Loudoun County will hire a consultant to come up with suggestions on reducing Dulles Airport jet noise over Brambleton homes.
Meanwhile, county staff members are working out how to get the Federal Aviation Administration to answer letters from the home of Washington, DC’s international airport.
Hovatter Elementary School Principal
Lori Mercer and Dominion High School
Social Science and Global Studies teacher
Steve Hicks on Tuesday were named the 2023 Loudoun County Principal of the Year and Teacher of the Year.
Mercer has been the Hovatter principal since the school opened in 2021. Before that, she was the principal of Belmont Station Elementary from 2012 to 2021, and the assistant principal from 2004 to 2012. Human Resources and Talent Devel-
opment Supervisor Justin Martin read two quotes from Mercer’s nomination packet aloud.
“She possesses the uncommon skill of unambiguous communication with people of all ages. She exudes passion and enthusiasm for connecting with people,” he read. “One can find her sitting in a hallway with a student in crisis, providing strategies that calm the student, or meeting with parents through any means necessary to accommodate their busy schedules.”
Another stated, “a sign gifted to Mrs. Mercer from her former staff members hangs in her office and reads, ‘Great lead-
ers are like master gardeners. They plant seeds, nurture them and watch them bloom.’ Mrs. Mercer exemplifies this quote.”
Mercer said she was “honored and proud to represent the school division and the principal group which is comprised of so many skilled and dedicated leaders.”
Noting Helen Keller’s quote “alone we can do so little, together we can do so much,” Mercer said the statement encompasses everything she believes in about
TOP EDUCATORS
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Some of the difficulty in reducing the noise from flights low over the Birchwood at Brambleton neighborhood comes from assessing who has oversight—the FAA or the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates Dulles— staff members reported to the Board of Supervisors Transportation and Land Use Committee on Wednesday. Principal Planner Josh Peters said county staff met with MWAA staff earlier this month, where they were told in general, MWAA is responsible for air traffic control on the ground, and the FAA is responsible in the air, with the handoff generally happening on the ground.
County staff members plan to hire an aviation consultant to offer technical guidance, take part in
NEW TAKEOFF RULES
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After a four-and-a-half-hour hearing Monday, Steven E. Thodos was sentenced to 60 years in prison after he shot at two deputies—severely injuring one—in the Dulles Crossing Plaza Walmart store Jan. 2, 2021.
Judge Stephen E. Sincavage heard evidence from the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and testimony from both deputies involved in the shooting— Camron Gentry and Charles Ewing—as well as Ewing’s wife.
They testified about the physical and mental injury that the families were still enduring because of Thodos’s actions.
Gentry, who was shot multiple times, spent 43 days in the hospital and underwent numerous surgeries, said that he still attends physical therapy three times a week, lives in constant pain and will never be able to regain the physical abilities he had before his injury.
Ewing, who gave life-saving treatment to Gentry at the scene, said he has undergone enormous mental trauma due to the events of that day. He said before joining the Sheriff’s Office, he was a paratrooper in the military, leading more than 150 combat missions.
“The way this incident happened affected me more than any of that did,” he said.
Now, he said he struggles to cope with normal at-home activities including spending time with his two toddlers,
BY TIM FARMER
For more than 150 years, communities across the country have celebrated Arbor Day to recognize the many ways trees benefit our environment and improve the air we breathe and the water we drink. Before it even became a state, the Nebraska Territory created the first Arbor Day on April 10, 1872. Volunteers planted more than a million trees that day, beginning a tradition that swept the nation.
Virginia jumped on the bandwagon in 1908. That same year Virginia E. Randolph, the daughter of formerly enslaved parents and a teacher at a Henrico County school for African American students, used her own money to purchase 12 sycamore trees, which her students and others planted around school grounds. The event marked what is likely the first Arbor Day celebration at an African American school in the United States.
While Arbor Day is a time to celebrate all trees, one particular Loudoun County tree has a back story unlike any other.
NASA’s 1971 Apollo 14 mission is probably best remembered as the time astronaut Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the surface of the moon. But according to
NASA, on that same mission, fellow astronaut Stuart Roosa packed hundreds of tree seeds into his personal gear.
Roosa was a former U.S. Forest Service “smoke jumper,” fighting forest fires in areas virtually inaccessible except by parachute. Ed Cliff, who was chief of the Forest Service, knew Roosa and asked if he would take some tree seeds into space to determine whether radiation and weightlessness had any effect on their viability. (Spoiler alert: They didn’t.) Nearly 500 seeds made the trip, comprising five tree species: loblolly pine, sycamore, sweetgum, redwood, and Douglas fir.
NASA history recounts that Roosa, the pilot of the Command Module “Kitty Hawk,” orbited the moon 34 times along with his botanical cargo while fellow astronauts Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the moon. Upon their return to earth, the seeds were distributed to Forest Service offices in California and Mississippi.
Most of the seeds germinated successfully and were given to other state forestry organizations, schools, and universities, many as part of the nation’s 1976 bicentennial celebrations. One was planted on the White House lawn, and another was a gift
saying that their screaming, or what he described as “normal toddler behavior,” is too much sensory overload for him.
Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Shaniqua Clark Nelson also said that Thodos had previously been convicted and served time in Tennessee for firing a weapon into a vehicle where one person was injured.
The defense argued that while Thodos should be incarcerated, he was a victim of complex trauma from abuse and neglect throughout his childhood.
Sincavage heard testimony from Thodos’s aunt and cousins who shared
to the Emperor of Japan. Others went to Brazil and Switzerland. Four Moon Trees (as they became known) ended up in Virginia, including a sycamore in Hampton, one in Bracey, and another at King’s Dominion Amusement Park in Doswell. The fourth is a sweetgum that’s probably closer than most area residents realize.
“Loudoun County is full of hidden treasures, and this is just one more,” said Kraig Troxell, communications manager for Loudoun County Parks, Recreation, and Community Services. He admitted
that although he’s lived and worked in Loudoun for decades, he’d never heard the story of the local moon tree.
According to news reports at the time, the sweetgum was struggling to survive and it didn’t yet have a home. In 1978, the tree was given to then Deputy Chief of the Forest Service R. Max Peterson of Leesburg to see if he could save it. He nursed it back to health and planted the tree on a friend’s private land
MOON TREE continues on page 37
“I think it’s fair to say that lives were taken, The normal hopeful lives that Deputy Gentry and Deputy Ewing were going to have as of Jan. 1, 2021, are gone.”
— Judge Stephen E. Sincavage
The Loudoun County Environmental Commission last week announced the winners of its first Environmental Excellence Awards, spotlighting six people, organizations and programs that demonstrated leadership on environmental issues.
Two people were awarded lifetime achievement awards: Shirley Pearson, a longtime volunteer with Keep Loudoun Beautiful; and Joe Coleman, a founding member of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.
Pearson has volunteered with Keep Loudoun Beautiful for more than 30 years, including for many years as a board member and the board president from 1998 to
2003. For more than 19 years, she organized and conducted a poster and essay contest for Loudoun elementary school students. And after a pause, the contest was reborn in 2022 as a video contest for middle and high school students. She was also a founding member of the Catoctin Garden Club, and Environmental Commission Chair Gem Bingol also credited her with being a major proponent of the county’s new plastic bag tax.
“She deserves a lifetime award for devoting so much of her life to engaging with youth in their impressionable years, and with adults on the changes that they can make to improve our environment,” Bingol said.
Coleman, who was one of the founders of the Loudoun Wildlife
Conservancy in 1995, has since helped grow the organization to more than 1,000 volunteers and members. He also leads bird walks every month, and has been “a driving force” behind the organization’s citizen science programs like stream monitoring, butterfly counts, bird counts, and amphibian monitoring, Bingol said. She also credited him as a leading advocate for establishing the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, and being pivotal in finding a financial supporter for the conservancy’s purchase of what would become the 87-acre JK Black Old Wildlife Sanctuary. He has also volunteered with other nonprofits.
“Without a doubt, his passion and
ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS
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Some county supervisors have turned their scrutiny to the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office’s handling of sexual assaults in public schools in the wake of a scandal around repeated assaults by the same student that led to a special grand jury investigation and national attention.
After sexually assaulting a fellow student in a Stone Bridge High School bathroom in May 2021, rather than being taken out of school or sent to an alternative
All Points Broadband has reported continued progress in the effort to expand fiber optic internet connections throughout rural Loudoun.
The project is funded through a $17.5 million Virginia Telecommunications Initiative grant, $12.4 million of Loudoun County’s American Rescue Plan Act funding, and $20 million from All Points Broadband. It seeks to bring fiber optic connections to 8,629 homes.
According to an April 18 county staff report to the Board of Supervisors, nearly half of the residents in the project area have registered their interest on the All Points Broadband website, the highest of all Virginia counties to get a 20212022 VATI grant.
The project faces supply chain risks which are currently under control.
The company must notify residents and businesses through its marketing channels in advance of offering service, with notifications 90, 60 and 30 days ahead of launching service.
Work also continues to build a backbone fiber optic network to county and school facilities. The first phase of the project includes installing more than 32 miles of fiber, with more than 30 miles already complete and the rest expected done this year. A second phase adds another 22 miles of fiber, with almost 14 miles done. The Loudoun Heights and Philomont fire-rescue stations are expected to be connected in the third quarter of 2023.
program, the student was transferred to Broad Run High School, where he sexually assaulted another student.
Loudoun County Public Schools administration’s handling of the incidents was the primary focus of that attention and of a special grand jury investigation, which found the school system “bears the brunt of the blame” and school administrators “were looking out for their own interests instead of the best interests of LCPS.”
SCHOOL ASSAULTS
continues on page 8
Learn more at loudoun. gov/5658/Broadband-Expansion.
Loudoun County is accepting applications from first-time homebuyers for funds made available through the Virginia Housing Sponsoring Partnerships and Revitalizing Communities or SPARC Program. The program provides
ON THE AGENDA
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Irreversible is not a word you want to hear from your Doctor but it’s a common one if you’ve been diagnosed with ChemotherapyInduced Peripheral Neuropathy or CIPN.
John T. of Leesburg survived testicular cancer only to be living life in constant pain. He felt as though he were walking on pins and needles, becoming weaker and weaker every day “I was beginning to be worried that one day I would be wheelchairbound.”
Nearly half of the patients who undergo chemotherapy will develop Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy or CIPN.
Chemotherapy meds travel throughout the body and attack cancer cells; sadly they can also cause severe damage to healthy nerves. CIPN can begin within weeks of starting treatment and can worsen as treatment continues. A high number of really unfortunate people will be forced to endure the symptoms associated with CIPN for months, or even years after they’ve completed chemo.
When asked how CIPN was affecting his quality of life, he responded, “It was difficult to even walk up and down stairs and do other things we usually take for granted.”
Finally! A local Doctor is helping cancer survivors live lives free from the constant pain and suffering associated with Peripheral Neuropathy!
The most common symptoms include:
pain, tingling, burning, weakness, or numbness in arms, hands, legs or feet sudden, sharp, stabbing or shocking pain sensations loss of touch sensation clumsiness and trouble using hands to pick up objects or fasten clothing loss of balance and falling
For some, their nerves will recover over time. For most, the nerve damage is ‘irreversible.’ John had been told just that by a series of Doctors and specialists Essentially they could cure his cancer but couldn’t fix the damage done by the drugs used to cure his cancer.
Then John made a call to Rachal Lohr of FIREFLY|Acupuncture & Wellness right here in Ashburn Rachal and her team are using the time tested science of Acupuncture and a technology originally developed by NASA that assists in increasing blood flow and expediting recovery and healing to treat this debilitating disease
After a series of treatments John was taking stairs with stride!
“We have a beach house and it’s up stairs This morning I walked right down the stairs and got in the car,” John shared.
“I remember thinking ‘that’s become mighty easy for me’, I didn’t have to hold on to the hand rail or anything! It’s life changing to have this mobility back!”
Again and again, we meet with patients who were once diagnosed as "untreatable” or “incurable” but after receiving Rachal Lohr’s treatments are now living lives free from pain and suffering For almost 16 years she has been reversing the effects of CIPN and other varieties of Peripheral Neuropathy, including that caused by diabetes without invasive surgeries and medications that come with uncomfortable side effects
If you’ve recently beat cancer only to find that you’re living a life in constant pain and discomfort or you’re struggling with the same symptoms as a result of either Idiopathic Neuropathy or Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, Rachal and the incredible team at FIREFLY can help!
Rachal Lohr is now accepting new patients but only for a limited time In an effort to protect her patients, both current and future, she has made the difficult decision to limit the number of patients seen in her clinic.
Only 10 new neuropathy patients will be accepted monthly so call (703)263-2142 now to schedule a consultation.
BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com
County supervisors last week approved nearly $2.4 million in annual nonprofit grants, their largest distribution ever.
The grants help fund 30 nonprofits working in Loudoun, with another 11 mini-grants of $4,500 or $5,000 supporting various nonprofit projects. The $2,369,818 in grants is an increase from last year’s $1,864,647. Those grants are also in addition to fiscal year 2024’s $2.9
This year’s grant awardees are:
million in direct funding for some nonprofits meeting critical needs like health, safety or shelter.
The grant funding also comes as many nonprofits serving critical needs like food and shelter continue to see a high demand for their services, with the number of people needing help remaining above preCOVID-19 levels.
As the county has worked to refine its
Over 50 people gathered at the construction site of Ashburn’s future recreation and community center on Tuesday for a topping-out ceremony marking a major construction milestone.
County Chair Phyllis J. Randall and supervisors Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian), Sylvia R. Glass (D-Broad Run) and Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) attended, as well as representatives of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services; the Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure; Costello Construction and the public.
Everyone was invited to sign the final steel beam that is then placed into the structure.
“This is a 117,000-square-foot [building],” Randall said. “That is enormous. This is enormous and it is going to be a boon to the community. … This has been a huge labor and a labor of love.”
“To get to this point today is a huge, huge milestone,” Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Steve Torpy said.
