Loudoun Now for April 6, 2023

An Easter Eggstravaganza

Kids around Loudoun got an early start on the annual egg-hunting season last weekend including these treasure-seekers at Lovettsville on Saturday.

County Board Adopts its Final Budget

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

County supervisors have passed the last budget of their term, closing four years of fiscal decisions through a once-a-century pandemic, creating a new county department, absorbing another one from the state, and levying nearly $7 billion in real estate and personal property taxes.

On Tuesday, supervisors adopted a budget totaling about $4.7 billion across the county, schools, and construction programs, funded in large part by a real estate tax rate of 87.5 cents per $100 in assessed value. But with property values climbing,

Superintendent Holds Second Listening Session in Ashburn

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

About 40 people participated in an at times contentious March 30 community listening session held by Loudoun County Public Schools Acting Superintendent Daniel Smith.

The 60-minute meeting was the second in a series of eight, planned to take place through all the election districts in the county.

The Ashburn District meeting was held at Trailside Middle School and included School Board Vice Chair Harris Mahedavi (Ashburn), Deputy Superintendent Ashley Ellis, Acting Chief of Staff Neil Slevin, Chief Operations Officer Kevin Lewis and Director of Professional Learning Tina Howle.

the tax rate is projected to mean $339 more this year on the average real estate tax bill.

It also includes a five-cent cut to the personal property tax rate to $4.15 per $100, a rate that had been unchanged since 1987 and which applies to residents’ possessions like cars, campers and boats and businesses’ assets like the computer equipment inside data centers, the major source of the county’s revenue from that industry.

Supervisors approved the budget 8-01, Supervisor Caleb E. Kershner (R-Catoctin) absent, with several remarking that while there are things they would have changed, it’s a good compromise.

“I will always pass the lowest property tax rate while still adequately funding county services,” County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said.

“This is a compromise document. We don’t each get to write it,” Supervisor Matthew F. Leatourneau (R-Dulles) said. “I think if we did, you’d have perhaps nine different versions that might be a little bit different.”

Tuesday’s action capped off four years of budget votes which started amid deep uncertainty.

In March 2020, COVID-19 hit the U.S.

COUNTY BUDGET

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Smith said one of the priorities he was given as acting superintendent was to build trust and relationships.

“Thinking about what I can do as acting superintendent during this time I really felt like we needed to get out. Let’s be visible, let’s listen to our parents, our students and our community so that is what tonight is all about,” he said. “We may not have all the answers tonight, tonight is a listening session, but we will be happy to take your questions and comments and use them to continue to inform our work moving forward.”

LISTENING SESSION

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‘You Came Home Quietly’ Vietnam Vets Remembered on 50th Anniversary

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

The people who fought and died in one of America’s most controversial conflicts were remembered at a ceremony outside the Loudoun County courthouse on Vietnam Veterans Day on March 29, 50 years after the last U.S. troops departed. Participants sought to honor those who received a hostile reception they received at home following their military service.

U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict lasted almost 20 years from the time President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent the first military advisors into the country in 1955 to train the South Vietnamese military, to 1965 when the first U.S. ground troops arrived under President Lyndon B. Johnson after North Vietnamese and U.S. warships and planes exchanged fire in the Gulf of Tonkin, to

Belly Love, Hillsborough Vineyards to Debut Loudoun’s First AI Beer

BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

Belly Love Brewing Company and Hillsborough Vineyards and Brewery this month will debut a Loudoun first and an experiment in beer making: Solar Flare New England IPA, a beer designed, described and decorated by an AI.

Every part of the beer—the recipe, the label, even the marketing— was written by a computer.

Artificial intelligences today aren’t actually intelligent in a human sense. (An attempt by CNET to have bots write news articles ended disastrously, producing articles rife with errors and possible plagiarism.) In the case of chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, they’re language models, processing massive quantities of text to come up with plausible responses to human inputs. But the answers they come up with can be persuasive.

AI BEER continues on page 32

1973 when President Richard Nixon pulled the last troops out. But despite more than 3.1 million Americans having been stationed there at one time or another, and despite claiming 58,279 U.S. servicemembers’ lives, Congress never officially declared war in Vietnam.

And when they came home from the conflict, several speakers at Wednesday’s ceremony noted, unlike previous generations, Vietnam veterans often were not welcomed as war heroes. Instead, they were sometimes treated with disdain or hostility from an American public that was divided on the draft, American involvement in Vietnam and the politics that sent them there, often blaming the troops for government leaders’ decisions.

In addition to the lacking gratitude, reverence, and reflection common to commemorations of other military veterans, the speeches at times had an angry tone.

“For those who spit on us, that called us names and threatened us, those who chose not to support us even when we were suffering loss, separation, loneliness and fear, I say the time has come when thanks are long overdue, and maybe, just maybe you have some regrets,” retired Circuit Court judge and Marine Corps veteran Thomas D. Horne said. “To all who served in Vietnam or supported those who did, thank you for your service. You came home quietly. It’s time to make some noise.”

The ceremony was led by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the Sons of the American Revolution.

“Today is a day to honor the men and women who served their country during a deeply unpopular event,” SAR John Champe Chapter President Ken Bonner said. “Today is not a commemoration or

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Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Belly Love Brewing Company founder Tolga Baki is brewing up a Loudoun first: a beer with the recipe, marketing and artwork all created (with some nudges) by chatbots.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Leesburg Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1177 Honor Guard Captain and Vietnam veteran Robert Cranson takes part in a Vietnam Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday, March 29, 2023, on the 50th anniversary of the last U.S. troops leaving Vietnam.

VIETNAM VETS

Loudoun

Supervisors Adopt County Energy Strategy, Short of Carbon Goals

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

After the Board of Supervisors adopted a strategy to steer Loudoun toward green energy, county staff members are now finalizing the plans to get to a more Earth-friendly county. Those new strategies promise significant progress on reducing Loudoun’s greenhouse gas emissions—but still fall short of the board’s climate goals amid concerns that current state legislation leaves Virginia on track for catastrophic climate change.

Loudoun is a particularly energy-hungry county, with one of the largest populations in Virginia and, even more than that, the hub of the largest data center market in the world, drawing hundreds or thousands of megawatts of power. Ashburn’s data center alley alone draws more power than a small city.

Under current policy, including the Virginia Clean Economy Act, Loudoun’s energy consumption and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions will only continue to grow, a Feb. 21 county report noted.

The state’s own efforts remain in

question—Gov. Glenn Youngkin and many state Republicans have attacked green energy efforts. Youngkin campaigned on withdrawing the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas and overturning the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act, even while electric utilities and the market move toward green energy. Dominion Energy has committed to net zero carbon emissions in its own energy generation by 2050, and Bloomberg’s strategic research arm BloombergNEF has found the price of green energy farther and farther below fossil fuel generation.

And still, Dominion’s 2022 Climate Report notes, current government policy and the utility’s plans lead to an estimated 2.1 degrees Celsius increase in global average temperatures, well above the 1.5-degree target of the Paris climate agreement to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change.

“The good news … is we know what we need to do if we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Loudoun County,” Department of General Service Assistant Director Marc Aveni said during a Feb. 21 board briefing. “We need to work with our residents. We need to work with

our businesses. We need to work with our data centers. We need to work with the Chamber of Commerce. We all have a role to play.”

With limited local authority, the county’s new energy strategy focuses on leading by example in county government and encouraging the rest of Loudoun to follow suit. It includes increasing the county government’s renewable energy use; reducing emissions from facilities, fleet vehicles and the county landfill; increasing building efficiency; and providing transparency around the county’s progress on its energy strategy.

That could include projects like updating county facilities to be more energy efficient and installing solar and geothermal energy there, switching to hybrid and zero-emissions vehicles in the county fleet and installing electric vehicle charging stations at county buildings, and diverting municipal waste from the county landfill and mitigating the landfill’s greenhouse gas emissions with flaring— burning it off—or capturing and using those emissions.

County Offers Webinars on Parenting Teens

The Prevention Alliance of Loudoun will host two free educational webinars in April on parenting strategies to support teens, “How to Talk About the Portrayal of Drug Use in Popular Media” and “Supporting Adolescent Mental Health.”

Early registration is encouraged as space is limited.

The Prevention Alliance of Loudoun, or PAL, is a coalition of youth, parents, county government agencies, nonprofit organizations and other community stakeholders dedicated to behavioral health awareness and substance use prevention efforts. It is coordinated by the county Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services.

For detailed information about each event and to register. go to loudoun.gov/mhsadsprevention

Public Comment on Belmont Ridge Road Study Planned

Loudoun County will offer an online public comment period on the Belmont Ridge Road Corridor Safety and Operational Study April 7 – 21.

It is the second phase of an operational and safety study of approximately 2.6 miles of Belmont Ridge Road between Northstar Boulevard and Evergreen Mills Road. A recorded presentation is available, and comments may be submitted at loudoun.gov/belmontridgeroadstudy.

The first phase of the study, in fall 2022, examined existing traffic, pedestrian and bicycle accommodations and identified short- and mid-term improvements. The second phase, open for comment this month, analyzes future traffic conditions and identifies long-term improvements.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hear public comments and recommendations on both phases this summer.

ON THE AGENDA continues on page 5

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

The Panda Stonewall Energy Center, a natural gas power plant south of Leesburg. ENERGY STRATEGY continues on page 5

Energy strategy

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Already the county has or will have solar power at 10 facilities, including five existing facilities, two now under construction and three in design, according to a county report. The board has also already approved a strategy to transition portions of the county fleet to plug-in hybrid or zero-emissions vehicles.

The county government also hopes to support clean energy development and usage in Loudoun, encouraging community action to reduce transportation emissions and greenhouse gases from residential and commercial buildings, and providing education and technical assistance for that work. That could also include exploring expanded net metering, supporting EV charging infrastructure development across the county, and pursuing funding and partnerships for energy efficiency projects.

And the county also plans to monitor its work through an equity lens to ensure all communities have financing, equipment and programs for green initiatives, and tracking the energy strategy’s benefits for disadvantaged communities.

“We think this is a winning strategy to affect greenhouse gas emission reduction and Loudoun County,” Aveni said. “If we

ON THE Agenda

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Online Public Meeting on Croson Lane Widening Set April 20

Loudoun County will host an online public meeting on the Croson Lane widening project Thursday, April 20 from 6 to 7 p.m. Members of the public will have a chance to learn about the project, ask questions and offer input.

To ask questions, attendees must sign up in advance by noon April 19.

The county plans to widen Croson Lane to four lanes between Claiborne Parkway and Mooreview Parkway, transitioning from four lanes to two from Mooreview Parkway to Old Ryan Road. The project also includes a new sidewalk on one side of the road and a mixed-use path on the other.

Sign up for the meeting, sign up for updates and find meeting materials at loudoun.gov/crosonlanewidening. Comments will be accepted through May 5.

do these things by 2050, you will see a reduction of more than half in our greenhouse gas emissions.”

Still, even the strategies adopted on Feb. 21 fall well short of the county board’s goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, and a carbon-free grid by 2050. Without the strategies, Loudoun is forecast to generate the greenhouse gas equivalent of almost 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year by 2050. Early modeling based on implementing the county’s new energy strategies shows a 56% drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and Loudoun still producing the greenhouse gas equivalent of almost three million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year then. The rest is left up to “carbon offsets and future strategies.”

But Aveni said it’s “a very positive report.”

“It is about energy sustainability. It can be adjusted as needed up to 2050,” Aveni said. “There is a lot of time to do more, hopefully not less. It is implemented over decades.”

Supervisors adopted the new county energy strategy 8-0-1, with County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) absent. Next, county staff will work toward finalizing the action plan to go with the energy strategy. That is also when supervisors will begin to see the estimated prices for that work. n

Loudoun Website Offers Nonprofit News Subscription

Loudoun County is offering a new subscription for information relevant to local nonprofits.

Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to subscribe to the new “Nonprofit Updates” category that is listed under the News Flash section of the Loudoun County website’s “Notify Me” function. Users can enter an email or phone number and select the categories of information they would like to receive from Loudoun County. Subscribers can choose to receive email and/or text updates, news releases and other information about annual funding opportunities, such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the Continuum of Care program, the Human Services Nonprofit Grant Funding program, and the Tourism Grants program.

More information, including a link to sign up for the nonprofit updates, is online at loudoun.gov/grantopportunities. n

Leesburg AROUND Town

Catty Corner Marks One Year

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

It may have been April Fool’s, but we’re not kitten around—Leesburg’s Catty Corner Café marked one year since its grand opening last April 1.

And actually, there are about 20 kittens and cats around—and as of Monday, 86 more have found their furever homes through the business. Founder Heather Donahue partners with Last Chance Animal Rescue, and all the cats—except the store’s mascot Cello—are adoptable.

For $22, visitors get a coffee or a tea, a fresh-baked cookie, and some time to hang out, play with the cats, decompress, and maybe find a new fuzzy family member. The rescue sends cats to Catty Corner who are specially selected for their sociability, and visitors can expect plenty of attention from their friendly four-legged hosts.

It’s not just a good place for a human to find a cat—it’s a good place for a cat to find a human, too. After all, the people who adopt at Catty Corner are all people who decided to go to a cat café. Donahue said she gets regular updates from their new families.

“I get pictures of them being just totally spoiled,” she said. “Like, spa day for the cat, at the dinner table waiting for their meal—it’s really sweet, because I love the fact that they’re being spoiled. They deserve nothing but the best. It took them

a long journey to get here, and they’re strong survivors, and they usually pick their human.”

The cats are a varied bunch. Most

recently, Catty Corner has been home to a number of cats— including some who

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Town Boosts Sustainability Push with New Manager

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

The Town of Leesburg has hired its first sustainability manager.

In the newly created post, Deborah Moran will have broad authority to help guide the town’s efforts to promote environmental sustainability and energy conservation throughout its operations.

Moran will work in the Planning and Zoning Department under Director James David. She is scheduled to join the staff April 17.

Moran served as the sustainability coordinator for the City of Gaithersburg, MD, for the past four years where she worked on sustainability and energy man-

agement plans, legislative analysis, grant writing, fleet fuel reduction goals, and greenhouse gas reduction measures. She also spearheaded an internal Green Team and supported a citizen-based Environmental Affairs Committee. She holds professional certifications in environmental planning and project management and is a graduate of Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications.

Her hiring marks the addition of the town’s first staff position dedicated to sustainability.

The hiring is a result of Town Council discussions about how the town can improve its environmental stewardship, including making its buildings more energy efficient and converting to an EV vehicle fleet.

According to the job description, the primary purpose is to research, propose, and launch environmental sustainability and energy conservation initiatives and to formulate policy for approval, developing goals and objectives. Moran also will serve as staff liaison to the town’s Environmental Advisory Commission and support a newly created internal Executive Steering Committee on Sustainable Government Operations within the town staff.

“This is a solid indicator that the Council’s priorities for sustainable governance are widely shared by the community and the region. We look forward to tapping Deborah’s expertise to help lead the Town of Leesburg in meeting the Council’s sustainability goals,” David stated in the announcement of the hiring. n

Lloyd Presented with Tolbert Award

Emma Lloyd is the 2022 John W. Tolbert Jr. Environmental Achievement Award winner.

The 10th-grader was recognized during the March 28 Town Council meeting for her involvement in stream monitoring and promoting stewardship of town waterways. Lloyd performed stream monitoring surveys and played a role in getting Town Branch, Tuscarora Creek, and Big Spring accepted by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for further study. She also helped the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy with providing a stream survey field experience to an Environmental Science class at Tuscarora High School and assisted with scouting out a new monitoring site for Tuscarora Creek at the Olde Izaak Walton Park.

She also participated in the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District’s Youth Conservation Leadership Institute, working closely with NOVA Parks to coordinate the manufacturing and installation of signs along the W&OD Trail to increase community awareness of our local waterways while encouraging their stewardship.

The Tolbert Award recognizes students, community groups, and individuals that conduct or participate in activities that benefit the Town’s environment. Such activities are vital to sustaining the quality and health of our community and significantly contribute to the long-term well-being of our town for generations to come.

Town-wide Cleanup Underway All Month

The Town of Leesburg’s annual “Keep Leesburg Beautiful” campaign started Saturday and will run through the entire month. An official cleanup event will take place on Saturday, April 22, at Raflo Park, beginning at 10 a.m.

Residents, neighborhood and community groups, and businesses

AROUND TOWN continues on page 7

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Catty Corner Café founder Heather Donahue holds Jill, one of the cats looking for company or a new home at the café in Leesburg, and one of the youngest at about a year old.

CATTY

Catty Corner

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are at least partly Scottish Folds with their distinctive ears—who were rescued from Kuwait.

And despite cats’ aloof, prickly reputation, visitors are typically greeted at the door with a room full of sociable, affectionate felines. Sometimes a cat will pick them out within minutes and settle into their lap and refuse to budge. New arrivals also settle in quickly to the comfortable, sunlit space, which is dense with spots to climb, hide, play and nap.

The space can also be reserved for private events like birthday parties and book clubs, and hosts cat yoga once a month. Donahue said it’s “gentle yoga,” kind of.

“It’s more laughing yoga because it’s so hilarious,” she said. “The cats jump on you. You can’t move because there’s one sitting on you.”

Donahue is serious about the cats’ health. All the cats who come to Catty Corner have been neutered, vaccinated, and had a health check-up. At one point over the past year her business hit a bump in the road when one of the cats, from a previous partner organization, brought ring-

worm into the café, the same fungus that causes athlete’s foot—so she shut down the café completely for weeks, removed all the cats, thoroughly sanitized or outright discarded everything, then fogged the room three times for good measure. Since then, and with the new partner organization, there haven’t been any more hiccups like that.

She said that was a blessing in disguise in some ways—Last Chance is able to keep up with her busy adoptions, and usually processes adoption applications on the same day.

Since opening the store, she has also

expanded the menu. The space, which formerly hosted the Pittsburgh Rick’s and Cowbell Kitchen restaurants, has a kitchen already, and Donahue is hoping to make the most of it with hot dogs, chili, and tater tots now also available and ambitions to eventually bring in beer and wine and a chef to prepare locally sourced dishes. One of the hot dogs is called The Windy Kitty—a nod to another former Leesburg restaurant, hot dog restaurant Windy City Red Hots.

