loudoun now for april 7, 2016

LoudounNowLOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE

[ Vol. 1, No. 22 ] [ loudounnow.com ] [ April 7 – 13, 2016 ]

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C-4 LEFT ON BUS >> 22 LIFE SENTENCE >> 39

WHOOPS CIA Left C-4 on Loudoun School BusBY RENSS GREENE

T he fi rst couple of days back from spring break were more eventful for some Loudoun families than they’d wished.

Last Monday and Tuesday, 26 special needs children loaded the school bus as they do every other morning. Th e bus dropped the kids off at Pinebrook Ele-mentary School, Buff alo Trail Elementary Schools and Rock Ridge High School in Dulles, then went tooling back to the school system’s central garage near Leesburg Exec-utive Airport for maintenance.

On Wednesday morning, the same bus underwent a routine inspection when a me-chanic discovered that those students were

not the only thing the vehicle was trans-porting—the mechanic found C-4 plastic explosive inside the engine compartment.

Th e sheriff ’s offi ce locked down the area and redirected traffi c. A bomb squad rushed to the scene and K-9 units swept all of the buses in the lot. Th e next evening, the culprit fessed up—the Central Intelligence Agency.

Th e CIA announced in a press release that a CIA K-9 unit accidentally left “explosive training material” in the bus aft er a training exercise at Briar Woods High School during spring break.

According to Loudoun County school system Public Information Offi cer Wayde Byard, the bus transported 26 students while unsuspectingly also carrying the ex-

plosive. Byard said there was no detonator attached, and the material could not be det-onated by normal activity.

C-4 will only explode when subjected to a combination of extreme heat and a shock-wave caused by a detonator.

According to a county press release, the material appeared to have come dislodged from a container and fallen into the engine compartment, and was not recovered aft er training.

Within hours of Loudoun Now breaking the story on Wednesday, news had spread across the country and around the the world: Th e CIA had left C-4 on a school bus. Th e Chicago Tribune called it national “Weird News” of the week. Th e Washington Post called it an “only-in-Washington em-barrassment for the elite spy agency.” (Close enough to Washington, anyway.)

But even if the gaff e turned out to be harmless, Loudouners were not amused.

“Just because it was inert wasn’t the is-sue for me,” said parent and former Spe-

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

A bomb detection dog scans the school system’s Central Garage near Leesburg on March 30, shortly after explosive material was discovered on a school bus.

Ashburn Man Gets Life Sentence for Murder BY NORMAN K. STYER

Th e Ashburn man who gunned down his ex-wife’s hus-band 15 months ago will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Loudoun Circuit Court Judge Burke F. McCahill handed down that sentence Tuesday follow-ing two days of testimony from family members, investigators and a psychiatric expert.

Minh Nguyen pleaded no contest last July to charges of fi rst-degree murder, mali-cious wound-ing, burglary, d e s t r u c t i o n of property and use of a fi rearm in the commission of a felony.

Facts in the case show that Nguyen was in a rage when he banged on the door of Corey and Denise Mattison’s Ashburn townhouse and demanded entry. He was carrying a .380 caliber Taurus semi-automatic pistol and fi red one shot before pushing through the door. He then fi red the pistol’s remaining rounds, shooting Corey Mat-tison four times. Mattison was able to exit the home before fall-ing on the driveway.

Nguyen followed him, strik-ing his former wife in the head with the butt of the gun as he passed her in the garage. Nguy-en got in a car and drove around in a circle—prosecutors said it might have been an attempt to run over Mattison—before crashing. He then got out and

Special supplement to Loudoun Now April 7, 2016

INSIDE:Leesburg’s Crowd Pleaser ....................................................3Everything Needed for Outdoor Living ................................4Kids Rule on Cornwall ..........................................................8Vote for Your Favorite ..........................................................12Festival Map ........................................................................14Music Unplugged ...............................................................16Suds On Tap .......................................................................20Sponsors .............................................................................26

YOUR GUIDE TO THEFESTIVALincluding theFESTIVAL MAP

LoudounNow

Purcellville pastor stabbed;Leesburg mother shot ............ 3

Minh Nguyen

INSIDE:

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April 7 – 13, 2016

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Up next for school boundary changes: Brambleton and Dulles ..............................5

Balch Library wants room to grow.....................................XX

Another contender joins Leesburg mayoral race ............9

Match made in Loudoun:

Table set for one-of-a-kind tasting .................................28

[ INDEX ]Crime ............................... 7Education....................... 14Loudoun Gov .................. 20 Our Towns ....................... 24Biz ................................. 26

LoCo Living..................... 28Obituaries ...................... 32Classifieds ................... 33Opinion ........................ 36


Purcellville Police Department Corporal P.B. Kakol stands on the porch of the house where Jonathan A. Janney, 19, is alleged to have stabbed his father.

Friends, Neighbors Grieve for Shooting VictimBY RENSS GREENE

A Middleburg man has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of his former girlfriend in Leesburg Saturday night.

Darrick Lee Lewis, 30, also is charged with violation of a protective order and a firearms violation.

Police say he went to the Nansemond Street townhouse of Christina Fisher, where an argument ensued. Officers were called to the scene about 6:15 p.m. when a 9-1-1 call was made from the home reporting a verbal domestic dis-pute.

Upon arrival, the officers found the 34-year-old woman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper torso. She was flown to an area hospital, where she died.

Investigators determined that Lewis shot her during the argument and left the scene. Lewis and Fisher had two children together. He was arrested at his home near Middleburg and was held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

In March, Fisher had obtained a pro-tective order barring Lewis from having any contact with her or her children.

Dozens of people gathered at Bran-don Park in Leesburg on Monday eve-ning to grieve and remember Fisher.

“I wasn’t really expecting this much,” said Shaneka Owens, who helped or-ganize the event late the previous eve-ning. “This just shows a portion of how much she was loved.”

Participants held hands, shared prayers, told stories—and struggled with guilt.

“You can’t believe the ‘sorrys’, over and over,” Owens said. “We can’t keep

reacting to situations like this. We have to start doing something.”

Some people told personal stories of times they wish they’d called for help when they saw something. Others en-couraged each other not to be afraid to reach out for help, and not to be afraid to seek help for others.

“Don’t carry no shame, don’t carry no embarrassment,” Owens said. “This

is not something you did to yourself.”And some people urged the commu-

nity not to hold on to hatred for Lewis.“The moment he pulled that trigger,

two lives were lost,” Owens said, refer-encing the loss of both mother and fa-ther, and the loss to Lewis’s own family.

