By Susan Laume: Support from the community, including from state Del. Kaye Kory (D-38), has saved a Latino woman-owned pet store in Barcroft Plaza shopping center from closure. The pet store, Chico’s Natural Pet Market, faced shutdown when the owner, Danielle Areco Veloso, was unable to engage the shopping center manager, Federal Realty Investment Trust, in negotiations to renew its…
By Susan Laume: Linda Sperling knows first-hand how ordinary citizens can strengthen democracy by serving on one or more of the 85 advisory groups run by Fairfax County government. Sperling, a candidate for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from Springfield District, knows this because she has been a member of the Transportation Advisory Commission since 2017. As a Commission member,…
By Susan Laume: A current investigation into allegations of cruel treatment at a Fairfax pet store highlights the importance of improving legal protection for animals. Nevertheless, about a dozen pro-animal bills failed to win approval in the state legislature in the last session, concluding in March Four Democratic lawmakers who support better protection for animals met recently in a panel discussion…
By Susan Laume: Local governments in northern Virginia and elsewhere in the Commonwealth can now generate up to 30 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy for sale back to the power grid, thanks to recently passed legislation sponsored by state Del. Kathy Tran (D-42). The pilot program allows counties, cities and towns to generate electricity from renewable energy sources at their…
By Susan Laume: Two candidates vying for Democratic Party endorsement for Springfield District school board member faced off on Thurs. Feb. 28 for an hour-long debate before an audience of about 70. Laura Jane Cohen and Robert Walter, both education professionals with children in Fairfax County public schools, largely agreed on most topics, but differed on their choice of the…
By Susan Laume Police were a visible presence Saturday at two town halls in Fairfax County on Saturday, including one that had been cancelled but nevertheless attracted hundreds of demonstrators. The unusual police presence highlighted the emotional nature of two issues state legislators are dealing with currently – a racist photo connected to Gov. Ralph Northam, and partisan vilification of…
By Susan Laume: The Fairfax County state legislative delegation held a public forum on January 5, listening to citizens’ concerns in advance of the start of the 2019 Session of the General Assembly on January 9. Nearly 100 individuals and groups registered in advance for an opportunity to speak to their Virginia delegates and senators collectively. Presenters were allotted three minutes…
Members and guests of Springield District Democratic Committee (SDDC) celebrating victory in the recent elections with a chili cook-off on Nov. 9 at the Fairfax Railroad Museum. The district achieved a turn-out rate of over 71 percent of registered voters, presumably giving strong support to local winners Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) and Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-10).…
Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment are sponsoring a 10-day bus tour across Virginia to urge legislators to make Virginia the 38th and final state necessary to achieve ratification. The bus stopped in several locations in Fairfax County on Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11, after visiting Richmond, and continued on to Fredericksburg. The bus tour is run by VAratifyERA, a non-partisan,…
By Susan Laume: Virginia’s vote could be the last state vote needed to allow the United States Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would become the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. VAratifyERA Sunday — Women’s Equality Day — kicked off a campaign to press Virginia lawmakers to approve the amendment in January by holding screenings around Virginia…
By Susan Laume: Hoarders don’t restrict their obsession to inanimate objects. In Fairfax County – a “hot spot” for hoarding, as we reported previously — animals have been freed from hoarders on numerous occasions. Fairfax County’s worst animal hoarding case on record was in 2005, when 500 cats were confiscated, according to Animal Protection Police Officer Sgt, Alena Swartz. However,…
By Susan Laume: Imagine sitting on your porch enjoying the gentle breeze of a pleasant summer evening… then being driven inside by odors when your neighbor opens his garage door… He’s a hoarder. What can be done? That’s a difficult question, but state Del. Mark Keam (D – 35) is committed to finding an answer. Americans are curious about hoarding,…
By Susan Laume: Despite the known dangers, pet stores in Fairfax County and throughout Virginia can still legally sell puppies and kittens from commercial breeders, commonly called puppy mills. Virginia Democratic legislators sponsored anti-puppy mill bills this session, but the Republican-dominated legislature blocked them. Del. Jennifer Boysko, whose 86th district includes parts of Fairfax and Loudon Counties, and Sen. Lynwood…