The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 5 to 4 Thursday to approve a salary increase of about 62 percent for its members, a raise that will take effect after the next election.
The Washington Post, July 23, 2017
Author: jim
Loudoun Supervisors consider raising Board salaries
A proposal to increase the salaries of members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors drew little opposition at a public hearing Wednesday evening.
The three members of the public who spoke at the hearing said they supported higher pay for the board. The only objections to the raises — which would take effect when a new board is seated in January 2020 — came from supervisors who expressed concerns about the amount of the increases and the timing of the proposal.
The Washington Post, July 16, 2017
Science Center finds home in Loudoun
When visitors enter the Children’s Science Center, they are greeted by two distinct sides of the small museum.
To the left is the Experiment Bar, where children conduct science experiments, assisted by family members, staff members and volunteers. To the right, mounted on the wall, is an enormous periodic table of elements showing the names of the museum’s major benefactors.
The Experiment Bar is one of the most popular features of the center, which offers interactive scientific activities for children and their families. The element wall honors the donors who helped open the center, marketing director Dorothy Ready said.
The Washington Post, July 9, 2017
Car Seat Headrest in the news – July 2017
“Over the course of the past year, the album’s steady success has turned Toledo into a rare rock-and-roll breakout star, turning him from just another anonymous kid uploading his songs online to frontman of a band drawing thousands of fans at massive festivals such as Coachella.”
–Briana Younger in The Washington Post, July 30, 2017
“I now understand that while Car Seat Headrest’s music may be rooted in sadness, the sadness is a journey to go on, not a place to dwell in.”
–Sophia Naide on Behind the Setlist, July 15, 2017
“Given the context, Car Seat Headrest were one of the stronger options for headliners on Sunday night, and they won over their crowd convincingly.”
–Allen Halas in Breaking & Entering (Milwaukee), July 3, 2017
“Toledo’s music remains as earnest and innocent as his earliest recordings, and his voice has a certain tenderness to it that reveals his enduring sensitivity.”
–Laueren Keene in Milwaukee Record, July 3, 2017
“Though his disinterested demeanor matched his lyrics, the audience was clearly made up of true fans; they were familiar with Toledo’s self-deprecating lyrics and sang along to every word.”
–Shaye Graves in Shepherd Express, July 2, 2017
Solutions sought for Rt. 15 congestion
About 100 people gathered in Leesburg on Monday evening at the first of three public input sessions to discuss potential solutions to alleviate traffic congestion on Route 15 north of town.
Loudoun County officials scheduled the meetings to gauge public reaction to a consultant’s recommendations for reducing traffic backups. Participants met in small groups to discuss possible solutions and to offer their priorities for the highway corridor between Leesburg and the Potomac River bridge at Point of Rocks.
The Washington Post, July 1, 2017
Board approves controversial contract for inmate medical care
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved a two-year, $4.7 million contract with Correct Care Solutions to provide medical and psychiatric services to inmates at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
The Nashville-based company has been providing those services at the jail for more than a decade. However, several supervisors expressed frustration with the selection process, saying they had little choice but to stay with the current provider, even though two competing firms submitted proposals with lower price tags.
Supervisors also questioned whether the process of reviewing the proposals had been tainted because Correct Care Solutions has made campaign contributions to Sheriff Michael L. Chapman (R), who is responsible for overseeing the contract.
The Washington Post, June 25, 2017
New business promotes artists with autism
Brightly colored paintings decorate the home of Harish and Sandhya Bikmal, an Ashburn couple with two teenage sons.
Their older son, Saket, 17, is a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria. Himal, 15, who will attend Briar Woods High School in the fall, was diagnosed with profound autism when he was 2.
As Himal’s parents came to terms with his diagnosis, they worried about his future.
The Washington Post, June 18, 2017
Historical marker for Ashburn School
Less than nine months after vandals defaced the Ashburn Colored School by spray-painting it with racist graffiti, a Virginia historical marker has been installed near the front entrance of the gleaming white building.
The marker came about through the efforts of a group of seventh-grade students at Farmwell Station Middle School who selected it as a project for their social studies class in the fall. They cleared hurdles at local and state levels to obtain grant funding for the marker and win approval from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, which installed the marker Monday.
The Washington Post, June 11, 2017
Car Seat Headrest in the news – June 2017
“Their haunting melodies adhere themselves to your inner ear and leave you deciding to just leave the album on loop for hours on end.”