The new two-story recreation and community center will include a 50-meter competition pool with spectator seating, leisure pool, spa, full-size gymnasium, large fitness area, running track, soft sensory playroom, multipurpose room with a catering and teaching kitchen, classrooms, offices and meeting spaces. The gymnasium will be the largest in the county’s parks and rec system. n
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lower interest rates on homeownership loans in Loudoun.
Prospective homebuyers must come below household income limits, such as $162,000 for a household of two or fewer people. They must live or work in Loudoun for a minimum of six months before applying, and purchase a home for $665,000 or less in Loudoun.
Homebuyers do not have to participate in Loudoun County’s homeownership programs to use the program. Program participation is subject to availability and approval. For more information go to loudoun.gov/HomeLoanPrograms or call the Loudoun County Department of Housing and Community Development at 703-737-8323. n
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The school district continues withhold information about the incidents following a third-party investigation conducted by a Fairfax law firm.
But the jury found failures in a range of county government agencies, including the Sheriff’s Office, the Court Services Unit, and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
After a student sexually assaulted another student in a Stone Bridge High School bathroom, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office did not charge or arrest the assailant until after the case drew national attention, and the grand jury found a lack of communication between the Sheriff’s Office and school division throughout the ordeal. They also found the Sheriff’s Office refused to provide the actual charges against the assailant to LCPS, although the court services unit had already attempted to inform the school district of those charges. Nonetheless, the grand jury wrote the lack of communication “unquestionably contributed to LCPS’ delinquency” in opening its own Title IX investigation into the first assault.
“Several witnesses testified the sheriff and superintendent are not on speaking terms and tension exists between the leadership of LCPS and LCSO. The citizens of Loudoun County deserve better than two high-profile individuals publicly squabbling and refusing to put aside any petty
continued from page 4
dedication have resulted in lifetime achievements that have benefited people, wildlife and habitats throughout Loudoun County,” Bingol said.
The student winner was Eyasu Neale, a Tuscarora High School junior who launched a project to reduce the waste from fast fashion. He curated clothes from Leesburg area thrift stores to put together a fashion show that also raised money for the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter.
“It highlighted for students that clothing can be used longer, used again, thrifted and created or sewed without purchasing from traditional retail stores,” Bingol said. “This idea was one that he pursued because his family had an
differences,” the grand jury wrote in its report, referring to Sheriff Mike Chapman and Superintendent Scott Ziegler, who was fired following the publication of the grand jury report. “Ultimately, the sheriff and superintendent need to put aside any disagreements they may have and recognize the important relationship between their offices. The safety of the students and the community require it.”
Supervisors on the Joint Board of Supervisors and School Board Committee on April 17 questioned school administration staff on their protocols for handling sexual assaults.
“When crimes do occur, especially those of a sexual nature, the investigations are complex and require partnerships to achieve best outcomes,” Sheriff’s Office Lt. Col. Chris Sawyer said. “Both the LCSO and LPD [Leesburg Police Department] partner with the Loudoun Child Advocacy Center or CAC, which provides a childfriendly and coordinated approach to investigating child abuse which can reduce trauma for child victims and their families, improve communication and collaboration between agencies and increased successful prosecution of offenders.”
Sawyer said if there is a sexual assault allegation on campus school resource officers conduct a “minimum facts” interview, asking the least intrusive questions possible to establish the elements of the incident. The case may then be handed off to investigators specially trained to handle
exchange student from Kenya who told them about the piles of clothing, that they were receiving in Kenya as a result of all of this fast fashion.”
The show was such a hit, she said, that he held a second show Wednesday.
The small business winner was Little Tree Huggers, a bilingual, nature-based preschool. Bingol said the students spend 75% of the day outside, rain or shine, and participate in all aspects of farming. They’ve established a wildlife sanctuary with pollinator gardens and riparian conservation areas and run a carbon-neutral operation with a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar array and other energy-efficient ideas.
The citizen or community group winner was the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s Stream Monitoring Program. Bingol said while the stream monitoring team
traumatic events.
Supervisor Kristen C. Umsattd (D-Leesburg) also questioned schools Chief Human Resource Officer Lisa Boland about the school district’s Title IX investigations, which have been criticized by some of the families who have been through them. Boland said school administrators are now required to submit any incident that might be a Title IX violation to be reviewed by the school district’s Title IX coordinator. And she said the three deputy coordinators are all former law enforcement officers with experience in work like investigating rapes or crimes against children.
She also said the school division has
has been at work for more than 25 years, under Amy Ulland they have expanded their outreach and citizen science work.
Teams of volunteers measure the number of tiny lifeforms living in the stream to assess water quality and have brought attention to things like bacterial contamination in streams in the Lucketts area.
The government employee or program award went to Michele Seib of the county Department of General Services’ Stormwater Team, who designed a seven-acre wetlands project to clean runoff and pollutants upstream of the Broad Run. Bingol said the project was cost-conscious and “totally above and beyond.”
“The innovative project required extensive outreach to property owners because it’s located in a high-visibility location, and Michelle attended HOA meetings and answered questions from residents for
also developed a fact sheet to distribute to families.
“Sometimes it’s very difficult for individuals to understand why our investigators are not investigating, why it does not rise to the level of a Title IX violation as is stated by the regulations, so we try to provide information,” she said.
And Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) pushed to recommend changes to the agreement between the school division and Sheriff’s Office governing school resource officers. She sought to remove the phrase “whenever feasible” and make it a requirement that school resource officers get certain training within 60 days of being assigned to a school, and to require those officers to get more training on trauma-informed policing. Sawyer said they already get that kind of training. The committee approved that recommendation unanimously.
Briskman also pushed to require law enforcement officers to contact school administrators and parents before questioning students, although Sawyer pointed out that is not always possible, such as in emergency situations or when a student’s allegations may be against a parent. The committee instead recommended the School Board further review that part of the agreement.
Any changes to the agreement between the schools and Sheriff’s Office would have to be approved by both the sheriff and the School Board. n
three years to help coordinate this project,” Bingol said. “Besides the engineered benefits, Michelle included over half an acre of trees with 280 new natives for the tree canopy benefits that they will provide, increasing air and water quality improvements as the trees mature. To top it off, almost half of the project was funded with grants that she applied for from the state.”
The Board of Supervisors created the Environmental Commission in 2021 to advise on policies and practices around the environment, sustainability and energy management. The commission will host an Energy and Environmental Forum on Thursday, May 11 from 5:30 – 8 p.m. at the Academies of Loudoun.
More information about the county government’s environmental efforts is online at loudoun.gov/environment. n
“When crimes do occur, especially those of a sexual nature, the investigations are complex and require partnerships to achieve best outcomes.”
— Lt. Col. Chris Sawyer Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
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grant selection process, it has also seen the scores awarded to applications for those grants go up. According to a report prepared for the supervisors’ April 18 meeting, since 2018 the county has seen the number of applications, quality of applications and total funding requests go up overall. County staff members also now offer training on applying for the county grants.
The county saw 57 applications in this year’s round of grant applications, including six new applicants, although that was a drop from last year’s 62 applicants. Applicants cannot request a grant for more than 30% of their operating revenue, and grants are capped at $113,000.
To win grant funding, applications must first meet a scoring threshold. Available funding is then distributed to qualifying applicants based on their score. And once again, more applicants qualified for funding than will receive it this year. Those include ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia, Volunteers of America Chesapeake, Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, the Windy Hill
Foundation, Insight Memory Care Center, Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons, Youth For Tomorrow, and Liberty’s Promise. Those nonprofits provide services like support for aging people with disabilities, affordable housing, help with homelessness, behavioral health services, and programs to support at least 40 children of immigrant families at Seneca Ridge and Sterling Middle Schools.
To fund all the qualifying applicants, county staff reported the county would need to allocate another $492,148.
County staff members scored grant applications against the four priority areas set by the Board of Supervisors. This year, those included prevention and self-sufficiency, helping individuals become independent and stable; crisis intervention and diversion, helping people and families in crisis overcome their immediate challenges and avoid more costly services down the line; long-term support, supporting people who need long-term help to stay healthy, safe and independent; and improving the quality of human services in Loudoun, helping organizations serving the community improve the quality, accessibility and accountability of their services. n
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We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap.
All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.”
This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-9753.
fairhousing@dpor.virginia.gov www.fairhousing.vipnet.org
April 29 is National Independent Bookstore Day and Leesburg’s Birch Tree Bookstore will offer a local author showcase to celebrate.
The nine writers joining Saturday’s program cover a broad spectrum of interests, including children’s books, fiction, history, economics, and self-help topics. They are Paul Kreingold, author of “Potomac Marble: History of the Search of the Ideal Stone;” Jill Solis, author of “Bunny Bart Needs a Heart,” Susan Ouellette, author of “The Wayward Spy” and other thrillers; Jeanne Hull Godfroy, author of “Midgard;” Lisa Geraci Rigoni, author of “17 Spatulas and the Man who Fried an Egg;” J. Denison Reed, author of the award-winning “Clifford’s War” series; Christina June, author of “It Started with Goodbye;” Ada Ari, author of books from African folktales; and Nancy Spannaus, author of “Hamilton Versus Wall Street: The Core Principles of the American System of Economics.”
The Town of Leesburg will hold a final public information meeting on Thursday, April 27 to provide the latest information regarding the Battlefield Parkway/Leesburg Bypass interchange design.
The session follows two public input meetings held last year.
The current design includes two roundabouts and a bridge that will
move Battlefield Parkway traffic and pedestrians over the bypass with the goal of eliminating delays at one of the town’s most congested intersections.
In November, the Leesburg Town Council endorsed the double roundabout designs as the preferred alternative. Since the town has been refining the layout and drafting the Interchange Access Report, which
The Town Council will consider a request to raise the limit on the number of rooms that may be permitted in a commercial inn.
Currently, the town’s zoning ordinance limits inns to a maximum of 15 rooms. A building with more rooms in the downtown business district would be defined as a hotel or motel and would require special exception review.
Developer Kevin Ash already has cleared approvals through the Board of Architectural Review to build a hotel on South King Street. While the
project envisions a 40-room boutique hotel, only 15 rooms are permitted without a special exception permit.
Addressing the council Tuesday night, he said the number of rooms— like other commercial uses—should be determined by the size of the building and issues such as adequate parking. For example, he said a 50-room inn would require 50 parking spaces while office uses in the same space would require 75 parking spaces and retail use would require 84. Ash also noted that a hotel use would generate substantially more tax revenue than office uses in the same size space.
During a briefing on the issue during their Monday night work
will be presented and endorsed by the council before it is sent to the Virginia Department of Transportation for approval next winter.
The meeting will be held between 6:30 and 8 p.m. in the lower-level Banquet Hall at the Ida Lee Park and Recreation Center. Design engineers and town staff members will be on hand to answer questions. n
session, council members seemed to lean toward continuing the policy of requiring special exception review for facilities with more than 15 rooms. The process requires a public hearing and allows the Town Council to apply special conditions for approval. In making the presentation, Zoning Administrator Michael Watkins recommended keeping the current rules in place.
On Tuesday, the council voted 6-1, with Vice Mayor Neil Steinberg opposed, to initiate a Zoning Ordinance change to potentially increase the number of rooms permitted byright. In supporting the motion, Mayor Kelly Burk said her vote was not a commitment to support a change, but an agreement to let the staff present options to be considered. n
The program runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Birch Tree Bookstore is located at 11 W. Market St.
The Town of Leesburg brings back its sidewalk dining program on Friday evenings staring May 5 and continuing through Oct. 6.
The program permits restaurants on the block of King Street between Market and Loudoun streets to offer expanded sidewalk dining from 5 to 9 p.m., with street closures starting at 4:30 p.m.
There will be no live performances or other outdoor entertainment. Sidewalk dining will not take place on May 26, June 30, Aug. 11, or Sept. 29. In the event of inclement weather, the event will not be held.
There will be a little more space in Town Hall soon, after the Town Council on Tuesday approved a lease for new offices for the Department of Public Works and Capital Projects.
Ultimately, the department will move to a new public works building along Russell Branch Parkway, but construction had not yet begun on that project, which is scheduled to for completion in 2026.
As an interim solution to tight quarters in Town Hall, the town is leasing two suites, totaling 3,800 square feet, in the office building at 552 Fort Evans Road NE. The lease is expected to cost $105,600 annually and to be for a term of at least three years. n
Former Loudoun County Democratic Committee Chair Lissa Savaglio has ended her campaign for the Board of Supervisors’ Little River District seat.
In her announcement, Savaglio threw her support behind the other candidate in a Democratic primary race, Laura TeKrony, a longtime aide to County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large).
“While this decision saddens me, I am heartened by the knowledge that we have a solid champion in Laura TeKrony, who will fight for Democratic principles, seek to limit unwarranted development in Western Loudoun, and protect our families,” Savaglio stated.
Savaglio stepped down as chair of the county Democratic committee in November to launch her campaign for the newly drawn Little River District even as the last ballots for that November’s election were still coming in. She has been active in politics and the com-
mittee since 2016.
TeKrony has worked in Randall’s office since 2016, and is also an aide in the office of Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg). She serves on the Aldie Heritage Association board among other community involvement.
The decision leaves TeKrony uncontested for the Democratic nomination. She will compete against Republican Ram Venkatchalam. The district will have no incumbent in the race—it most resembles the current Blue Ridge District, but Blue Ridge Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R) lives in Purcellville, which was drawn out of the district. Buffington has also announced he will not seek a third term on the board.
More candidates could also still jump into the race; the deadline for candidates to file for the November election is June 20. Learn more about voting at elections.virginia.gov or loudoun.gov/vote. n
Megan Lockwood, a parent, substitute teacher and Purcellville resident announced she will run for the School Board’s Catoctin District seat, the third candidate in that race.
The Briar Woods High School graduate said she chose to run because she saw a greater need for more support for both students and staff after stepping into the shoes of a teacher.