And Donahue will soon expand her menu to serve the cats, too—she will have a booth at Leesburg’s Flower and Garden festival selling cat-safe plants like catnip, wheatgrass, and spider plants, on which many cats like to munch.

For Catty Corner, word of mouth means a lot. On Monday during a mid-afternoon interview, the cat room was nonetheless busy with visitors—all of whom had been brought there by a friend or sister who had been there before. On the way out two young visitors couldn’t resist buying a few cat-themed accessories and bracelet charms, too.

Learn more at cattycornercafe.com or follow Catty Corner Café on social media. Or stop by the café at 166 E. Market Street—it gets pawsitive reviews. n

AROUND Town

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are encouraged to participate in the cleanup campaign by forming teams to collect litter along roadsides, stream beds, and other public common areas.  Groups and individuals interested in participating should go to leesburgva.gov/KLB for details about how to volunteer and suggestions for litter collection locations. The town will provide safety vests, gloves and trash bags and will collect the filled bags and larger items like tires and appliances.

Residents also are encouraged to inspect storm sewer inlets around their neighborhoods and report any that are clogged or in need or repair. The Public Works and Capital Projects Department will provide maps and inventory forms. Information on that program also is available on the KLB page online. n

Even with rising interest rates, we continue to have success in marketing and selling our client’s homes. Call us to see how we can help you.

Leesburg Erica, Ryan, Eve, Mike, & Jessica

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Jill lounges with guests at Leesburg’s Catty Corner Café while Cello, founder Heather Donahue’s own cat and the café’s mascot, strolls by above.

Superintendent Search Moves to Recruitment Stage

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Wanted: An honest, energetic, trust-building, educational leader who will put kids first.

That’s the candidate profile developed by GR Recruiting, the Arizona firm hired to help Loudoun County Public Schools find a new superintendent.

The consultants on March 28 updated the School Board about survey results and stakeholder feedback sessions conducted over the past several weeks. The profile was based on meetings with parents, students, teachers, community members and other staff members, as well as an online survey.

GR associates Gloria Davis and Robert Alfaro listened to feedback from various groups from March 13-16. Of the over 60 sessions, 22 of them were held in person and a total of 260 people participated, according to the presentation.

Davis and Alfaro shared the results of the survey taken by 4,126 residents, 68% of whom were parents to current students, 36% staff members, 12% community members, and 3% students.

Davis said the top words survey takers used to describe the division included disappointing, frustrated, concerned, good, hopeful, divided, and positive.

Of survey participants, 38% said school safety was a critical issue they wanted to see the new superintendent address, 37% said teacher retention and recruitment, another 37% said quality of teachers, 16% said mental health services, and 15% said fiscal responsibility. Eleven percent said special education was a critical issue that needed to be addressed.

Sixty-three percent of respondents said accountability and responsibility for actions were the most important traits they wanted to see in the new superintendent. Sixty percent said being an effective communicator and creating strong community relations was most important and 56% said a trusted leader who values integrity was most important to them.

Twenty-eight percent said providing sustained, systemic and evidence-based interventions to obtain equitable access to learning for all students.

Fifty-six percent of respondents said the division needs a very different candidate than in the past and one who is ready to take the division in a significantly different direction. Only 8% said they wanted a candidate to stay the course of the current administration.

Davis said the survey also asked participants to identify the strengths of the division that would appeal to top candidates.

Those included dedicated teachers and staff, a diverse and inclusive and involved community and strong academics.

Alfaro said some of the strengths he heard during the four days of stakeholder sessions included support and involvement from parents, a strong and engaged business community and the county’s proximity to other large cities like Washington, DC and Baltimore. He listed several critical concerns he heard during the sessions, including the need for improved staff morale and better communication, a divided community, the need for a new literacy program, and negative publicity that overshadows the good done by the students.

He broke down the stakeholder sessions and listed the feedback from each group.

He said students thought the division had amazing schools and a strength in its diversity, but felt the grading system isn’t fair. Students also said trust needed to be rebuilt between parents and the School Board. They said they wanted a superintendent who put students first and would listen to them and be honest and trustworthy.

The parent population said trust needed to be restored, safety needed to be addressed, and the superintendent needed

SUPERINRTENDENT SEARCH

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Call for Student Art

Loudoun County Public Schools

is looking for student artwork and graphics in a new Design Challenge that will run through April 29.

According to the announcement, the artwork would be used throughout the division in a variety of ways including as displays in buildings, to inform the development of a new logo design and on the division’s website, social media sites, business cards, letterhead, digital communications, posters, promotional materials or anywhere else the division chooses.

Designs will be reviewed by a panel during May, with winners notified by June 2. Selected designs will be recognized at a School Board meeting.

Students who would like to participate need to submit their work through the online Challenge Form 2023 with parents’ permission. Additional details including criteria for submissions can be found at lcps.org/designcontest. Email designcontest@lcps.org with any questions.

Nominations Closed for Special Education Award

The Special Education Advisory Committee accepted nominations through March 31 of people who have gone above and beyond what is expected to be inclusive within the special education community.

The Recognition for Excellence in Supporting Special Education Awards honor those “who have gone above and beyond to foster meaningful inclusion that promotes adaptability, creativity, disability awareness, acceptance and peer-to-peer interactions for students with disabilities,” according to the committee.

Educators, students, programs, parents and community members who demonstrate excellence in the school system’s special education community can be nominated.

Nominations will be reviewed and selected by SEAC. Winners will be notified by the first week of May. n

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

School Board Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge), Vice Chair Harris Mahedavi (Ashburn), John Beatty (Catoctin) and Jeff Morse (Dulles) during the March 28 meeting when the consultant presented a proposed profile to be used in the superintendent recruitment.

Cochran Family Dental

Superintendent search

continued from page 8

to have the experience to deal with the “vocal minority and get the system back on track.”

Community members said they like the division’s longstanding partnerships within the community and its innovative programming, and said the new superintendent needs to understand the politics of the division, to reestablish trust, and that they wanted to see the bad publicity change.

Principals and assistant principals want to see trust reestablished as well as greater transparency, stronger communication and improved teacher morale. They also said English Language Learner students need more support.

Teachers wanted to see more positive things publicized in the division, corrections made to the current discipline policy, teacher retention and attraction as a priority and more support.

Support staff said more resources are needed for special education, to address the toxic political situation that affects work and change the top-down approach to doing things and make it more collaborative.

Central office staff said the new superintendent needs to listen to everyone, not just the most vocal people; to think outside the box, and put kids first and not be afraid to make hard decisions.

At the end of the presentation, the consultants gave the profile of the superintendent and said stakeholders want a superintendent who inspires trust and models high standards of integrity and honesty in all aspects of leadership, someone who is energetic and engaged with excellent people skills who puts students first, who promotes a positive and professional and safe environment to employees, is a leader with good listening skills, approachable, a good communicator, an understanding of true equity, inclusion and diversity, and is accountable.

GR Recruiting will use the profile to recruit candidates nationwide. Interviews for the post are planned in May. The School Board plans to hire a new superintendent in late May or early June.

During the two most recent superintendent searches in 2014 and 2021, candidates who applied and interviewed did so confidentially to keep their names private to not affect their current employment, according to Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge). n

$205,000 is the income needed to afford the median home price of $641,000 in Loudoun.

Housing affordability is typically thought of as a low-income household concern, but that’s no longer true.

Workforce Housing is not an issue about charity, it’s about the future economic prosperity of Loudoun.

Workforce Housing Now is an initiative of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties.

Board Revises 3 Policies from Special Grand Jury Recommendations

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

The School Board on March 28 amended three polices that were recommended for revision by the division attorney in response to a special grand jury’s report filed in December.

The recommendations came from the jury’s investigation into the school district’s handling of repeated sexual assaults at Loudoun high schools. The board approved changes to policies dealing with school assignment, threat assessment for schools, and the conduct of School Board members.

The board voted 7-0-2 to approve Jeff Morse’s (Dulles) proposed changes to the policy that dealt with school assignment. Morse added a paragraph that permits school assignments to be changed in response to student mental health or physical health concerns resulting from significant life events. Morse’s changes make it possible for those to be addressed any time during the year and allowed by the appeals process in another policy.

Morse said he wanted to make sure there was a way for a family in crisis to “run through the entire appeal process.”

A new section was added that centers around the transfer of a student as a result of disciplinary or safety considerations or results from a court order. The section states the superintendent is to be notified and gives meeting requirements for staff and school safety officers and listed others who could be included, such as outside agencies like law enforcement, private providers and the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney, to discuss safety considerations.

The special grand jury recommended the division re-examine its transfer process and called for a formalized protocol that requires a more “vigorous cooperation and communication between, not only the two principals involved, but also, LCPS administration, assistant principals, faculty, SRO’s, and when relevant, the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, juvenile court authorities and the LCSO.”

The grand jury also recommended better communication, cooperation and coordination across agencies when dealing with criminal conduct by students, faculty and staff.

Changes to the school threat assessment policy included adding the school security officer and, if the school has one, the law enforcement school resource officer to the threat assessment teams created at each school and updating the school security officers with threat information. A section was also added that states threats of self-harm are handled through a separate Virginia code and not through the school

division’s policy.

The special grand jury also recommended the division’s director of safety and security be more involved in situations “that threaten the safety and security of students, faculty and staff.”

Minimal changes were made to the policy on the code of conduct for School Board members. Changes included adding a paragraph that states the School Board “is a public body and its business “shall be conducted in accordance with the open meetings requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.” That is already state law.

The special grand jury recommended increased transparency and better communication from the division.

Additional changes made to the school assignment policy that were not recommendations form the special grand jury, included clarification that special permission to attend a school other than a student’s assigned school is not automatically approved year after year. A section was added that outlined conditions for fifth graders who had previously been granted special permission. As well as a section stating special permission may be approved for students with siblings placed at

another school for a specialized special education program. An appeals timeline was also added for special permission applications that were denied.

Denise Corbo (At-large) and Brenda Sheridan (Sterling) were absent for the vote.

The School Board held a work session Dec. 13 to review and discuss the recommendations of the special grand jury report. Seven policies and one regulation were discussed at that meeting. Four policies have been updated and approved by the School Board since the December meeting including these three. n

Collins Sentenced to 75 Years in Sterling Murder

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

A Sterling man who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and seven other felony charges in the 2020 robbery and fatal shooting of Jose I. Escobar was sentenced March 29 to serve 75 years in prison.

Gavin Collins, 24, originally appeared before Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge Douglas L. Fleming Jr. for a sentencing hearing in February. At that time, the judge delayed his final determination until he could learn more about the involvement of a co-conspirator, Joshua Mark Hunter, who had pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Both were set for sentencing last Wednesday, however Hunter’s hearing was rescheduled days earlier. It now is set for July 12.

According to evidence presented in the case, Collins and Hunter lured Escobar from his home in Winchester to the Village at Potomac Falls neighborhood in

Public Safety Trial Opens in Brambleton Murder Case

Sterling in the early morning hours of July 8, 2020, with a plot to steal his car to sell for money to buy drugs. The three met shortly before 2 a.m. Escobar was shot in the neck and head. Leaving him lying on the street, Collins and Hunter drove away with his car. Escobar died at the scene. The Nissan Sentra was sold in Manassas for $500.

Collins was located days later in a Sterling hotel room with his girlfriend and quantities of methamphetamines, psychedelic mushrooms and marijuana. The .45-caliber pistol used in the shooting was found in the nightstand.

Neither Collins nor Hunter have confessed to pulling the trigger.

While pushing ahead with murder charges against Collins, county prosecutors entered a plea agreement with Hunter, reducing charges against him to voluntary manslaughter and armed robbery. He faces up to 25 years in prison on those charges.

During his jury trial in August, Collins halted the proceedings before prosecutors

fully laid out the evidence in the case and he pleaded guilty to eight felony charges, including first-degree murder, armed robbery, and firearms violations—charges that carry a maximum sentence of two life terms plus 38 years in prison.

In additional testimony during the March 29 hearing, Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Shaniqua Clark Nelson called two new witnesses.

Detective Michael Grimsley, the lead investigator on the case, was questioned about the conclusions reached that Collins was the one who shot Escobar. He revealed for the first time that, in addition to the murder weapon, a second firearm was found in the hotel room where Collins was staying. That gun was later connected to a homicide that occurred in Washington, DC, the day after Escobar’s killing. Collins has not been charged in the Washington case.

Furqan Syed on Monday morning entered pleas of not guilty to murder and three other felony charges stemming from the 2021 shooting death of Najat Chemlali Goode in her home in Brambleton.

The formal arraignment before Judge Douglas L. Fleming Jr. kicked off a jury trial that is expected to last up to three weeks.

Syed, 41, is accused of murdering Goode on Dec. 30, 2021. He was apprehended in Dubai two months later after an international search.

Deputies were called to the Connie Marie Terrace home shortly before 8:30 p.m. Dec. 30, 2021, where her son found the victim unresponsive with a head wound inside the home. Goode was not breathing and had no pulse with medical crews arrived on the scene. She was taken to StoneSprings Hospital Center where she was pronounced dead. It was determined she had been shot in the face.

At the time of the preliminary hearing in District Court, there was no physical evidence linking Syed to the killing, although investigators said they were waiting for several items to be tested in a lab. Syed was identified as a suspect through neighborhood security camera footage and cell phone data that put him near the scene at the time of the crime, according to the charging documents.

He is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, entering a home with the intent to commit a felony, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The murder charge carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison. n

SAFETY briefs

Suspect Arrested in Dulles Town Center Shooting

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Leesburg man who is charged in a Sunday morning shooting at the Dulles Town Center mall.

Alan W. Colie, 31, is charged with aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and discharging a firearm within a building.

According to the report, the Sheriff’s Office received the first call reporting that a shooting had occurred at the mall’s food court just before noon and took the suspect into custody within minutes.

The victim in the shooting, a 21-year-old man, was found outside the mall with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was treated for injuries by deputies and emergency responders at the scene and then transported to a hospital for treatment.

The suspect and the victim were not acquainted, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The encounter between the two was captured on video, as the victim was recording pranks to post on social media.

Dulles Town Center management closed the mall for the remainder of the day.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective K. Mitchell at 703-777-1021.

Sheriff’s Office Seeks

Witnesses to Fatal Crash

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal crash that occurred on North Lincoln Avenue in Sterling on Sunday night.

According to the report, the crash was reported at approximately 11:43 p.m. April 2. The driver of a 2015 Toyota Tacoma was traveling on North Lincoln Avenue when he struck a parked vehicle and then ran off the road into a ditch.

The driver, Jose Ramon Garcia, 20, of Sterling, was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Witnesses to the crash who have not already spoken with law enforcement are asked to contact Investigator T. Alpy of at 703-777-1021.

Collins

continued from page 12

Grimsley also reported an interview with one of Collins’s friends in which she said Collins asked what it would take to be known as a serial killer. Additionally, a photo obtained from Collins’ cell phone showed him holding the weapon used in the Escobar shooting.

Also called to the stand was Escobar’s uncle, who asked the judge to not delay sentencing further and to provide some

closure to the family.

Fleming’s concern about the roles the two assailants played in Escobar’s death remained. He refuted a claim by Clark Nelson that it was “overwhelmingly clear” that it was Collins and not Hunter who fired the fatal shot. He said the evidence showed that both planned the armed robbery and both left Escobar to die in the street. Fleming said while it would be helpful to know which one pulled the trigger, both are culpable.

Fleming sentenced Collins to 55 years on the charge of first-degree murder, five

years for street robbery, one year for conspiracy to commit robbery, three years for use of a firearm in the commission of felony, three years for a second use of a firearm charge, five years for possession of a firearm by a convicted violent felon, one year for possession of a schedule I or II drug, and two years for possession of a gun with a schedule I or II drug.

Fleming ordered the sentences to be served consecutively, resulting in 75 years of prison time, to be followed by three years of supervised probation should he be released. n

HealthWorks Opens Sterling Clinic

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

HealthWorks for Northern Virginia, a nonprofit, comprehensive, Federally-Qualified Health Center, has expanded once again in space donated by Loudoun County in Sterling.

The nonprofit offers a full range of medical, pediatric, gynecologic, behavioral health, psychiatric and dental care regardless of insurance or ability to pay. Since the Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic in Herndon merged with the Loudoun Community Health Center in 2012 to create HealthWorks, it has grown rapidly, as has the need for their services along with the booming population.

HealthWorks CEO Dr. Tonya Adkins said last year, the nonprofit served more than 15,000 people across more than 60,000 patient visits. But she said whether a clinic has two exams rooms or 20, the work is the same.

“Central to this effort are the providers, who work tirelessly to provide quality care,” Adkins said. “Rain, shine, snow, pandemic—they show up every day.”

HealthWorks embraces a comprehensive healthcare model, she said, closing the gaps between medical, dental, and behavioral health care. Adkins, who has been at HealthWorks since 2016 and took over as CEO last year, pointed to the nonprofit’s history of collaboration with the county government, especially the Loudoun

Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services.

“This collaboration hinges on keeping the patients in a trusted environment with their primary care providers, dedicated, helpful staff to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome to our spaces. It’s especially important for those for whom English is not their first language and who have limited health benefits,” she said.

And she said the Sterling community represents an underserved area with a great need for low-cost medical care, especially pediatric care. The new clinic is a full-service site, open Monday through Friday.

Loudoun County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said HealthWorks making care available can help address problems before they become an emergency.

“When you don’t see people who have a medical problem for a long time because they have nowhere to go by the time they land at the emergency room, their medical problem is that much worse,” Randall said. “So something that could have been dealt with fairly easily a month before, two months before, a year ago is now an acute, incredible problem that somebody may actually not survive.”

She said the same holds true for untreated mental health problems—they can get worse, such as letting untreated persistent depression grow into

HEALTHWORKS continues on page 15

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Loudoun Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian), County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (R-At Large), HealthWorks for Northern Virginia CEO Dr. Tonya Adkins, Loudoun Chamber President and CEO Tony Howard, former HealthWorks CEO Carol Jameson, and Loudoun Chamber Board Chair Carol Barbe cut the ribbon on the nonprofit’s new clinic in Sterling on March 29, 2023, joined by other business, government and nonprofit leaders.

Give Choose Raises $792K and Counting

Give Choose, Loudoun’s annual day of giving to support nonprofits, has raised $792,171 as of Tuesday morning, and giving is still open.

