<sh>Tysons Corner Circuit City Robbed
<bt>On Friday, Nov. 24, at about 12:45 p.m., the Circuit City at 8250 Leesburg Pike was robbed. According to Fairfax County Police, a man walked into the electronics section and asked a 19-year-old employee if he could see a GPS system. As the man was looking at the GPS, he revealed a gun to the victim and fled with the product. Two other employees noticed the suspect leave without paying and gave chase. Once outside, the suspect brandished the gun at the employees. Police said the victims were not injured. The suspect was described as a white man, about 20 to 25 years old. He had sandy hair, blue eyes and a goatee. He was wearing a black, three-quarter length coat with a yellow design on the bottom, gray baseball cap and blue jeans. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477 or Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.
<sh>Prevention of Home Burglaries
<bt>Lt. Daniel Courtney, supervisor of the McLean Criminal Investigation Section, Fairfax County Police Department, will be conducting a seminar on prevention of home burglaries on Monday, Dec. 11, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the McLean Government Center at 1437 Balls Hill Road. The presentation will cover the types of burglaries seen in 2006, including serial burglars. Information given to detectives by suspects on why they picked a particular house will also be provided. This presentation may help residents from becoming the next victim. All community members are invited to attend — no registration is required.
<sh>Citizens Handbook Available Now
<bt>Copies of the new Dranesville District Citizens Handbook are currently available at the office of Dranesville District Supervisor Joan DuBois, located in the McLean Government Center at 1437 Balls Hill Road. The guide contains a listing of important offices and contacts – from trails to transportation, e-government to employment, and parks to post offices – for Dranesville and beyond.
<sh>MCA Board Meeting
<bt>The McLean Citizens Association's Board of Directors will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. in the McLean Community Center. The public is welcome to attend. For more information, visit their Web site at www.mcleancitizens.org.
<sh>Flu Shots at Great Falls Library
<bt>Flu shots will be available on Dec. 8, from noon until 2 p.m., and then again on Dec. 16, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike. Shots are $25 or Medicare Part B. Must be 18 or older. Call Inova for details at 877-895-5284. Adults only – no registration necessary.
<sh>Holiday Signal Timing Plan
<bt>On Friday, Nov. 24, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) implemented its annual holiday traffic signal timing plan at a dozen major shopping centers in Northern Virginia to keep traffic and shoppers moving. VDOT traffic engineers re-timed approximately 170 traffic signals to accommodate the annual spike in traffic volumes in and around the region's shopping malls. The special timing plans will be in effect at the following shopping centers through New Year's Day: Tysons and Galleria Shopping Centers, Reston Town Center, Fair Lakes Shopping Center, Fair Oaks Mall, Potomac Mills Mall, Manassas Mall, Shopping centers on Route 234, Springfield Mall, Cascades Town Center , Potomac Run Center , Dulles Town Center . VDOT has assisted area shopping centers by retiming signals during the holidays since 1999.
<sh>Dickerson Book Talk
<bt>Chief political correspondent for Slate Magazine and former Time magazine White House correspondent John F. Dickerson will give a talk on his recently released book, "On Her Trail: My Mother, Nancy Dickerson, TV News' First Woman Star," at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, in the Alden Theatre. The event is free and open to the public, however, tickets are required. Free tickets will be available in the theatre lobby beginning at 6:30 p.m. The theatre is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue. The book talk is sponsored by the McLean Community Center and McLean-Great Falls Celebrate Virginia, 1607-2007. "On Her Trail" chronicles the life of pioneering TV newswoman Nancy Dickerson, a 20-year McLean resident. Dickerson broke the "glass ceiling" for TV newswomen in the late 1950s when there were no rules or resources for professional women. She was the first woman news correspondent for CBS television, the first woman to report from the anchor booth and the floor of a political convention and the first woman at NBC to anchor her own network newscast. John Dickerson, the youngest of Nancy's children, grew up at Merrywood. He will talk about his journey with his mother before and after her death in 1997 and sign copies of this biography of a woman who made media history at the dawn of the information age.
<sh>Free Puppies Need Homes
<bt>A Great Falls resident recently rescued "Purdy," a Dalmatian-mix, and her 13 adorable puppies. It has been a village effort to take care of them as "Purdy" was a first time mom and had her hands full. The puppies are 8 weeks old now, and many are still in need of adoptive homes, as is Purdy who is a sweet 1-year-old Dalmatian. To offer a home for one of these puppies, contact Barbara Lossely-Young at 703-759-9865, or at lossely@attglobal.net. They are ready to go now.
<sh>Corrections
<bt>In the Nov. 22-28 issue of the McLean Connection, the article "It's Not Over Till It's Under" incorrectly stated the number of signatures Tysons Tunnel needs for its tunnel petition. The correct number is 10,000 signatures.
In the same issue, the article "McLean Seniors Practice Solving Ethical Dilemmas" and accompanying photo were incorrectly attributed. Susan Perla wrote the article and Jacky Longwell took the photo.