“Tonight is a great night to let some things go,” said Bishop Shawn Stephens.

Owens has started a GoFundMe

page, “Chrissy’s children’s fund,” to help pay for Fisher’s funeral expenses and help her three children. She said at last check, the funeral expenses have been covered, and money is going to help the children. By Tuesday, the page had raised more than $10,000 from more than 200 people in two days.

[email protected]

Son Charged with Stabbing Purcellville PastorBY DANIELLE NADLER

The Loudoun church

community and Purcellville residents this week rallied around the family of Da-vid L. Janney, who was ap-parently stabbed by his son Monday afternoon.

Janney, the senior pas-tor of Purcellville Baptist Church, is expected to ful-ly recover, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office. He was flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital Monday for treatment and was listed in stable condition in the in-tensive care unit.

Jonathan A. Janney, 19, faces charges of aggravated malicious wounding for the stabbing. He was held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Jonathan is David L. Janney’s middle child, according to a

bio on the church website.Jonathan allegedly at-

tacked his father just af-ter 3 p.m. Monday at the family’s home on Canter-bury Circle in Purcellville. Purcellville Police and Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office responded to the scene. As a precaution, police delayed dismissal at Blue Ridge Middle School and Loudoun Valley High School.

Jonathan Janney fled and was ap-prehended by an off-duty law enforce-ment officer in the town.

A statement signed by Purcellville Baptist Church pastors and elders asked for prayers for the Janney family. “Praise the Lord he is stable and receiv-ing great care in the ICU,” it stated of David L. Janney’s health Monday eve-ning.

Former Purcellville Mayor Bob Lazaro and his wife, Carolyn, are long-time friends of the Janneys and mem-bers of Janney’s Purcellville Baptist Church congregation.

“He is beloved and respected not just in Purcellville, but throughout the re-gion,” Lazaro said, adding it is a “time for prayer, healing and forgiveness for the Janney family.”

According to the church, Janney and his wife have three children. He grew up in Harrisburg, PA, and in South Jersey. He served a pastor at Jerusalem Baptist Church in Fairfax for five years before becoming senior pastor of of Purcellville Baptist, a position he’s held since 1995.

Margaret Morton contributed to this article.

[email protected]

David L. Janney


Christina Fisher’s daughter, Natajia, weeps during a vigil in her mother’s honor.

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Brace Yourself, LoudounComplicated school attendance changes coming to Dulles Area BY DANIELLE NADLER

20,200 students. Two middle schools. Two high schools. And four diff erent opening dates.

Th is could get complicated.Loudoun’s School Board last week

began to redraw attendance boundar-ies for a huge swath of the county, set-ting into motion a process with a lot of moving parts.

Th e changes could impact students in as many as 31 schools, from as far north as Ashburn to as far south as Chantilly, as school system leaders work to relieve overcrowded schools and prepare for the opening of Bram-bleton Middle School in August 2017 and the yet-to-be-named high school (HS-11) on the same campus in Au-gust 2019.

But as they shift attendance lines for those two schools, they also are ac-counting for the opening of two more schools: a middle school (MS-7) and a high school (HS-9), both planned for the Dulles South area. MS-7 is sched-uled to open in August 2018 on a site along Braddock Road, and HS-9 is planned to open in August 2021, but the school system does not yet have a site for it.

“What’s complicated is the timing of the opening of so many schools,” Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ash-burn) said at the fi rst work session on

the boundaries last Th ursday.Sam Adamo, executive director of

the school system’s Department of Planning and Legislative Services, unveiled his staff ’s recommended boundary map during the work ses-sion.

It assigns most of the students who live north of Rt. 50 but currently at-tend middle and high school south of Rt. 50 to schools to the north, includ-ing Brambleton Middle School and HS-11. It also splits the Brambleton community, sending some to the new middle school and high school.

“We looked at whether we could have all those kids at one school, but with the growth along Evergreen Mill Road we don’t think that’s really feasi-ble,” Adamo said.

He told the board to take careful consideration as it ponders which neighborhoods to reassign to avoid students changing schools again in a few years—not an easy task since the school system does not yet have land for HS-9, set to open in 2021. “If the school is in a site that we’re not antic-ipating, then we’ve moved the wrong group,” he said.

Adamo suggested two options to get through what he called “an enrollment hump” between school openings. He said the board could use eight trailers

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6 1-Cent Tax Increase OK’dSupervisors Adopt $1.6 Billion County BudgetBY RENSS GREENE

It’s official: taxes are going up.Loudoun supervisors cast their fi-

nal vote on the fiscal year 2017 bud-get Tuesday evening, setting in stone a 1-cent increase in the real estate tax rate.

This brings the rate to $1.145 per $100 of assessed value—an increase of $47.46 per year for a home worth Loudoun’s 2014 median home value.

In total, the budget comes to $1.6 billion, including $1.06 billion for pub-lic schools, a $475.14 million for gen-eral government operation, and $8.99 million for the Children’s Services Act Fund. About 69 percent of local tax revenues next fiscal year will go to the school system.

The vote was 7-3. Supervisors Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin), Ron A. Mey-er Jr. (R-Broad Run), and Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian) voted against the budget.

Reading from a prepared statement, Volpe said that even at the equalized tax rate, many people in her district would see tax increases, and she could not in good conscience support this budget.

“Expansion must be moderated by restraint, and there must be a balance between growth and affordability,” Volpe said. “It’s the board’s duty to pro-vide for this in a steady and deliberate way.” She also said that the “process by which the School Board generates its budget is incompatible with our [the Board of Supervisor’s] process.”

Meyer agreed that residents in his district, especially elderly people on fixed incomes, would see their taxes go up even without the rate increase, and have asked for tax relief. He worried that the board would get into the habit of what Higgins called “incremental-ism,” or raising the tax rate by small amounts each year.

“I think it’s unfortunate that we can’t have a better discussion with the

school system, and have an honest dis-cussion about needs and prioritizing needs,” Higgins said. He argued that the schools could have been adequate-ly funded without a tax rate increase by phasing in the expansion of full-day kindergarten over two years instead of one.

“I think it’s fair to say that when it came to the final analysis, there were roughly three members of the board who wanted a lower tax rate and three members who wanted a higher tax rate, and here we are at $1.145,” said Super-visor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dull-es). “So maybe there’s something just right about that number.”

He said he would support the higher tax rate and sought value for money. “What I’ve heard consistently is that people do value quality services, that perhaps the end-all be-all for all citi-zens is not necessarily the lowest pos-sible tax rate.”