“You were part of the magic that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local nonprofits in our community,”

Community Foundation Vice President of Grants and Nonprofit Programs Nicole Acosta said in a video following the

March 28 event thanking those donors. “By choosing to give yesterday, you became a changemaker.”

Give Choose is celebrated one day a year, but the website to donate opens in advance of the official day and stays open afterward. As of the end of the day the March 28 collection day, donors gave $769,083 supporting more than 140 nonprofits. Those nonprofits range

Healthworks

from supporting animal welfare, to protecting the environment, to promoting health and education, to boosting the arts. Donations have continued to come in since.

“You can keep the magic going by giving over the next couple weeks,” Acosta said. Learn more and donate at givechoose.org n

Claude Moore Foundation Grant Boosts INMED’s Outreach

The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation distributed $150,000 to INMED USA in support of its after-school programming for at-risk children and youth.

It was one of the foundation’s annual invitational grants designed to “give a leg” up to organizations working to improve the lives of individuals living in under-resourced conditions through programs and partnerships that increase academic competence and encourage leadership, especially for under-resourced populations.

The grant to INMED will be used to meet the growing need for extracurric-

ular support for kids coping with poor school performance, as well as the mental and emotional stress of being socially and economically disadvantaged, according to the announcement.

INMED’s Learning Lab in Sterling focuses on educational enrichment through STEM activities and academic support by trained staff, volunteers and a variety of community partners.

The Claude Moore grant also will help INMED expand its mental health and wellness programming for children and teens.

“We have toured the Opportuni-

ty Center and have seen firsthand the great work INMED does through its after-school program. We are pleased to support this after-school program that helps level the playing field for children by providing additional homework help and access to STEM, art and dance resources that they might not otherwise have,” foundation Senior Deputy Executive Director Dr. William Hazel stated.

Including 2023 invitational grant funding, the foundation has donated more than $31.3 million to nonprofit organizations doing work in Loudoun County. n

continued from page 14

suicidal ideation.

“You will save lives because of how fast and how early you see people. You will save lives because you can speak their language. You will save lives, because you accept them with dignity and respect,” Randall said. “You will save lives because you do not stigmatize them and you tell them that you are welcomed here, and that you’re worthy to receive help, and that you’re worthy to receive love, and that you’re worthy to receive care.”

Adkins said it was her first grand opening as CEO. She was joined at the ceremony by the nonprofit’s first CEO and founder, Carol Jameson, who grew the nonprofit from its early days to a central piece of the area’s human services network.

But it will not be Adkins’s last—another grand opening is scheduled soon, when HealthWorks opens its Herndon Dental Suite on April 12.

HealthWorks has five locations across Leesburg, Sterling, Reston and Herndon. The new Sterling clinic is at 21641 Ridgetop Circle #107, Sterling. Learn more at hwnova.org. n

Purcellville Sets Property Tax Amid Worries of Economic Downturn

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

The Purcellville Town Council last week adopted a real estate property tax of 20.5 cents per $100 of assessed value, a half cent decrease from the current year.

Interim Town Manager John Anzivino’s proposed fiscal year 2024 budget was based on holding the tax rate at 21 cents. Each penny of the tax rate is estimated to generate $181,000 in revenues.

An initial motion to hold the 21-cent tax during the March 28 meeting failed in a 3-3-1 tie, with council member Mary F. “Boo” Bennett, Vice Mayor Christopher Bertaut and Mayor Stanley J. Milan opposed and council member Ronald Rise Jr. absent.

Bertaut proposed a rate of 20 cents to partially offset rising property values.

Finance Director Elizabeth Krens said under the proposed tax rate, the average Purcellville tax bill was estimated to increase by $114 during 2023.

“I’m inclined with the 20 cents as well,” Milan said. “So, I feel the same, as the residents are feeling a financial crunch as everyone … If we can look at the budget

and eliminate some things that are already hanging on the end of the branch that are not necessarily needed for the operations of the town, we can cut expenses along the way, as we go through this budget.”

But council members Mary Jane Williams, Erin Rayner, and Carol Luke said they were concerned with the possibility of an economic downturn.

“I was all in favor of 20 [cents], but I

take very seriously the problems that we’re having in the economy and that worries me as the town,” Luke said. “If we can maintain it at 21 [cents] and be frugal and not waste it on a bunch of little projects that we might want, that might benefit the town in the long haul.”

Krens warned that there is a possibility of recession in 2024, and that it’s a factor the council should take into account when adopting the tax rate, citing Virginia Tech professor and economist Sheryl Bailey as a source that finance directors across the state are looking to for advice.

“According to Dr. Bailey, we are facing economic headwinds and unprecedented and evolving global conditions,” she said. “Examples of some of that include the recent banking crisis. It’s a sign of trouble … So, in setting tax rates, council should weigh the budgetary factors, that’s our budget and all our cost factors that the departments have given you, as well as long term economic drivers.”

The motion made by Bertaut to adopt a 20.5 cent tax rate carried 5-1-1, with

PROPERY TAXES

continues on page 18

Purcellville Attorney Resigns; Hired by Falls Church

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

Purcellville

Town Attorney Sally

Hankins has resigned from her position effective April 1, after being on leave for approximately three weeks.

Hankins has worked for the town since 2012. Her resignation comes after a contentious first few months with Purcellville’s new Town Council, especially in February over an initial decision by a majority of council members to forego a special election in November for a vacant council seat despite advice from her that they were required to do so.

In an emailed statement she wrote that she left “subject to terms that were mu-

tually agreed upon between me and the Town Council.”

Hankins has accepted a position as city attorney for Falls Church effective April 17.

“This opportunity is a perfect fit for my 25 years of combined experience in municipal law and urban planning,” she wrote. “I am honored to have been selected for this role, and I look forward to the rewarding work ahead.”

While Hankins has been on leave, the council has been receiving legal advice from attorney John F. Cafferky, from the Fairfax law firm Blankingship & Keith.

In the council’s budget session March 29, Interim Town Manager John Anzivino presented the council with an alternative option to filling the full-time town attorney position by working with a law firm on a contract basis. Loudoun’s other western towns operate with contracted town attorneys.

“For our real comparable [towns to

Purcellville], which would be Warrenton and Vienna on this list, they’re running at about somewhere between $330,000 to $365,000 of legal expenses for the next fiscal year in their budget,” Anzivino said at the meeting. “And what we’re seeing in your budget is about $424,000, so there’s obviously some savings there.”

He said at the estimated 84 hours per month at $330 per hour, the town could expect to budget a maximum of $332,640 per year for legal expenses.

Council member Ronald Rise Jr. said the town could likely expect to spend less than that amount since all 84 hours would not necessarily be billed from attorneys but that the firm could utilize paralegals at a lesser cost for some of the work. Whether that is possible would depend on the town’s contract with a future law firm.

Anzivino said the council would need to make a decision on which direction they want to take before the fiscal year 2024 budget is adopted. n

LOVETTSVILLE Town Celebrates April as Month of the Military Child

The Town Council on March 23 passed a resolution dedicating April 2023 as the Month of the Military Child and declaring April 14 as Purple Up! Day for military children.

April was first designated as the Month of the Military Child in 1986 by Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger to recognize some of the sacrifices made by military children and their families worldwide.

PURCELLVILLE

Hall Avenue and O Street Project Starts

Town contractor Fuog/InterBuild this week will begin construction on the Hall Avenue and O Street 6-inch water main replacement.

The work will replace the aging 4-inch water line with a new water main along North Hall Avenue and West O Street, between West Main Street to North 23rd Street. During the course of the work, residents along Hall Avenue and O Street may experience brief interruptions in water service, but the town will notify residents in advance of any planned shutoffs.

Interim Administrator’s Contract Extended

The Town Council voted unanimously March 28 to extend Interim Zoning Administrator Martha Semmes’ tenure with the town through July 31.

This is the second extension of Semmes’ time as zoning administrator since her hiring in January, following the resignation of Planning and Zoning Director Don Dooley.

Human Resources Director Sharon Rauch said the town had received eight résumés and conducted one interview as of the March 28 meeting. She said they were working to set up an interview with another candidate.

“Typically, we would get more than eight résumés for an opening, but as we’ve discussed previously, this is an extremely tight labor market,” she said, adding that the other six applicants did not meet the minimum requirements. n

Hanna Pampaloni/LoudounNow.com

Purcellville Finance Director Elizabeth Krens presents to the Town Council at a meeting March 22.

Hankins

Bruce McIntosh II

Beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, Bruce McIntosh II died peacefully on March 28, 2023 after a four year struggle with the effects of stroke. He was preceded in death by his parents James Logan McIntosh II and Irene Bridges McIntosh and his siblings James Logan McIntosh III and Mary Jane Young. Born on February 12, 1937, Bruce was a lifelong resident of Loudoun County, Virginia. A member of the Corps of Cadets, Bruce graduated from Virginia Tech and returned to Loudoun County to manage his family’s farm on Evergreen Mill Road and his mother-in-law’s farm in Waterford. Eventually, he sold his father’s family farm and invested in property in Augusta County, Virginia. He and his childhood sweetheart and beloved wife, Jean Herndon McIntosh, lived on their family farm and raised four children in Waterford for nearly all of their almost sixty-six years of marriage. An active and dedicated member of Catoctin Presbyterian Church, Bruce lived a life of deep faith and demonstrated a community spirit of commitment and service. Within his many years of giving, he served as President of Loudoun Mutual Insurance and board member of the First American Bank (formerly People’s Bank) of Virginia, the Waterford Foundation, and the Union Cemetery committee. He also served as president of the Loudoun County Farm Bureau, and was a member of the Planters Club as well as the Train Collectors’ Club. Bruce is survived by his children and their spouses and partners James Logan and Amy McIntosh IV, Bruce and Teresa McIntosh III, Timothy Burton McIntosh and Christiane Routt, and Kendra McIntosh Fansler; grandchildren (and great grandchildren) J. Logan and Lindsey McIntosh V (Lainey and Liliana), Jesse Fansler and Chelsea Hood (Kiera and Keila), Kelsey McIntosh, Katelyn Fansler (Bailie and Payton), Bruce McIntosh IV, Jared McIntosh, Hannah and Stephen Luttrell (Oakleigh and Camden), and Ben McIntosh. He is also survived by in-laws,

Obituaries

Mike and Mary Ellen Megeath and many nieces, nephews and dear friends. A visitation will take place on April 3 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Circle SE, Leesburg, VA 20175. A Celebration of Life and Witness to the Resurrection will be held on April 4, 2023 at 2:00 pm at Catoctin Presbyterian Church, 15565 High Street in Waterford, Virginia. Interment with the family will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Catoctin Presbyterian Church.

a strong supporter of ‘Your House, Inc.’ youth ministry, and board member for his wife’s ‘Renewing Love’ ministry. With all his life choices, he showed his highest priorities to be God, family and community. Morris lifted up those in his orbit with love, generosity, integrity and faithfulness; and we his family greatly mourn his loss.

Share condolences with the family www.LoudounFuneralChapel.com

Morris Nix

Morris Banks Nix Sr., 96, died on a Monday evening, 3/20/23, surrounded by family, perfectly content to follow God’s will in death as he did in life. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert W. Nix Jr. and Elisabeth Nix, his wife Winifred Nix, siblings Robert W. Nix III and Mary Leader, and sons Morris Nix Jr. and Robert W. Nix IV. Morris is survived by 7 of his 9 children, Lindy, Edward, Sarah, Tim, Carrie, Mary and David, 14 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in the Fellowship Hall of Leesburg Community Church on 4/16/2023 at 1:30pm. In lieu of flowers, you can send memorial contributions to ‘The Gideon’s International’ and/or ‘Blue Ridge Hospice.’

Morris was born in Washington D.C. on 9/10/1926 at Walter Reed Army Hospital. He spent his early life on Long Island, NY, but at age 6 moved with his family to Melrose Farm, near Waterford, VA. A strong and curious intellect, he attended Waterford School grades 1-8, Lincoln H.S. and Leesburg H.S., VMI, Franklin Marshall College, and Cornell University for an MBA. Morris was a Navy veteran who saw active duty in the aftermath of WWII, including the atomic testing at Bikini Atoll, and was recalled to service during the Korean War. Owner/ Operator of Melrose Farm, Morris farmed crops from 1953 to 2000 in Loudoun County and the surrounding area. He was a church elder for much of his life,

Gil Whitson, 79, of Philomont, VA, died at home surrounded by his loving family on March 28, 2023. Gil, born on October 25, 1943, grew up in Alexandria, VA, and studied at the University of Maryland. He worked at the International Trade Commission until he retired in 2001. He spent many years of his retirement working at the Philomont General Store where he loved socializing with friends and neighbors. At the age of 28, he married Fran, and went on to have four beautiful children. Gil lived a full life helping others, always willing to lend a hand. He spent many years serving the community through volunteering at the Philomont Volunteer Fire Department and the Philomont Community Center and was recently delivering meals to those in need. After over 40 years of service, his firefighting career ended with a bang! He was a true nature lover and enjoyed hunting and gardening. More than anything, he enjoyed spending time with his family, including his 14 grandchildren. There was rarely an activity for either his children or grandchildren where he was not in attendance. He is survived by Fran, his beloved wife of more than 50 years, his four children, Sean (Ashley), Emily (Andy), Patrick (Kathleen), Shannon (Jeremy), grandchildren, Drew, Silas, Blakely, Shea, Megan, Noah, David, Kristen, Prudence, Charlotte, Liam, Katie, Bethany, and Eve, and his sister, Suzanne (Susan). While we will miss him terribly, the gifts and love that he bestowed upon us will live within our hearts forever. Monday, April 3, 2023 Visitation 11:30-1pm at Hall

Funeral Home in Purcellville, VA Service

2pm at Cool Spring Natural Cemetery in Berryville, VA

Christina “Nikki” Zimmerly

Christina “Nikki” Zimmerly, 46 of Leesburg, VA passed away suddenly at her home on March 28, 2023 surrounded by her daughter Shania, boyfriend Danny along with her faithful companion Topaz. Born Tuesday, August 10, 1976, Leesburg, VA to Barbara Greenfield Zimmerly. Nikki was a lifelong resident of Loudoun County. Raised on the family farm, Nikki spent time playing with the animals, her best friends Kim and Dee Dee and her second families the Glenns and Atheys. After graduation she married and her beautiful daughters Shania and Autumn and her twin sons Richard and Christopher were born. After moving back, she lived in Lucketts and Leesburg and met and become friends with many of the nicest people. Nikki’s heart was huge and she had a gift of never meeting a stranger. She found ways to enjoying time spent with each and every one of them. You could find her helping with anything from yardwork to hauling and splitting wood or going by the firehouses to thank the first responders who helped her in her times of need. She loved visiting some of her older neighbors and would sit to talk or just play a couple of hand of cards. Nikki was always busy, growing beautiful flowers and walking around her town of Leesburg with her faithful dog and companion, Topaz. Cherishing her memory will be her mother Barbara and Lee Sowers, her beloved daughters Shania and Autumn, her Uncle George and Aunt Paula Greenfield and their children Sarah and Cary, her Aunt Sandi and Uncle David Hite and their children Tommy and Katy as well as other family members. Nikki was proceeded in death by her beloved Grandparents, “Bud” and Marianne Greenfield and Garnett and Carol

Obituaries continued on next page

Gil Whitson

Zimmerly and their son, her loving father, Rick Zimmerly. The family will receive friends on friday April 14, 2023 from 11:00am to 12:00pm at Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, Virginia 20175. A funeral service will follow the viewing at 12:00pm. Nikki will be interred privately. We will all cherish her with all of our hearts and we will all honorably carry her memory as she continues her journey in heaven with her family and friends in God’s warm embrace.

Thomas J. Gates, M.D.

It is with great sadness that the family of Thomas J. Gates, M.D. announce his passing on March 18, 2023, at age 81. He passed comfortably at home with his family by his side. Tom, a retired general surgeon and long-time resident of Leesburg, Virginia, is predeceased by his parents, Tom and Estelle Gates, and is survived by his wife of 59 years, Norma (Conard) Gates, his daughter Jennifer (Glen Connors), his son Christopher (Carrie Munn), his sister Natalie Reed, and many family members and good friends. Tom was born in Arlington, Virginia on October 2, 1941. He was raised in Arlington, and graduated from Wakefield High School in 1959. After high school, he followed the pre-medical program at Lynchburg College and graduated in 1963. From there, he attended the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, receiving his Medical Degree in 1967. He completed his internship and a four year surgical residency, and became a fully trained general surgeon in 1972. Upon

the completion of his surgical training, he was commissioned as a Major, honorably serving his country in the U.S. Army. After service to his country, Tom practiced general surgery at Loudoun Memorial Hospital (now the INOVA Cornwall campus) from 1974 until his retirement. After his family and friends, Tom’s greatest passion was the practice of surgery and the ability to care for so many in their time of need. He was gentle, compassionate and caring, and gave generously of his time. Tom was an active Rotarian for almost 50 years, a Paul Harris Fellow, served a term as President, and at his death was the most senior member of the Leesburg Rotary Club. Tom loved the water and spent many boyhood summers with his Nana in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with a fishing rod perpetually in his hand. He loved boating, whether power or sail, and fishing off-shore, in the bay, in the surf, or fly fishing in a good trout stream. He was also an avid tennis player, skier, and dedicated gardener, especially with his beloved tomato plants. He looked forward to his vacation time at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and annual ski trips to Colorado, with family and friends. Tom loved people and had many good friends. He liked to roar with laughter, tell jokes and stories, and enjoy a good poker game. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed. He was so at peace being on the water, and is now safely moored in his heavenly home. A service of remembrance to honor his life will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Leesburg United Methodist Church (107 W. Market Street in Leesburg) with the Rev. Jim Wishmyer officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Leesburg United Methodist Church at 107 W. Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20175, the Rotary Club of Leesburg Foundation at Post Office Box 771, Leesburg, Virginia 20178, or Blue Ridge Hospice at 333 West Cork Street, Suite 405, Winchester, Virginia 22601. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.loudounfuneralchapel.com

Lovettsville Holds Eggstravaganza

Residents gathered at the Town Green for the annual Eggstravaganza hosted this year by the Lovettsville-Waterford Ruritans April 1.

The event included Easter egg hunts for children up to 12, horse rides, goat cuddles, crafts, an egg toss, raffles and an appearance by the Easter Bunny.

Egg hunts were divided by age ranges and included over 5,000 eggs.