“We need to ensure our children are prepared for the future by providing academic rigor, safety for all, and a place for social and emotional growth,” she stated in a press release. “I have seen firsthand how hard school administrators and staff work to try to meet those needs in an expanding population with grace, caring, and professionalism. I want to provide the support they need to bridge the gap between school and home through open, effective communication. I also believe that
giving students a voice in their education reduces frustration and increases their investment in learning.”
Lockwood, husband Ryan, and their three children have lived in Loudoun County since 2006. Their children are currently enrolled in elementary, middle and high school. Lockwood works as a long-term substitute teacher in the school division.
“I have had the incredible gift of experiencing academically rigorous, student-focused, inclusive, community schools that work. I have seen children thriving in school and fist bumping administrators in the hallways. We have some amazing schools right here in Catoctin, and I want to see that model continue to expand across the county,” she stated. “Doing so takes hard work, evidence-based decision making, and the ability to listen and compromise.”
Learn more on her webpage at lockwood4loudoun.com.
New filings show Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Officer Wayde Byard testified to a grand jury that he was not aware of a sexual assault at Stone Bridge High School until months after the same student committed a second assault at Broad Run High School, netting him a felony perjury charge.
On May 8, 2021, a student at Stone Bridge High School sexually assaulted another student in a bathroom. The perpetrator was transferred to Broad Run High
School, where on Oct. 6 he sexually assaulted another student. The string of incidents led to a special grand jury investigation of the administration’s handling of those incidents, and that investigation led to charges against then-Superintendent Scott Ziegler and current Public Information Officer Wayde Byard, who was charged with perjury over his testimony to the grand jury.
After the charge was filed, Byard said he was unaware of the statement or statements that brought the allegation.
According to transcripts from special grand jury testimony, Byard repeatedly denied any knowledge of the sexual assault
at Stone Bridge until after the Broad Run assault, telling them he was unaware until “I would say probably a matter of months after the second assault that something had actually happened in that nature.”
But on June 22, months before the second assault, the father of the first victim Scott Smith was arrested at a now-famous raucous School Board meeting that was called to a halt for the public to be expelled and raised his family’s case to the national spotlight. And on July 7, according to prosecutors, his wife Jessica came to the
PERJURY ALLEGATION
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The Loudoun School-Business Partnership Executive Council hosted its 23rd annual awards program Monday night at the National Conference Center.
Awards went to several school-business partnerships as well as students and community members including retired Leesburg Police Chief Gregory C. Brown.
The mission of the council is to promote successful development of partnerships between the school division and local businesses and to make sure students get real world experience.
School Board Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge) said Loudoun offers the resources that allows the division to “achieve just about anything we set our minds to as long as we choose to use those resources toward the education of our children.”
“But we can’t do it alone, that is why our partnerships between our schools and the many, many businesses in Loudoun County is so vital that we wrote it into our strategic plan to expand, recognize and promote businesses and community partners and recruit new business partners to provide real world experiences to our students.”
The awards are given every spring as a way to recognize the success of some of the programs and highlight those partner-
ships that align with the division’s strategic plan.
This year’s theme focused on community partnerships that empower, enrich and engage students.
Nonprofit healthcare and education group Asha-Jyothi in partnership with Waxpool Elementary School won the Bringing Community Together Award. The award is meant to highlight how a community can be strengthened by com-
ing together in a time of need and show how the partnership embraced the connection and integration between schools and community.
Asha-Jyothi began working in individual schools in 2018 with a goal of helping the underprivileged in education and healthcare. The partnership led to the
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Janet Lewis, an assistant principal at Dominion Trail Elementary School, received the Virginia State Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year from the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals.
Lewis, an assistant principal for 15 years, 10 of those years at Dominion Trail, was recognized during a special surprise school assembly by Executive Director of VAESP Krista Barton Arnold, Acting Superintendent Daniel Smith and Principal Jeff Joseph.
Lewis is described by colleagues as being compassionate, caring, dependable, kind, thoughtful and supportive. She received several letters of support from staff members at the school and from the school division for the recognition, including: “She knows so much about each student, what sport the student plays, who that student is friends with and where that student lives;” “I am always moved by the way she also knows the families and how she wants to help the parents/ caregivers to be able to better support the child;” and “She thinks of the whole child and makes suggestions on how we can foster a more positive learning environment for that student.”
The VAESP program award promotes educational excellence for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and calls attention to the fundamental importance of the assistant principal, according to the announcement.
The Loudoun County School Board on April 25 voted to adopt a proclamation making May Mental Health Awareness Month in an effort to raise awareness about mental disorders in youth. According to a study in the Journal of American
SCHOOL NOTEBOOK continues on page 14
703-956-9470
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We Invite You To Join Us for the 2023-2024
Loudoun County Fellows Program.
To apply or for more information, please visit:
www.cslewisinstitute.org/loudoun-county
Open House March 25th 2pm to 4pm RSVP to Email Address Below
Tim Bradley
CSLI City Director, Loudoun County
Email: t.bradley@cslewisinstitute.org
Phone: (301) 325-8565
Students from Future Business Leaders of America/Interact, the National Honor Society and the self-contained special education class at Loudoun County High School were recognized last week for their cancer patient care packages with a resolution from the Virginia General Assembly.
Del. David Reid (D-32) presented the resolution. The students worked to collect and donate more than 750 care packages for female cancer patients in December.
With the help of donations from the
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Medical Association Pediatrics, rates of anxiety and depression in 2020 in children ages three to 17 increased by 29% and 27% compared to 2016. Despite these increases many children with mental disorders don’t get the care they need due to stigma, access to services and lack of resources. With children spending six hours or more a day in school, schools can serve as a primary access point for these services.
During the month of May the division plans to bring mental illness into focus by encouraging treatment to students who may benefit from it and by reaching out to community partners.
community, the Daybreak Rotary Club and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Leesburg, the clubs were able to assemble 758 Smile Kits for the Barnett Searing National Cancer Foundation.
At a ceremony at the school, Reid talked about the importance of the work done by the students and how, with the commending resolution, their work will go into the official journal of the Virginia General Assembly.
Reid said their work would be along-
STUDENTS COMMENDED continues on page 37
Tuscarora High School performing arts teacher Justin Daniel and his students performed at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts on April 24, after being awarded one of Wolf Trap’s grants for high school performing arts teachers. They were awarded a grant for their project World Stories on Stage, one of eight recipients across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC.
It’s the first time in three years Wolf Trap has invited recipients and their students to the venue for Grants Day, intended to expose students to different career paths in the arts and an opportunity to perform at one of the region’s premier arts venues, according to the announcement. For more information on how to apply go to wolftrap.org. n
The Park View High School girl’s junior varsity and varsity soccer teams faced off against Heritage High School on April 20, in the first match since Heritage player Grace Taylor reached out in a spirit of camaraderie and donated money to help purchase new uniforms for the team through her fundraiser, 22 Cares.
But what was supposed to be a night of soccer, camaraderie and continued friendship between the two teams was overshadowed by the school division’s administrative decision to shut down a pregame event where Taylor would present Park View with another check and players would hold a gift exchange on the Heritage soccer field in front of spectators.
Allie Taylor, Grace’s mom, said they began planning the event on April 10 and spread the word to the community with the hope of filling the stands for the match. She got a call from a Heritage High School administrator on the afternoon of the event and was told it couldn’t take place. She said she was told that some issues had been raised about Grace donat-
ing the money directly to Park View and that the latest donation needed to be written out to the school’s booster club.
Instead of a pre-game ceremony, the players had to hold their program after the game was over.
“They didn’t give us much information. They said we can’t directly donate to the soccer team, it has to be to the booster club per LCPS administration without giving us any reason or notification. They just called today and said it had to be shut down and this was the only acceptable tweak,” Allie Taylor said, meaning changing who the check was made out to.
Taylor said she hadn’t picked up the cashier’s check before the phone call so she was able to make the last-minute adjustment but was frustrated at the way it was handled.
“We have to rearrange what was happening tonight. We wanted to do it before the game to give the recognition during announcements and now we have to do it after the game once it’s complete when I don’t think the same rules apply,” Taylor said.
She said the latest donation was from a team and Heritage community effort organized by Grace.
“This was all about camaraderie, these girls are hugging each other, and they are so excited about it. This is what it’s all about, it’s way more about them than the money,” she said.
Division spokesman Daniel Adams said the cancellation of the pre-game ceremony was an innocent miscommunication and not an attempt to slight what was done by the Taylor family or to not show appreciation, but rather “wires got crossed.”
Adams said the division asked the family if they’d be willing to give the latest donation to the Park View booster club so other sports teams that might be struggling could benefit.
“It was a request, not a demand,” he said.
He said the division was grateful for the efforts made by Grace to help another team but said the division has to keep an eye on donations to sports because of Title IX and other federal regulations that require being equitable in sports.
“LCPS is extremely thankful for the efforts of the Taylor family to go above and beyond. This is a perfect example of school and family and community coming together to make something happen,”
UNIFORMS continues on page 37
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creation of a sensory room at the school to help students get extra energy out before going to class.
Riverside Presbyterian Church and Sugarland Elementary School were given the Make a Difference Award for their various programs, including Feed a Student, Adopt a Family and Sunrise Summer Camp. The school and church have had a strong relationship for 16 years. The award is given to partnerships that address a specific need, provide resources for a needed population within a school and contribute positively to the lives of students.
The Partners for Progress Award was given to PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs in partnership with Dominion High School and Loudoun Valley High School for its student journalism program. The award is given to partnerships that support authentic learning opportunities and experiences for the students.
The Student Innovator Award, sponsored by Inova Loudoun Hospital and the
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, was given to Minvest Finance, a group of four Academies of Loudoun Students—Arjun Setty, Raaga Kodali, Alex Rios and Bi Nguyen—who designed a financial app geared to Gen Z students. Setty said it was born from a conversation the group had about
the lack of financial education for that generation.
And Gustavo Torres, a senior at the North Star School and president of the Dominion Chapter of Prevention Alliance of Loudoun, was presented with the Student Innovator Award. Torres has been
a leader in helping other students better themselves, is a student School Board representative and an Equity Ambassador in the division. The award is given to students who have started a business, nonprofit or foundation that impacts other students.
Other awards were given to community leaders, including the Legacy Award given to retired Leesburg Chief Gregory Brown and the Leesburg Police Department’s School Resource Office Unit.
The final award of the night, the J. Hamilton Lambert Exemplary Leadership in Education and Community Service Award, was given to retired administrator James “Jim” Person for the years of service he gave to the division as an administrator and the years he continues to give as a substitute teacher.
The evening also highlighted the Job for a Day shadowing program that took place in November. Last year’s program had the most students participating since 2017, with 362 high school juniors and seniors getting real-world, hands-on experience in a career setting from 46 community career hosts. n
BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com
At approximately 3 a.m. on April 9, multiple people entered the property of Browning Equipment on Main Street in Purcellville and stole four pieces of equipment.
Then they crossed the street to the Total Fitness Warehouse, where they also stole a truck and trailer into which they loaded three of the four pieces of equipment before driving away. The fourth piece was left on the Total Fitness property.
Browning Equipment owner Jeff Browning said the value of the stolen equipment amounted to $53,400, in addition to $800 worth of tools that were also taken. He said that while his company had an item stolen last year, they were “spoiled” and have not had to worry about burglaries in the past.
“[Purcellville] is not our sleepy little old town anymore,” he said, adding that he was looking to add security cameras soon.
Total Fitness CEO Magic Kayhan said he was frustrated that the perpetrators were able to steal the equipment and a truck and trailer from his property without anyone noticing. He said the town should be allo-
cating more of its funds to the Purcellville Police Department.
“I am in 100% support of the police department in Purcellville. … The problem is not them,” Kabban said. “The problem is the regime that is in charge right now. The mayor and the council members do not care about the safety of citizens.”
He said he would like to see salaries for the officers raised, adding that for every new officer hired at a salary of $80,000, he would be willing to donate $10,000.
Deputy Chief Dave Dailey said the department was working with the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office to find the perpetrators, adding, “we will continue until there is a resolution.”
Browning said on Thursday that he had heard from the sergeant in charge of the case who said the truck and trailer had been recovered in Upper Marlboro, MD.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Sergeant Camp at 540-3387422, extension 2127.
The theft is somewhat reminiscent of Purcellville’s most famous—and still unsolved—robbery in 1983. In that case,
thieves used a stolen front-end loader to break through the wall of the Safeway store, where the Purcellville Pub is located today,
The Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that the April 20 house fire on Browns Creek Place in Leesburg was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials.
Dispatchers got calls around 11:10 a.m. last Thursday reporting a house fire on the 40200 block of Browns Creek Place in Leesburg. Fire-rescue units from Leesburg, Aldie, Brambleton, Hamilton, Moorefield, and Lansdowne responded.
Firefighters found a large single-family home with significant smoke and fire, and confirmed all occupants were out of the home. With all occupants safely outside, and the house already heavily engulfed in fire, firefighters decided to extinguish the fire from outside.
The home is in an area without fire hydrants, and additional units responded from Ashburn, Kirkpatrick Farms, Lucketts, Purcellville, Lovettsville, and Prince William County to provide water, shuttling water from nearby sources such as
local ponds.
Fire Marshal’s Office investigators determined the fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. Five people were displaced, and one cat is unaccounted for. One firefighter was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
Damages were estimated at $2.15 million, including $1.2 million for the home, $750,000 in its contents, and $200,000 for two neighboring homes that received exterior damage from the radiant heat.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, home fires started by smoking materials caused 330 deaths, 725 injuries and $368.9 billion in loss in 2020. Improperly discarded smoking materials have caused two home fires in Loudoun this week for an estimated $2.5 million in damages.
For more information on home fire safety and smoke alarms or to schedule a free home safety assessment, go to loudoun.gov/smokealarms or call 703-737-8093. n
The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office on April 19 arrested a fourth person in connection with suspected arson at the clubhouse of the former Westpark golf course in Leesburg.
Eric Alexander Iraheta-Serrano was charged with entering a building with intent to commit arson, arson, and conspiracy.
The building has been the subject of an ongoing investigation of fires around Jan. 9.