–Scott Castro on RVA Hub, June 29, 2017
“Don’t miss indie rock band Car Seat Headrest.”
–Colleen Curran in Richmond Times Dispatch, June 28, 2017
“Catch up with the Leesburg-born band ahead of their closeout performance at Friday Cheers on June 30”
–Robey Martin in Richmond Mag, June 27, 2017
“…one track from the record stood out for me and sparked something deep inside of me that few songs have before.”
—theindianindiehead, June 22, 2017
“‘His name is Ethan Ives and he plays in a band called Car Seat Headrest,’ she said casually.”
–Gabe Pollack on KEXP.org, June 20, 2017
“Car Seat Headrest Juggling Criticism, Praise as a Young Band”
–Kristin M. Hall on Associated Press News, June 19, 2017
“The twenty-something is able to reach back and pull out some of that late teen angst, turn it into a brilliant indie rock sound, and then throw in (sort of but not…) covers here and there, making you scratch your head like whaaaat but then the end result is ‘OMG I love this.'”
–Brittany on Live Music Louisville, June 19, 2017
“…the band created a quintessential Bonnaroovian moment: everyone in the audience could relate to the excitement of a fantasy coming to fruition, so the tent’s overflowing positivity – emanating equally powerfully from the band and their crowd – only enhanced Car Seat Headrest’s already consistently superior indie rock chops.”
–David Brendan Hall on Consequence of Sound, June 12, 2017
“Car Seat Headrest had one of the best sets of the festival. Keep an eye on Will Toledo, he is surely destined for even bigger things.”
–Chris Rutledge in American Songwriter, June 10, 2017
“A star was born on stage at This Tent Friday afternoon, and we’re not talking about indie-rockers Car Seat Headrest — though they’re among the most acclaimed acts to emerge from that world in the last few years.”
–Dave Paulson in The Tennessean, June 9, 2017
“The four-piece took to the stage with no ceremony, grabbed their instruments and proceeded to melt my face off with a blistering performance.”
–Joe Marvilli on No Ripcord, June 9, 2017
“Toledo raps, under the stage name ‘Stoney Bologne,’ about how bullies pushed him into pools and kicked his face.”
–Grant Sharples on Paste, June 8, 2017
“After cheekily acknowledging the piece on Twitter yesterday, Toledo and his band have dropped what’s been described as “our new, on-point diss track.”
–Sarah Murphy on Exclaim!, June 8, 2017
“Will Toledo shares his ‘brand new, on-point diss track’ after Sam Ray called his music ‘thoroughly bland'”
–Evan Minsker on Pitchfork, June 7, 2017
“Ricky Eat Acid Shares Essay-Length Car Seat Headrest Takedown”
–Chris DeVille on Stereogum, June 7, 2017
“Toledo’s ‘Stoney Bologne’ is less of a diss track and more of a rambling joke-rap digression about being bullied in school…”
–Peter Helman on Stereogum, June 7, 2017
“…to be among a friendly group of people, all connecting, all exuding redemptive, therapeutic energy was inspirational.”
–Turner Walston on Argyle Creative Media, June 6, 2017
“From one of the top albums of 2016 – Teens of Denial – Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo sings about past lives, drugs, that guy he hates and well, being letdown by hippie culture, all with charged-up guitars and a crazy-good hook.”
–Anurag Tagat on Askmen India, June 5, 2017
“Governor’s Ball After Dark — Car Seat Headrest”
“Despite his shy demeanor, this anti-frontman’s ability to mesmerize a room is a testament his solid songwriting, which was on full display tonight.”
–Audra Tracy on The Waster, June 4, 2017
“Mighty songs from a muscular band.”
–“All Songs Considered” on NPR, June 1, 2017
Uncertain future for Round Hill jam sessions
On the last Friday of every month, musicians converge on the Old Furniture Factory in Round Hill, toting stringed instruments of all sizes, from mandolins to upright basses. Before long, they are standing in small clusters, picking and singing, filling the room with strains of bluegrass and old-time country music.
For 14 years, the informal sessions have attracted singers, instrumentalists and fans from the Washington area and beyond. But the future of the jams is uncertain. The Old Furniture Factory is for sale, and bluegrass enthusiasts fear the music will end when the building changes hands.
The Washington Post, June 4, 2017