Raffle tickets were also available for purchase to win $650 of beef, lamb, goat, chicken or eggs sponsored by Spring House Farm. The drawing will take place April 12.

— Hanna Pampaloni

Property taxes

continued from page 16

Williams opposed and Rise absent.

The equalized tax rate, which would see residents paying the same amount on their real estate tax bills in 2023 as 2022, would have been 19.2 cents.

The council also adopted a three-cent Fireman’s Field Service District tax rate, for an overall real estate levy of 23.5 cents per $100 of assessed value.

The adopted tax rate means the council will have to find $90,500 to cut from Anzivino’s proposed fiscal year 2024 budget.

The council has been going through the budget on a line item-by-line item basis, hearing from department heads.

On Monday night, Police Chief Cynthia McAlister presented the Police Department portion of the budget outlining her proposed enhancements, which included two new leased vehicles.

Milan said he would like to see the largely dormant Community Policing Advisory Committee revived to assist with mental health matters.

“My ex-wife was a court-appointed advocate and Fairfax provided her with training and she would go out with the police officers on domestics and cases where children may need to be replaced or relocated,” he said. “And it was a partnership and they received training … My interest is that maybe CPAC could be utilized with that if there is volunteers for it that see a purpose and have a mission and vision to do something like that.”

McAlister said she could look into it but that she was concerned the department did not have enough expertise in that area.

To place an obituary, contact Susan Styer at 703-770-9723 or email: sstyer@loudounnow.com

She also said that, while it was not proposed in the fiscal 2024 budget, she would like to see funding for a full-time detective position, a part-time customer service position and another leased vehicle in the future.

McAlister also said the department is understaffed by four full-time positions— three corporals and one officer.

“We can reach out to mental health colleagues in Loudoun County and see what we can do. Or maybe they already have a program set up that we could maybe put it in, in our town. But I don’t know if they do, I’m going to have to look for that.” she said.

Anzivino said the issue was very complex, but that he would work with McAlister to figure out potential solutions and present a report to the council before his contract with the town was up in May. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Children rush for eggs during the nine to 12-year-olds’ Easter egg hunt at Lovettsville’s Eggstravaganza on April 1.

Flower & Garden Festival Returns April 15-16

Leesburg’s downtown historic district will be in full bloom April 15-16 as the Flower and Garden Festival returns for its 33rd year.

The award-winning event doubles as a Loudoun County rite of spring and the area’s largest annual tourism event, typically attracting 30,000 visitors and locals during the weekend.

More than 125 vendors will fill the streets with seasonal blooms, herbs, gardening supplies, outdoor furniture, and more. In addition to those exhibits, festival goers may enjoy music, entertainment and activities for the kids, a rooftop beer garden, and festival food.

The free festival is produced by Leesburg’s Parks and Recreation Department, with support from the Leesburg Police and staff from the Public Works and Utilities departments.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, rain or shine. Pets are not permitted.

Portions of King, Market, and

Cornwall Streets will be closed for the event, however parking will be available in the Town Hall parking garage using the Loudoun Street entrance. Additional parking will be available throughout downtown and a free shuttle service, from Ida Lee Park, will run continuously throughout the day.

This year’s sponsors are Loudoun Medical Group, LeafGuard, Loudoun Credit Union, Firefly Acupuncture and Wellness, Heartland Foods, Power Home Remodeling, Kitchen Saver, Country Buick GMC, Loudoun Now, Wegmans Food Markets, Mountcastle Medical Spa and Laser Center, Yield Bookkeeping, State Farm – Cynthia Michitsch, and Washington Gardener magazine. n

Coming Soon!

The Garden Patch: For the Kids

The Flower and Garden Festival isn’t just for the green thumbs, there’s plenty of activities for the whole family during the weekend. Kids have a space all their own.

The Garden Patch on the Town Hall green along West Market Street features five hands-on art activity stations and a stage featuring children’s entertainment throughout the weekend.

This year’s activities are painting garden rocks with volunteers from Headway Church, making coffee filter butterflies with the staff of Meadowbrook Farms, creating tissue paper flowers with the help of the Providence Academy, and painting wooden animals and decorating garden pots with The Guidepost Montessori School and A Place to Be.

SATURDAY, APRIL 15

11 a.m.-noon: WOW Hour with Fangs Frogs & More interactive time with all types of frogs, snakes, spiders, and more.

Noon: Interactive games with DJ C Squared.

12:30-1 p.m.: Birth Tree Books presents Kashmira Sheth Story Time.

1 p.m.: Interactive games with DJ C Squared.

1:30-2 p.m.: Kims Tae Kwon Do.

2 p.m.: Interactive games with DJ C Squared

2:30-3:30 p.m.: WOW Hour with Two of a Kind interactive children’s music performers.

3:30 p.m.: Interactive games with DJ C Squared.

4-4:30 p.m.: Celtic Rhythm

4:30 p.m.: Interactive games with DJ C Squared.

5-5:30 p.m.: Bach to Rock

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

11-11:30 a.m. Bella Ballerina

Noon-1 p.m.: WOW hour with Fangs Frogs & More interactive time with all types of frogs, snakes, spiders, & more.

1 p.m. Interactive games with DJ C Squared.

1:30-2 p.m.: Creative Dance

2:30-3:30 p.m.: WOW hour with Rocknoceros

3:30 p.m.: Interactive games with DJ C Squared.

4-4:30 p.m.: Bach to Rock

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a member-owned institution, exists to meet the financial needs and goals of its members while maintaining long-term financial stability. Loudoun Credit Union strives to provide the highest level of member-service by o ering a broad range of quality financial services at fair and reasonable rates.

Loudoun Credit

Pride: in the community, in the Credit Union’s e orts, in the e orts of our members

Purpose: in helping members achieve financial success and well-being

Security: in being good stewards of the members’ funds entrusted in the Credit Union

Innovation: in keeping up with technological and market trends

Tradition: in remembering where we came from and honoring our past

Values Services

O er a wide variety of lending opportunities such as (Vehicle, Personal, Shared Secured, Home Equity Loans, etc)

Numerous account types (Checking, Savings, Share Certificates “CD”, Money Market, IRA’s, etc)

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ROOFTOP BEER GARDEN

CORNWALL STREET

LOWER NORTH KING

Food

are in red.

are in blue. Sponsors are in green. Festival

Leesburg’s TREE COMMISSION

Established in 1995, the Leesburg Tree Commission is comprised of seven members appointed by the Town Council for their interest and knowledge in urban forestry.

This Commission’s vision is to provide leadership to enhance, expand and preserve the tree canopy for the benefit of the community.

They are dedicated to promoting tree preservation and planting within the Town, providing a healthy and diverse tree canopy as well as ensuring an aesthetic quality of life for all citizens.

The Town’s Urban Forestry Management Plan was approved in 2006 to guide Leesburg’s efforts to recover the loss of tree canopy and enhance all tree-related benefi ts by recommending strategies and actions to improve their urban forest management in an equitable, economic, and sustainable manner.

At This Year’s Flower and Garden Festival

Leesburg’s TREE COMMISSION

Established in 1995, the Leesburg Tree Commission is comprised of seven members appointed by the Town Council for their interest and knowledge in urban forestry.

At is Year’s Flower and Garden Festival

On Saturday, April 27th, Leesburg will celebrate Arbor Day, when Mayor Kelly Burk accepts Leesburg’s 30th Tree City USA Award during the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival.

n Saturday, April 15th, Leesburg will celebrate Arbor Day when Mayor Kelly Burk accepts Leesburg’s 34th Tree City USA Award during the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival.

OThis Commission’s vision is to provide leadership to enhance, expand and preserve the tree canopy for the benefit of the community.

They are dedicated to promoting tree preservation and planting within the Town, providing a healthy and diverse tree canopy as well as ensuring an aesthetic quality of life for all citizens.

This annual award will be presented by the Virginia Department of Forestry on behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation.

is annual award will be presented by the Virginia Department of Forestry on behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation. A 1:00 a ernoon ceremony is scheduled for the festival’s stage on the Loudoun County courthouse courtyard.

A 2 p.m. afternoon ceremony is scheduled for the festival’s stage located on the old Loudoun County courthouse courtyard.

The Town’s Urban Forestry Management Plan was approved in 2006 to guide Leesburg’s efforts to recover the loss of tree canopy and enhance all tree-related benefits by recommending strategies and actions to improve their urban forest management in an equitable, economic, and sustainable manner.

Also stop by the Tree Commission’s booth (located in front of East Market Street post o ce), to:

• Learn more about proper ways to plant a tree with a FREE copy of “Caring For Your Seedling”

• And get your FREE give-away tree seedling: Swamp White Oak.

Also stop by the Tree Commission’s booth: (located at booth #625 on Cornwall Street, NW)

• To learn more about proper ways to plant a tree with a FREE copy of “Caring For Your Seedling.”

• Plus a SPECIAL DRAWING chance for festival attendees to win one-of-four, large potted Swamp White Oak trees.

Ra e trees courtesy of TreeLife Arborists and Northern Virginia Tree Experts.

• Get your FREE give-away tree seedling: Water Oak or Chestnut Oak.

WWW.LEESBURGVA.GOV

Trees make communities livable for all. ere are many ways to grow your town’s tree canopy … ...It all starts with a tree seedling!

• Plus, a SPECIAL DRAWING chance for festival attendees to win one of four, large potted River Birch trees.

Raffle trees courtesy of Northern Virginia Tree Experts.

Trees make communities livable for all. There are many ways to grow your town’s tree canopy...

...It all starts with a tree seedling!

THE MIGHTY OAK

Oak

trees in North America — particularly in Virginia.

An oak tree:

• Is one of the most common species of trees in North America — particularly here in northern Virginia.

• Comes in two major and distinct prototypes — red oak trees and white oak trees.

• Is mostly deciduous and has leaves that drop during late fall and winter dormancy. But some oaks, like Live Oaks, are evergreen and have leaves that stay on the tree year-round.

• Bears the familiar and iconic fruit called an acorn which are a very important source of food for birds and other wildlife.

• Is a favorite wood used for hundreds of manufactured forest products.

• Comes in a wide variety of species — such as Northern Red, White, Black, Pin, Live, Post, Scarlet, Burr, Swamp White, Willow, Water, and Chestnut.

• Is commonly found throughout forestlands, as well as in cities, towns, and villages.

• Adapts well in the natural forest and is a major component in an urban forest such as street trees and in tree save areas.

• Is one of the largest providers of shade in landscaped neighborhoods and public parks.

• Is also known for its strength and longevity. One local example of a long-lived White Oak called the “Leesburg Heritage Tree” that is over 270 years old and grew from a seed before the Town of Leesburg was founded in 1758. It is located at the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center next to the Rust Farmhouse.

• Is so ubiquitous, that you will most likely see an oak tree every time you leave the house.

An oak tree is the perfect tree for you ... Plant one and you will see!

trees are one of the most common species of

This valuable tree care information has been brought to you as a public service by Loudoun Now and the Town of Leesburg Tree Commission.

On the Main Stage

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Some of the region’s most popular performers will provide the soundtrack for those browsing the Flower and Garden Festival’s ample vender offerings.

Live music performances will be held through the weekend on the main stage in front of Loudoun’s historic courthouse.

SATURDAY, APRIL 15

10-11:30 a.m.: Hilary Veltri Noon-1:30 p.m.: Bart Harris 1:30-1:45 p.m.: Tree City USA

Presentation

2-3:30 p.m.: Hananiah

4-5:30 p.m.: Pebble to Pearl

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

10-11:15 a.m.: Gary Smallwood

11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.: Meisha Herron

1 p.m.: People’s Choice Award Announced

1:30- 2:45 p.m.: Dave Mininberg

3:15-4:30 p.m.: Jason Masi

Brews with a View

While the kids play below in the Garden Patch, adults at the festival can enjoy cold brews on the top level of the Town Hall parking garage.

The rooftop beer garden allows visitors to sample the offerings of some of Loudoun’s favorite craft beverage makers without leaving downtown. This year’s lineup includes Barnhouse Brewery, Bear Chase Brewing Company, Harvest Gap Brewery, Lost Barrel Brewing, Loudoun Brewing, Old Ox Brewery, and Vanish Farmwoods Brewery.

Participating vendors this year are

Loudoun Brewing Co., Bear Chase Brewing Co., Barn House Brewery, Lost Barrel Brewing, Beltway Brewing, Old Ox Brewery, and Wild Hare Cider, along with a selection from Loudoun’s wineries.

The beer garden also enjoys its own entertainment stage. Performing Saturday afternoon is country music band Doin’ Time. On Sunday, Eric Campbell plays hits from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s from noon to 2 p.m. and Rob Hoey performs hits, deep cuts and singalongs from the past 60 years from 2 to 4 p.m. n

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Offering is subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply. Interest rate may change after the account is opened. Cash on deposit at FDIC-insured institutions through the Enhanced Savings Program offered by Raymond James Bank is insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per insurable capacity per depository institution (bank), subject to applicable FDIC rules and limitations. The Enhanced Savings Program relies on the services of IntraFi Network, LLC, for the placement of deposits at a network third-party FDIC-insured depository institutions. The current list of FDIC-insured depository institutions in the network is shown at https://www. intrafinetworkdeposits.com/find-intrafi-network-deposits. Raymond James is not affiliated with IntraFi Network, LLC. © 2023 Raymond James Bank, member FDIC. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., are affiliated with Raymond James Bank. Unless otherwise specified, products purchased from or held at Raymond James & Associates or Raymond James Financial Services are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits or other obligations of Raymond James Bank, are not guaranteed by Raymond James Bank, and are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of the principal invested. Banking and lending solutions are offered through Raymond James Bank, an affiliate of Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

Offering is subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply. Interest rate may change after the account is opened. Cash on deposit at FDIC-insured institutions through the Enhanced Savings Program offered by Raymond James Bank is insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per insurable capacity per depository institution (bank), subject to applicable FDIC rules and limitations. The Enhanced Savings Program relies on the services of IntraFi Network, LLC, for the placement of deposits at a network third-party FDIC-insured depository institutions. The current list of FDIC-insured depository institutions in the network is shown at https://www. intrafinetworkdeposits.com/find-intrafi-network-deposits. Raymond James is not affiliated with IntraFi Network, LLC. © 2023 Raymond James Bank, member FDIC. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., are affiliated with Raymond James Bank. Unless otherwise specified, products purchased from or held at Raymond James & Associates or Raymond James Financial Services are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits or other obligations of Raymond James Bank, are not guaranteed by Raymond James Bank, and are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of the principal invested. Banking and lending solutions are offered through Raymond James Bank, an affiliate of Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

Offering is subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply. Interest rate may change after the account is opened. Cash on deposit at FDIC-insured institutions through the Enhanced Savings Program offered by Raymond James Bank is insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per insurable capacity per depository institution (bank), subject to applicable FDIC rules and limitations. The Enhanced Savings Program relies on the services of IntraFi Network, LLC, for the placement of deposits at a network third-party FDIC-insured depository institutions. The current list of FDIC-insured depository institutions in the network is shown at https://www. intrafinetworkdeposits.com/find-intrafi-network-deposits. Raymond James is not affiliated with IntraFi Network, LLC. © 2023 Raymond James Bank, member FDIC. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., are affiliated with Raymond James Bank. Unless otherwise specified, products purchased from or held at Raymond James & Associates or Raymond James Financial Services are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits or other obligations of Raymond James Bank, are not guaranteed by Raymond James Bank, and are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of the principal invested. Banking and lending solutions are offered through Raymond James Bank, an affiliate of Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

Offering is subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply. Interest rate may change after the account is opened. Cash on deposit at FDIC-insured institutions through the Enhanced Savings Program offered by Raymond James Bank is insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per insurable capacity per depository institution (bank), subject to applicable FDIC rules and limitations. The Enhanced Savings Program relies on the services of IntraFi Network, LLC, for the placement of deposits at a network third-party FDIC-insured depository institutions. The current list of FDIC-insured depository institutions in the network is shown at https://www. intrafinetworkdeposits.com/find-intrafi-network-deposits. Raymond James is not affiliated with IntraFi Network, LLC. © 2023 Raymond James Bank, member FDIC. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., are affiliated with Raymond James Bank. Unless otherwise specified, products purchased from or held at Raymond James & Associates or Raymond James Financial Services are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits or other obligations of Raymond James Bank, are not guaranteed by Raymond James Bank, and are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of the principal invested. Banking and lending solutions are offered through Raymond James Bank, an affiliate of Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

of deposits at a network third-party FDIC-insured depository institutions. The current list of FDIC-insured depository institutions in the network is shown at https://www.intrafinetworkdeposits.com/find-intrafi-network-deposits. Raymond James is not affiliated with IntraFi Network, LLC. © 2023 Raymond James Bank, member FDIC. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., are affiliated with Raymond James Bank. Unless otherwise specified, products purchased from or held at Raymond James & Associates or Raymond James Financial Services are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits or other obligations of Raymond James Bank, are not guaranteed by Raymond James Bank, and are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of the principal invested. Banking and lending solutions are offered through Raymond James Bank, an affiliate of Raymond James & Associates, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

Town of Leesburg

Employment Opportunities

Please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs for more information and to apply online.

Resumes may be submitted as supplemental only. EOE/ADA.

Regular Full-Time Positions

Summer Internship

To review Ida Lee (Parks & Recreation) flexible part-time positions, please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs. Most positions will be filled at or near the minimum of the range. Dependent on qualifications. All Town vacancies may be viewed on Comcast Cable Channel 67 and Verizon FiOS Channel 35.

Construction Project Manager/Project Engineer

Meridien Group, LLC is seeking a motivated, qualified individual to handle all aspects of construction project management. Duties include Preparing, scheduling, coordinating and monitoring the assigned projects. Monitoring compliance to applicable codes, practices, QA/QC policies, performance standards and specifications.

Interacting daily with the clients to interpret their needs and requirements and representing them in the field.

We are looking for an accountable project engineer/project manager to be responsible for all engineering and technical disciplines that projects involve. You will schedule, plan, forecast, resource and manage all the technical activities aiming at assuring project accuracy and quality from conception to completion.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Engineering/Construction Management or relevant field

• Prior federal government project experience is preferred, but not required

• Entr y-level/mid-level Position

Contact Info:

Katherine Hicks

305 Harrison Street STE 100 Leesburg, VA 20175

Send Resume to: khicks@meridiengroupllc.com (703) 777-8285

GETOUT

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

HOPE FLOWER FARM TULIP DAYS

Saturday, April 8, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Hope Flower Farm, 40905 Stumptown Road, Waterford

Details: hopeflowerfarm.com

Celebrate the spring’s first flower crop with live music, wine, hard cider, walking tours and tulip stems for sale.