Boosting the tax rate allowed the county to increase its school funding by $58 million, leaving a $16.9 mil-lion shortfall in the School Board’s requested budget. It also makes room for $4.5 million in new county govern-ment spending, including communi-ty resources and juvenile/sex crimes deputies, a senior medical position in the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management, new mental health providers in the adult detention center, and a bigger facility and longer hours at the Sterling public library.

Even so, the board approved slightly less than half of what county depart-ments had requested.

Supervisors reflected on the new board’s first budget after straw voting ended, while the staff prepared the fi-nal budget document for a vote.

“We certainly didn’t fund every-thing that the county was asking for, but if you looked at where most of that

money was going, in a lot of cases, it was just things that had we not spent the money on it, it would have cost us more in the long term,” said Letour-neau, chairman of the board’s finance committee.

Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (R-At Large) said the tax rate was below what she has heard Loudouners ask for. She said constituents overwhelm-ingly asked her to fully fund the school budget request.

“We find a reason to discount the voice of the people when it comes to the schools,” Randall said. “Every year we do, and we decide that the people don’t know what they’re talking, don’t know what they’re asking for.”

However, she said, the timbre of the new board’s first budget debate was “very respectful” and that the discus-sion was “civil and substantive.”

“I know that in the past I’ve heard people who have come to speak called puppets, called minions, called syco-phants—all kinds of names, just be-cause people come out and speak,” Randall said. “And this year, those names and name-calling did not hap-pen, and I was very pleased with the tone.”

Despite friendly overtures between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board, old frustrations over communication returned. Some su-pervisors repeated that although the county board provides funding to the schools, it has no control over how that money is spent.

Higgins reiterated a common board frustration about communicating with the School Board.

“It doesn’t seem like we can have an honest discussion about the school budget,” Higgins said. “They throw out what their needs are, and then … we don’t get credit for what we fund, we get credit for what we didn’t fund, and we can’t get into this conversation with them about priorities.”

Higgins, a former School Board member, argued the board has only fully funded the school system’s budget request twice in the past 17 years, and that this year the board funded 98 per-cent of its request.

The board adopted the Capital Im-provement Program unanimously.

Among the changes in that program, is that HS-9 would get design money in fiscal year 2018 and construction in fiscal year 2019. ES-31, which does not yet have a site, would be pushed back to fiscal year 2018. Overcrowded Dull-es-area schools are given first priority in the plan. Countywide classroom additions are pushed back from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2021, while ac-celerating Dulles-area classroom addi-tions from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2017.

The plan provides funding to be-gin work on three Dulles Greenway alternatives: Shellhorn Road, West-wind Drive, and Prentice Road. The extension of Shellhorn Road, Meyer’s (R-Broad Run) signature campaign topic, runs parallel to the Dulles Gre-enway. Westwind Drive connects Loudoun County Parkway to Rt. 606, linking Brambleton residents more directly to Rt. 28 and taking them off congested Waxpool Road. Prentice Road runs parallel to Shellhorn Road further north.

[email protected]

Loudouners Join Day of Action Rallies to Push for Clean Power

Loudoun activists working to fight climate change gathered in Leesburg’s courthouse square Saturday to join a statewide rally pushing for carbon re-ductions.

Rallies were planned in 13 locations around Virginia to support the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which calls for a signif-icant reduction in carbon pollution from power plants.

About two dozen people partic-ipated in the Leesburg rally, which was sponsored by 350 Loudoun, Sus-tainable Loudoun, Sierra Club and Chesapeake Climate Action Network. They heard updates on the status of regulatory efforts to address climate changed, shared suggestions for reduc-ing their individual carbon footprint, and signed petitions urging Gov. Terry McAuliffe to push a clean power plan in Virginia.


Vice Chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn), who made the motion for a $1.145 tax rate at the board’s last budget work session, and Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), who made the motion to adopt the budget, confer.

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

350 Loudoun Chairwoman Natalie Pien tells participants at a Leesburg rally how they can help push state leaders to reduce carbon emissions.

April 7 – 13, 2016

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Former Loudoun Deputy Convicted in Embezzlement Case

A former Loudoun County deputy faces a federal prison sentence after being convicted of embezzling more than $229,000 from the county’s asset forfeiture fund.

Frank Michael Pearson, 45, was con-victed after a bench trial in Federal District Court on March 31 on four counts of theft.

According to court records and evidence presented during the trial, Pearson was designated as the depu-ty responsible for overseeing the asset forfeiture program starting in 2006. Beginning in early 2010 and continu-ing through October 2013, Pearson stole money from the fund on 80 sep-arate occasions. The money was seized by deputies in drug cases.

Prosecutors said Pearson concealed the thefts by making false statements to his coworkers and others about the timing and the fact of whether he had deposited seized money into a Sher-iff ’s Office escrow account at a local bank. For example, there were two oc-casions when investigators said Pear-son re-used an old deposit slip from an unrelated case and passed it off as a new deposit slip to conceal the fact that he had not deposited all of the money entrusted to him. Another time, Pear-son took money seized in one case and passed it off as money that had been seized in another case.

Pearson will be sentenced on June 17, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the four counts.

The thefts began under the adminis-tration of Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson and continued when current Sheriff Mike Chapman took over in 2011. The

investigation of the thefts began in 2013.

Drug Bust Case Moves to Grand Jury

Bryant W. Deni-son, the California man charged with transporting near-ly $900,000 worth of marijuana af-ter a Sterling bust, waived his right to a preliminary hear-ing last week in Loudoun General District Court.

Evidence in the case will now be presented to a grand jury for an indict-ment to Circuit Court.

Denison was arrested Dec. 21, 2015, following a joint investigation between the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Ad-ministration.

Denison was driving a rental truck when authorities conducted a traffic stop in the area of Old Ox Road and Rt. 267.

The Sheriff ’s Office said Denison received marijuana that had been shipped to Loudoun County by a na-tional cargo transportation company and loaded it into the truck.

A total of 155 bricks of marijuana, each weighing about 1.2 pounds, were inside the rental truck. Also inside was 15 pounds of marijuana wax, com-monly referred to as “shatter.”

Denison, 54, of Petaluma, CA, was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He faces a sen-tence of 5 to 30 years in prison if found guilty. Denison has been held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

Armed Robber Hits Ashburn Gas StationThe Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Of-

fice is investigating an armed robbery at the Shell station in the Ashbrook Commons Plaza Ashburn where the suspect fired a shot inside the store last week.

