Leesburg Today, April 24, 2014

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LT Spring A/C Tune-Up

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LeesburgToday LEGAL NOTICES 57

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APRIL 24, 2014

OBITUARIES 71

Small Schools Saved

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LETTERS PAGE 72

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WWW.LEESBURGTODAY.COM Bu s in e s s

DAILY UPDATES ONLINE

NUMBER 17

Educa t io n

VOLUME 26

Honoring Black Civil War Heroes

Danielle Nadler

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proposal to close Loudoun’s four smallest schools was pulled from the budget chopping block with an 11th hour, 6-3 vote Tuesday night. The vote came three weeks after Loudoun County School Board members agreed to formally consider closing the schools, and take the first legal steps to do so, in an effort to save $2 million a year and help bridge a $37.7 million funding gap in next fiscal year’s operating budget. But at least two board members who said they were on the fence about the issue ultimately agreed to keep Hillsboro, Lincoln, Aldie and Hamilton elementary schools open for one more year, pushing the vote in favor of the schools. Both Jeff Morse (Dulles) and Debbie Rose (Algonkian) said, somewhat reluctantly, they would give the small schools another year, but requested that the board’s committees conduct a thorough analysis of the cost to maintain and operate the four

schools because the data kept changing during the hurried reconciliation process. Morse sounded ready to vote for closing the schools, but finally said, “The bottom line is we didn’t do the process right.” His constituents would rather the board allocate money to reduce class sizes, “so I’m supporting the small schools at the risk of my community having to go through another year at crowded schools. I don’t do that lightly… But we need to do a thorough assessment so we can put this to bed so every year western Loudoun doesn’t have to come in in a panic and try to save their schools.” Just more than 24 hours earlier, School Board members walked through a standing room only crowd of parents and students shouting “save our schools” and waving signs that read the same, to get to their seats at the dais for a heated public hearing on the matter. The hearing kicked off the week, and the last leg of budget reconciliation talks, and close to 400

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dnadler@leesburgtoday.com

Sports

After Heated Hearing, Divided Board Drops Closure Plan

Leesburg Today/April Grant

Knight Solutions employee Ricardo Daniels scrubs the headstone of William Taylor, who served in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War. The restoration project, initiated by the Loudoun County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, is part of the Virginia Civil War Trails Program to commemorate the black troops from Loudoun County who fought in the war. See story Page 10.

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Family Owned in Loudoun for over 30 years. Continued on Page 29

www.baersmattressden.com Leesburg, VA

next to Ledo Pizza across from Target & Costco

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the downtown’s many niche stores. The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 26, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 27. Admission is a requested $3 donation. There is a continuous shuttle bus service from the parking area at Ida Lee Recreation Center. Patrons are requested to leave their pets at home and are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes, as “there is a lot of walking,” Special Events Supervisor Rachael Goodwin said. For more information, go to the festival website at www.flowerandgarden.org where entertainment schedules, maps, parking information and listings of past and present vendors are available. n

U.S. Postage

SPRING MATTRESS SALE

as writer and TV personality Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge. The famous duo will give a presentation on a special stage the Leesburg Today parking lot at 19 N. King St. The two will share the story of how they rose to fame from farming roots, along the way creating a horticultural and lifestyle empire from the products of their Beekman farm in upstate New York. Their three books are on sale at Ida Lee Recreation Center and also will be available after their talk. And, if visitors get tired of walking the festival, they can always head for the various food vendors, or sink onto a comfortable chair in one of the town eateries. They also can check out the wares at

Permit #78 Springfield, VA

he Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival returns to the downtown area this weekend as a much-anticipated invitation for residents to sample the spring bounty offered by more than 100 vendors of everything to do with outdoor living. A six-block area of historic downtown Leesburg overnight Friday will be converted into a garden oasis through which visitors from around the region stroll while eyeing various plants and shrubs on display, admire the landscape exhibits

and ask gardening questions of the experts who created the miniature gardens or take a break and listen to live music on the courthouse lawn. Their kids may be left in the care of Leesburg Parks and Rec staffers who will keep a watchful eye out as youngsters in the Children’s Stage area get some hands-on craft time, and plant seeds and watch the roster of entertainment drawn up for them, including Irish step dancers, comics, musicians, wildlife naturalists and fun exercise routines by gymnasts. An entertainment highlight will be the appearance at 2 p.m. on the Sunday of the festival of The Fabulous Beekman Boys, otherwise known

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Local Postal Customer

» Margaret Morton

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It’s Flower & Garden Festival Weekend In Leesburg

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