CROOKED RUN EASTER MARKET AND EGG HUNT

Saturday, April 8, 11 a.m.

Crooked Run Fermentation, 22455 Davis Drive #120, Sterling

Details: crookedrunbrewing.com

Enjoy a fun-filled market with unique vendors and an egg hunt for kids. Admission is free.

LEESBURG PREMIUM OUTLETS

EASTER EVENT

Saturday, April 8, 2-4 p.m.

Leesburg Premium Outlets, 241 Fort Evans Road NE, Leesburg

Details: premiumoutlets.com

Enjoy a fun-filled family-oriented afternoon learning circus techniques and playing games, with a visit from the Easter Bunny at 3 p.m.

LOCO LIVE

THE SELDOM SCENE

Thursday, April 6, 8 p.m.

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg

Details: tallyhotheater.com

Formed in 1971, the Maryland-based Seldom Scene were instrumental in starting the progressive bluegrass movement with their high energy takes on country, rock and pop. Tickets are $45 to $65 per table.

CHRIS BOWEN

Friday, April 7, 5 p.m.

Dirt Farm Brewing, 18701 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont

Details: dirtfarmbrewing.com

Kick back with tunes from Loudoun singer/songwriter and one-man band Chris Bowen of the Bone Show.

GET OUT THIS WEEK

continues on page 21

SCENERY AND HISTORY

Photographer Roger Lancaster’s

Special Eye for Loudoun’s Beauty

BY JAN MERCKER jmercker@loudounnow.com

Photographer Roger Lancaster has never encountered a gravel road he didn’t want to travel, along the way capturing historic barns, homes and churches, knotty old trees and scenic vistas of the kind only Loudoun offers.

The Waterford resident has built a devoted local following with his lush landscapes and stunning images of the built environment as well. Lancaster’s fans can catch his first solo show this month in Purcellville.

For the British Columbia native, western Loudoun, his home for nearly a decade, provides the perfect fodder for his passion for capturing scenic vistas and historic barns and houses.

“You’ve not only got the beauty of the landscape, you’ve got so much history. You’ve got big estates with gorgeous properties. And then you’ve got little country farms and springhouses,” Lancaster said. “The variety is absolutely fantastic, and the sheer beauty and history just adds to it.”

Lancaster likes to work around project-based themes. His fascination

with the region’s historic barns has led to two sellout calendars. His current project covers the county’s historic churches.

Lancaster, who has lived in Northern Virginia for decades and in Loudoun since 2014, hails from Kamloops, British Columbia. His grandfather was a photojournalist, and he remembers holding his old-school Kodak fold-up as a child. But Lancaster, a longtime DC-based association executive, didn’t catch the photography bug

LANCASTER continues on page 22

Photo/Illustration: Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Best Bets

continued from page 20

COWBOY MOUTH

Friday, April 7, 7 p.m. (doors) Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

GARY SMALLWOOD

Saturday, April 8, 2-5 p.m. Doukénie Winery doukeniewinery.com

GET OUT THIS WEEK

Mystery Machine puts the fun in funk rock for a rocking TGIF.

SHARIF

Friday, April 7, 5:30

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg

Details: lostbarrel.com

The world-traveling independent artist Sharif brings his top-notch originals and a few covers to Lost Barrel.

CLARK PEKLO

Friday, April 7, 6 p.m.

Loudoun Brewing Company, 310 E. Market St., Leesburg

Details: loudounbrewing.com

Peklo’s repertoire of cool, unexpected covers features a strict No Eagles policy.

FRAYED KNOTS

Friday, April 7, 6:30 p.m.

Schmidt’s BBQ, 14 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg

Details: facebook.com/schmidtsbbq

Local favorites The Frayed Knots shake things up with their uniquely interpreted and arranged rock repertoire and some new tunes.

SCOTT CLARK

Friday, April 7, 7 p.m.

Tarbender’s Lounge, 10 S. King St., Leesburg

Details: tarbenderslounge.com

Clark is a classically trained bass-baritone who brings out his repertoire of jazz standards and pop tunes for fun local shows.

BOBBY THOMPSON BAND

Friday, April 7, 8 p.m.

Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville

Details: monksq.com

WAMMIE-winning blues musician Bobby Thompson brings his groovy tunes to Monk’s.

MYSTERY MACHINE

Friday, April 7, 8 p.m.

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg

Details: spankyspub.com

ELEMENTS OF KINDRED

Friday, April 7, 8 p.m.

Nick’s Taverna, 42395 Ryan Road, Ashburn

Details: nickstaverna.com

This high-energy acoustic duo serves up an eclectic mix of favorites.

COWBOY MOUTH

Friday, April 7, 8 p.m.

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg

Details: tallyhotheater.com

Cowboy Mouth returns to the Tally Ho with high-energy rock ‘n’ roll rooted in punk, rock, blues and Big Easy attitude. Tickets are $30 for general admission, $75 for VIP seats.

MELISSA

QUINN FOX

Saturday, April 8, 1 p.m.

Bear Chase Brewing Company, 18294 Blue Ridge Mountain Road, Bluemont

Details: bearchasebrew.com

Country/Americana songstress Melissa Quinn Fox is known for her story-driven songs, unique vocal tone and captivating live performances.

BETH TURNER

Saturday, April 8, 2 p.m.

Lost Rhino Brewing Company 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn

Details: lostrhino.com

Turner is a dynamic singer-songwriter who also covers jazz, rhythm and blues, pop, rock and soul favorites.

DARRYL MARINI

Saturday, April 8, 2 p.m.

Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro

Details: breauxvineyards.com

Marini is a seasoned musician from Los Angeles who now lives in the Shenandoah Valley. A skilled guitarist and vocalist, he has a versatile repertoire covering classic and alt rock, jazz standards, country and pop.

ACOUSTIC MOOSE

Saturday, April 8, 2 p.m.

The Barns At Hamilton Station, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton

Details: thebarnsathamiltonstation.com

This south-central PA duo with acoustic guitar and dynamic vocal harmonies plays a range of folk rock, blues and classic rock favorites.

GARY SMALLWOOD

Saturday, April 8, 2 p.m.

Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro

Details: doukeniewinery.com

Gary Smallwood returns to Doukenie with his locally famous classic rock, country rock and blues.

BUILT 4 COMFORT

Saturday, April 8, 7 p.m. MacDowell’s macsbeach.com

JIM STEELE

Saturday, April 8, 3 p.m.

Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville

Details: flyingacefarm.com

Join local favorite Jim Steele for an evening of fun covers and originals.

ROWDY ACE TRIO

Saturday, April 8, 5 p.m.

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby

GET OUT THIS WEEK continues on page 23

LANCASTER

continued from page 20

until retirement. For the past 15 years, he has thrown himself into his newfound artistic endeavor.

“When you retire, if you don’t develop a passion for something, you die,” he said.

Lancaster bought a camera and took a class and joined the Northern Virginia Photography Society, drawing education and inspiration from the group’s weekly meetings with guest experts and speakers.

“I probably learned more from that than anything else,” he said.

Lancaster and his family lived in Falls Church for decades, and he and his wife have been regulars at the Waterford Fair since the mid-70s. When it was time to retire, western Loudoun called. They built their home near Waterford in 2014, and as soon as they relocated, Lancaster was ready to explore.

“I’d hop in the car and I’d just drive. I’ve gotten to know Loudoun County like the back of my hand. If I saw a gravel road that I hadn’t been down before, I went down it,” he said.

“If I saw a nice scene, I took a picture or three or 10 or 50.”

The village of Waterford is a constant source of inspiration. Lancaster has done several series on the village’s historic buildings. Another favorite is his “Hands at Work” series, focusing on the hands of crafters at the Waterford Fair as they threw pots, carved wood and wove baskets.

Lancaster’s new show at a Purcellville real estate office covers his

beloved barns and churches along with stunning scenes from western Loudoun and the hunt country of Fauquier and Clarke counties, with painting-like scenes of rolling hills and round bales. Lancaster is also planning a book featuring favorites from his more than 400,000 photos of the local landscape and buildings.

Lancaster also has a fascination with abandoned spaces. His series “The Vanishing South,” focuses on his wife’s home state of Georgia, along with Virginia and West Virginia, documenting closed cotton mills, factories, schools and businesses. Lancaster’s new show features several pieces from a series taken at the Jarrell Plantation Historic Site in Georgia. Lancaster still has family in British Columbia and returns there frequently, capturing the sweeping grasslands and clay hills of the British Columbia interior, in stark contrast to his Loudoun scenes.

“It’s an entirely different landscape,” he said.

The Purcellville show features several pieces from his series documenting the antique tractor collection of R.T. Legard before it was sold at auction last fall.

For Lancaster, it’s about capturing the region’s beauty but also documenting historic buildings and landscapes that may one day disappear.

“I always say I’m doing a photographic inventory of old barns. … Many of the barns in the county are being torn down,” he said.

He recalls a project in Aldie where a property had been sold for development, including a pair of historic barns he wanted to shoot. He got a panicked call from the former property owner that demolition permits had been filed.

“I went out the next day in the pouring rain and got the pictures. The next day, the barns were torn down,” Lancaster said. n

Roger Lancaster’s photographs are on display Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Long and Foster Real Estate, 100 Purcellville Gateway Drive, Purcellville. The office will host an artist’s reception Wednesday, April 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. To check out Lancaster’s work, go to rogerlancaster.photos or follow Roger A. Lancaster, Photographer/ Image Artist on Facebook.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Roger Lancaster sits in front of an exhibit of his photography at the Long & Foster office in Purcellville.

Why I

LO VE Loudoun

ANDREW TAYLOR GENERAL MANAGER, GREAT COUNTRY FARMS

Andrew Taylor’s grandfather Bob Zurschmeide started selling fruit, vegetables and Christmas trees out of the back of a truck in Loudoun in the 1980s. Today, the Zurschmeide family’s agri-business empire incorporates Bluemont Vineyard, Dirt Farm Brewery, Henway Hard Cider Co. and the kid-friendly agri-tourism experience Great Country Farms, founded in 1993, where 30-year-old Andrew is the GM.

Favorite place to eat in Loudoun?

My wife and I love date nights at King Street Oyster Bar in Middleburg. We order the Bleu Cheese Chips and a King Street Po Boy but it’s all good!

Favorite place for a craft beverage? Well, aside from the beer at Dirt Farm

GET OUT THIS WEEK

continued from page 21

Highway, Middleburg

Details: lostbarrel.com

Kick back with a fun mix of country and rock tunes from Rowdy Ace.

BUILT 4 COMFORT

Saturday, April 8, 7 p.m.

MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg

Details: macsbeach.com

This group of local music veterans brings a range of cover songs in their own signature style: soulful and sassy with lots of hipshaking goodness and groove.

WARREN HAYFORD

Saturday, April 8, 7 p.m.

Tarbender’s Lounge, 10 S. King St., Leesburg

and wine at Bluemont Vineyard, I enjoy Fire Works in Leesburg for a good craft IPA paired with a slice of the Smokey Blue wood-fired pizza.

Best secret place to go to in Loudoun? It’s not so much a secret to western Loudoun, but you can’t beat the small-town vibes and good eats at Monks BBQ in Purcellville.

What’s a must-see place for an outof-town visitor? A trek I would recommend is a scenic country drive on the winding Snickersville Turnpike in western Loudoun and then a hike to Bear’s Den Overlook, part of the Appalachian Trail. The views from up there are incredible.

Favorite event in Loudoun to go to? The historic Bluemont Fair is always

Details: tarbenderslounge.com

Catch groovy psychedelic Americana from a Loudoun native.

GINADA PINATA

Saturday, April 8, 8 p.m.

Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville

Details: monksq.com

Shepherdstown-based Ginada Pinata taps the influences of jazz, funk, rock, fusion, trance and drum and bass and blends them to create an organic vibe.

LOW WATER BRIDGE

Saturday, April 8, 8 p.m.

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg

Details: tallyhotheater.com

Forged by firelight picking, the band’s romping, stomping, country-grass Americana has taken them from the Shenandoah Valley to festival stages along the East Coast. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $35 for VIP seats.

BERLIN CALLING

Saturday, April 8, 8 p.m.

Crooked Run Fermentation, 22455 Davis

a can’t-miss event for us in western Loudoun. This year, the weekend of September 16 and 17 will be the 53rd.

What’s a fun fact to share about Loudoun? I love the deep agriculture history of western Loudoun and the fact that the Round Hill and Stoneleigh areas used to be hundreds of acres of orchards.

What sustainable, organic farming methods do you apply at GCF and your other agribusinesses? We implement a full circle farming operation. We grow hundreds of varieties of fruits and vegetables, both annuals and perennials alongside raising all types of farm animals in a way that improves our soils, lowers input costs, and provides nutrient-dense foods to our community. For example, we graze sheep, cows and chickens on our orchard floors for weed control and fertilization, then we harvest three different ways: direct sales in our farm market, guests pick their own and anything overripe is stored and sent to Bluemont Vineyard or Dirt Farm Brewery for processing. The leftover materials are then sent back to the farm for composting or feeding our pigs to complete the circle.

What is unique about GCF and your farming methods there? On top of the full-circle farming operation, we invite the community along to experience it. My favorite event is our “Big Dig Festival” in August when you can come dig-your-own pesticide-free potatoes.

How does family farming benefit the environment? Family farming naturally brings a generational focus. Too many businesses today have reductionist concepts, while family farms plan and act holistically with a view to set up our

Drive #120, Sterling

Details: crookedrunbrewing.com

Celebrate spring with an 80s dance party with Berlin Calling.

JUST STONES

Saturday, April 8, 8 p.m.

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg

Details: spankyspub.com

Just Stones returns to Spanky’s with the best of the Rolling Stones.

MATTHEW MILLS

Sunday, April 9, 1 p.m.

Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville

Details: creeksedgewinery.com

Kick back with awesome acoustic tunes from guitar virtuoso Matt Mills.

MIGUEL AUBERTIN

Sunday, April 9, 2 p.m.

Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, 40950

Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville

Details: flyingacefarm.com

Relax with Aubertin’s repertoire of joyful

children and grandchildren. “Plant pears for your heirs!” we say. Deep roots are important for communities.

April 22 is Earth Day – as a farmer what should people do to commemorate it? Get your hands dirty! Planting a tree is good for the environment and good for the soul. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the second-best time is right now.

What makes Loudoun so good for farming? We are blessed with the rich valley soils and eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From a business perspective, we have an amazing customer base that values healthy foods and unique outdoor experiences.

What’s your favorite food or drink product you produce at GCF? Definitely our apple cider. We press and blend homegrown apple varieties into a mouth-watering product available yearround. Some may say our cider donuts, but you can’t have those without the apple cider!

What’s the most fun activity a visitor can do at GCF can do? One of our top attractions is the “Farm Ninja Obstacle Course” in our 15-acre play area. A low ropes course designed for all ages. You might also want to make it out to our famous “Pig Races” we hold on weekends in September and October. n

Visit Loudoun strives to bring tourists to the county, but locals can be tourists too.  In this series we ask Loudoun residents to tell us about the joys, secrets and delights of their own backyard. Discover something new and share your local adventure with Visit Loudoun using #loveloudoun

songs with a reggae flair.

LOST CORNER VAGABONDS

Sunday, April 9, 2 p.m.

Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro

Details: doukeniewinery.com

Whether it’s rock, country, R&B or a heartfelt ballad, The Lost Corner Vagabonds dig deep to reach the places that feel like home.

LOCO CULTURE

LAST HAM STANDING COMEDY IMPROV

Saturday, April 8, 8 p.m.

Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville

Details: franklinparkartscenter.org

This hilarious show is full of laughs for the whole family as performers take suggestions from the audience to create wacky scenes and improv games. Tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for children.

Contributed

Andrew Taylor and his family at Great County Farms near Bluemont

Legal Notices

PUBLIC AUCTION

This proceeding is for the judicial sale of real properties located in Loudoun County, Virginia, for payment of delinquent taxes pursuant to the provisions of Virginia Code §§ 58.1-3965, et seq. Pursuant to Orders entered by the Circuit Court of Loudoun County, Virginia, the undersigned Nicholas J. Lawrence and Robert J. Sproul, Special Commissioners of Sale of said Court, will offer the real properties described below for sale at public auction to the highest bidder in front of the Historic Loudoun County Courthouse, facing King Street near the intersection of King and Market Streets, at 18 East Market Street, in Leesburg, Virginia on:

April 20, 2023

3:00 p.m.

RAIN OR SHINE

Registration Starts at 2:30 p.m.

the chain of title. Any costs incurred by a bidder to inspect or investigate any property are the bidder’s responsibility and are not reimbursable.

The owner of any property listed below may redeem it at any time before the date of the auction by paying all taxes, penalties, interest, costs (including the pro rata costs of publishing this advertisement and attorney’s fees) incurred through the date before the auction.

Below is a brief description of each property to be offered for sale at the auction. More detailed information may be obtained by examining the files in the Clerk’s office of the Circuit Court of Loudoun County, or by contacting the Special Commissioners of Sale at (703) 777-0307; or N. Rebekah Long, Deputy Treasurer for Collections at (703) 771-5656.

TERMS OF SALE:

1. The sale of any real property is subject to the approval and confirmation by the Circuit Court of Loudoun County.

2. The Special Commissioners of Sale reserve the right to withdraw from sale any property listed and to reject any bid by declaring “NO SALE” after the last bid received on a property.

3. Any person who wishes to bid on any property during the auction must register with County staff before the start of bidding. As part of the registration process, potential bidders must: (i) have sufficient funds on hand to pay the Minimum Deposit required for each parcel on which they want to bid; and (ii) sign a form certifying that they do not own any property in Loudoun County for which any delinquent taxes are due, or for which there are zoning or other violations.

