<sh>Centreville Taxi Driver Charged
<bt>A taxicab driver from Centreville was charged with reckless driving Friday, March 10, after his vehicle struck a 5-year-old girl in the City of Fairfax. He is James Konadu, 43, of the 14800 block of Bolton Road.
City of Fairfax police say he was driving a 2003 Ford taxi in the parking lot of Truro Episcopal Church at 10520 Main St., around 12:49 p.m., when the incident occurred. After stopping for other pedestrians in the driveway, police say Konadu pulled forward and allegedly hit the child, who was crossing the same driveway a few feet away.
The girl, a city resident, was conscious when she was Medevaced to Inova Fairfax Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, said Officer Lynn Coulter, City of Fairfax police spokesperson. She received a laceration to the head and bruises.
According to Coulter, Konadu stated that the child ran out in front of the taxicab. He was released on a summons but, if convicted, could receive as much as a year in jail.
<sh>Help Plan Centreville Day
<bt>The Centreville Community Foundation (CCF) invites all interested people to come to a meeting Thursday, March 16, from 7-9 p.m., to help plan Centreville Day 2006. The planning committee will meet at the Long & Foster building at 6101 Redwood Square Circle in Centreville. Its on Route 28, next to the Centremed building and across the highway from the movie theater.
The annual Centreville Day celebration will be held Saturday, Sept. 16, in Centreville's Historic District. It features live music, children's games, crafters, food from local restaurants, displays by nonprofits and businesses, living-history performers, historic buildings and artifacts, etc. It pulls the community together and is attended by thousands each year.
Volunteers are needed for committees, including: Parade; vendors, entertainment; permits, children’s art contest and local history. Planning meetings will be held once a month. For more information, e-mail ccf@centrevilleva.org, see www.CentrevilleDay.com. or call Cheryl Repetti at 703-830-5407.
<sh>Stay Sober St. Patrick’s Day
<bt>Fairfax County police encourage everyone to have a fun and safe St. Patrick’s Day. And to promote safety on the local roads and highways, officers will conduct a special enforcement effort targeting drunk drivers. On Friday, March 17, a group of officers will patrol throughout the county, trying to identify and arrest drunk drivers.
In 2005, county police made 2,987 arrests for driving while intoxicated. In the same year, there were 929 alcohol-related crashes and 19 fatal crashes that were either alcohol- or drug-related. Police encourage citizens to designate a sober driver if they intend to drink alcohol.
The Washington Regional Alcohol Program will sponsor its annual SoberRide service, March 17-18, from 4 p.m.-4 a.m. For a free cab ride home (up to a $50 fare), call 800-200-8294 (TAXI).
<sh>Draft Watershed Plan Review; Big Rocky Run Cleanup
<bt>A workshop on the Cub Run and Bull Run Watersheds draft plan review will be held Saturday, March 18, from 11:30 a.m.-noon and from 3:30-4 p.m. at the Walney Visitors Center at E.C. Lawrence Park, off Route 28 in Centreville.
Also that day will be a cleanup of the Big Rocky Run stream area from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m., at the same place. RSVP to the watershed presentation at 703-324-5667 or at watersheds@fairfaxcounty.gov. For information about the watersheds study, see www.fairfaxcounty-watersheds.net/.
<sh>Sully District Council Mtg.
<bt>The Sully District Council of Citizens Associations will meet Wednesday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m., in the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. 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, March 22, 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>Free Carseat Inspections
<bt>Certified technicians from the Sully District Police Station will perform free, child safety carseat inspections, Thursday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 28, from 5-9 p.m. each day, at the station, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd in Chantilly. They’ll make sure the carseat is correct for the child’s age, height and weight, the child is securely placed in the seat, and the seat is properly installed in the vehicle.
No appointment is necessary. But residents should install the child safety seats themselves, so the technicians may properly inspect and make adjustments, as necessary. Call the Sully District Child Seat Information line (703-814-7000, ext. 5140) to confirm dates and times. For additional child seat inspection times throughout Fairfax County, call the Fairfax County Operations Support Bureau at 703-280-0559.
<sh>Caputo's Town Hall Mtg.
<bt>Del. Chuck Caputo (D-67th) will host his third town-hall meeting Saturday, March 25, from 10 a.m.-to noon, at the South Riding Town Hall, 43055 Center St., in South Riding. Sen. Mark Herring will be his guest. Both Caputo and Herring will report on the recent General Assembly legislative session. Any questions may be directed to Lu Ann Maciulla McNabb, legislative assistant, at LA@delegatecaputo.com or at 703-476-6944.
<sh>Meals on Wheels Needs Drivers
<bt>The Fairfax Area Agency on Aging "Meals on Wheels" program is in immediate need of drivers to deliver meals, Monday through Friday, to senior adults living in Fairfax County. Volunteers who speak Vietnamese are also needed.
The job involves picking up meals at specified sites between 10:30 a.m.-noon and delivering them to seniors by 1 p.m. Drivers may choose to deliver meals on a daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly or substitute basis. Call the Fairfax AAA Volunteer Intake Line at 703-324-5406 or e-mail melanie.mitchell@fairfaxcounty.gov.
<sh>Air and Space Museum Parking Change
<bt>There's a new parking policy at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Yearly passes will cost $65 each for unlimited use; for members of the museum’s National Air and Space Society, they'll cost $50 each.
Daily parking there is $12 per vehicle, so the annual pass will pay for itself in six visits for the general public and five for museum members. It'll come in handy for local families, as well as residents who frequently entertain out-of-town guests. Applications for the new annual pass are available at www.nasm.si.edu/, by calling 703-572-4102 or by e-mailing uhcparkingpass@si.edu.
<sh>Role Models for Children
<bt>Volunteers are needed throughout Northern Virginia to be positive role models for children who currently have an incarcerated parent. Mentors meet with children two hours per week. Weekly meetings are supplemented by monthly group recreational activities. The only qualification required is a desire to help a child in need.
To sign up for the mentor training session at the Center for Multicultural Human Services in Falls Church, call Ellen Klene, Volunteer Program manager, at 703-533-3302, ext. 107, or see www.cmhs.org.
<sh>Blood Donations are Sought
<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>WFCM Needs Donations to Help Local Needy Families
<bt>Each month, Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) provides food, personal-hygiene and cleaning items to some 300, low-income, working families of all races and religions in western Fairfax County. Its food pantry and clothes closet are at 13981 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly, and it's in great need of donations from the community.
The 10 most-needed items are: Cooking oil (22-34-ounce bottles), flour, (2-5-pound sizes), complete pancake mixes and syrup, juices (preferaby concentrate), spaghetti sauce, feminine-hygiene products, deodorant and laundry detergent. Food and personal-product donations are accepted Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at WFCM's back door.
WFCM's thrift shop is open to the public, Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Clothing, household items, miscellaneous donations are accepted Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the back door. Call 703-988-9656 with questions or to volunteer, or see www.wfcmva.org.