Corrections
<bt>* In "Randall Files for Broad Run Seat" [Jan. 10-16], Phyllis Randall is correcting the number she provided of the number of children living in poverty in Loudoun County. The correct number is 1,900 of almost 57,000 children live in poverty.
* In “Potomac Falls Splits from Church” [Jan. 10-16], the Rev. Jack Grubbs was misquoted. CANA is connected with the world-wide Anglican Communion.
<sh>Caputo, Herring Talk Traffic
<bt>Del. Chuck Caputo (D-67) and Sen. Mark Herring (D-33) will hold a town meeting on transportation, Saturday, Jan. 20, from 10-11:30 a.m., at the Chantilly Regional Library, 4000 Stringfellow Road, Chantilly. Residents are encouraged to come and voice their concerns and suggestions. Also present will be Virginia Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer.
<sh>Seeking Cause
<bt>A medical emergency may be the cause of a single-vehicle crash that occurred Friday, Jan. 12, on Route 7 in Ashburn, according to the Sheriff's Office. The driver was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead but the cause of his death remains unclear.
The driver, William Hawley Van Wyck, 29, of Bluemont, was traveling eastbound on Route 7 around 12:30 p.m., when for unknown reasons his 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee traveled through the crossover at Smith Circle and struck a guardrail.
Van Wyck was taken to the Lansdowne Campus of Inova Loudoun Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Sheriff's Office is awaiting an autopsy, which may determine the cause of death.
The crash caused some delays on westbound Route 7 as the roadway was partially closed to two lanes before being reopened around 2 p.m.
<sh>Grant Award
<bt>The Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, has received a $2,000 to support a four-part lecture-discussion series commemorating the 400th anniversary of Virginia and the 250th anniversary of Loudoun County. The grant was one of 32 awarded by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to assist state organizations in their efforts to research and interpret Virginia's history, to explore issues of importance to Virginians and to showcase Virginia's folklife and cultural heritage.
<sh>Two Arrested for Robbery
<bt>Two Sterling men were arrested Wednesday, Jan. 10, during a traffic stop minutes after they were involved in an armed robbery.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Donald J. Reid, 20, and Noah D. Bennerson, 20, are charged in the robbery. In the incident the two men allegedly robbed another man around 8:45 p.m. in the 46800 block of Eaton Terrace in Sterling. The men are accused of taking the victim's wallet and cell phone.
According to the Sheriff's Office, a few minutes after the robbery a deputy on patrol observed a vehicle with a malfunctioning headlight driving in the area of Winding Road and Lakeside Drive. After conducting a traffic stop the driver of the car, Byron Anthony Stafford, 29, of Ashburn, was charged with drug offenses. The two suspects were passengers in the car and were later identified as being involved in the robbery.
Reid is charged with robbery and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and Bennerson is charged with robbery. Both men were being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Stafford was being held on a $3,000 bond.
<sh>Dangerous Intersections
<bt>The intersection of Harry Byrd Highway (Route
7) at Belmont Ridge Road in Ashburn tops the list of the most crash-prone intersections in Loudoun County for 2006.
Every year the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Traffic Research Analyst compiles the top-10 intersections in the county with the highest number of crashes. There were no traffic fatalities as a result of any of the crashes on the list.
The intersections and the number of crashes are as follows: Harry Byrd Highway/Belmont Ridge Road, 67; Harry Byrd Highway/Ashburn Village Road, 65; Harry Byrd Highway/Potomac View Road, 64; Route 28/Old Ox Road, 60; Harry Byrd Highway/Sterling Boulevard, 56; Harry Byrd Highway/Route 9, 56; Route 28/Sterling Boulevard, 55; Waxpool Road/Pacific Boulevard, 48; Harry Byrd Highway/George Washington Boulevard, 47; and Waxpool Road/Loudoun County Parkway, 46.
<sh>New Legislation
<bt>Congressman Frank Wolf (R) has submitted a couple of pieces of legislation for the new session of Congress to consider.
On Jan. 5, he reintroduced legislation to create the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, which would generally follow U.S. Route 15 from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The bill was introduced in April but no action was taken before the Congress' previous session ended in December.
In addition, Wolf, in partnership with Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) introduced legislation Jan. 16 aimed at a comprehensive reform of the nation’s tax and entitlement systems. The Securing America’s Future Economy (SAFE) Commission Act will establish a national commission to examine these systems and present long-term solutions to place the United States on a fiscally sustainable course and ensure the solvency of entitlement programs for future generations. Companion bills were introduced in both the Senate and the House.