4. The Minimum Deposit required for each parcel is specified below, as part of the property description. The full amount of the Minimum Deposit must be paid by cashier’s or certified check made payable to Gary Clemens, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Loudoun County, at the time the auctioneer declares the sale

5. In lieu of attending the auction, bidders may submit written bids to the Special Commissioners of Sale, at the address listed below. All written bids must be accompanied by the applicable Minimum Deposit, which shall be paid by cashier’s or certified check made payable to Gary Clemens, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Loudoun County. Written bids must also be accompanied by a certification that the bidder is not the owner of any property in Loudoun County for which delinquent taxes are due, or for which there are zoning or other violations. A written bid form, which includes the required certification, can be obtained from the Special Commissioners of Sale or the Treasurer’s website.

6. Written bids (with the required deposit and certification) will be received by the Special Commissioners of Sale at any time prior to the date of auction and held under seal until the date of the auction. If a written bid exceeds the highest live bid received from the audience during the auction, the audience will have an opportunity to bid against the written bid. If a higher bid is not received from the audience, the Special Commissioners of Sale may declare the sale to the proponent of the highest written bid or may reject all bids by declaring “NO SALE.”

7. If either a written bid or a live auction bid is approved by the Circuit Court of Loudoun County, the balance of the purchase price must be paid in full within 30 days of Court approval.

8. Once a submitted written bid or a live bid has been accepted during the auction, it cannot be withdrawn except by leave of the Circuit Court of Loudoun County. Any bidder who attempts to withdraw his/ her bid after it has been accepted by the Special Commissioners of Sale may be required to forfeit his/her deposit.

9. Properties are offered “as is”, with all faults and without warranties or guarantees either expressed or implied. Prospective bidders should investigate the title on properties prior to bidding. The sale of the properties is not subject to the successful bidders’ ability to obtain title insurance. The sale of the properties is made free and clear only of liens of defendant(s) named in the respective judicial proceeding, and of those liens recorded after the County filed a lis pendens with the Circuit Court of Loudoun County.

10. All recording costs (including but not limited to any grantor’s tax/fee) will be at the expense of the purchaser. All property will be conveyed by Special Warranty Deed from the Special Commissioners of Sale.

11. Announcements made on the day of sale take precedence over any prior verbal or written terms of sale.

The Special Commissioners of Sale represent that information regarding the property to be offered for sale, including acreage, type of improvements, etc., is taken from tax and/or land records, and is not guaranteed for either accuracy or completeness. Bidders are encouraged to make their own investigation to determine the title, condition of improvements, accessibility, and occupancy status of each property and to bid accordingly. The sale will be made subject to matters visible upon inspection, and to restrictions, conditions, rights-of-way and easements, if any, contained in the instruments constituting

THE COUNTY OF LOUDOUN v. HEIRS AT LAW & SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF DOUGLAS PETERSON, Sr, a/ka FRED DOUGLAS

PETERSON, Sr., and JOSPEHINE PETERSON, et al.

CIVIL ACTION NO. CL 22-5153

LOUDOUN COUNTY TAX MAP NO. /53////////36/ PIN 653-37-8651-000

Nicholas J. Lawrence, Special Commissioner of Sale

Robert J. Sproul, Special Commissioner of Sale

Minimum Deposit Required: $18,444.00

0.41 acres, more or less, with improvements, located at 33670 Austin Grove Road, Bluemont, Virginia 20135, and described of record, among the land records of Loudoun County, Virginia as:

All the following described tract and parcel of land, with all the improvements thereon and appurtenances thereunto appertaining, situated, lying and being in Loudoun County and near the Trapp (a town in said County), Virginia, adjoining the lands of Dr. Wiley and others and bounded as follows by a survey made on the 28th day of November 1928, by A. C. Bell. Beginning in the center of a road and running N 13 ¼ E 12.20 poles to Fig. 2, a stake, thence N 68 ¾ W 4.72 poles to Fig. 3, a stake in a line of fence, thence in the center of the said road S 79 ¾ E 5.48 poles to Fig. 1 the place of beginning, containing sixty-five and seven tenths (65.7) poles, more or less, also known as:

33670 Austin Grove Road

Bluemont, Virginia 20135

AND BEING a portion of the same property, conveyed to Robert L. Peterson and Estus Peterson by deed dated May 10, 1930, recorded at Deed Book 10-F-320, 4-D-441 WB, among the land records of Loudoun County, Virginia.

THE COUNTY OF LOUDOUN v. HEIRS AT LAW & SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF DOUGLAS PETERSON, Sr, a/ka FRED DOUGLAS PETERSON, Sr., and JOSPEHINE

PETERSON, et al

CIVIL ACTION NO. CL 22-5153

LOUDOUN COUNTY TAX MAP NO. /53////////38/ PIN 653-37-8564-000

Nicholas J. Lawrence, Special Commissioner of Sale

Robert J. Sproul, Special Commissioner of Sale

Minimum Deposit Required: $15,790.00

0.25 acres, more or less, of vacant land with miscellaneous improvements, no situs address, located near Bluemont, Virginia and described of record, among the land records of Loudoun County, Virginia as:

All the following described tract and parcel of land, with all the improvements thereon and appurtenances thereunto appertaining, situated, lying and being in the County of Loudoun and State of Virginia, and near the place called the Trapp, and bounded as follows: Lot No. 3 beginning at post and running S 68 ½ E. 8.24 poles to a cross fence, thence with said fence N 14 ¾ E 10 poles to an iron pin thence N 72 W 7.28 poles to an iron pin, thence S 20 W 9.60 poles to the place of beginning. Containing 10,662 square feet, more or less.

Nicholas J. Lawrence

Robert J. Sproul

Special Commissioners of Sale

Office of County Attorney

1 Harrison Street, S.E.

P.O. Box 7000

Leesburg, Virginia 20177-7000

(703) 777-0307

3/30,

&

Legal Notices

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ045188-09-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Ashli Martinez-Bonilla

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

/v.

Maynor Martinez Acosta, putative father

The object of this suit is to hold a permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Ashli Martinez-Bonilla.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Maynor Martinez Acosta, putative father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before May 17, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.

4/6, 4/13, 4/20 & 4/27/23

ABC LICENSE

Master A INC trading as Potomac Taphouse, 44921 George Washington BLVD, Ashburn, Virginia 20147-4032.

The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wine and Beer On and Off Premises, Mixed Beverage Restaurant license sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Mina

Bebawy

Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

4/6 & 4/13/23

LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDS/PROPOSALS FOR:

CONSTRUCTION OF THE ALDIE FIRE & RESCUE STATION, IFB No. 544782 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, May 8, 2023.

COVID-19 AFTER-ACTION REPORT, RFP No. 601792 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, May 1, 2023.

FIRE APPARATUS, AMBULANCE, HEAVY DUTY EQUIPMENT AND LIGHT DUTY VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR SERVICES, RFP No. 603790 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, April 25, 2023.

JANITORIAL SERVICES FOR DOUGLASS COMMUNITY CENTER, IFB No. 603793 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, April 20, 2023.

LIBRARY MATERIAL SUPPLIER, RFP No. 601790 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, April 28, 2023.

RIVER BEND STREAM AND OUTFALL RESTORATION, IFB No. 553787 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, May 9, 2023.

STAFF AND CAMP APPAREL, IFB No. 600790 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, May 1, 2023.

TASK ORDER ROADWAY & TRANSPORTATION DESIGN SERVICES FOR FEDERAL PROJECTS, RFP No. 502787 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, April 20, 2023.

Solicitation forms may be obtained 24 hours a day by visiting our web site at www.loudoun.gov/procurement. If you do not have access to the Internet, call (703) 777-0403, M - F, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

WHEN CALLING, PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCUREMENT.

4/6/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ045610-05-00; 07-00; 08-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Kelvin Menjivar

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

/v

Rene Alavarenga Buezo, putative father, and Unknown Father

The object of this suit is to hold a second permanency planning hearing and review of foster care plan with goal of adoption, pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Kelvin Menjivar and Petition for Termination of Parental Rights of Rene Alavarenga Buezo, putative father, and Unknown Father pursuant to Virginia Code §16.1-283 for Kelvin Menjivar. Rene Alavarenga Buezo, putative father, and Unknown Father are hereby notified that failure to appear on the hereinafter noticed date and time may result in the entry of an Order approving a permanency goal of adoption as well as the termination of their residual parental rights with respect to Kelvin Menjivvar. Rene Alavarenga Buezo, putative father, and Unknown Father are hereby further notified that if their residual parental rights are terminated, they will no longer have any legal rights with respect to said minor child, including, but not limited to, the right to visit Kelvin Menjivar; any authority with respect to the care and supervision of Kelvin Menjivar; or the right to make health related decisions or determine the religious affiliation of Kelvin Menjivar. Further, Rene Alavarenga Buezo, putative father, and Unknown Father will have no legal and /or financial obligations with respect to Kelvin Menjivar, and the Department of Family Services of Loudoun County, Virginia may be granted the authority to place Kelvin Menjivar for adoption and consent to the adoption of Kelvin Menjivar.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Rene Alavarenga Buezo, putative father, and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before May 9, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. 4/6, 4/13, 4/20 & 4/27/23

TOWN OF LEESBURG

NOTICE OF PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER AMENDMENTS TO ZONING ORDINANCE ARTICLES 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 AND 18 FOR THE PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHING A CONTINUING CARE COMMUNITY DEFINITION AND REGULATIONS

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205 and 15.2-2285 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing on THURSDAY, April 20, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, 20176 to consider Zoning Ordinance Amendment TLOA-2023-0001 to revise the following articles of the Zoning Ordinance:

1. Article 5, Residential Zoning Districts: To establish Continuing Care Facility as a Special Exception use in the R-16, Planned Housing Development District and the R-22, Multi-Family Residential District.

2. Article 7, Special Purpose Districts: To establish Continuing Care Facility as a Special Exception use within the MC, Medical Center (Special Purpose) District

3. Article 8, Planned Development Districts: To establish a Continuing Care Facility as a permitted use within the PRN, Planned Residential Neighborhood District, and the PRC, Planned Residential Commercial District

4. Article 9, Use Regulations: To create Use Standards for a Continuing Care Facility, and to amend the Use Table to include Continuing Care Facility, and to establish Continuing Care Facility as a Special Exception use in the R-16, Planned Housing Development District and the R-22, MultiFamily Residential District within the Use Table.

5. Article 11, Parking, Loading and Pedestrian Access: To create parking standards for Elderly Housing and Continuing Care Facility.

6. Article 18, Definitions: Establish a new definition for a Continuing Care Facility.

Copies and additional information regarding these proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments are available at the Department of Planning and Zoning located on the second floor of the Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by calling 703-771-2771 and asking for Scott E. Parker, Senior Planning Project Manager. Mr. Parker can also be reached by email at sparker@leesburgva.gov. This Zoning Ordinance amendment application is identified as case number TLOA-2023-0001.

At this hearing all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of the Commission at (703) 771-2434 three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.

4/6 & 4/13/23

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING

The LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

ZRTD-2022-0005

OPPIDAN INVESTMENT COMPANY

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District)

Oppidan Investment Company, of Fairfax, Virginia, has submitted an application to rezone approximately 7.09 acres from the PD-IP (Planned Development – Industrial Park) zoning district under the 1972 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance to the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in order to permit all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.6 (up to 1.0 by Special Exception). The subject properties are located within the Route 28 Taxing District, within the Route 28 Optional Overlay district and the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60, aircraft noise contour. The subject properties are approximately 7.09 acres in size and are located east of Route 28, on the south side of South Sterling Boulevard (Route 846) and north side of Davis Drive (Route 868) in the Sterling Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PINs: 033-38-7850 and 033-38-5671. The area is governed by the policies of the Revised General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Employment Place Type)), which designate this area for Office, Production, Research and Development, Flex Space, and Contractor without outdoor storage uses at a FAR of up to 1.0.

CMPT-2022-0004 &

SPEX-2022-0040

INFRA TOWERS – EVERGREEN MILL

(Commission Permit & Special Exception)

Infra Towers LLC, of Alexandria, Virginia has submitted applications for the following: 1) Commission approval to permit a 150-foot-tall Telecommunications Monopole with a six-foot-tall lightning rod at the top of pole inside a 50 by 50 square-foot related equipment compound in the AR-1 (Agricultural Rural) zoning district; and 2) a Special Exception to permit a 150-foot-tall Telecommunications Monopole with a six-foot-tall lightning rod at the top of pole inside a related equipment compound in the AR-1 zoning district. These applications are subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. The proposed use requires a Commission Permit in accordance with Section 6-1101 and is listed as a Special Exception use in Table 2-102 of Section 2-102 and under Section 5-618(B)(2). The subject property is approximately 3.14 acres in size and is located west of Evergreen Mills Road (Route 621) and south of Battlefield Parkway (Route 627), in the Catoctin Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 27420-4037. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Rural Policy Area (Rural North Place Type)), which designate this area for rural economy uses and limited residential development at a recommended density of up to one dwelling unit per 20 acres or one dwelling unit per 5 acres equivalent for optional Residential clustering in large-lot subdivisions.

SPEX-2022-0031

DULLES TRADE CENTER WEST

(Special Exception)

10 Trade West Drive, LLC and 11 Trade West Drive, LLC, of Sterling, Virginia, have submitted an application for a Special Exception to permit an increase in the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) from 0.4 to 0.6 on two parcels located within the PD-GI (Planned Development – General Industrial) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. The application is subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance and the proposed modification of the FAR is listed as a Special Exception under Section 4-606(C). The subject property is located within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District within the Ldn 65 or higher, aircraft noise contour and in the FOD (Floodplain Overlay District). The subject property is approximately 14.8 acres in size and is located north of Arcola Mills Drive (Route 621) and on the west side of Trade West Drive (Route 3535) in the Little River Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PINs: 161-17-2615 and 161-17-0879. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Industrial/Mineral Extraction Place Type)), which designate this area for large manufacturing, contractor with outdoor storage, and other productive uses at a FAR of up to 0.6.

ZRTD-2022-0004 INTERRA SKY TRANSDULLES

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District)

Davis Drive PropCo. LLC, of Excelsior, Minnesota, has submitted an application to rezone approximately 8.83 acres from the PD-IP (Planned Development – Industrial Park) zoning district under the 1972 Zoning Ordinance to the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in order to permit certain principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.6 (up to 1.0 by Special Exception).

The subject property is located within the Route 28 Taxing District and the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60, aircraft noise contour. The subject property is approximately 8.83 acres in size and is located on the north side of Davis Drive (Route 868) and east of South Sterling Boulevard (Route 846) at 22630 Davis Drive, #225, Sterling, Virginia, in the Sterling Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 033-39-2929. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Employment Place Type)), which designate this area for Office, Production, Research and Development, Flex Space, and Contractor without outdoor storage uses at a FAR of up to 1.0.

ZMAP-2022-0005, SPEX-2022-0017, SPEX-2022-0018, SPEX-2023-0013, SPMI2022-0005, ZMOD-2022-0017, ZMOD-2022-0070, ZMOD-2022-0071, ZMOD2022-0084, ZMOD-2022-0085, ZMOD-2022-0086 and ZMOD-2023-0018

OLD ARCOLA RESIDENTIAL

(Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exceptions & Zoning Modifications)

Capretti Land, Inc., of Sterling, Virginia, has submitted applications for the following: to rezone approximately 31.67 acres from RC (Rural Commercial) and GB (General Business) zoning districts under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance to the R8 (R-8-Single Family Residential) and R16 (R-16Townhouse/Multifamily Residential) zoning districts under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in order to develop 228 residential units comprising 14 single-family detached units, 81 single-family attached units, and 133 multi-family units; and Special Exceptions to modify yard and lot requirements, and one minor special exception to modify recycling container setbacks. These applications are subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and the proposed uses are listed as Special Exception uses under Section 3-506(C)(1)(c), Section 5-607(A)(9), Section 7-803(C)(1)(c), Section 7-803(C)(3) and Section 7-903(C) (2)(b) and (c). The applicant also requests the following Zoning Ordinance modifications:

ZONING ORDINANCE SECTION PROPOSED MODIFICATION

§5-1404(B)(D), Landscaping, Buffer Yards, Screening and Landscaping Plans, Buffer Yards, Use Buffer Yard Matrix Table 5-1404 (B), Buffer Yard Widths and Plant Requirements Table 5-1404(D).

§5-1404(B) and (D), Buffer Yards, Use Buffer Yard Matrix Table 5-1404 (B), and Buffer Yard Widths and Plant Requirements Table 5-1404(D).

§7-903(C)(2)(a), R-16 Townhouse/Multi-family District, Lot and Building Requirements, Yards, Multi-family structures, Front.

§7-803(F), R-8 Single Family Residential District, Lot and Building Requirements, Other Regulations.

§5-200(A)(2) and (6), Permitted Structures in Required Yards and Setbacks, In all yards or setbacks, including a front yard.

§5-1407(B)(1), Landscaping, Buffer Yards, Screening and Landscape Plans, Parking Area Landscaping and Screening Requirements, Peripheral Parking Area Landscaping.

§3-508(B)(2), R-8 Single Family Residential, Building Requirements, Building Heights.

To allow no buffer yard A, B or C requirement and to reduce the width of a buffer yard from 20’ to 10’.

To allow no buffer yard A requirement.

To reduce the front yard requirement for corner lots from 25 feet minimum to 10 feet minimum.

To allow single family attached units and multifamily units to front on private streets.

To allow for no maximum height for patios or decks and to allow for porches, enclosed or unenclosed, to not extend closer than 10 feet to a lot line.

To allow for all required plant unit types within the Type-A Buffer Yard requirement for peripheral parking lot landscaping to be located on the adjacent County property.

To allow for single family attached buildings in the R-8 Zoning District to be a maximum height of 50 feet.

The subject property is approximately 31.67 acres in size and is located east of Stone Springs Boulevard (Route 659), south of Arcola Mills Drive (Route 651), and north of John Mosby Highway (Route 50) in the Dulles Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as:

The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Employment Place Type) which designates the area for the development of office, production, flex spaces, and warehousing uses. The Suburban Employment Place Type is 100% non-residential at up to a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 1.0.

REQUEST FOR WITHDRAWAL OF LAND BELONGING TO GUINEA BRIDGE, LLC, FROM THE NEW MOUNT GILEAD AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTAL DISTRICT

Pursuant to Virginia Code §15.2-4314 and the New Mount Gilead Agricultural and Forestal District Ordinance, Guinea Bridge, LLC, of Sterling, Virginia, has submitted an application to withdraw a 119.47acre parcel from the New Mount Gilead Agricultural and Forestal District. The subject property is located

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Legal Notices

west of Lancer Circle (Route 1148) and south of Hughesville Road (Route 725), in the Catoctin Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 457-26-1326. The New Mount Gilead Agricultural and Forestal District currently has a 4-year period that will expire on December 6, 2025, and is subject to a subdivision minimum lot size of 20 acres.