Shortly before midnight on April 1, the suspect entered the gas station, displayed a firearm and demanded the clerk open the cash register. During the course of the robbery, he fired one shot from his gun. He fled with an un-disclosed amount of cash. No one was injured.

The area was searched with the aid of a Fairfax County Police Department helicopter.

Detectives have released surveil-lance video images of the suspect. He

is described as a black man in his 20s, about 6 feet tall, with a slender build. He has some facial hair, possibly a goa-tee. He was wearing blue jeans, black shoes and a black hooded sweatshirt with the number “1999” and an Aber-crombie logo displayed in white on the front of the sweatshirt.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective M. Grims-ley at 703-777-0475. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919 or sub-mit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office app. Callers who pro-vide information to Loudoun Crime Solvers that leads to an arrest and in-dictment could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Investigators released these two video stills of the suspect in the April 1 gas station robbery.

Bryant W. Denison

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‘A NEW LOW POINT’Criticism mounts as Leesburg budget review process dragsBY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

Although there are few controversial items in Leesburg Town Manager Kaj Dentler’s proposed fiscal year 2017 bud-get, review of the document has been anything but smooth sailing for the Leesburg Town Council.

As the Board of Supervisors was set to adopt its budget this week (See sto-ry, Page 5) and with the School Board endorsing its budget months ago, the Town Council has yet to put forward one straw vote so far this budget season, and seems likely to continue work on the budget and postponed the tax rate until the end of April.

Town Manager Kaj Dentler presented his $94 million fiscal year 2017 budget on Feb. 23. The town operates with a biannual budget and this year’s spend-ing plan is considered a “budget by ex-ception,” with much of the fiscal picture and plan laid out last year. The proposed budget is a 4 percent decrease from the current fiscal year’s budget.

Last week, council members had two opportunities—at their regularly sched-uled March 28 council work session and a special meeting called by Mayor David Butler three nights later—to put forward straw votes or make their bud-get priorities known. While many at the work session said they were not yet prepared to offer motions to add or re-move items from the budget, not much changed on March 31, when the budget special meeting adjourned after just 18 minutes.

Although no straw votes were made, a few council members did share their priorities prior to the special meeting’s adjournment. Butler stated his prefer-ence for the proposed tax rate of 18.72 cents per $100 of assessed value, an increase from 18.3 cents. Vice Mayor Kelly Burk and Councilwoman Katie Hammler said they supported a pro-posed project by the Environmental Advisory Commission to install meters to monitor energy consumption at six town-owned buildings that use the most

electricity. But Hammler said to support that project—which would add $55,000 to the spending plan—she wanted to find something of that same value to delete from the budget. One adjustment Hammler put forward was capping the proposed employee pay-for-perfor-mance raises at 3 percent, something Butler said he did not favor.

For council members, patience with the budget process, and at times with each other, was clearly wearing thin as this week dawned.

Butler said it was “unfortunate” that some council members did not seem to be prepared to ask questions or offer feedback at any of the budget work ses-sions thus far.

Burk made her displeasure with the process clear, taking to social media following last Thursday’s meeting and calling the special meeting “a new low point” for the council.

“We have had part of February, and all of March to look over the budget and ask questions, determine programs we liked and did not like,” she wrote.

She called out council members Bruce Gemmill, Tom Dunn, Katie Hammler and Suzanne Fox—the four council members who voted to adjourn the spe-cial meeting—for not being prepared for that session, as well as the March 28 council work session that preceded it.

“These four members’ lack of prepa-ration, decisiveness, and honest discus-sion is stunningly irresponsible,” she wrote.

Councilman Marty Martinez, who was not present at last Thursday’s special meeting, said the whole budget process thus far has been “backwards.”

“This is supposed to be the second year of a two-year budget. The plan was to go over additions Kaj had made and to make sure we were OK with them; if not, we could edit those,” he said. “Some council members have taken this oppor-tunity to go over the whole budget and attack people.”

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Keep It Down: Noise Complaint Shifts Downtown Utility Work

Construction of a new water line to serve the Loudoun Commons office complex on East Market Street is prov-ing to be a big inconvenience.

Last week, crews began working at night to install the line, which crosses under the street. The idea of the sched-ule was to avoid detours for daytime traffic. However, that didn’t work well for the residents of the Barrister Build-ing, adjacent to the work area.

Building owner Jeff Mitchell said he took the extraordinary step of putting his tenants up in hotels so they could get a quiet night’s sleep. When he was notified that the work would likely take an extra week to complete, he urged the town to change course.

“Not making arrangements with residents in this building in advance,

knowing the level of night construction work that is being done at night 5 yards from the building, is unacceptable. The construction activity at night makes it impossible for the residents to sleep,” Mitchell wrote to Public Works Direc-tor Renee LaFollette. “As the owner and landlord of 110 East Market St, I have made arrangements, at my cost, to let my resident tenants spend the night in a local hotel. I simply cannot let my res-ident tenants suffer through this night time construction and noise.”

Starting Tuesday, the town switched the project to daytime construction hours. The eastbound lane of East Mar-ket Street between Church and Harri-son streets are expected to be closed to traffic between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Friday.

April 7 – 13, 2016

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Butler Makes Mayoral Bid Offi cial KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

Putting to rest months of speculation, Leesburg Mayor David Butler confi rmed it will be a three-way race for the seat in November.

Butler announced his intention to seek election to his seat during a conference call with reporters Monday evening. He was appointed mayor in February to fi ll the remainder of Kristen Umstattd’s term. His term expires Dec. 31. Umstat-td was elected as the Leesburg District representative on the county Board of Supervisors last November.

Butler was fi rst elected to the Town Council in 2008, and was re-elected to a second four-year council term in 2012. Had he not been appointed mayor, his council term also would have been up at year’s end.

An Oswego, NY, native, Butler and his family have been Leesburg residents for 14 years.

In announcing his candidacy, Butler pointed to past accomplishments during his eight years on the council, including initiatives he recently debuted as may-or. Butler presented the inaugural State of the Town address last week, and has added mayor’s hours and a room re-served for council use in Town Hall. Be-ing a successful member of the council “takes a willingness and ability to get things done,” he said.

“You do this through working with the town staff , our boards and commissions, and the public; and with all members of council, regardless of what side of the aisle they may be on. As I’ve said, you

never know where the four votes will come from,” he said.

Butler said his priorities as mayor are on improving quality of life for the town’s residents. He identifi ed four core areas of focus in doing this: en-

couraging new development “where it makes sense;” advocating for arts, en-tertainment, and dining; implementing multi-mode transportation improve-ments; and improving downtown, which he said is a key element of what residents say they like about Leesburg.