Two previous charged suspects, Marco Alexander Mendoza Monjaras of Leesburg and Elizabeth Caudill of Purcellville, are scheduled to appear in District Court for preliminary hearings May 22.
The charges another suspect, Adrian Mario Larrazabal, were dropped April 20 when his preliminary hearing was scheduled. n
Northern Virginia-based nonprofit Hopecam will hold its 23rd annual 5K run/walk May 7 in Reston to help keep kids diagnosed with cancer connected to the outside world.
The nonprofit offers free laptops, tablets, web cameras and high-speed internet to children ages three to young adults actively undergoing cancer treatment to help with isolation.
Kristine Milch, a volunteer with Hopecam, said in an interview that several Loudoun County schools have donated time to help the nonprofit this year. Potomac Falls High School’s Distributive Education Clubs of America, or DECA program is selling Hopecam items at its school store and other events and volunteering to set up for the race. The National Honor Society at Heritage High School organized two events where students helped wrap donated toys and delivered them to Hopecam families. The National Honor Society at Riverside High School has promised to donate any funds it raises during the school’s May 6 Spring Festival to Hopecam. Milch said the school’s Spanish NHS also designed hope and encouragement cards in Spanish for the nonprofit’s welcome packets.
“It’s incredible the amount of energy and creativity [high school kids] have, and they are so organized and driven, it’s almost easier to work with kids than adults,” Milch said.
Several schools have signed up teams to participate in the race including, Belmont Station, Steuart Weller and Lowes Island Elementary Schools, Seneca Ridge Middle School, Heritage, Riverside and Potomac Falls High Schools and the Newton School, a private school in Sterling.
Hopecam provides each child with a tablet or laptop pre-programmed with the Zoom conferencing app. It also works with each child’s school to make sure it can participate by providing all the equipment and facilitating the connection. Hopecam also provides free internet access while the child is being treated if the family doesn’t already have it.
The Dulles Greenway will host its third annual Run The Greenway race May 6 to raise money for several local nonprofits.
Over the past two years, runners have helped raise more than $376,000 for 17 nonprofits, including several in Loudoun such as Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter, Loudoun Free Clinic and the Arc of Loudoun.
Runners can choose between a 5K, 10K, 800-meter Kids Fun Run and a virtual race option. Every registration includes a Run The Greenway race shirt and a fundraising page where runners can raise funds for a local non-profit partner of their choice.
All races will start and finish on the Greenway at Loudoun Station. Access to the event will be from the Ashburn Metro Station with free parking at Loudoun Station. Medals will be awarded for first, second and third place winners. Finisher medals will be given to all participants.
Runners can register online at runsignup.com. Registration is open until May 5.
For more information go to dullesgreenway.com. n
Seventy-one percent of Hopecam students attend Title 1 schools and over 50% live in homes that can’t afford internet access, according to the announcement. The nonprofit is working to bridge the digital divide for not only the child but for family members who are also affected during the difficult time.
The nonprofit estimates the cost per child to be around $1,200.
The idea came when founder Len Forkas’s son was diagnosed with cancer in 2000 and couldn’t attend school with his peers. Forkas had an idea to put a webcam in his son’s classroom so he could continue to attend school while staying safe.
At the time, according to Hopecam
Development Director Brett Fox, putting a camera in a classroom was a novel idea.
Fox said when Forkas saw his son’s eyes light up when he got to see his classmates, he decided he needed to make it happen for more children.
Since then, the nonprofit has connected 4,000 children, including 75 in Loudoun County, to 80,000 classmates in 50 states.
The main difference between what Hopecam offers and a laptop a school may loan a child is the school’s laptop has to be returned at the end of the school year,
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while Hopecam’s devices are given to the child to allow continued Zoom sessions with family, friends, and classmates and to participate in telemedicine appointments, according to the release.
Fox said this year’s race will also commemorate the organization’s 20th year with family-oriented events including a Velcro wall, cotton candy machines, face painting and a balloon artist.
Milch and Fox both said how grateful they are for the high school students' support.
“It’s amazing the empathy [high school kids] have. They really want to make changes to the world, so they are so excited to help kids just like themselves that have this terrible disease,” Fox said. “They have taken an idea and run with it.”
A virtual race will be offered for families who can’t be in big groups.
Milch said there will be plenty of other activities at the event for those who don’t want to run.
To sign up for the race go to hopecam.org n
The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties is continuing its grant opportunity for Black-led nonprofit organizations serving Loudoun County with a $25,000 grant from Google.
In 2021, the Foundation established a Racial Equity Fund to support grantmaking for emerging and grassroots Black-and-Brown-led nonprofits, equity initiatives, and the advancement of equity leadership. The fund focuses on providing mini-grants of $1,000 to $3,500 to Black-led nonprofit organizations serving Loudoun County. Organizations serving the Black community in Loudoun that demonstrate Black leadership among its executive leaders, board of directors, and/or staff will be prioritized for funding. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee of local ex-
perts convened by the foundation.
“Google’s data center grant program prioritizes opportunities that will have the biggest impact on the communities we call home. We are proud to support the Community Foundation’s efforts to advance racial equity and to lift up Black nonprofit leaders in Loudoun County and Northern Fauquier County,” stated Arienne Thompson Plourde, Global Social Impact Senior Program Manager for Google Data Centers.
In addition to funding support, grantees will benefit from free-ofcharge participation in the Community Foundation’s variety of nonprofit training programs such as the Nonprofit Academy, Racial Equity Framework, and the Social Impact Institute that address fundraising, human-resource management, policy development,
board development, and best practices for nonprofits.
“Google’s support enables continuity in grantmaking for an important segment of our emerging local nonprofit sector,” said Foundation President and CEO Amy Owen. “This form of grantmaking generates high impact. We are grateful for Google’s renewed support in 2023 that will continue to catalyze positive change in leadership development and the clients these organizations serve.”
Grant application deadlines and award timelines are expected to be announced in May.
Those wishing to support this initiative and the Racial Equity Fund may do so at cflnfc.fcsuite.com/erp/donate. n
The Dulles Area Association of Realtors named Sue Puleo of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty as its 2022 Realtor of the Year at its annual awards April 19.
The award recognizes a DAAR member who demonstrates the highest level of professionalism in terms of community service, education, and industry involvement, according to the association.
Puleo topped a long list of other award winners and nominees at the event. Among those, the Jeanette Newton Community Leadership Award went to Greg Wells of Keller Williams Loudoun Gateway. The Rookie of the Year was Tania Argueta, Coldwell Banker Realty. Educator of the Year was Sonia Downard, Vesta Settlements. And the 2022 Affiliate of the Year was Melissa Fones, Vesta Settlements.
Five realtors celebrated 50 years with DAAR, including Pablito Alarcon, Samson Properties; Ray Cheronis, Weichert, Realtors; Sandra Fletcher, Coldwell Banker Realty; Thomas Jewell, Jewell Realty LLC; and Bill Thomas, Keller Williams Realty.
See the full list of winners and learn more at dullesarea.com. n
In 2006, Angela Mitchell decided to be her own boss.
Seventeen years and countless long days and late nights later, the founder of ARM Consulting will be among the women sharing their success stories and experience at the Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls’s Entrepreneurial Women’s Business Seminar at Ida Lee Park on May 5.
“I think people see the value in working for themselves, and not just women,” Mitchell said. “A lot of people really want to take that leap, and they just don’t know how to get started.”
The summit was born from the years of surveys and other events that the Coalition on Women and Girls has conducted since its founding.
In the Coalition’s Voices of Loudoun Women surveys, workforce connections have always been listed among the top three major challenges facing respondents. One in six women surveyed in December reported needing employment connections, a growing figure compared to previous surveys. And nearly 60% expressed interest in professional development programs.
“We were initially going to focus on employment … helping women find job opportunities, obtain higher positions within their career,” she said. “But we did a survey, and the feedback that we got was that women were really interested in starting their own business or scaling their own business.”
Mitchell said the Coalition’s first entrepreneurship event, in the pre-COVID-19 days, brought out about 100 women to hear panelists from a variety of backgrounds. The idea was to create a safe space for women to ask about things like raising money, writing proposals, or transitioning their side hustle into their day job.
“Women found it to be very valuable, because they felt like they saw themselves,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell has been recognized as a leader and mentor in Loudoun’s business community. And as both an entrepreneur and the immediate past chair of the Coalition on Women and Girls, she has particular expertise on the challenges facing a woman starting her own business.
“It’s hard to go from working in a company where you have people to bounce things off of, or there’s a mentor that may be at the company or someone that’s going to give you some guidance,” Mitchell said. “Having that sense of belonging and a being able to get advice to help you succeed
in the business community is so important, and you just can’t put a price on it.”
While being your own boss is one of the great advantages of starting a business, it’s also one of the great challenges.
“I always tell people, are you really ready?” Mitchell said.
Starting your own business means managing yourself and taking on things that aren’t usually part of the 9-to-5 grind. That means things like paychecks—they don’t just come every two weeks. Clients have to pay up. And if you have employees, they need to get their paychecks whether or not the clients do.
“People don’t understand, when you’re in a very structured environment working for someone, you don’t think about it that way,” Mitchell said. “But there’s a time to start, there’s a time to end, there’s deliverables that someone is expecting you to deliver, and even when you meet that challenge it’s a lot different when you’re having to manage yourself.”
It’s also not a ticket to the easy life.
“I’ve been in business for 16 years. For the first 10 I never took time off,” Mitchell said. “It was really seven days a week, 12to 14-hour days.” During that time, she said, she was working to build up her reputation and portfolio of work, and enough business so that she could start hiring other people. All that is balanced with the rest of life, like trying to spend time with family.
And she said starting a new business is no escape from sexism in the workplace. She said women face extra barriers like access to capital, or other people not taking them seriously—especially in technical
fields like hers, consulting on healthcare, technology, and human resources. She said, “you’ve got to get that thick skin.”
“I also think that women tend to devalue their work,” she said. “They don’t set the right fee associated to what they’re doing, especially if it’s a service. They tend to price it much lower than their male counterparts would. And so from that, those things sort of slow the pace or slow the trajectory of women being able to get to the next level.”
Birch Tree Bookstore founder Leah Fallon is new to the coalition. She said one big hurdle was just not knowing about the resources that are available, like the Small Business Development Center or the town or county departments of economic development. Sometimes it’s even simpler than that—things like just knowing how to file the right paperwork.
“You have to be ready to ask questions and ask people for things,” she said. “… I think the hardest part was knowing who to ask.”
In her case, she started doing business in incremental steps before throwing herself into launching her own bookstore, seeing whether there was enough demand in town to support it.
There was.
“We have the wish that I wanted, and I think quicker than I thought,” she said.
Today, her business is at 11 W. Market St. in downtown Leesburg, filling a cozy, winding, sunlit space. It also has a pop of green, thanks to shared space with Foliage
ENTREPRENEURS
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Michael McMeekin has joined Sterling-based Optimum Technologies as a senior strategy and business development advisor.
He joins OpTech from a recent retirement at Northrop Grumman, where he had a 16-year career, starting with Orbital Science Corporation in 2006. He helped grow the national security space business to an annual record revenue of
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Plants.
“Looking back, I’m not sure what I imagined,” Fallon said. “It’s busy. And it’s juggling a lot. I have a family, and my husband also owns a business, so we’re constantly juggling. … But it also is really rewarding in the way I get to interact with the public, and all aspects of downtown Leesburg—the business community, the shoppers, the visitors, getting to know the town council people, getting to know the people that work for the town.”
But she said her favorite part is “just being here,” creating a comfortable space for everybody who visits.
Fallon and Mitchell both now do their part to help other people hoping to follow in their footsteps.
“I made a conscious decision a couple years ago that I really wanted to give back to Loudoun,” Mitchell said. “I’m not originally from here, but I’ve been here for 25 years and I wanted to be able to really engage in community.”
She said part of that is passing on the advice and help that she got in her own experience—or the lessons she learned along the way.
Fallon, too, lends a helping hand to other people who want to start a business. Sometimes that’s taking part in career days. Sometimes that’s just pointing them toward the resources that are available already.
The Loudoun Entrepreneurial Women’s Business Seminar will be 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Ida Lee Park Recreation Center in Leesburg Friday, May 5. Register at lwcag.org. n
greater than $900 million. From late 2018 to mid-2022, he led a team in support of a corporate initiative to develop growth strategies for the Space Sector at Northrup Grumman.
For more information go to optechspace.com.
St. John Properties announced the promotion of Ryan Mitchell to director of Interior Construction for the Virginia and Central Maryland division. Mitchell
joined the company in 2020 and was formerly senior project manager for Interior Construction.
In his new role, he will continue to oversee the execution of all tenant build-out activities throughout the St. John Properties portfolio in the Northern Virginia and Central Maryland region. This includes directing the efforts of the in-house project managers and field staff, overseeing budgeting and scheduling, permit expediting, planning activities, and interfacing with tenants, design and leasing professionals, and third-party
subcontractors to meet move-in deadlines. Mitchell will also manage all tenant construction activities to conclusion and assure their successful completion.
Mitchell has more than 18 years of commercial real estate and construction experience. Prior to joining St. John Properties, he worked in project management roles for The Wormald Companies, NVR, Inc. and H&H Drywall Specialties. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and a master’s in management and leadership from Liberty University. Learn more at sjpi.com. n
Round Hill leaders, town staff members, and a roster of volunteers teamed up Saturday to plant 90 trees along the bank of Goose Creek’s north fork.
Organized by Town Planner Bobby Lohr, the Earth Day event created a riparian buffer along the creek inside Niels Poulsen Park. Sapling willow oaks, pin oaks and river birch trees were planted and then covered with sleeves to protect them during their early growth period.
Loudoun County Community Forestry Specialist Lindsey Long said the location was well suited for a buffer. “They’re really helpful in slowing down water and filtering water before it gets into our waterways. It reduces flooding, improves water quality for animals and for us—it’s beneficial to the ecosystem as a whole.”
