Words, music, images and more from Jim Barnes
Inova Loudoun Hospital officials announced this month that they will alter procedures and enhance the emergency room at the Lansdowne campus in an attempt to attain designation from the Virginia Department of Health as a Level III trauma center.
If the effort is successful, it would be the first trauma center in Loudoun County.
Washington Post, Sept. 25, 2016
Three candidates for mayor of Leesburg faced off Thursday evening in a public forum that focused on issues such as the revitalization of downtown, taxes and whether the town should consider seeking city status.
Mayor David S. Butler, Vice Mayor Kelly Burk and former town council member Kevin D. Wright expressed differences on some issues in a discussion that revealed how each would govern if elected.
Washington Post, Sept. 18, 2016
Three Loudoun County towns are commemorating the 15th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, with ceremonies that will honor those who died in the terrorist attacks that day, including the first responders who sacrificed their lives trying to save others.
Leesburg, Lovettsville and Purcellville have scheduled events Sunday marking the anniversary.
Washington Post, September 9, 2016
Derek Summers Jr. wants victims of domestic violence to know there are people who can help them. They just need to know where to go for assistance.
Shortly after the violent death of Christina Fisher of Leesburg in April, Summers joined with friends and family members to form the Citizens Committee Against Domestic Violence. The group had a community meet-and-greet expo Aug. 27 in Leesburg, for people to learn about resources available for domestic violence victims. The plan is to make the expo an annual event.
Washington Post, Sept. 4, 2016
The intrigue plays out several days a week in a studio apartment in downtown Leesburg, accessible only through a small parking lot and up a steep flight of stairs. It is a “safe house” for a spy — a Russian agent now cooperating with the U.S. government.
Across the hall, several wayward students are hatching a plot to escape detention from a classroom with furnishings straight from the 1980s.
The safe house and the classroom — in a suite of rooms above MacDowell Brew Kitchen — are not real. Nor are the scenes that unfold there. They are the “escape rooms” run by Exit Plan, a locally owned business that creates puzzle-filled adventure games for groups of people to solve.
Washington Post, August 28, 2016
Madison’s Trust Elementary in Brambleton will become Loudoun’s newest school when students return to classes Aug. 29.
The school’s name refers to a notable incident during the War of 1812, when the British burned the White House, and important government documents were temporarily hidden in Loudoun County. The word “trust” refers to the faith President James Madison placed in Loudoun residents to keep the records safe, county public schools spokesman Wayde Byard said.
David Stewart is the school’s principal. Stewart, 43, comes to Madison’s Trust from Guilford Elementary School in Sterling, where he was principal for 10 years. Before that, he taught fourth and fifth grades in Spotsylvania and Loudoun counties, and he was assistant principal at Cedar Lane Elementary School in Ashburn.
A new school opening in Waterford asks people to step away from their screens for three days and focus on learning traditional crafts and skills.
The Waterford Heritage Crafts School will offer its first classes Friday through next Sunday, giving students a chance to receive a hands-on introduction to archaeology or to learn how to restore antique windows, make quilts or mix and apply lime mortar.
Washington Post, Aug. 14, 2016
Leesburg officials announced last month that Gregory Brown will become the town’s new chief of police, effective Oct. 3. He will replace Joseph R. Price, who retired as police chief in March after 16 years.
Washington Post, August 7, 2016
The Loudoun Museum has been given one last chance to get its financial house in order.
The Board of Supervisors on July 21 approved an agreement with the museum that will provide $156,000 in funding to keep it operating through June, by a 7-1-1 vote. Ron A. Meyer (R-Broad Run) opposed the plan, and Tony R. Buffington Jr. (R-Blue Ridge) was absent.
The agreement spells out quarterly milestones the museum must meet to receive the funds, and requires each member of the museum’s board of trustees to contribute or raise at least $3,000 annually.
Washington Post, July 31, 2016
As the public information officer for the Loudoun County school system, Wayde Byard is one of the best-known local officials. In winter, children, parents and school staff members eagerly anticipate hearing his voice on phone alerts announcing weather-related school closings.
Now Byard is directing his voice toward a new audience, as the author of a history of the Washington Redskins. His first book, “The Burgundy and Gold Standard,” has been published by Mascot Books, which is based in Herndon.
Byard and two other local authors will sign their sports-related books Tuesday at an event in Ashburn. Joining Byard will be Andrea Alexander, who has written two sports biographies for children, and Ann Good, author of “Washington Nationals A to Z.” The event will raise funds for Glory Days Live, a nonprofit group Alexander is launching to raise money and equipment to help children from low-income families play sports.
Washington Post, July 24, 2016