Butler’s entry into the race makes the mayoral fi eld in Leesburg more crowd-ed than it has been in years. Vice May-or Kelly Burk and former Town Coun-cil member Kevin Wright have already announced their candidacies and held their campaign kick-off s. Butler has not yet fi nalized plans for his kick-off .

Th e Town Council race, on the oth-er hand, has not been nearly as ac-tion-packed as the mayor’s race . Ron Campbell, whose kickoff is set for this weekend, has announced his candidacy, while council incumbents Tom Dunn, Katie Hammler and Bruce Gemmill have stayed mum on their plans. Gem-mill, who was appointed to fi ll the re-mainder of Butler’s term, did state in his expression of interest to fi ll the council vacancy that he did not plan to run in November’s elections.

[ L E E S B U R G ]

David Butler

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Marketing Support Eyed for DowntownLeesburg’s downtown business area

is getting more attention this budget season, and for the fi rst time in many years it has nothing to do with capital improvements.

Town Manager Kaj Dentler has pro-posed $60,000 in funding to market and enhance “downtown as a park.” In-cluded in his budget are earmarks for beautifi cation—enhanced landscaping, maintenance and clean-up and addi-tional trash and recycling collection areas. Dentler is also proposing that the town provide technology support to the Leesburg Downtown Business Association for its website and smart-phone app that shares information on the downtown area, as well as a spe-cial event reimbursement grant to the LDBA. Finally, $25,000 is budgeted for

the addition of wayfi nding kiosks and directional signage.

Th e budget line items come at the end of the year-long streetscape im-provement project along King and Loudoun streets. Recently, a mid-block crosswalk was raised on South King Street between its intersections

with Market and Loudoun streets. Th is week, the town began taking applica-tions from restaurants in the areas of the widened sidewalks that are inter-ested in allowing alcohol service to on-street tables during dining service.

According to the proposed Capital Improvements Program, a future im-provements project is envisioned along North King Street between its intersec-tions with Market and North streets. While many downtown merchants and patrons—not to mention Town Coun-cil members—are eager to see con-struction on the downtown improve-ments projects complete, additional improvement projects are possible, but not until public input is garnered.

— Kara C. Rodriguez

Storm Drain Volunteers Needed

As part of April’s Keep Leesburg Beautiful campaign, the Town of Leesburg is seeking volunteers to in-spect and mark storm sewer inlets.

Th e town maintains its own Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System under a permit from the Vir-ginia Department of Environmental Quality. Th e two primary goals of the town’s stormwater management program are to eliminate localized fl ooding caused by heavy rains and

to reduce the introduction of pollut-ants into area streams which eventu-ally fl ow into the Chesapeake Bay.

Storm sewer inlets, or storm drains, are the fi rst line of defense in meeting both of these goals. If an in-let is blocked, either by debris or by vegetation, stormwater can back up into the street during a storm and cause localized fl ooding. Since most pollutants enter the storm sewer system through inlets, “Betty Bass” stickers remind people that whatever goes into the storm drain inlet even-tually ends up in the Chesapeake Bay and “only rain should go down the drain.”

“By doing something as simple as taking a walk through their neigh-borhood, residents can participate

in Keep Leesburg Beautiful and help the town maintain the storm sewer system,” Renée LaFollette, Leesburg’s director of Public Works and Capi-tal Projects, stated. “We will provide a map of inlets in a specifi c neigh-borhood and a supply of Betty Bass stickers. All the volunteers need to do is mark which inlets need repair or attention from staff , place stickers on inlets without stickers, and return the map to us. It’s a great way to be involved in your community and ed-ucate your children about the impor-tance of environmental stewardship.”

To participate in the storm drain marking program, go to leesburgva.gov/klb, email [email protected], or call 703-771-2790.

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April 7 – 13, 2016

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loudounnow

.com11Library Commission Eyes Balch Expansion

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

The success of Leesburg’s Thomas Balch Library may soon come at a cost.

Members of the library’s advisory commission recently presented the Town Council with its annual report, which highlighted the future need for expansion of the history and genealogy library.

“Balch’s success in attracting valu-able archival collections has stretched its archival storage space to capacity,” the report states. “Additionally, the growing collection of books used as references and collections of genealog-ical material are beginning to exceed shelf capacity.”

It’s a reality Library Director Alexan-dra Gressitt deals with on a daily basis. She’s personally added in bookshelves to stretch available space for books. The room containing periodicals is “pretty well jammed” and while the library has been the recipient of some great collec-tions, it lacks sufficient oversize storage space to contain all the materials that could be donated.

“At this point we don’t have 10 years of growth,” she said. “We don’t really have five years of growth.”

It’s not just shelf and storage space that is lacking; so is exhibit space. Gres-sitt notes the exhibit space in the cases on the library’s upper floor is booked into 2018. Space for the exhibition of artwork and photographs in the lower level is also booked for the foreseeable future.

And the library’s meeting room, added during the 2000 expansion when Gressitt estimates the library square

footage just about dou-bled in size, also has been in demand. She points to a recent event on

Irish genealogy, where the 85 people in attendance had to utilize overflow space to be accommodated. Had they had the extra room, Gressitt believes about 130 tickets could have been sold for the event.

“We’ve outgrown the space footprint we have,” she said.

But she is quick to point out the dis-cussion of expansion is in the extreme-ly early stages, with no planning or re-search done yet by town staff regarding what such a project would look like, nor how much it would cost.

“The discussion right now is the recognition that the library has been successful, space is needed and that’s where they are right now. The rationale is they would like [Balch] to be suc-cessful,” Gressitt said of the commis-sion’s discussions.

The library was expanded in 2000, but as Thomas Balch Library Com-mission Chairman Jim Hershman said, “What was enough then, isn’t enough now.”

He attributed the need for more space in part to Gressitt’s success in gathering resource materials for col-lections. The commissioners are very much in favor of expansion, he said, and late last year began looking at a neighboring property to the west that could make a natural expansion for

the library. As part of the commission-ers’ 10-year vision, “we want to see it become a really well-known research center that would be a benefit for the town,” Hershman said.

Gressitt said she hopes to use the re-cent formation of the Thomas Balch Li-brary Endowment Foundation, thanks to a bequest of more than $600,000 by library volunteer Virginia Bowie, as a possible resource for expansion.

Senior Reporter Margaret Morton contributed to this article.

[email protected]

“WE’VE OUTGROWN THE SPACE FOOTPRINT WE HAVE.”