The program also supported the town’s work two years ago to qualify as a Tree City USA community, with Mayor Scott Ramsey reading the town’s official Arbor Day resolution. n
The Purcellville Town Council emerged from an 80-minute closed session Tuesday night with an offer to hire a new interim town manager and was greeted by a gathering of town residents raising concerns about the conduct of town leaders.
The council met in closed session to interview applicants for the interim town manager position following the abrupt resignation of Interim Town Manager John Anzivino two weeks earlier.
The council did not disclose the identity of the selected interim manager, pending a background check and contract, but was told the candidate could be on the job as early as Friday. The council also has not disclosed how many applicants have
applied for the permanent town manager post, resulting from a search that began after the January resignation of David Mekarski, or how many will be interviewed.
After the closed session, 11 residents spoke during the Citizen and Business Comments section of the meeting’s agenda, with 10 criticizing the council’s frequently abrasive relationship with the staff and the town’s deteriorating relationship with the county government.
A motion made by council member Mary F. “Boo” Bennett at an April 11 meeting to reduce the town staff cost of living raise to 2% resulted in Anzivino’s resignation and residents attending an April 17 budget meeting with signs supporting town staff.
CONCERNS continues on page 23
The new Piggott Bottom Road bridge over an unnamed tributary of the South Fork of Catoctin Creek opened to traffic Monday.
The previous bridge was built in 1932 and rehabilitated in 1992, with several repairs made in subsequent years. In March 2022, the bridge was closed following a safety inspection.
The new bridge is slightly longer and higher to better withstand flooding and includes precast concrete beams to reduce longterm maintenance, according to VDOT. The $2.2 million project was financed with federal and state funding, including State of Good Repair funds used for bridges. Minor work with minimal traffic impacts will occur in the coming weeks until final completion.
The 17 properties included in Round Hill’s recently approved western boundary expansion will be undergoing review to determine what uses should be permitted under the town’s planning policies.
The boundary line adjustment was approved by the Circuit Court at the end of 2022, following public hearings and votes by the Town Council and the Board of Supervisors. Now, the town limits stretch west to include the Hill High commercial complex. The annexed zone also includes the Sheriff ’s Office substation and future fire station along West Loudoun Street, the former Round Hill elementary school property on High Street, undeveloped property on Walraven Way, and a number of residential lots.
The planning work is slated to be formally turned over to the Planning Commission next month, with a report back to the Town Council expected during the summer
AROUND TOWNS
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The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will hold a work day to get pollinator gardens along the Chapman DeMary Trail ready for spring on Sunday, April 30 starting at 1 p.m.
The work will include removing invasive plants, transplanting others and getting new native plants in the ground. The planting will be led by Gina Faber, a professional gardener and active Virginia Master Gardener, and Nancy Reaves, a Virginia Master Naturalist and a member of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.
Interested parties are encouraged to bring their own gloves and tools as well as dress for working in a wooded area.
In addition to helping prepare for pollinators, nature journals and pencils will be provided to attendees, courtesy of the Purcellville Arts Council. Those who already received journaling supplies at previous events at the Chapman DeMary Trail are encouraged to bring their journals to observe, write, draw, and capture the seasonal changes as well as to get a sticker. Participants with six or more stickers from the monthly nature walks through November 2023 will get a prize.
Bring your family and friends to the Purcellville Music and Arts Festival on Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. for the Music and Arts Festival that will be held rain or shine.
The free event will be held at Dillon’s
continued from page 22
Resident Caitlin Serotkin said she supported the town working with the county to build the Rt. 7/Rt. 690 interchange and keep the 5% cost of living raise for town staff proposed in the fiscal 2024 budget.
“Where’s the police force in Hamilton, Round Hill, Lovettsville?” he asked. “You’re not going to find a police force there. They use the real police, the county sheriff ’s department, for their force.”
Council member Ronald Rise Jr. said he was caught off guard by Bennett’s COLA reduction motion and he was glad to have the opportunity to present a thought-out response.
Woods and inside the Bush Tabernacle Skating Rink. It will feature live music and performances, an art exhibit, games, chalk art, and other activities. Local vendors will be selling hand-crafted items, food, drink, and more.
There will be three stages, each with a variety of scheduled performances including 38Dawgz, The Shamrockers, Loudoun Valley High School Comedy Cult, Woodgrove High School Something Rotten Players, Willie White and the Celtic Rhythm School of Dance.
The Bush Tabernacle Skating Rink will be transformed into the Art Hall and open from noon to 5 p.m. Inside, there will be a display with more than 30 works of art, performances, an art demonstration, and activities.
The festival will also feature games for all ages, face painting, glitter tattoos, sidewalk chalk art, and T-shirt decorating. Handcrafted jewelry, candles, wooden items, skincare items, food, drink, and more will be available for purchase. n
“Lastly, I’d like to ask Mayor Milan, Vice Mayor Bertaut, and council members Bennet and Luke to apologize to the town of Purcellville for running out our competent senior staff and leaving us without operational leadership. … Mayor Milan and Vice Mayor Bertaut, you two should go one step further and resign so our town can move forward with positive leadership,” Serotkin said.
Several residents said it was their first time attending or speaking at a council meeting.
“I’m concerned about our community. … The resignation of our recent interim town manager is a symptom of a larger breakdown of civility, cooperation, and conversation,” Mitchell Seipt said.
Nicholas Pelchar, a former Town Council member, was more supportive of the council majority and urged them to go further in budget cuts by eliminating the town police department.
“We have a very professional staff,” he said. “And they can handle us going through the budget and cutting off supplies and building budgets, and you know, [deciding] one vehicle instead of two. What they can’t handle, and what they shouldn’t handle, is us saying that their families are less important than ours. And I won’t do that, and I would ask other council members to not do the same.”
Mayor Stanley J. Milan said there was more to the story than residents were hearing.
“It’s a little upsetting to hear the citizens request an elected official to resign when they do not have a full understanding of everything required to be up here and to be on council,” he said. “There are many things that we cannot disclose because of the privacy and the legal aspects of what goes on within the council.” n
‘SENSE AND SENSIBILITY’
Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 30, 2 p.m.
Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441
Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville
Details: franklinparkartscenter.org
Based on the beloved Jane Austin novel of the same name, “Sense and Sensibility” follows the three Dashwood sisters as they move with their widowed mother from Norland Park to Barton Cottage and find romance, heartbreak and love. Tickets are $17.
Saturday, April 29, noon-7 p.m.
Dillon’s Woods and Bush Tabernacle, 250 S. Nursery Ave, Purcellville
Details:
purcellvillemusicandartsfestival.com
This free, family-oriented, rainor-shine festival features three stages with live music and dance performances, vendors, food and drinks, a visual art show and a chance to connect with community organizations.
MUSIC FOR DESSERT:
JULIANA MACDOWELL
Wednesday, May 3, 7 p.m.
Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441
Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville
Details: franklinparkartscenter.org
Franklin Park’s midweek series of inperson and livestreamed concerts features regional musicians in all genres of music. MacDowell is a versatile singer-songwriter who delivers spirited performances at every show. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for students and $8 for livestream viewing.
BRYAN SHEPHERD
Friday, April 28, 5 p.m.
Dirt Farm Brewing, 18701 Foggy
Bottom Road, Bluemont
GET OUT THIS WEEK
continues on page 25
BY JAN MERCKER jmercker@loudounnow.com
How do you heal when a loved one dies by suicide? What does a person considering suicide go through—and what happens to the people left behind?
Longtime Loudoun actor and playwright Terry Smith explores these questions in his new play “M” that runs May 6-21 at StageCoach Theatre in Ashburn. “M” is a brutally honest take on grief and complex emotions based on the death by suicide of Smith’s wife, Melisande, in
2013. The two-act, two-person play follows Smith’s journey as a survivor and explores his wife’s mindset by delving into journals he found after her death.
Smith, who co-founded StageCoach in 2011 with Jerri Wiseman, is well known in the Loudoun theater community for lighthearted original murder mysteries. “M” is a theatrical departure for Smith, who worked on the script for almost 10 years, but it was a story he needed to tell.
“Suicide is a huge problem in the United States. The biggest problem,
I decided after I went through all of this, was listening. If I could convey a story to those thinking about it about what happens after the fact, they might think about it,” Smith said. “And trying to present the process the person went through to finally make that decision. … It is a sad and horrible thing but at the same time, I want [audiences] to understand that it was a choice, that it was her choice.”
STAGECOACH THEATRE
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continued from page 24
Details: dirtfarmbrewing.com
Spend Friday afternoon on the mountain listening to classic country, southern rock, blues and bluegrass by Bryan Shepherd.
DYLAN WOELFEL
Friday, April 28, 5 p.m.
Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights
Details: facebook.com/ harpersferrybrewing
West Virginia’s Dylan Woelfel brings country tunes and beyond to HFB.
THE HUME-FRYE DUO
Friday, April 28, 5 p.m.
Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E Market St., Leesburg
Details: spankyspub.com
Stu Frye and Ray Hume perform a creatively curated blend of vintage rock spanning several generations.
DUNLAP AND MABE
Friday, April 28, 5:30 p.m.
Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg
Details: lostbarrel.com
Jack Dunlap and Robert Mabe play a mix of original tunes, classic bluegrass numbers, jazz favorites and covers with
roots planted firmly in bluegrass.
MELISSA QUINN FOX
Friday, April 28, 6 p.m.
Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, 40950
Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville
Details: flyingacefarm.com
Country/Americana songstress Melissa
Quinn Fox is known for her story-driven songs, unique vocal tone and captivating live performances.
PEBBLE TO PEARL
Friday, April 28, 6 p.m.
MacDowell Brew Kitchen, 202 South St. SE, Leesburg
Details: macsbeach.com
Pebble to Pearl trio creates a unique blend of funk, rock, fierce and powerful blues fused and delivered with soulful grooves and incomparable vocals.
SWEETNOVA
Friday, April 28, 6 p.m.
Belly Love Brewing Company, 725 E. Main St. in Purcellville.
Details: bellylovebrewing.com
Loudoun’s Amy and Luke Denton bring their classic folk-pop sound and tunes from their new album “Beeswing.”
HIGH AND WIDES
Friday, April 28, 8 p.m.
Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville
Details: monksq.com
The High and Wides bring their distinctive brand of boundary-defying bluegrass to Monk’s.
Friday, April 28, 8 p.m.
Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg
Details: tallyhotheater.com
The beloved Eagles tribute band returns to the Tally Ho with favorite hits in stunning five-part harmony. Tickets are $29.50.
LSHA BAND
Friday, April 28, 8 p.m. Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg
Details: spankyspub.com
The Little Side Hustle Association brings favorites from the ’60s through today, including yacht rock, pop, R&B and beyond.
DAVE MININBERG
Saturday, April 29, noon
Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights
Details: facebook.com/ harpersferrybrewing
Well known for his work with the band 7th Son of WV, Mininberg brings a unique blend of originals, classic rock, blues and
country.
ALYSSA YEAGER
Saturday, April 29, 1 p.m.
Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville
Details: creeksedgewinery.com
Rhiannon’s Lark’s Alyssa Yeager tackles everything from T. rexes to moral dilemmas with insightful lyrics, gorgeous vocals and gentle humor.
POOL BOYS
Saturday, April 29, 1 p.m. Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts
Details: vanishbeer.com
Enjoy an evening of alt rock from the 90s and early 2000s with The Pool Boys.
MUDLARK
Saturday, April 29, 2 p.m.
Two Twisted Posts Winery, 12944 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville
Details: twotwistedposts.com
Mudlark has kept the DMV rocking for four decades with a blend of rock and blues.
LLOYD BRAUN BAND
GET OUT THIS WEEK
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Saturday, April 29, 2 p.m.
Lost Rhino Brewing Company 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn
Details: lostrhino.com
LBB serves up rock ‘n’ roll covers on a Saturday afternoon.
STEVE GEORGE AND FRIENDS
Saturday, April 29, 5 p.m.
Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg
Details: lostbarrel.com
Enjoy rock, country, blues and beyond from a local favorite.
BADLANDS BAND
Saturday, Friday, April 29, 6-10 p.m. MacDowell Brew Kitchen, 202 South St. SE, Leesburg
Details: macsbeach.com
Badlands returns to MacDowell’s with their energetic blend of dance, rock & pop hits.
CHRIS MANGIONE AND MADELINE MILLER
Sunday, April 30th, 4 PM Waterford Old School 40222 Loudoun St., Waterford, VA
Tickets: $40 adult, $20 student
Seating is limited: book early! Major credit cards accepted
For Tickets & Info, visit www.waterfordconcertseries.org
Saturday, April 29, noon-7 p.m. Dillion’s Woods purcellvillemusicandartsfestival.com
Saturday, April 29, 7 p.m.
Tarbender’s Lounge, 10 S. King St., Leesburg
Details: tarbenderslounge.com
It’s a jazzy evening at Leesburg’s downtown speakeasy with tunes from Chris Mangione and Madeline Miller.
BOTTLE SHOCK
Saturday, April 29, 7 p.m.
Leesburg Moose Lodge, 43 Catoctin Circle SE, Leesburg
facebook.com/leesburgmooselodge
This Winchester-based band plays classic rock, funk, blues and disco from the 70s and beyond.
ELO TRIBUTE SHOW
Saturday, April 29, 8p.m. Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg
Details: tallyhotheater.com
This stellar tribute to ELO and Jeff Lynne is a full-length sight and sound production by top Philadelphia-based musicians. Tickets are $15 for general
Saturday, April 29, 8 p.m. Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com
admission, $35 for VIP seats.
SHORT HILL MOUNTAIN BOYS
Saturday, April 29, 8 p.m.
Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville
Details: monksq.com
The Short Hill Mountain Boys are back with old-time picking and singing from a local favorite.
BRUCE EWAN
Sunday, April 30, 1 p.m. Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville
Details: creeksedgewinery.com
Spend Sunday afternoon with bluesy tunes from Bruce Ewan.
MICHELLE AND JASON HANNAN
Sunday, April 30, 2 p.m. Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville
Details: flyingacefarm.com
Michelle and Jason Hannan bring chart topping original independent country/ Americana music and favorite classic
Sunday, April 29, 8 p.m. Monk’s BBQ monksq.com
country covers to Flying Ace Farm. JASON TEACH
Sunday, April 30, 2 p.m.
Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro
Details: breauxvineyards.com
Longtime singer/songwriter Jason Teach returns to Breaux with his honest, heartfelt songwriting.
THE COLD NORTH
Sunday, April 30, 2 p.m.
Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights
Details: facebook.com/ harpersferrybrewing
This father-daughter vocal duo plays a variety of musical styles on guitar, ukulele and banjo.
The 56th annual Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point races were held Sunday at Morven Park.
Kicking off with a series of pony races, the event featured a full afternoon of hurdle and flat races with a highlight for many visitors being the close-up visit with the hounds.
continued from page 24
“M” stars Centreville-based actor Allen McRae as Terry and Leesburg’s Leah Daily as M. The play’s first act focuses on the aftermath of M’s death, following the Terry character through the grueling early days after his loss.
“What happens to the people left behind?” Smith said. “What I went through from the moment that I made the 911 call to the moment about 30 days later when I’d come to terms and moved forward with my life.”
Through the Terry character, Smith addresses the confusion and sense of overwhelm that follow a tragic death, from initially being considered a suspect by law enforcement, to breaking the news to his adult children, to dealing with his motherin-law’s failure to understand and accept the news.
“When you’re emotionally compromised and have information overload, it’s very difficult to remain focused with the whirlwind that’s going on around you,” Smith said.
The play also includes moments of humor as the Terry character struggles to process and function, letting the audience know it’s okay to laugh.
“It’s heavy, but I also like comedy. There’s stuff in there to make people laugh. Some of it’s awkward laughing,” Smith said. “Don’t get wrapped up in the seriousness of the show. Enjoy the story, and laugh if you want to laugh. Cry if you want to cry. It’s an emotional journey for everyone.”
“It’s almost like a one-person show in the first act with me and a one person show in the second act with [Daily],” said McRae, a longtime StageCoach actor who was director Barbara D. Carpenter’s early choice for the role of Terry.
Despite longtime personal connections with Smith, McRae’s process involves stepping away from the personal and interpreting the role from a fresh perspective.
“I’m not approaching it like I’m playing Terry,” McRae said. “I’m approaching it as if I didn’t know the
author.”
The play’s second act focuses on the M character and her emotional journey, based on the journals Melisande Smith left behind. The play tackles M’s layers of trauma in a way Smith describes as “peeling back the onion to understand,” unpacking the pain surrounding the death of the couple’s son at age 5 in the early ’90s, M’s feelings of unworthiness and failure as a parent and her past emotional trauma as a child and young adult.
“In the script, she says, ‘Before you can understand why, you need to understand me,’” Smith said.
“After she passed, I was cleaning the house. Unbeknownst to me for 20 years, she had been keeping random journals. I started reading through them and they were brutally honest. A lot of people don’t get to know what a person is going through and understand that mindset.”
Carpenter cast StageCoach regular Leah Daily, who starred as Truvy in the company’s 2022 production of “Steel Magnolias,” as M.
“There is a part of M in everybody. We all have had a past. We’ve all had people in our life that shaped us and caused trauma,” Daily said. “For me
personally, that helps.”
Daily also knew the real Melisande Smith but, like McRae, chose to move away from personal ties and focus on the character in her interpretation. “The thing that helped free me to dive into the character was that I’m not M. My job as an actor is to help tell the story,” Daily said.
Carpenter, also a longtime part of the StageCoach community, has close personal ties with the Smith family and like her lead actors, knew Melisande before her death.
“For me, it has been an absolute honor to be asked to be part of the project. I’ve been involved [with StageCoach] for a very long time. … It’s been very personal and it’s been very moving,” Carpenter said. “I think there are times in everybody’s life when maybe they’ve felt they’ve been where M was. To hear it written so well and told so beautifully. It’s a beautiful story. It’s a hard story to tell.”
Smith’s current wife Kat Brais is the show’s producer and stage manager and a source of encouragement throughout the writing process. Smith started the play nearly 10 years ago and almost abandoned it after a hard drive crash nearly destroyed his work. He says Brais pushed him not to give up, to finish the piece and bring it to the stage.
“She said, ‘You’re going to finish this. It’s a good story,’” Smith said.
Smith’s longtime friend and StageCoach business partner Jerri Wiseman was the third person Smith called about his wife’s death after reaching out to his surviving sons. Wiseman has helped organize participation from American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which will have a table during shows to answer questions and provide support and resources.
“Our hope is that other people can see and maybe make a determination that [someone] may be in trouble, may be in crisis and may need support,” Smith said. n
Terry Smith’s “M” runs May 6-21 at StageCoach Theatre Company, 20937 Ashburn Road, Suites 115 and 120 in Ashburn. Tickets are $25 for in-person seats and livestream viewing. Go to stagecoachtc.com for tickets and information. The show is intended for adult audiences.
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
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.
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.
• 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
The LOUDOUN COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT has accepted application for preliminary record plat of subdivision for the following project.
SBPR-2023-0008
Prosperity Annex
Van Metre Homes at Gum Spring Rd, LLC, of Ashburn, VA is requesting Preliminary/Record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately two (2.00004) acres into twelve (12) single family dwelling lots (SFD) and one (1) open space parcel. The property is located north of Braddock Road (Route 620) and east of Gum Spring Road (Route 659). The property is zoned R-8 (Single Family Residential) and Airport Impact Overlay District under the provisions of the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as PIN 206-28-7547-000 and PIN 207-49-6949-000 in the Dulles Election District.
Additional information regarding this application may be found on the Loudoun Online Land Applications System www.loudoun.gov/LOLA and searching for SBPR-2023-0008. Complete copies of the above referenced application(s) are also available for public review at the Loudoun County Department of Building and Development, Land Development File Room, 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Holly Viar at Holly.Viar@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to The Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by May 25, 2023. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO).
4/27/23
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.
YR. MAKE MODEL VIN
PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2024 BUDGET
Pursuant to Virginia Code Sect. 15.2-2506, the Middleburg Town Council will hold a public hearing on May 11, 2023 at 6:00 p.m in the Middleburg Town Office, 10 West Marshall Street, Middleburg, VA, and online by calling 540-339-6355, on the proposed Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, at which time the public will have an opportunity to express their views. A detailed copy of the proposed budget is available for review on the Town website at www.middleburgva.gov and in the Town Office 8:30 AM-4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, holidays excepted. No sooner than one week after the public hearing, the Council will consider an ordinance adopting the budget, affirming tax rates and appropriating funds, which must be accomplished no later than June 30, 2023. The public is encouraged to submit comments electronically at www.middleburgva.gov/budget
Danny Davis, Town Manager
The Middleburg Town Council will hold a public hearing on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers located at 10 W. Marshall Street, Middleburg, VA, and remotely by calling 540-339-6355, to consider the following:
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE SCHEDULE OF WATER AND SEWER CHARGES
If approved, the ordinance would increase the water and sewer user fees as identified below effective July 1, 2023. This would result in an increase of 3% or $7.98 in the average bi-monthly combined water and sewer bill for in-Town customers (with bi-monthly use of 7,000 gallons). (By authority of Virginia Code Sections 15.2-2111, 15.2-2119 and 15.2-2143.) The public is encouraged to submit comments electronically at www.middleburgva.gov/budget.
FY 2024 BUDGET SUMMARY
FUND
FUND – UTILITY FUND
AVAILABILITY FEES & CONNECTION FEES
No change in availability fees is proposed. No change in water & sewer connection fees is proposed.
A copy of the ordinance is available for public inspection in the Middleburg Town Hall, located at 10 W. Marshall Street, Middleburg, VA during normal business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, holidays excepted. All interested citizens are invited to attend this public hearing to express their views.
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
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
PUBLIC NOTICE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
STAFF AUGMENTATION SERVICES
– ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMEMNT SUPPORT
The Town of Leesburg will accept sealed proposals electronically via the Commonwealth’s e-procurement website (www.eva.virginia.gov), until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, for the following:
RFP NO. 100170-FY23-55
STAFF AUGMENTATION SERVICES
– ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
The Town of Leesburg (the “Town”) is soliciting sealed proposals from qualified firms to provide staff augmentation services (engineering project management and construction management support) to various Town departments.
For additional information, visit: http://www.leesburgva.gov/bidboard
4/27/23
May 5, 2023
The deadline for payment of the first half personal property tax is May 5, 2023
Please Note: Payments received or postmarked after May 5, 2023, will incur a 10 percent penalty and interest. Any such penalty, when assessed, shall become part of the tax with interest accruing on both the tax and penalty at a rate of 10% annually. Personal Property taxes remaining unpaid after 60 calendar day from the original due date will incur an additional 15% penalty. Taxpayers who are having financial difficulties should contact our Collections Team at 703-771-5656 who stand ready to assist.
For Your Safety and Convenience, please consider making payments online, by phone or mail.
CONVENIENT PAYMENT OPTIONS AND LOCATIONS
Online: www.loudounportal.com/taxes
Pay using electronic check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover
By Telephone: 24-hour line 1-800-269-5971 703-777-0280 during regular business hours.
Pay using electronic check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover
Please note: There is a convenience fee added to a Credit Card transaction. There is no fee for electronic checks (e-check).
NOTICE REQUEST
(RFP) INVENTORY MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SERVICES
The Town of Leesburg will accept sealed proposals electronically via the Commonwealth’s e-procurement website (www.eva.virginia.gov), until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, for the following:
RFP NO. 100161-FY23-61
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SERVICES
The Town of Leesburg (the “Town”) is soliciting sealed proposals from qualified firms to provide consulting services to create and implement a cohesive inventory management process utilized by all Town departments.
For additional information, visit: http://www.leesburgva.gov/bidboard
4/27/23
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
VA CODE §§ 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104
Case No. CL23-2473
LOUDOUN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT 18 East Market St., Leesburg, VA 20176
Commonwealth of Virginia, in re
J. GREGORY HOLMES VS SPENCER C. BRAND, ET AL.
The object of the suit is to: clarify ownership and interests in 20934 Trinity Square, Sterling, Virginia 20165
It is ORDERED that John Doe appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before June 23, 2023 at 9AM 4/27, 5/4, 5/11, 5/18/23
By Mail: County of Loudoun P.O. Box 1000 Leesburg, Virginia 20177-1000
TREASURER’S OFFICE LOCATIONS
Extended Hours: Thursday, May 4 – 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Friday, May 5 - 8:00AM to 5:00 PM
Regular Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
1 Harrison Street, S.E. 46000 Center Oak Plaza 1st Floor 1st Floor Leesburg, Virginia 20175 Sterling, Virginia 20166
A 24 hour drop box is located outside the Sterling and Leesburg office.
Please contact the Loudoun County Treasurer's Office at 703-777-0280 or email us at taxes@loudoun.gov with questions or if you have not received your bill.
Stay up to date on tax information by subscribing to the Tax Notices category of Alert Loudoun at www.louduon.gov/alert. You can also text the word “TAXES” to 888777 to receive text messages about tax-related information, including upcoming deadlines.
For information regarding Real Property or Personal Property Tax Exemptions or Deferrals, please contact the Exemptions Divisions of the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office at taxrelief@loudoun.gov, by phone at 703-737-8557 or visit www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief
4/20 & 4/27/23
Public Notice
The Town of Leesburg Diversity Commission Vacancy
The Town of Leesburg is soliciting applications for a vacancy on the Diversity Commission. Citizens interested in serving on a board or commission can find additional information, membership requirements, or may apply via the Town’s web site at www.leesburgva.gov/government/boards-andcommissions. Applications will be kept on file for one year. Any questions can be sent to the Clerk of Council via email at eboeing@leesburgva.gov.
4/20/2023 & 4/27/2023
The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, at 6:00 p.m. on WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2023, in order to consider:
Pursuant to Virginia Code §15.2-1800 et seq., the Board of Supervisors shall consider conveying to the Town of Leesburg a fifteen-foot wide easement across County owned property in the Leesburg Election District, near the intersection of Crosstrail Boulevard and Loudoun United Drive, for the purpose of installing, constructing, operating, maintaining, repairing, replacing, adding to, or altering present or future sanitary sewer lines, including building connection lines, manholes, and all other appurtenant facilities for the collection of sanitary sewage and its transmission. The property on which the easement will be located is more particularly described as PIN: 191-16-9866.
Copies of the draft deed of easement and plat showing the location of the above-listed conveyance, and associated documents, are available for review and may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center; Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Monday through Friday or call (703) 777-0200. Documents may also be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”)
The Loudoun County Department of Housing and Community Development has prepared the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Annual Action Plan for submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by May 15, 2023.
HUD has designated Loudoun County as qualified for Urban County participation in the CDBG program and entitled to receive CDBG funding directly from HUD. HUD regulations require the adoption of the above referenced Plan, which outlines the County’s housing and community development needs, priorities and objectives, and proposed use of the federal funds for the ensuing CDBG program year.
Components of the CDBG Program FY 2024 Annual Action Plan include, without limitation, descriptions of:
§ Federal and other resources expected to be available; § Leveraging of resources and how match obligations will be met; § The activities to be undertaken;
§ The geographic distribution of investment; and § Planned homeless and other special needs activities.
The CDBG Program FY 2024 Annual Action Plan also contains an accounting of distributions and unexpended funds for the CDBG Program in FY 2023. Reimbursements to the subrecipients of the activities indicated below have been made. Some files are complete. Other activities continue to request reimbursements and will be completed by the end of FY 2023. Activities with unexpended funds are attributed to the completion or cancellation of the activity at the end of the program year. Unexpended funds from completed or canceled activities are then reprogrammed into a new activity to be expended in FY 2024.
Good Shepherd was awarded $75,892 in FY 2023 for capital improvement, and due to the increase in capital cost, Good Shepherd needs an additional $18,844 to complete the project for the safety of the community, against funds from capital improvements for FY 2024, which includes unexpended funds for FY 2023.