In accordance with Section 15.2-4307 of the Code of Virginia, the applications may be examined by request at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by calling 703-777-0246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies or electronically at: https://www.loudoun.gov/adac (2-27-2023 ADAC Meeting under Agendas and Bylaws). Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: https://www.loudoun.gov/pc (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for Public Hearings Packet).

Unless otherwise noted above, full and complete copies of the above-referenced amendments, applications, ordinances and/or plans, and related documents may be examined in the Loudoun County Department of Building and Development, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday or call 703-7770220, or electronically at www.loudoun.gov/lola. This link also provides an additional opportunity for public input on active applications. Additionally, documents may be viewed and downloaded electronically the week before the hearing at www.loudoun.gov/pc. For further information, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246.

Citizens are encouraged to call in advance to sign up to speak at the public hearing. If you wish to sign up in advance of the hearing, please call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-7770246 prior to 12:00 PM on the day of the public hearing. Speakers may also sign up at the hearing. Written comments are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Loudoun County Planning Commission, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., 3rd Floor, MSC #62, Leesburg, Virginia 20175, or by e-mail to loudounpc@loudoun.gov. If written comments are presented at the hearing, please provide ten

NOTICE OF ABANDONED BICYCLES

Notice is hereby given that the bicycles described below were found and delivered to the Office of the Sheriff of Loudoun County; if the owners of the listed bicycles are not identified within sixty (60) days following the final publication of this notice, the individuals who found said bicycles shall be entitled to them if he/she desires. All unclaimed bicycles will be handled according to Chapter 228.04 of the Codified Ordinances of Loudoun County.

(10) copies for distribution to the Commission and the Clerk’s records. All members of the public will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters. Any individual representing and/or proposing to be the sole speaker on behalf of a citizen’s organization or civic association is encouraged to contact the Department of Planning and Zoning prior to the date of the public hearing if special arrangements for additional speaking time and/or audio-visual equipment will be requested. Such an organization representative will be allotted 6 minutes to speak, and the Chairman may grant additional time if the request is made prior to the date of the hearing and the need for additional time is reasonably justified.

Citizens are encouraged to call the Department of Planning and Zoning on the day of the public hearing to confirm that an item is on the agenda, or, the most current agenda may be viewed on the Planning Commission’s website at www.loudoun.gov/pc. In the event that the second Thursday is a holiday or the meeting may not be held due to inclement weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend, the meeting will be moved to the third Tuesday of the month. In the event that Tuesday is a holiday or the Tuesday meeting may not be held due to inclement weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend, the meeting will be held on the following Thursday. The meeting will be held at a place determined by the Chairman.

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings at all other locations. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory or mental disability to participate in this meeting, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246. Please provide three days’ notice.

BY ORDER OF: MICHELLE FRANK, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

4/6 & 4/13/23

EAST BROAD WAY 2A STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS

In accordance with the statutes of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and policies of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on April 27, 2023 at 5:30pm in the Town Council Chamber, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia at which time the public shall have the right to provide written and oral comments on the Town’s East Broad Way 2A Streetscape Improvements project and the associated project design, tentative project schedule, environmental document and right-of-way requirements.

The project includes public improvements comprised of sidewalks, curb, gutter, streetlights, storm drainage, on-street parking spaces and landscaping, storm water management and drainage, waterline replacement, and pedestrian and vehicular safety in the corridor of East Broad Way from South Loudoun Street to South Church Street.

This project will not involve a change(s) and/or break(s) in limited access control. In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) an Environmental Document is being prepared. Pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106, information concerning the potential effects of the proposed project is included in the environmental document. Updates will be provided to the public on the status of the environmental studies and the NEPA Document at the public hearing.

All persons desiring to submit written or oral comments will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting or comments can be submitted by Monday, May 8, 2023 to Charlie Mumaw, Project Manager, Town of Lovettsville, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, VA 20180 or via email: cmumaw@ lovettsvilleva.gov.

Additional details concerning the project including design plans, schedule and funding are available for review at the Town Hall between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm weekdays or by special appointment, holidays excepted. In the event the meeting is cancelled, the public hearing will be convened at the next regular scheduled meeting at the same time and place.

red with label “Riviera” hybrid bicycle

The Town of Lovettsville ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the Town of Lovettsville at (540) 822-5788.

STATE PROJECT: EN18-255-290, P101 TAP-5B01(024), R201 TAP-5B01(287), C501 TAP-5B01(480)

UPC No: 113840

Legal Notices

School Board Seeks Name Suggestions for New School

The Loudoun County School Board is seeking name suggestions for a new elementary school.

A Dulles South area elementary school (ES-32), which will be co-located on the Lightridge High School/Hovatter Elementary School campus, is under construction and scheduled to open in fall 2024.

A School Board-appointed naming committee may consider geographic and historic names, as well as names of deceased individuals who significantly contributed to improving life in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), Loudoun County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, or the United States of America. The School Board will not consider naming a school facility for any individual unless the individual has been deceased for at least five (5) years.

School name suggestions should be sent to LCPS Division of Planning and GIS Services, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn VA 20148 or emailed to LCPSPLAN@LCPS.ORG by no later than Monday, April 10, 2023. Citizens suggesting a school name are requested to provide background information to aid in the committee’s review process.

The School Board naming committee meetings are open to the public and are scheduled for the following dates:

Dulles South Area Elementary School Naming Committee Meetings

Thursday, April 13, 2023, 6:00 p.m., Hovatter Elementary School Library

Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 6:00 p.m., Hovatter Elementary School Library

Additional meetings may be scheduled at the request of the committee.

Hovatter Elementary School is located at 41135 Collaboration Drive, in Aldie. 3/23, 3/30 & 4/6/23

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE MIDDLEBURG PLANNING COMMISSION

The Middleburg Planning Commission will hold public hearings beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 24, 2023 to hear comments on the following:

Zoning Text Amendment 23-01 - AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND ARTICLE XI, PART I OF THE MIDDLEBURG ZONING ORDINANCE PERTAINING TO AN INN AS A SPECIAL EXCEPTION USE IN THE C-1 RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL DISTRICT.

Zoning Map Amendment 23-01 – AN ORDINANCE TO CONDITIONALLY REZONE APPROXIMATELY 0.26 ACRES OF LAND AT PIN 538-29-0376 FROM R-3 RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT TO C-1 RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL DISTRICT. The subject land currently consists of a legally nonconforming parking lot supporting office use at 204 E. Washington St. The rezoning would bring the land into common zoning designation with the adjacent commercial property, with an accompanying proffer to consolidate the two properties.

Special Use 23-01 - Request of The Middleburg Inn & Restaurant LLC for a Special Use Permit for an Inn at 204 E. Washington St. zoned C-1 Restricted Commercial District.

The hearings will take place at the Town Office, 10 W. Marshall Street, Middleburg, Virginia. The application materials may be reviewed online at www.middleburgva.gov/313/Public-Hearings or in the Town Office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, holidays excepted. Questions may be directed to Deputy Town Manager Will Moore at (540) 687-5152 or by email at wmoore@ middleburgva.gov

The Town of Middleburg strives to make its hearings accessible to all. Please advise of accommodations the Town can make to help you participate in the hearings. 4/6 & 4/13/23

Trust Local Expertise Shop LoCo

PUBLIC NOTICE

Bull Run Post Office Road

Proposed Through Truck Restriction Fairfax County and Loudoun County

Notice is hereby given that the Virginia Department of Transportation is accepting comments through May 8, 2023 regarding the approximately 5.7mile proposed restriction of through truck traffic on Bull Run Post Office Road (Route 621) from Route 29 (Lee Highway) in Fairfax County to Braddock Road (Route 620) in Loudoun County.

The proposed alternate route for trucks is 15.7 miles via Route 29, Route 28 (Sully Road), Route 50 (Lee Jackson Memorial Highway), Loudoun County Parkway (Route 606) and Braddock Road.

Submit your written comments to Mr. Thomas K. Folse, P.E., Virginia Department of Transportation, 4975 A lliance Drive, Fairfax VA 22030, or email meetingcomments@VDOT.virginia.gov. Please reference “Bull Run Post Office Road Proposed Through Truck Restriction” in the subject line.

VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact VDOT Civil Rights at 703-259-1775 or TTY/TDD 711.

TOWN OF LEESBURG

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

LEESBURG TOWN CODE AMENDMENT:

CHAPTER 32 (TRAFFIC AND VEHICLES); ARTICLE V (STOPPING, STANDING AND PARKING); DIVISION 1 (GENERALLY); SECTION 32-143 (PARKING CERTAIN VEHICLES ON TOWN STREETS PROHIBITED)

In accordance with the Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended §§ 15.2-1427, 46.2-1222.1, 46.2-1224, and 46.2-1315, the Leesburg Town Council will hold a public hearing on:

Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA

at which time the public shall have the right to present oral and written testimony on the proposed amendment to Town Code Chapter 32 (Traffic and Vehicles) by amending Section 32-143(c) (Parking Certain Vehicles on Town Streets Prohibited). The proposed amendment to the Town Code will add language that would allow motor homes that are owned or leased by a homeowner/resident to temporarily park within reasonable proximity to the owner’s residence for a limited period of time to load or unload the motor home.

A copy of the proposed ordinance is available from the Town Clerk, located in Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.); or by calling Eileen Boeing, Town Clerk, at 703-771-2733.

At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of Council at 703-771-2733, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711. 3/30/2023 & 4/6/2023

Legal Notices

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

AMENDMENT TO TOWN CODE SECTION 18-161 FOR PROPOSED INCREASE TO THE MEALS TAX RATE AND SCHEDULE OF FEES FOR FISCAL YEAR JULY 1, 2023 - JUNE 30, 2024

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-107, 15.2-1427, 15.2-2111, 15.2-2119, 15.2-2122, 15.2-2143, 58.1-3007, and 58.1-3840 of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, the LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 6:30pm in the Town Council Chamber, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia at which time the public shall have the right to provide written and oral comments on the following amendment to the Lovettsville Town Code Section 18-161 and amendments to the Schedule of Fees for fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2024, to increasing the tax levied on the amount paid for meals from 3.00 percent to 3.75 percent effective July 1, 2023.

Proposed amendments are as follows:

• Sec 18-161 Imposed: There is hereby imposed and levied by the town on each person a tax at the rate of three percent on the amount paid for meals purchased from any food establishment, whether prepared in such food establishment or not and whether consumed on the premises or not. There shall be no tax if the total amount paid is $0.50 or less; on larger amounts a fractional cent of tax due shall be rounded to the next higher cent. Such taxable meals purchased shall be taxed at the rate set out in the Schedule of Fees.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR LOUDOUN COUNTY

IN RE: )

ESTATE OF RHODA RITCHEY )

Probate File No. 19914

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE AGAINST DISTRIBUTION

It appearing that a report of the account of W. Franklin Pugh, Administrator for the Estate of Rhoda Ritchey, and a report of the debts and demands against the Estate have been filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Loudoun County, and that more than 6 months have elapsed since the qualification of the Administrator before this Court,

It is ORDERED that the creditors of, and all others interested in, the Estate of Rhoda Ritchey, deceased, do show cause, if any they can, on Friday, April 28, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., before this Court at its courtroom in Leesburg, Virginia, against payment and delivery of said Estate to the Estate's beneficiaries, after payment of remaining administrative expenses and obligations;

3/30 & 4/6/23

All persons desiring to speak will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting.

Copies of the proposed Town Code amendment and amended Schedule of Fees are available on the Town website and are available for review at the Town Hall between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm weekdays or by special appointment, holidays excepted. Call 540-822-5788 for more information or visit www.lovettsvilleva.gov. In the event the meeting is cancelled, the public hearing will be convened at the next regular scheduled meeting at the same time and place.

3/30, 4/6/23

NOTICE OF IMPOUNDMENT OF ABANDONED VEHICLES

This notice is to inform the owner and any person having a security interest in their right to reclaim the motor vehicle herein described within 15 days after the date of storage charges resulting from placing the vehicle in custody, and the failure of the owner or persons having security interests to exercise their right to reclaim the vehicle within the time provided shall be deemed a waiver by the owner, and all persons having security interests of all right, title and interest in the vehicle, and consent to the sale of the abandoned motor vehicle at a public auction.

This notice shall also advise the owner of record of his or her right to contest the determination by the Sheriff that the motor vehicle was “abandoned,” as provided in Chapter 630.08 of the Loudoun County Ordinance, by requesting a hearing before the County Administrator in writing. Such written request for a hearing must be made within 15 days of the notice.

Legal Notices

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER REZONING APPLICATION

TLZM-2021-0006; HAMBLET PROPERTY

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205 and 15.2-2285 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing on THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176, to consider Rezoning application TLZM-2021-0006, Hamblet Property.

The subject property consists of approximately 6.44 acres of vacant land located along Route 7, with property access provided from Bow Lake Place, N.E. within the Potomac Station neighborhood. The property is zoned R-E, Residential Estate and is further identified as Loudoun County Property Identification Numbers (PIN), 149-38-2764 & 149-38-3136. The property also lies within the Gateway District (Overlay).

Rezoning Application TLZM-2021-0006 is a request by Carrhomes, LLC to rezone, subject to a Concept Plan and Proffers, approximately 6.44 acres from R-E, Residential Estate to R-8, MediumDensity Attached Residential District.

The application requests 25 single family attached residential units. The application also proposes rehabilitation of an existing structure referred to as “the Stone House” located on a .42- acre parcel that is part of the site. The Hamblet property is located in what the Legacy Leesburg Town Plan (LLTP) describes as an “Area to Enhance” on the Area Based Land Use Initiatives Map (LLTP pg. 72). The property is further designated within the LLTP as a “Residential Neighborhood” on the Character Areas for Preservation and Change Map (LLTP pg. 76). There is no recommended residential Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.). The proposed density is approximately 3.89 dwelling units per acre.

The subject property is further identified as “Opportunity Area Number 3, Eastern Gateway District” on page 200 of the LLTP. This subjects the property to further guidance by the Eastern Gateway Small Area Plan (EGSAP) of the Town Plan. The property is also part of the Gateway Design District (Overlay) for architectural control.

Additional information and copies of the application are available at the Department of Planning and Zoning located on the second floor of the Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176, during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by contacting Scott E. Parker, AICP, at 703-771-2771 or sparker@leesburgva.gov.

At these hearings, all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations at the meeting should contact the Clerk of the Commission at (703) 771-2434 three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.

4/6 & 4/13/23

Loudoun County Public Schools Community Information Meetings on Future School Facility Projects

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Department of Support Services continues to schedule monthly community meetings to share information on funded, planned and proposed school capital projects. By design and to focus the discussion and public involvement, each community meeting will spotlight a specific geographic area of Loudoun County. The March and April meetings will highlight LCPS’ Dulles South and Dulles North planning districts, respectively. Additional community meetings for other areas of the county will be scheduled and announced.

Date & Time Auditorium of Meeting Spotlight

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

6:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 20, 2023

6:00 p.m.

Mercer Middle School (42149 Greenstone Drive, Aldie)

Brambleton Middle School (23070 Learning Circle, Ashburn)

Dulles South Area

(General Description: North of Prince William County, East of Town of Middleburg, South of Rt 50, West of Fairfax County)

Dulles North Area (General Description: North of Rt 50, East of Goose Creek, South of Rt 267, West of Rt 28)

Following each meeting, the presentation will be posted on the LCPS website, at https://www.lcps.org/ Page/81470.

Those who need translation/interpretation assistance or a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability in order to participate meaningfully in the community meetings should contact the Support Services office at least three (3) days prior to the specific meeting.

Kevin L. Lewis, Chief Operations Officer

Loudoun

County

Public Schools

Department of Support Services

21000 Education Court

Ashburn, Virginia 20148

Telephone: 571-252-1385

Email: LCPSPLAN@LCPS.ORG

3/9/23 – 4/20/23

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF TOWN COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER MINOR SPECIAL EXCEPTION APPLICATION TLSE2023-0001 TRU URGENT CARE/BELLEWOOD COMMONS

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205 and 15.2-2285 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176, to consider Minor Special Exception application TLSE-2023-0001, Tru Urgent Care/Bellewood Commons. The subject of the application proposes an emergency care facility in the existing building at 531 East Market Street. The property is zoned CD-CC, Crescent District – Corridor Commercial and is further described by Loudoun County Parcel Identification Number (PIN) 188-15-9031-000. Minor Special Exception Application TLSE-2023-0001 is a request by Neuman – Bellewood, LLC to allow the re-use of an existing 2,534 square feet in the Bellewood Commons Shopping Center for an emergency care facility pursuant to Town of Leesburg Zoning Ordinance Section 6.4.2 Use Regulations and Section 7.10.2.G.2 Applicability

Additional information and copies of this application are available at the Department of Planning and Zoning located on the second floor of the Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by contacting Christopher Murphy, Senior Planning Project Manager by telephone at 703-737-7009, or by email at cmurphy@ leesburgva.gov

At these hearings, all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations at the meeting should contact the Clerk of Council at (703) 771-2733 three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711. 3/30 & 4/6/2023

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046340-03-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Zarabella Tucker

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

/v.

Jason Tucker, putative father

The object of this suit is to hold a permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Zarabella Tucker.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Jason Tucker, putative father, appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his or her interests on or before April 26, 2023 at 3:00 PM

&

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA CODE §§ 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104

Case No. CL-22-6446

LOUDOUN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT 18 East Market St., Leesburg, VA 20176

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re

NAME CHANGE OF MARLON JAHELL FRANCO ECHEVERRIA

JAQUELINE ECHEVERRIA RIVAS V. MARLON ANTONIO FRANCO, FATHER

The object of the suit is to: Change legal name of minor.

It is ORDERED that Marlon Antonio Franco appear at the above-named court and protect his interests on or before April 28, 2023 at 9:00 AM 3/16, 3/23, 3/30 & 4/6/23

Vietnam vets

continued from page 3

celebration of the Vietnam War. Military personnel returning from the Vietnam theater of operations were rarely given any positive acknowledgment. Frequently they became the target of abuse and scorn. This day is set aside so we can say emphatically: Welcome home and thank you for your service.”