Douglass Graham/Loudoun Now

Thomas Balch Library was last expanded in 2000. But as Thomas Balch Library Commission Chairman Jim Jerschman said, “What was enough then, isn’t enough now.”

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Council Debates Silencing Religious Services

A divided Leesburg Town Council did not move forward last week with proposed noise ordinance changes that would have applied the regulations to religious services.

According to a memo prepared by Town At-torney Barbara Notar, town staff received multi-ple complaints from residents on Harrison Street about loud music and noise coming from religious services of a church that was leasing space at the nearby Elijah’s Gate Christian Center. Notar’s memo stated that these church services can ex-tend into the late night and early morning hours. “Despite Town staff ’s efforts to speak to church of-ficials—both with the church who is causing the excessive noise and the church that has leased the space, noise complaints continue to occur,” she wrote.

Leesburg’s noise regulations provide an excep-tion for “religious services, religious events, or re-ligious activities or expressions,” thereby tying the hands of the town staff in enforcement.

Notar wrote that the religion exception, “is not constitutionally mandated and several other Vir-ginia localities (i.e., Fairfax County) have legally and constitutionally prohibited excessive noise from religious services.”

But there was no council majority opinion to be found on the matter. At its March 29 meeting, the council deadlocked 3-3 to initiate changes to the noise ordinance to explore extending the regula-tions to religious services. Council members Bruce Gemmill, Tom Dunn and Suzanne Fox voted against the measure. Councilman Marty Martinez was absent for the vote.

Two days after the vote, Gemmill reached out to Loudoun Now to provide an update on the situa-tion. In an email, Gemmill said he was told that the church that had leased space at Elijah’s Gate Christian Center moved out a month ago. Gem-mill spoke with the property’s landlord, who also confirmed the group moved out, after he had asked them to vacate. A new church tenant moved into the property last Wednesday and has a stipula-tion in the lease that no noise may be made from church services after 8 p.m.

“The bottom line is this: If we had voted for the amendment, we would have needlessly passed a regulation on religious services in general, not just on this one individual church,” Gemmill wrote. “We are regulated to death as it is. Before we vote on burdening the public, whether religious or sec-ular, with yet one more regulation, we should be more diligent to trust the good sense of the private sector to work things out. Sometimes, all it takes is cordial communication.”

O’Toole Readies for Charity RaceFor Leesburg resident Eddie O’Toole, the com-

ing weekend will have a special meaning.On Saturday, April 9, O’Toole is set to compete

in the Baker’s Dozen Mountain Bike Race in an effort to raise awareness of the high suicide rate among law enforcement personnel. It’s an issue close to his heart, not only because he is a five-year deputy with the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, but O’Toole also is a close family friend of Billy Hurley III, the PGA golfer whose father Willard Hurley, Jr., a former police officer, committed sui-cide last fall. It started out as a high-profile missing persons case when the elder Hurley failed to return

to his Leesburg home last July. He was discovered in Texas and was said to be merely traveling but days later was discovered in his car with a fatal, self-inflicted gunshot wound.

O’Toole said suicide among law enforcement personnel is a growing concern, as officers are con-stantly exposed to highly stressful environments, violence and disturbing situations. Internalizing all the emotions surrounding their line of work is all too common, O’Toole said, but the nonprofit for which he is riding in support—The Badge of Life—seeks to be an arm of psychological assistance for the law enforcement community. In a nod to the typical day of a law enforcement officer, O’Toole will ride the entire 13-plus-hour race route in his LCSO uniform.

O’Toole has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money in support of his charity ride. As of Mon-day, he had raised more than $4,000, and said he will keep the page running even after the race is over. For more information about O’Toole or to donate, go to gofundme.com/ride-for-our-lives.

Sidewalk Dining Apps AvailableFollowing the widening of the sidewalks on

South King Street, the Leesburg Town Council voted to allow restaurants to provide outdoor din-ing—including alcohol sales—in the public right of way. Applications to do so are now being accepted.

All applicants must complete a Sidewalk Din-ing with Alcohol Permit Application and return it in person or by mail to the Department of Pub-lic Works and Capital Projects in Town Hall. The application can be found online at leesburgva.gov/how-do-i/apply-for/permits.

[ L E E S B U R G N O T E S ]

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SUMMIT >> 16

AIM HIGHRedskins’ big man shares hopeful message with studentsBY RENSS GREENE

R edskins offensive tackle Morgan Mo-ses crowded his enormous frame and smiling visage into a rocking chair at Seldens Landing Elementary School

last week to talk with students about the impor-tance of education.

Moses was speaking to a group of 24 student sselected by Principal Tracy Stephens, school counselors and staff members because they are having some sort of difficulty in their lives. One child, for example, lost both parents in a car crash; another has a mother battling cancer. Stephens said the school invited Moses to bring the message of his Morgan Moses Foundation and teach the children about the value of edu-cation even in adversity.

Moses read “Wolf!” by Becky Bloom, then fielded questions from the students and stuck around to sign a football and a few shirts.

He told them about studying at Fork Union Military Academy to get his grades up high enough to be accepted to the University of Vir-ginia, where he studied anthropology and Afri-can American Studies. But a conversation with a room full of elementary schoolers can’t stay serious for long.

“Do you have any tips for defense?” asked one student, whom he advised: “Stay away from the big guys.”

“Do you love football?” another asked. When he said yes: “Then why don’t you marry it?”

[email protected]

International Summit Unites Youth for Global ChangeBY DANIELLE NADLER

Six years ago, a group of Dominion High School stu-dents returned home after a trip from India with an idea to change the world.

“The world turned out to be much larger than they realized,” Rock Ridge High School student Anjali Kuna-paneni said, recounting the story. “They took this experi-ence and did something that has brought many different cultures and perspectives to-gether.”

They launched the first Loudoun International Youth Leadership Summit in 2011. This week, Dominion is team-ing up with seven Loudoun high schools to host the 10-day event for a fifth year.

The summit formally kicked off with an opening ceremo-ny Monday that welcomed students from 20 different

countries. All week, the stu-dents will discuss some of the world’s most pressing is-sues and come up with ways to make real changes in their own communities.

The students began the summit with a call to action from Cambodian genocide survivor and human-rights activist Loung Ung, who gave the keynote speech at the opening ceremonies. She en-couraged the students to keep doing what they’re doing—to consider different perspectives than their own, and to speak up for those who can’t.

“Peace requires all of our ac-tions. Because if we want it, we must strategize for it, work for it and create it,” she said.

