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INSIDE:
County chairman hopefuls emerge
Murphy wins state delegate race
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Potomac Falls grad shines on college stage
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LeesburgToday VOLUME 27
NUMBER 2
JANUARY 8, 2015 Educa t io n
LEGAL NOTICES 41
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OBITUARIES 51
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LETTERS PAGE 52
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Mike Stancik
ECRWSS PRSRT STD
703-777-1600
T
he second day back to school following winter break had Loudoun County families wishing they’d stayed home. An on-time start to the school day despite heavy morning snowfall made for a dangerous commute all over the county. Five buses were involved in accidents, 15 pulled off the road to wait for help over icy roads and at least one was stuck for more than an hour. A number of teachers could not make it to work, and there were reports that students were held in school gymnasiums until enough teachers could make it to school. “Clearly, the conditions became far worse than anticipated,” Loudoun County Public Schools said in a prepared statement late Tuesday morning. A weather system that was expected to deliver a minor ground covering brought more than 3 inches and left roads hazardous and gridlocked in what became the first significant snowfall of the season. The call to open schools on time was made at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. “At that point the forecast was for 1 to 2 inches or a dusting,” Loudoun schools’ spokesman Wayde Byard said. Since 2:30 that morning, 18 school division employees had been monitoring road conditions and information from the Continued on Page 24
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four-day search for Leesburg resident Hari Simran Singh Khalsa ended in heartbreak last week, as the yoga instructor’s body was discovered in the mountains of Tepoztian, Mexico, after he failed to return from a hike. Those who Hari Simran touched, either personally or spiritually, paid their respects Monday afternoon during a memorial service in Sterling. “He was a person of service, he would always be the first to serve,” loyal friend Prabhjit Singh said in an interview with Leesburg Today. “Whether that would be in the kitchen cutting and chopping vegetables, if it was teaching a class or if it meant cleaning bathrooms. He was there to serve and to help uplift people.” The Sikh community in Loudoun, of which Hari Simran was a part, is very tightknit, Prabhjit said. He also noted that the director at Raj Yoga in Sterling introduced countless people to meditation, something Hari Simran would do every day at 4 a.m. “Many of us have personal relaLeesburg Today/Danielle Nadler tionships with Hari Simran,” SS Mata Friends and family of Hari Simran Singh Khalsa gathered Monday to honor the life of the Loudoun yoga instrucMandir Kaur said during the gurdwara. tor, who died last week after falling during a hike. His wife, Ad Purkh Kaur Khalsa, and friend, Sat Mandir Singh “This doesn’t take away the joy of coming Khalsa, lead a chant at the memorial service. together to celebrate the life of this man. He was a beacon of light, and with that light he During the search effort, the Red Cross, Krishna Kaur said during the memorial service, brought people together.” Ham radio operators, Mexico police, a local which included many of Hari Simran’s favorite Hari Simran was in Tepoztian attending a drone company and area hikers and climbers songs. yoga retreat. He went out for a morning hike, helped to locate the Brooklyn, NY, native as “That’s why I think people have connected during which he sent several text messages. One the Twitter hashtag Find Hari Simran became to this story around the world, because they was a selfie photo of him high on a mountain known in multiple countries. His body was can see themselves in him,” Prabhjit Singh said. overlooking the retreat area. Another told his found in a ravine and it appeared to have suf- “When we first started the search Find Hari wife he had gone farther than expected and fered a fatal head injury. Simran, really in essence Hari had already found would be late for lunch. It is believed he suffered “The passion for finding him was so mas- God, and now our purpose is to find Hari the fatal fall a short time later. sive. He was kind and gentle, but a warrior,” MSS Continued on Page 16
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No Snow Day? Sports
Loudoun Sikh Community Mourns Death Of Yoga Instructor
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