Copies of the proposed Plan are available and may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, and the Department of Housing and Community Development at 106 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, Virginia from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday or call (703) 777-0200. The Plan is also available online at www. loudoun.gov/cdbg. Written comments on the Plan may be submitted to the attention of the CDBG Program Manager Johnette Powell at the Loudoun County Department of Housing and Community Development, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, Virginia 20177 or by email: johnette.powell@loudoun.gov. Comments will be received until May 10, 2023. Board of Supervisors Public Meeting to approve the Plan will be held on May 10, 2023, at the Loudoun County Government Center, Board Room 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia at 6:00 pm.
PACIFIC CORPORATE PARK
(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District and Zoning Modification)
Pacific-Ashburn Campus LLC, of McLean, Virginia, has submitted an application to rezone approximately 43.28 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 (Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance) in order to permit all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, at maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 1.0. The subject property is located within the Route 28 Taxing District and within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60, airport noise contours. The applicant also requests the following Zoning Ordinance modification(s):
ZONING ORDINANCE SECTION
§4-506(B), PD-IP Planned Development –Industrial Park, Building Requirements, Building Height.
PROPOSED MODIFICATION
Permit building heights up to 100 feet without additional setbacks from streets or lot lines.
The subject property is approximately 43.28 acres in size and is located south of Waxpool Road (Route 625), west of Pacific Boulevard (Route 1036), east of Broderick Drive (Route 1070), and north of Prentice Drive (Route 1071) in the Sterling (formerly Broad Run) Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as follows:
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, Flex Space, and Warehousing uses at up to 1.0 FAR.
BONDI
Pursuant to Virginia Code §15.2-4314 and the Beaverdam Valley Agricultural and Forestal District Ordinance Section 1226.04, Bradley and Tandy Bondi of 21398 Willisville Road, Bluemont, Virginia, have submitted an application to withdraw a 144.89-acre parcel and a 141.315-acre parcel from the Beaverdam Valley Agricultural and Forestal District. The subject property is located on the east side,
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of Willisville Road (Route 623) and north of Welbourne Road (Route 743), in the Little River Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PINs: 641-26-1214 and 641-37-2761. The Beaverdam Valley Agricultural and Forestal District currently has a 4-year period that will expire on June 19, 2026, and is subject to a subdivision minimum lot size of 50 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 5:00 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 (1-30-2023 ADAC Meeting under Agendas and Bylaws). Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”).
(Special Exception)
(Modify Existing Conditions of Approval)
TopGolf USA Dulles, LLC of Dulles, Virginia, has submitted an application for a Special Exception (SPEX) to modify the conditions of approval and special exception plat associated with SPEX-2014-0030 and SPEX-2014-003. TopGolf proposes to remove the existing pole lights and instead install 16 golf ball tracer lights in the existing driving bays. The subject property is located within the Airport Impact (AI) Overlay District Ldn 60 1-Mile buffer and is also located within the Route 28 Taxing District. The subject property is approximately 12.79 acres in size and is located on the south side of Route 7, north side of Russel Branch Parkway (Route 1061) and east of Loudoun County Parkway (Route 607) at 20356 Commonwealth Center, Ashburn, Virginia, in the Broad Run Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 039-16-2406. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Mixed Use Place Type) of Residential, Commercial, Entertainment, Cultural, and Recreational uses at up to 1.0 floor area ratio (FAR).
Unless otherwise noted in the above notices, copies of the above-referenced amendments, applications, ordinances, and/or plans and related documents may be examined by request at the Loudoun County
The Town of Leesburg will conduct controlled flushing of water mains throughout the Town beginning April 17 through May 31st, 2023. This preventative maintenance program is essential for maintaining the Town’s high standards of water quality.
Water mains are flushed by opening fire hydrants and allowing them to flow freely for a short period of time. The flushing cleans out sediment, removes air which may accumulate in the water mains and restores chlorine levels in areas of limited water use.
Water is safe to drink and safe to use during flushing. However, flushing may result in temporary discoloration and sediment in the water. If discoloration or sediment is evident, the Town recommends residents avoid doing laundry until the discoloration subsides. Flushing may also introduce air into the water, which may temporarily cause erratic flow. If this occurs, open your cold water tap until a clear steady flow of water is observed.
Some residents and businesses may experience lower than normal pressure during the flushing in their neighborhood. The Town regrets any inconvenience the flushing operation may cause.
Please call the Utilities Department at 703-737-7075 for further information. For after-hour emergencies, call the Leesburg Police Department at 703-771-4500.
4/13 – 5/25
Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call 703-777-0246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies, or electronically at www.loudoun.gov/lola. This link also provides an additional opportunity for public input on active applications. Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”). In addition, for detailed instructions on how to access documents using LOLA, to request that documents be emailed to you, to receive physical copies of documents, or to arrange a time to view the file at the Loudoun County Government Center, please email DPZ@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0246 (option 5).
Board of Supervisors public hearings are available for live viewing on television on Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FiOS Channel 40, and livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings. All members of the public who desire to speak will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters. Public input may be provided by electronic means at Board public hearings. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, will be accommodated without advanced sign-up during the hearing, however, members of the public are strongly encouraged to sign-up in advance. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on April 28, 2023, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on May 10, 2023. If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. Citizens will also have the option to sign-up during the public hearing. Citizens may also submit written comments by email sent to bos@loudoun.gov. Any written comments received prior to the public hearing will be distributed to Board members and made part of the minutes for the public hearing.
Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory or mental disability to participate in this meeting, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200. At least one business day of advance notice is requested; some accommodations may require more than one day of notice. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings.
BY ORDER OF: PHYLLIS RANDALL, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS4/20 & 4/27/23
The Round Hill Town Council will hold a public hearing in accordance with Sections 15.2-2204, 15.2-2226, and 15.2-2229 of the Code of Virginia on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Round Hill Town Office, 23 Main Street, Round Hill, Virginia to receive public comment on a proposed amendment to the Town of Round Hill Comprehensive Plan. If the May 3rd meeting is rescheduled, the Public Hearing will be held at the next regularly scheduled meeting on May 17, 2023.
CPAM 2022-01 proposes to amend Chapter 11- Land Use. This chapter is a tool for decision makers (elected officials and planning commissioners) to guide growth and development in Round Hill, for developers as they seek new projects, and for residents and others to make known their desire for growth and change in the future.
CPAM 2022-01 proposes amendment of 11-3 Future Land Use Map to extend the Central Commercial District. Future Land Use Map 11-3 shows desired future uses of parcels.
CPAM 2022-01 proposes to add the following properties to the Central Commercial District:
In addition to the proposed amendment to the Future Land Use Map 11-3, the Town Council will consider the correction of several scriveners' errors of the associated parcels in the CPAM 2022-01 study area that were identified in the text of Chapter 11- Land Use and 11-4 Town of Round Hill (In Town) Land Bays Map.
Interested persons should appear and present their views at the above time and place. Comments may also be submitted by mail to PO Box 36, Round Hill, VA, 20142; by fax to (540) 338-1680; or by email to hwest@roundhillva.org. Comments received by Noon on the day of the hearing will be distributed to Commission and Council members and made as part of the public record. All documents may be viewed in the Town Office between the hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, or on the Town website at www.roundhillva.org. Anyone needing assistance or accommodations under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act should call the Town Administrator’s Office at (540) 338-7878.
Monday, May 8, 2023, 6:30 p.m.
https://www.virginiadot.org/Route50GooseCreek
Find out about plans to replace the Route 50 bridge over Goose Creek. The bridge was built in 1954. The project includes corrosion-resistant steel to reduce long-term maintenance, as well as aesthetic treatment of the bridge parapets and rails that will pay homage to the surrounding historic area. Two lanes will remain along the bridge with wider shoulders in each direction.
The meeting will be held as a virtual/online meeting. Information for accessing and participating in the virtual meeting is available at https://www.virginiadot.org/Route50GooseCreek The project team will make a short presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m. and answer questions for about an hour after the presentation.
Review project information and meeting details on the webpage above or during business hours at VDOT’s Northern Virginia District Office, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030. Please call ahead at 703-259-2607 or TTY/TDD 711 to make an appointment with appropriate personnel.
Give your comments during the meeting, or by May 22, 2023 via the comment form on the project website, by mail to Mr. Sharif Ramsis, Virginia Department of Transportation, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 or by email to meetingcomments@VDOT.virginia.gov. Please reference “Route 50 over Goose Creek Bridge Replacement” 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.
State Project: 0050-96A-623, B603, P101, R201
UPC: 118398
Federal: STP-BR09 (309)
In case an alternate date is needed, the meeting will be held Monday, May 22, 2023 at the same time.
Public Notice
The Town of Leesburg Tree Commission Vacancy
The Town of Leesburg is soliciting applications for a vacancy on the Tree Commission. Citizens interested in serving on a board or commission can find additional information, membership requirements, or may apply via the Town’s web site at www.leesburgva.gov/government/boards-and-commissions
Applications will be kept on file for one year. Any questions can be sent to the Clerk of Council via email at eboeing@leesburgva.gov
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.
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Loudoun County Public Schools administration building to ask how to get an incident report about an assault at school. Byard came to the lobby and told her all such reports go to the Sheriff’s Office.
Byard was also alerted to the second assault within days at the latest, emails unearthed in the special grand jury’s investigation show. Two days after that assault, on
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the work educators do in schools and within the school community.
“My tenure in Loudoun County Public Schools exemplifies togetherness,” she said. “I’ve learned so much about teaching, teaming, leading and most importantly of investing in people personally and professionally.”
“We certainly didn’t make it easy on you the last few years by Hovatter being over capacity pretty much as soon as it opened,” School Board Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge) said. Thank you for your commitment to our students and the Loudoun County community.”
Jeff Morse (Dulles) called Mercer the “Queen Bee,” a reference to Hovatter’s mascot the honeybees, and thanked her for all she has done for the Dulles South area, including being an assistant
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any county meetings with the FAA, conduct modeling to isolate how much of the airport noise is coming from the runway pointed at Brambleton, and come up with options to reduce that noise, including new rules for planes taking off from that runway. Those would be proposed to the FAA and MWAA.
And Peters said the MWAA staff said they’d heard the FAA has received the county’s letter and email seeking dialogue on noise at the airport, and which have never been answered. The staff report prepared for the committee details a long runaround from the FAA with no answer yet.
Oct. 8, a Daily Wire writer emailed Byard about the Broad Run High School incident for comment, writing that he would report it was the same perpetrator as the Stone Bridge incident.
It’s unclear from public filings whether Byard knew about the assaults sooner than that. He drafted an email from Stone Bridge Principal Tim Flynn to parents about a scene at the school office that day—the father of the victim, who had just learned of his daughter’s sexual assault, and an email that the grand jury criticized for intention-
principal for his own children.
Hicks has been a teacher in the division for 28 years, 20 of them at Dominion High School.
Hicks said he came to Loudoun County Public Schools in the late 1990s while doing his student teaching in Prince George’s County, MD. He said it was winter and he kept hearing about a school division in Virginia that was closed for snow. Hicks said he liked snow and days off and decided to apply.
“I had the last significant interview of my career about 29 years ago,” he said.
He said the schools being student-centric is what has kept him teaching in Loudoun all these years.
“I’m one of those few lucky people that their passions are actually what they get to do for a living, and that is help people and learn social studies,” he said.
Some comments read during the presentation about Hicks stated he was “encouraging, understanding and dedicated. He was responsive to students’ needs and
According to the report, the county staff first sent a letter to Acting Administrator Billy Nolen, copying both Virginia senators, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA10), MWAA President and CEO Jack Potter and MWAA State and Local Government Affairs Manager Michael Cooper. They followed up by an email to Nolen’s direct address obtained through their federal lobbyist.
That correspondence was forwarded to FAA Eastern Region Noise Ombudsman Veda Simmons, the FAA’s designated Community Engagement Officer, joined by a mailed letter from County Administrator Tim Hemstreet asking the office for help or to forward the message to the appropriate office.
The county staff’s email to Veda got an automated response telling them the
ally leaving out the sexual assault that day or that the perpetrator had been missing in the school for three hours afterward.
His boss, Director of Communications & Community Engagement Joan Sahlgren, was included on emails and a virtual meeting with administrators the same day. Flynn also notified the entire School Board that day.
Byard has been on unpaid leave since charges against him were unsealed and has said he plans to plead not guilty.
Prosecutors have also filed the list of
witnesses they intend to call, including Flynn, Sahlgren, the Smiths, law enforcement officers, former division counsel Stephen Devita, and a number of school administrators including Director of High School Education Nereida Gonzalez-Sales, Director of School Administration Doug Fulton and Chief Operations Officer Kevin Lewis. Emails from the special grand jury investigation show Fulton repeatedly urging then-Chief of Staff Mark Smith and Ziegler to investigate following the Stone Bridge assault. n
ship as a teacher and department chair have fostered collaboration and established a school culture where opportunities for deeper learning have been maximized and achievement gaps have closed significantly over the past decade.”
Parie Ahmady, a fifth-grade teacher at Sterling Elementary School, and Sarah Proper, an English teacher at River Bend Middle School, were also recognized as the 2023 New Teachers of the Year for Elementary School and Secondary Schools.
“Thank you both so much, welcome to LCPS and thank you for choosing us for the start of your career. On behalf of the School Board thank you for all the work you are doing and making and enriching and rewarding an education for our children,” Serotkin said.
curated a space of non-judgement where students felt comfortable expressing their concerns, along with their desire to do more with history.”
And: “Mr. Hicks’ outstanding leader-
noise ombudsman no longer accepts noise complaints by email, directing them to an online form. They filled out that form and are still waiting on a response.
The next step, Assistant County Administrator Joe Kroboth said, is to start ringing the phones.
“I find it kind of hard that we haven’t been successful in making that connection,” Supervisor Sylvia R. Glass (D-Broad Run) said, suggesting getting federal lawmakers involved. Kroboth said county staff have been in regular contact with Loudoun’s representatives in Congress.
