference Center at Virginia Hospital Center, and begins at 7:30 p.m.
Repubican Tom O'Donoghue and Independent Jim Hurysz are attempting to unseat U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8), who is seeking a ninth term in Congress.
In the County Board race, incumbent Chris Zimmerman faces challenges from Republican Mike McMenamin and Green Party member Josh Ruebner.
Sally Baird, backed by the local Democratic party, and Cecelia Espenoza, an Independent, are vying for the open School Board seat.