It was a conflict with marks on Loudoun County still visible today. The U.S.’s involvement in the conflict was shaped strongly by the ideas of Eisenhower’s Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, who pushed aggressive Cold War policies like nuclear brinksmanship and massive retaliation, along support for the “domino theory”—that if one country fell into communism, many more would follow. That theory drove the U.S. into foreign interventions, proxy conflicts and military actions throughout the Cold War, including Vietnam. Today, Dulles International Airport is named in his honor.

But it was also felt in Loudoun more directly than that. The memorial to Loudoun’s Vietnam veterans outside the county courthouse today is inscribed with the names of the 12 Loudouners who died in that conflict. They were Welby H. Grayson III, Richard B. Grigsby, Jack Harris Jr., David F. Helms, Leonard W. Kidd, Francis E. Manuel, Weyland F. McCauley Jr., Ralph W. Milbourne, Richard S. Pohl, Gregory M. Howard, David A. Russell and Charles E. Peters.

Reflective of the uncelebrated treatment of Vietnam veterans, that war memorial

AI beer

continued from page 3

Belly Love founder Tolga Baki said he first asked the AI to design a beer on a whim. He’d been meaning to play around with an AI bot for a while, but high interest in the bots meant they were overwhelmed with traffic.

“So when I finally got in, I just started talking to it like oh, I wonder if it knows anything about beer,” he said. So I asked what’s the most popular style of beer, knowing of course it’s the IPA, and it said IPA. So I said, let’s see if it could figure it out. So I said, give me a recipe for an IPA that’s never been brewed before.”

The chatbot isn’t ready to put all the brewers out of work yet—that first recipe needed a little tweaking. It produced a recipe for a New England IPA, but it overshot on bitterness. New England IPAs are meant to be more subdued.

was not erected until 1988.

“As America’s role in Vietnam rapidly expanded, those who were to serve, be they volunteers or responders to the draft, and those who stood by them, be they husbands, wives, children, brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents, friends or neighbors, shared feelings of loss, separation, and the long anxious nights that followed our involvement,” Horne, the keynote speaker, said.

Horne rose to the rank of captain in the Marine Corps, and among his commendations is a recipient of the Navy Commendation Medal for Service in Vietnam. He served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a trial counsel, defense counsel and military judge, going on to private practice and to be Middleburg’s town attorney, Loudoun’s first elected Commonwealth’s Attorney in 1979, and Chief Judge of the 20th Judicial Circuit of Virginia.

“Most Americans then, as they do today, went humbly about their lives quietly and yet effectively, nurturing and understanding that we were all in this together. That sense of shared duty is the bedrock of democracy, and what we so admire about those who served during Vietnam,” Horne said. “These men and women followed their country’s call to duty as members of the armed forces, the Peace Corps or in a variety of other organizations and government agencies. We honor them today. Amid the turmoil of a troubled time, the threat of totalitarian communism, they did not cower, but answered the call to duty and supported those who did. You made us then, as you make us today, proud to call ourselves Americans.” n

Baki said the chatbot apologized for the error.

It also had some unconventional ideas—for example, it used Nelson Sauvin hops, which Baki said is not typically a variety used in a New England IPA. So he asked it why.

“It gave a pretty intelligent response, saying that, well, the new England-style IPAs or hazy IPAs are meant to be tropical and really juicy, and Nelson Sauvin, although it can taste like sauvignon blanc grapes, it also has a lot of really tropical notes and I think it might go well. It was like talking to another brewer, the way it responded,” he said.

So he kept going. He asked the bot to describe the label artwork and to give him marketing blurbs, which it did.

“I couldn’t have written it better myself, to be honest,” he said.

The bot described Solar Flare as “a New England-style IPA designed to satisfy hop lovers and novices alike,” and

called it “a juicy, tropical fruit explosion with notes of passionfruit, grapefruit, and pineapple. The dry ale yeast strain adds a slight sweetness and enhances the fruity hop character. Whether you’re soaking up some rays on a sunny day or warming up by the fire on a chilly night, Solar Flare IPA will transport your taste buds to a tropical paradise.”

He also plugged the label description into another bot, Jasper AI, which can produce images.

And with recipe in hand, Baki went to work brewing a limited batch of only seven barrels.

“Brewing this thing yesterday, I kept joking around—my assistant and I were like, oh my god, we’re working for our robot overlord right now,” he said.

The test will be when the beer is ready to try.

“I’ve been doing this long enough to know to look at something like yeah, that’s pretty close to style. And as I said, it’s using

some malts and hops that I wouldn’t have ever thought to use,” he said. “So either it’s going to teach me something or I’m going to be like, yeah, that’s why I thought not to use those.”

Whatever the result, it was an interesting experiment, he said.

“I’m still going to release it, good or bad, because I think people would be really interested to see what a computer could do,” he said.

And Baki’s not ready to hand over creative control to computers just yet.

“The creative part is what I like about it, and so to hand that over is—honestly, I just thought it would be fun to do it, just to see what it could come up with,” he said. “If this beer turns out fantastic, then I might be a little worried.”

Solar Flare IPA will be available in limited quantities at Belly Love Brewing Company in Purcellville and Hillsborough Vineyards and Brewery near Hillsboro in April. n

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Sons of the American Revolution John Champe Chapter members stand by the memorial to fallen U.S. servicemen in Vietnam as their names are read aloud during a Vietnam Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday, March 29, 2023, the 50th anniversary of the last U.S. troops leaving Vietnam.

County budget

continued from page 1

and Loudoun during county supervisors’ discussions on their first budget of the term, fiscal year 2021, which began July 1, 2020. At the time, they froze $100 million in spending as a precaution, releasing that spending as the pandemic’s impacts on government revenues became clear—and as huge infusions of federal money began arriving.

Despite the pandemic’s continuing impacts, the county government continued to grow. Since the fiscal year 2021 budget, the county general fund has grown by al-

Listening session

continued from page 1

Howle said the goal was to find commonalities in issues or questions to make sure the most meaningful ones were brought to the surface.

Questions ranged from why the independent report into the administration’s handling of repeated sexual assaults in high schools wasn’t released; to why academic rigor, especially in math, was declining; to staffing standards; to teacher support, protecting libraries and LGBTQ+ students; to dress codes and why scores and demographic information on students’ tests wasn’t made public.

Susan Cox asked why the report wasn’t released and asked if the administration cares about the safety of the kids. Smith said the School Board voted not to release it and said students’ safety in the buildings is their top priority and listed improved security updates in vestibules and in restrooms.

Mahedavi also brought up measures that have been put in place like the addition of an auditor general, which was not part of the special grand jury report. Ahmad Woods was hired as the auditor general in 2022. Mahedavi said prior to Woods’s hiring, there had been no audit process within the division outside of financial audits. Mahedavi also pointed to updated policies like three that were updated March 28 as a result of the special grand jury recommendations and said, “a lot of work has been done to make sure those things don’t happen again.”

“You guys talk a big game about regaining the trust of the community, but everyone knows you are hiding something by not releasing the report so it’s all smoke and mirrors,” Moms for Liberty Loudoun Chapter President Cheryl Onderchain said.

most 30% percent, or $191 million, to a fiscal year 2024 total of $836.2 million. That does not include the school system, which gets the majority of local tax revenues.

That has also been reflected in ever-growing tax bills. During this board’s term, while the tax rate has dropped 16 cents, it has never dropped as fast as property values have grown—over these four years, the average tax bill has grown every year for a total of $712, a 13% increase.

Meanwhile, the county’s staffing has grown by 12%, adding on the budgeting equivalent of 511 full-time positions for a total next fiscal year just shy of 4,810.

In terms of new hires, Loudoun Fire and Rescue grew more than any other

county department or office, adding on almost 77 full-time equivalent positions.

But with 759 FTEs in fiscal year 2024, it is also larger than almost any other county agency, surpassed only by the Sheriff’s Office with its 852 FTEs. The Sheriff’s Office was second to the fire-rescue department in new hiring, adding 66 FTEs over the current board and sheriff’s term.

But in terms of percentage growth, the agencies that grew the most were the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, the Juvenile Court Services Unit, Community Corrections, General Services and Family Services. Those ranged from 51% growth in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, from 39 FTEs in fiscal year 2021 to 59 next

of FOIA requests have gone through the roof. We have hundreds if not thousands,” he said.

Other parents asked how the division was fighting the decline in academic rigor, with one asking what it looked like “from a practical standpoint to keep children at the heart of decision making?”

Smith said school staff members have a definition for rigor and they talk about it and how to measure it and what it looks like in the classroom. He talked about the multi-tiered systems of support that look at different levels in reading, math, and behavior to name a few, and said school staff members look at where students are doing well and where they are struggling and try to find strategies to address it.

fiscal year, to 27% in the Department of Family Services, from 195 FTEs at the beginning of the term to 247.

That ignores the Department of Health, which more than doubled in size when the county took over the agency from the state this year, and the Department of Housing and Community Development, which was created in the current fiscal year 2023.

Meanwhile, Animal Services has seen no positions added during this board’s terms, the library has seen 0.75 new FTEs—indicating less than a single fulltime position net. The treasurer and the Clerk of the Circuit Court have each seen one new position in the past four years. n

She said she understood not one school was asked about the decision to cut the course before it was cut. After a few tense moments of Davison blaming Ellis for the decision, Smith said he didn’t have that answer tonight and would look into it.

The parent interrupted Smith, saying parents needed to listen to teacher recommendations on courses to make sure students were in the correct classes and not ones too advanced for them.

Mahedavi said the parents brought up good points and said the definition of rigor might differ from person to person. He encouraged parents to show up at School Board committee meetings because that is where much of the policy work gets done.

Another parent said she didn’t believe that.

Longtime school district critic Brian Davison asked about FOIA requests and why the division doesn’t release data like scores, school information or some demographics of kids admitted to the Academies of Loudoun and information he said is allowed to be released under law.

“When you deny requests when you can clearly release the data, you haven’t changed a bit. This happened like two weeks ago, so why are you continually withholding all the data from parents? We pay for it, it’s our money to hold you accountable,” Davison said.

Mahedavi said he believed public data should already be made available and not subject to FOIA requests. He also said it is something he has been working to address. Smith said he’d be happy to look into the FOIA request Davison was speaking about and see why that information wasn’t provided.

“I do know that, and this happens in a lot of school divisions, our numbers

Mahedavi said different parents want the focus on different issues—some want focus on rigor, others want to focus on social emotional learning, and others on releasing the report. He said it’s been a challenge for the board the past few years. He said that it was not “an LCPS issue or a board issue, but I think it’s a collective Loudoun County issue.”

Mahedavi defended social emotional learning and said it was a good opportunity for kids to learn empathy.

One father said he has seen academic rigor go down since former Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick retired in 2014.

“Bring kids up instead of bringing kids down,” he said to applause in the room.

Another parent agreed and said the math rigor in division schools was going to go down even more because the county cut out a course called advanced functions.

“We had COVID, a large majority of those kids cheated through COVID. They’re not ready for that next level of rigor, some are. But by cutting out that course you have now taken away another opportunity for a kid to get better in math and let those who are ready for pre-calc go to pre-calc,” she said.

“Loudoun County is the only division that has many committees. Other divisions don’t. But Loudoun has probably the most engaging committees out there, allowing the parents to participate. That is the way to come back and help change the polices. I encourage you to come to the committee meetings and share your honest feedback,” Mahedavi said.

Other parents talked about lack of communication between principals and parents and their worry that teachers have too much on their plate.

Smith said he meets with teachers monthly to get feedback and look at ways to boost morale. He said he also meets with principals and how to remove things from teachers’ plates and give them more support. He said a big issue right now is not having enough substitute teachers and said they are working on finding solutions.

At the end of the meeting, questions were gathered up and Howle said they would be put on the division’s website with answers.

The next community listening session is April 20 at 6 p.m. at Willard Middle School. n

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Acting Superintendent Daniel Smith spoke with parents during a March 30 community listening session at Trailside Elementary School in Ashburn.

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Digging Deeper

The Board of Supervisors entered its term facing unprecedented economic uncertainty and, with the help of equally unprecedented federal assistance, aptly negotiated that crisis. Despite the worries brought on by the pandemic, this board’s term is characterized by a very favorable financial climate. Population growth continued at a modest pace, tracking under 3% annually. School enrollment saw declines for the first time in memory. And commercial investment flowed in a rate unimaginable in most jurisdictions. Those factors have contributed to largely stress-free debates over budget matters. Yet, that supervisors are nonplussed by the still climbing tax bills imposed on residents,

continues to amaze.

While one might expect substantial savings to trickle down under those conditions, the average annual homeowner tax bill climbed to over $6,000 for the first time during this board’s term.

Looking ahead, economic analysts aren’t projecting a rosy picture for the next board, or even for this upcoming budget cycle. If those forecasts prove true, the next board— and the county’s residents—will be wishing more was done to shift the tax burden during the good times, as they will have far fewer tools at hand when times get tough.

But maybe the next board will demonstrate a greater level of remorse for digging deeper into residents’ pockets as they do so. n

LETTERS to the Editor

Oppose the DEQ Variance

Editor:

The Department of Environmental Quality is considering a variance that would allow data centers to run their diesel generators without having to adhere to the pollution controls normally necessary for non-emergencies and is considering this variance to only apply to Loudoun County. This means that Loudoun County residents will have to deal with increased air pollution. It is not hyperbolic to call this variance a threat to local public health.

Tell the DEQ not to proceed with this variance.

The reasons to stop this variance are numerous:

The variance would allow over three pounds of particulate pollution per hour, per generator. There are over 4,000 such generators in Loudoun. That’s a lot of particulates considering we’re talking about airborne matter smaller than 1/5th

the thickness of a human hair. PM pollution causes respiratory illness, reduces lung function and increases cancer risk.

The variance would also allow 44.69l pounds of nitrogen oxides per hour per generator. Nitrogen oxides are a family of poisonous, highly reactive gases. Evidence suggests that Nitrogen Dioxide causes asthma in children. Nitrogen oxides also interact with water and oxygen in the atmosphere to form acid rain.

The variance only affects data centers in Loudoun County, but DEQ is not having a hearing in Loudoun. They’re having one on April 6 at their office in Woodbridge, roughly an hour and a half drive away from Loudoun. I’d encourage folks from Loudoun to go to that hearing, but DEQ should have one here, too. This is not a big ask and frankly DEQ should have thought of it themselves when the variance was limited to just Loudoun.

The public doesn’t have enough information about the effects the variance could have and it doesn’t seem like DEQ

does either. There is no analysis or pollution monitoring that has been provided, no alternatives considered, no community outreach. The Piedmont Environmental Council did some tremendous work to pull together the number of generators through FOIA requests, otherwise we wouldn’t have that info either.

And there’s climate change. Running these data center generators will increase greenhouse gas emissions at a time when we need to be rapidly decreasing them.

One more thing: Loudoun Climate Project is monitoring PM10 and PM2.5 pollution. We started in 2021 and we have eight monitors in Loudoun and more on the way. Our data is available at loudounclimate.org/air-monitoring and on purpleair.com. DEQ does have one monitor in Loudoun and that data is at: deq.virginia.gov/air/monitoring-assessments/air-quality-forecast.

— Chris Tandy, President, Loudoun Climate Project

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READERS’

LAST WEEK'S QUESTION:

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THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:

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Stop Hating, Start Helping

BY JESSICA BERG

I am a parent. I am a teacher. I am an American. So, it should come as no shock that it is yet another week and we are experiencing the ramifications of yet another mass shooting. I have had to deal with this in every facet of my life, as have most Americans, because at this point mass shootings are so ubiquitous, they’re as American as apple pie.

Last Tuesday, I was afraid to drop my daughter off at school, and I was heavy hearted as I walked into work because I knew I would have to face the questions from my students asking, yet again: When is enough going to be enough? Why isn’t anyone doing anything?

This generation has grown up practicing lock down drills and marching for their lives knowing they are not truly safe in schools, on college campuses, at movie theaters, or at shopping centers, at concerts or parades, or in their own houses. They are emotionally exhausted, they are continually devastated, and perpetually baffled at the lack of leadership from the adults in positions of power to do something to actually protect them. So, they organize. They march. They walk out. They protest. These young kids, many of whom don’t

have the power to vote yet, see these actions as a way for their voice to be heard.

After the shooting in Nashville, community organizers were attempting to show their solidarity with the outrage and dark sadness the students in our own community feel. But instead of being able to create a safe space for students to express their feelings in having to grow up in a world where they don’t feel safe, opposing community groups Moms for Liberty (M4L) and LoCo Conservative turned a moment of collective mourning and community into something hateful.

A Facebook event was started to call all interested people to show up out front of high schools and show their solidarity with those in Nashville and across the country who have been

affected by gun violence. Members from M4L and LoCo Conservative and others took to Twitter and Facebook and called for the “names and addresses of those people” (emphasis mine), those organizing the event for students and community members, to be obtained because they took issue with this event.

My question is: Why? And to what end? Why do you want the names and addresses of organizers who are trying to do something about gun violence for our students and community?

These bigoted groups are bringing in the alleged gender identity of the mass shooter in Nashville, when that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue at hand: gun violence.

It is gun violence which is now the number one killer of kids in America. Do you not get that? Our kids are

dying. Our kids are afraid. And instead of rallying together as a community on something that I think we can all agree on, the safety and protection of our kids, these groups turned it into something hateful. I am so beyond disgusted, and you should be too.

We do not need this kind of rhetoric at any moment in our country or county, but especially now. Our kids’ lives are on the line and elected officials are claiming there is nothing to be done because “criminals are going to be criminals”. Why are we not coming together? Why, instead, are you using this tragic moment to further fuel your hate speech?

I am devastated that this is what it has come to. I am devastated that adults can’t put away their hatred for the greater good and safety of our children.

So, I call on M4L and LoCo Conservatives to act in accordance with what they claim to be their sole aim “protecting kids”. I will say it again: the number one killer of children in America is guns. Well, then start supporting candidates and organizations that are calling for common sense gun reform. Start helping students find an outlet for their outrage because they are the ones living and dying with the consequences of our actions. Help them organize rallies. Help them learn how to register to vote. Help them. Just stop hating and start actually helping the kids. n

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