“We are asking them to not descend on the [FAA] staff and hopefully allow our request for engagement to be successful before the federal elected officials force the staff at the FAA, so that we hopefully will build a level of trust and working rela-
Mercer and Hicks are the division’s nominees for the Washington Post’s 2023 Principal and Teacher of the Year awards among all jurisdictions in the region. n
tionship with the FAA,” Kroboth said. But he said they are keeping Wexton’s office and the senators in the loop.
“There’s a lot of turmoil in FAA right now, and with all the recent things that have happened at airports, near misses on the ground and that sort of thing, I can see that they’ve got their plate full. I understand that,” committee Chair Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn), a retired U.S. Air Force aviator, said. “That said, the message I think for this committee is, we’re not going to go away.”
And he pointed out the noise problem will only affect more people, as Brambleton continues to build out under plans approved before the county updated its airport noise maps. n
“I’m one of those few lucky people that their passions are actually what they get to do for a living, and that is help people and learn social studies.”
— Glenn Hicks Dominion High School Teacher
Wride added.
side the accomplishments of George Washington, James Madison, James Monroe, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson.
“At some point in the future, perhaps there will come a time maybe 50 or 100 years from now when we have finally defeated cancer … somebody will be doing a historical look back and asking, ‘what did students do to help people who were still suffering?’ And they will find this information about what you did in 2022 as part of the greater historical context of the state of Virginia,” he said.
Reid congratulated the students for their work in bettering the community.
“If you think about, it they did 758 kits. Each of those who received a kit probably had a spouse or a partner. That means they really made the lives of 1,500 people better. And if they just had two kids, that means this group of children has potentially touched 3,000 people’s lives and made it better, and that is the part that is so very rewarding,” he said.
Emma Wride, a sophomore and FBLA/ Interact club student representative, spoke about the various service projects the clubs have done throughout the school year, including the Smile Kits, a canned food drive that benefited Tree of Life Ministries and tutoring students at Catoctin Elementary School.
Wride said she felt inspired when she
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continued from page 14 he said. “We don’t want to send any other message other than this was a good thing, and we are extremely grateful for this family and what they did.”
Adams noted the division’s strategic plan includes a goal of engaging the community and said the division was grateful for the community stepping up when they saw a need.
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just east of Hamilton.
When it was threatened by Virginia Power’s plans for power lines along Rt. 7, Peterson brought it to their attention and the tree was spared. The land surrounding the tree later became Scott Jenkins Me-
heard about the Smile Kit project because of a cousin who had been diagnosed with cancer at nine years old.
“She told me she would draw and color during most of her treatments. She also said a special blanket which she named ‘blueberry’ helped a ton because chemotherapy makes patients sensitive to the cold,” Wride said.
“That is why I felt a pull toward this
“It’s a real testament for the support LCPS gets from its community and we couldn’t be more thankful,” he said.
After the match, the two teams gathered for a pizza party that was planned in February when Grace gave the team the first check. Pizza for both teams was donated by Manhattan Pizza in Leesburg and a cake was donated by Park View graduate Ron Petrella, who also took a few minutes to talk to the teams about their history and why what happened between them was so special. Taylor presented the
morial Park, and the tree was preserved for posterity. Today, Loudoun’s moon tree is encircled by a stone wall and enclosed in a wire fence. An interpretive sign explains its star power. While it’s not easy to distinguish the tree from its neighbors, sweet gums can be identified by their starshaped leaves and in fall by their round, spiky seed balls.
The park is at 39464 E Colonial Hwy.
project, knowing that the things we were collecting were actually going to make a difference in someone’s life and that each item was there for a distinct purpose,” she said.
“Everyone who worked on the project got so much out of it. There is great power in uniting to do service with others, you get to feel and observe that what we do makes a difference in the lives of others,”
check and the girls exchanged goodie bags and pins, and the Park View team presented Grace with a signed UNC Chapel Hill women’s soccer jersey.
Allie Taylor said in the future they may have to revise the way Grace’s donation is made, but said the goal is to always be for the girls’ soccer teams.
“The kindness of 22 Cares should not be minimized by red tape or bureaucracy,” she said.” The teams showed appreciation of each other which was inspiring to witness.”
east of Hamilton. From the park entrance bear left and look for the interpretive sign. Although a number of the Moon Trees have died, more than 50 survive and their locations are documented. NASA’s story of the Moon Trees, including a list of their locations, is available at: nssdc.gsfc.nasa. gov/planetary/lunar/moon_tree.html
Second-generation Moon Trees are available for purchase at
Barnett Searing National Cancer Foundation Executive Director Tara Lynn Kohler said the foundation rented a U-Haul truck and delivered 400 kits to a cancer center at Inova Fairfax Hospital about a week after the kits were assembled. She said they mailed another 150 and put the rest in inventory. Kohler said people can nominate a cancer patient to receive a kit through their website.
D’Andre Layne, a student from the self-contained special education class, thanked his peers for their work.
“All of you students sitting here, you had a part in this. You all should be very, very proud of what you have accomplished. This award is for every single one of you so congratulations,” Jennifer Marden a teacher and sponsor of the FLBA/Interact clubs said.
Acting Superintendent Daniel Smith and acting Chief of Staff Neil Slevin also attended, along with families.
This is the sixth year Marden has helped the clubs organize the Smile Kit drive, three at Riverside High School and three at Loudoun County High School. Marden said the recent drive was the most successful one at Loudoun County so far.
The Smile Kits contain fuzzy socks, lip balm, coloring books and colored pencils, blankets and handwritten cards of encouragement.
To nominate someone to receive a Smile Kit go to bsncf.org. n
Taylor’s earlier donation of $1,800 coupled with an anonymous one from someone in the Park View community helped purchase a home and away uniform for each girl on the team, as well as a black alternative top for each girl.
Taylor decided to do a fundraiser after noticing during a match last April that the team had mismatched jerseys. More than one jersey had the same number, requiring the team to use tape to fix the numbers. n
americanheritagetrees.org/product/ msu-moon-tree/ n
Tim Farmer is a writer, photographer and former newspaper editor, recently retired from the State Arboretum of Virginia, who lives near Round Hill. Contact him at tim@timfarmerphoto.com.
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The proposal to stand up a transfer of development rights program in Loudoun County is not a new one. Since the 1970s, conservation stewards have championed the concept as a valuable tool to both protect rural land and to make more efficient use of community resources by channeling growth into areas with the infrastructure to handle it.
However, at the time when TDRs were most in vogue among Loudoun planners, localities lacked the legal authority from the General Assembly to enact such a program. By the time Richmond came around on the issue, local leaders had moved on.
A key criticism of traditional TDR programs has always been the density-packing argument— that some neighborhoods would be required to absorb more growth while others get a preserved viewshed.
A key twist to Virginia’s TDR program today is that residential development rights from
sending areas may be converted to commercial development rights in receiving areas. Under that concept, investors paying millions of dollars per acre to build data centers could achieve additional capacity on that land by protecting land county leaders target for preservation.
Of course, the best time to establish a program would have been during the development of a new comprehensive plan, but that opportunity yielded only a brief mention of the concept. And it likely would have been more impactful if enacted years ago and not as data center land and other areas of Loudoun’s growth zone reach buildout.
Even with those missteps, TDRs hold the potential to be a powerful tool in the county’s efforts to protect its rural economy and avoid the costs that unbridled development would bring. Success will require creativity and commitment and we look forward to those talks. n
Editor:
In the aftermath of the sexual assaults that took place in Loudoun County Public Schools, it seems the issues now are being perpetuated by the unethical practices and proposal of the $11 million budget to build “better” gender neutral bathrooms that continue to place our students in danger of sexual assault.
The flip side to this story is the budget cuts in special education with our specialists who are there to ensure children receive FAPE under IDEA. Yes, you read that correctly. LCPS wants to experiment with our children with these innovative bathrooms, but they want to deny services to children who are already at risk for failure in education due to their learning challenges and disabilities.
The DOE is investigating the VDOE for being in noncompliance and, in case you were wondering, the VDOE must ensure that local education agencies are compliant with FAPE and services for special education students. It is no wonder why LCPS continues to
get away with their neglect to special education. There is no accountability, no repercussions when the law is broken. Looking at the current problems and proposals for the budgetary items, things will not be changing anytime soon.
Where is the uproar of the community about the continued misuse of funding, of holding LCPS accountable for their mishandling of education for our more vulnerable children?
There are voices of parents too emotionally drained from seeing the effects of their children’s emotional suffering that is a result of academic struggles that continue to happen because of empty promises given by LCPS. Why are more not outraged? Have we just raised the white flag and given up or accepted that this is the trajectory of where our public schools are going?
Think about it, $11 million of taxpayers’ money going toward floorto-ceiling bathroom stalls in two middle and high schools for an experiment to see if this “works”—all the while we have non-verbal children who do not receive
services, children who are not efficient readers, and daily alleged violations of the federal law. If this makes sense to you, I have to question our society’s thought processes. I hope that, as a community, we start to wake up and understand not only the immediate consequences but the long-term impacts of what will happen if we continue to deny our special education students their rights to basic education.
— Erin Roselle Poe, BroadlandsEditor:
As members of the Town Council, chosen by Purcellville voters, and to serve the citizens, we are terribly sorry and embarrassed for the events that transpired at the April 11 Town Council meeting.
We ran for office to serve the town and improve the lives of the citizens. Throughout our tenure in office, we have tried to bring civility to the council, but we find obstacles at every turn. When we express our opinions and/or concerns, three to four of the members of the
Should Loudoun County leaders pursue a Washington Commanders stadium with new team ownership?
• 11.3% Yes. It would be great
• 4.9% Yes, if there is a community benefit
• 10.9% Only if no taxes revenues are contributed
What’s your solution for addressing noise concerns around Dulles Airport?
continued from page 38
council choose not to listen to or hear our concerns.
At the April 11 meeting, an unplanned agenda item related to the cost-of-living salary adjustments (COLA) for the Town of Purcellville staff led to unnecessary, and regrettable, tension during the meeting, as well as the resignation of our experienced interim town manager, Mr. John Anzivino. Due to his 45 years of experience, we hired Mr. Anzivino to provide much-needed support to the town during this time of transition and his resignation is a substantial loss for the town. He stated that “he has never experienced anything quite like this council.” The meeting resulted in senior members of the staff, as well as members of the council, in tears, and a very disconsolate and angry staff. We are now a town without a town manager, a brand-new contract attorney, and still no director of planning and economic development.
We strongly believe that a reduction in COLA and pay for performance given to our hardworking and dedicated staff is both inappropriate and not supported, especially since the current COLA adjustment is less than the rate of inflation. A councilmember compared foregoing the COLA with divorce or just foregoing an annual vacation. Statements like this are not only inappropriate but insulting to staff. In the same meeting, it
• 27.5% No, we have higher priorities
• 45.4% No, would be terrible
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was mentioned by staff that a member of the Town Council requested an increase in pay for the council! This request is hypocritical and tone deaf. We on the council must lead by example. If cuts to salaries must be made, we should be the first to feel the “belt tightening,” not our staff.
This contentious atmosphere and lack of common sense, as demonstrated in the April 11 meeting, does not reflect our vision for how we should be leading this town.
As elected officials, our intentions include increasing transparency and communication between the Town Council, the hardworking and dedicated staff, and its citizens. Despite differences, we are committed to collaborating with the mayor and all members of the council to achieve these goals and to earn back the trust of the citizens and staff.
To aid us in achieving our goals of transparency and communication, it is essential for the public to speak at meetings and to hold the entire council to higher standards. We appeal to the citizens of Purcellville to come to our meetings and speak out! Please visit the town website, purcellvilleva.gov, to see the meeting schedules for the council, as well as all the committees, commissions, and boards. Email your concerns and issues to members of the Council at PurcellvilleTC@purcellvilleva.gov.
Thank you for your time, we truly do apologize for the events of April 11.
— Erin Rayner, Ronald Rise, Mary Jane Williams Members of Town Council
continued from page 3
happy memories with him and said his parents had mistreated him and his four siblings, choosing to spend their money on alcohol and drugs.
Defense attorney Adam Pouilliard said the trauma endured by Thodos resulted in hypersensitivity and paranoia.
“These aren’t calculated actions,” he said. “They are horrible decisions that are the impact of horrible psychological trauma.”
After about an hour and a half of deliberation, Sincavage said he had considered the totality of both sides’ arguments.
“What stands out to me most, as I review the evidence in this case, I think it’s fair to say that lives were taken,” he said. “The normal hopeful lives that Deputy Gentry and Deputy Ewing were going to have as of Jan. 1, 2021, are gone.”
Sincavage said that Thodos may appeal the court’s decision, which he said he would do.
Following a May 2022 jury trial, Thodos faced sentences of 20 years to life in prison on the three most serious charges against him—two counts of attempted capital murder of a police officer and aggravated malicious wounding. He also was found guilty of two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, which carry mandatory minimum threeyear prison sentences, and grand larceny.
The incident began just before 5 p.m.
Jan. 2, 2021, when loss prevention officers at the Sterling Walmart detained Thodos on suspicion of stealing items, claiming he was “skip scanning” merchandise at the checkout—that is, putting some items with his purchases without processing them in the payment system.
Thodos was being held in a room with the civilian security officers and two other suspected shoplifters when Gentry arrived. The suspect resisted the deputy’s efforts to pat him down and search him. When Ewing arrived, they tried to search him together but were thrown to the ground. They said Thodos then pulled out a handgun and fired at them. The loss prevention officers also sustained injuries. As the suspect ran from the security office and out of the store, Ewing fired shots at Thodos, striking him in the arm.
Thodos then stole a pickup from a nearby business and led law enforcement on a chase down Rt. 28 into Fairfax County, where he crashed and later was arrested.
The Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office released a statement by Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj stating, “We remain appreciative of Deputies First Class Camron Gentry and Charles Ewing, Walmart Asset Protection Associates, Jade Pusloskie and Muhammad Amin and Ronald Simoneau for being steadfast since Jan. 2, 2021. They and their families have endured a long and traumatic experience that we hope take a turn towards healing.” n