Loudoun Leads Nation on Schools to Watch ListJ. Lupton Simpson Middle School in Leesburg has been

added to Loudoun County Public Schools’ growing list of national Schools to Watch.

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform’s program recognizes high-performing middle schools. Loudoun has had 14 schools named Schools to Watch, the most of any school system in the country.

“You guys are leading the pack,” Sandy Dutemple, from Virginia Schools to Watch, said. She announced the county’s latest schools to receive the honor during the Loudoun County School Board meeting last week. “We only have 44 in Virginia, and just over 400 in the United States.”

This is the first year Simpson Middle School earned the designation. Five other middle schools were re-designat-ed as Schools to Watch: Eagle Ridge, Farmwell Station, Harper Park, River Bend, J. Lupton Simpson and Sterling.

“You have so many wonderful things going on here, and most of it’s happening in the middle whether you know it or not,” Dutemple said. “These people take these bundles of energy every day and help them find their way in a very confusing world.”

The Schools to Watch designation are reviewed every three years, requiring the staff at the schools to self-assess and re-evaluate their practices.

Loudoun Youth ‘Step Up’ to Solve Local ProblemsLocal teens have big ideas for how to improve their

community, and hundreds of them submitted their ideas to Loudoun Youth Inc.’s sixth annual Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition.

Last week, representatives from Loudoun Youth heard pitches from 59 teams of teens and narrowed down the field to 10 top proposals.The top 10 teams in alphabetical order are:• Breaking Your Silence (Briar Woods High School),

which empowers and provides a voice to survivors of sexual assault;

• Clean Kits Collecting (John Champe High School), which provides hygiene and sanitary products for homeless women in Loudoun County;

• Electronic Binder (J. Michael Lunsford Middle School), which aims to create an electronic binder that would eliminate much of the weight students carry in their backpacks;

• Geared Up! (Ashburn Robotics), which designed a $10 Craft-A-Bot robotics kit to give more students around the world access to robotics.

• Look Up! (Blue Ridge Middle School), which encour-ages people to step away from their electronic devices and have a more proactive role in their community;

• PASTA (Stone Bridge, Rock Ridge and Broad Run high schools and Stone Hill Middle School), which gives students the opportunity to work together to help those in need;

• Saving Loudoun’s Littles–One Car Seat at a Time (Smart’s Mill Middle School), which aims to bring car seat safety inspections back to Loudoun County through increasing the number of safety inspectors, scheduling more frequent events and education;

• Stem 3G (John Champe High School), which raises

[ S C H O O L N O T E S ]


Morgan Moses, offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins, reads to students at Seldens Landing Elementary School in Lansdowne.

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Cambodian genocide survivor and human-rights activist Loung Ung urged students at the Loudoun International Youth Leadership Summit to speak up for those who can’t.


J. Michael Lunsford students present their Step Up Project.

SCHOOL NOTES >> 16

April 7 – 13, 2016

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Stone Bridge Stadium is Now F.H. Furr FieldBY DANIELLE NADLER

Stone Bridge High School’s stadi-um will now bear the name F.H. Furr Field, following a $250,000 donation from the Manassas-based company, F.H. Furr Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical Inc.

The donation was made to the Ash-burn high school’s Athletic Boosters Club to help pay off its $250,000 loan taken out to install an artificial turf field.

Furr’s owner, Floyd Furr, is a huge sports fan. The company’s commer-cials show film of his days on the football field that earned him the nickname Floyd “Fleet-Footed” Furr.

Stone Bridge Athletic Director Dave Hembach said the donation helps all of the high school’s students because gym classes and several sports teams use the field. “Plus, it frees up the booster club to support other sports with the money they raise.”

The Loudoun County School Board voted unanimously last week to name the stadium after the compa-ny for 10 years, a request made by the booster club.

“This is a small thing we can do to honor the fantastic contribution that’s made by F.H. Furr,” Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) said. It is also a chance to help out a booster club that stepped up to help pay for its own turf stadium, the only booster club in Loudoun County that did so,

Hornberger said.Stone Bridge opened in Ashburn in

2000, 10 years before Loudoun Coun-ty made artificial turf standard for all new high schools. For several years, the high school’s parents, students and staff held fundraisers to bring in enough cash for a new field. In addition to money raised, Loudoun County Public Schools kicked in about $750,000 for Stone Bridge’s field in 2014, which was enough to leverage a loan.

F.H. Furr’s donation was not enough to completely pay off the loan, because of interest mounting over 10 years. But, Hornberger said, “it will go a long way.”

School Board member Joy Malo-ney (Broad Run) thanked F.H. Furr and the Washington Redskins, which gave $200,000 toward a synthetic turf field at Park View High School in Sterling. “If any other companies want to donate, I would encourage that,” she said with a smile.

Eleven of the county’s 15 high schools are outfitted with synthetic turf fields. The remaining four are scheduled to get new fields over the next several years. The School Board’s current Capital Improvement Pro-gram calls for artificial turf fields to be installed at Briar Woods in 2022-23, and Dominion, Freedom, and Heritage in 2023-24.

[email protected]

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Summit<< FROM 14

Ung was 5 years old when commu-nist soldiers removed her family from their home and took them to a labor camp, where her 14-year-old sister lat-er starved to death and her father was executed. By the time she was 8 years old, she was sent to a child soldiers training camp.

Ung says she believes she was on the verge of becoming “a suffi cient child soldier killer” if she hadn’t been res-cued. Instead, she noted ironically, she grew up to be an activist for peace. She and her siblings were sent to a refugee camp in Th ailand and, by the time she was 10 years old, to Vermont.

“If you take away children’s safety, their love, their homes and you hurt them enough, they will break. I know I would have,” she said. “I am here be-cause of so many leaders like you who stood up when I couldn’t. So I thank you.”

Several of the international students said they came to the summit because they wanted to do their part to tackle big problems.

Louis Backstrom, a student from Brisbane Grammar School in Austra-lia, said he’s eager to sit down with oth-er teenagers to talk about how to im-prove the disparity between men and women across the globe. “We’re quite well off in terms of gender equality in Australia, but in my opinion we have room to improve,” the 16-year-old said. “We should be setting an example for developing countries.”

His classmate 15-year-old Stuart Moss said he’s eager to understand how other countries address an infl ux of refugees. “I’m interested in hearing everyone’s approach because we’re see-ing some of that in Australia,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to making friends from around the world.”

While there’s plenty of common ground for the students to begin their discussions, the international students said they have already noticed many cultural diff erences in their fi rst few days in Loudoun, everything from “cars on the wrong side of the road” to unfamiliar foods.

Students from Durban Girls’ College in South Africa said they’ve never seen

national pride like they’ve seen in the U.S., where American fl ags are fl own almost everywhere, even at private homes and churches, 17-year-old Ma-ria Corte Portela said. “You don’t see that in South Africa.”

“We saw people cleaning near the roads as part of the Adopt a Highway program. Th at’s so diff erent,” 15-year-old Shwetha Singh added. “Th e will-ingness to give back to their country is really refreshing.”

Ung said she had her own bit of cul-ture shock when she fi rst came to the U.S., including eating foods like meat-loaf and instant rice.

She said her favorite snacks as a child living in Cambodia were fried grass-hoppers and fried tarantulas. “Th ey’re kind of like tater tots,” she said of the later. “Friends, you have a fear of spi-ders—eat them. Fear gone.”

Th e international students will be in Loudou n through April 12, staying with host families, seeing the sights in DC and, as Rock Ridge High School Principal John Duellman put it, mak-ing a game plan “to literally change the world.”

[email protected]


Members of Rock Ridge High School’s choir perform during the opening ceremony of the Loudoun International Youth Leadership Summit on Monday.

awareness of the gender gap in STEM-related occupations;

• Sticks and Stones (Briar Woods High School), which focuses on bullying intervention;

• We’re All Humans (Woodgrove High School), which works to prevent suicide and address mental illness in Loudoun County by providing multiple avenues for at-risk individuals to seek help.Th ese teams will present their

projects to a panel of judges Wednesday, April 6. Presentations will take place at 6 p.m. at Th e Club

at One Loudoun, 44605 Russell Branch Parkway in Ashburn. Th e public is invited to attend.

Th e fi rst-place fi nisher will re-ceive a $1,000 award, second place $750, third place $500 and teams that place fourth through 10th will each receive $250.

Loudoun Youth Inc., Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services present the Step Up Loudoun Youth Compe-tition annually in partnership with the Youth Advisory Council and Loudoun County Public Schools. Loudoun Youth off ered a special thank you to the YouthQuest Foun-dation for providing funding for the competition since 2012.

[ S C H O O L N O T E S ]<< FROM 14

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that the School Board approved as part of its Capital Improvement Program; this is a diff erent set of trailers than the eight slated to be placed on the John Champe High School campus to house Mercer Middle School eighth-grade students. His second suggestion was to temporarily house sixth- and sev-enth-graders at Mercer Middle School, eighth- and ninth-graders at Bramble-ton Middle School and 10th- through 12th-graders at John Champe High School.

School Board members Joy Maloney (Broad Run), Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge) and Beth Huck (At Large) said they are concerned that students will be moved several times in their secondary school career.

“It seems we have situations where one student will go to two diff erent middle schools and two diff erent high schools. Th at’s what we don’t want to have happen,” Maloney said.

Adamo said he doesn’t anticipate that happening. But the division may need to be fl exible and consider as-signing students from the Brambleton area north into Ashburn schools. Th at would free up much needed seats in the Dulles North and Dulles South planning areas.

“We know we have an enrollment crisis there,” he said.

Several parents who spoke to the board during a public hearing Monday said the beginning of more boundary changes felt like déjà vu and urged the board to adopt a plan that stabilizes school assignments long term.

Ken Tucker said the children in his neighborhood, Vantage Point, no lon-ger identify with a particular school because they have been moved so much. “Our neighborhood has been zoned for nine schools so far. Th e changes of the staff plan would make it 11,” he said, including elementary through high school assignments. “My own two children are on track to at-tend fi ve schools each if the staff plan is approved. I think it’s asking a lot of young teens to make this transition.”

Public hearings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 11 and Mon-day, May 2 with a fi nal vote to adopt an attendance map Tuesday, May 10. Th e public hearings will be held at the school administration building, 21000 Education Court in Ashburn.

Follow the boundary process and see full details of the proposal at Loudoun-Now.com/education.

[email protected]

Boundaries<< FROM 5


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Remembering ‘Sons of Africa’Civil War colored troops banner on displayBY RENSS GREENE

T he Loudoun Freedom Center and a private Purcellville collec-tor have collaborated to put a little known piece of Civil War history in

Loudoun’s halls of power.A banner representing the 21st Infantry

Regiment, United States Colored Troops, con-structed after the regiment was mustered out in 1866 to teach Europeans about the war, now stands on display by the entrance to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors meeting room.

The banner was commissioned by the 21st USCT’s chaplain, Erasmus W. Jones. Jones took the banner to Wales with an extensive collec-tion of slavery-related items, including shack-les, collars, and abolitionist papers. In 1887, Jones returned to the United States to live out his days in Utica, NY, leaving the banner be-hind.

The banner is thick with symbolism. It dis-plays a “CT” for Colored Troops, United States heraldry, Grecian columns, a Native American blanket, and patch lettering reading “SONS OF AFRICA,” the name of a British abolitionist group.

The banner comes from the private collection of Jay Johnson, an enthusiastic collector of his-toric African-American memorabilia. The ban-ner first caught his eye when he moved from Loudoun to California more than 10 years ago.

“Folks there soon found out that I was a very serious collector of black memorabilia and African-American historical items, and some-how somebody got the word and contacted me about this banner,” Johnson said.

The banner cost more than he could afford at the time, but he never forgot about it. Three years ago, he moved back to Loudoun and de-cided it was time to buy the banner. He looked up the banner’s owner, expecting it would be gone, but the owners still had it in an attic.

“It needed some very serious care in terms of its condition, so I sent it to a company in New Orleans, and they cleaned it and restored it as best they could,” Johnson said. Some of the fabric was beyond recovery and had to be re-

placed, but the banner was restored to its for-mer glory and mounted in a Victorian-style deep-well frame.

And then it sat.Johnson has exhibited parts of his collection

in a number of places, but wanted to find a lon-ger-term display for some of the pieces. Enter the Loudoun Freedom Center and its founder Pastor Michelle Thomas.

“He watched the work that we were doing with the preservation of the Belmont Slave Cemetery,” Thomas said. For a time, parts of Johnson’s collection were on display at the Loudoun Freedom Center’s office in Lans-downe, in an exhibit called Looking Blackward. But when that space was bought, the exhib-it went back into storage. Some pieces are on display at Oatlands, but for the most part, it’s a collection in search of a home.

But anybody who knows Michelle Thom-as knows that she makes things happen. She reached out to county leaders, and, working with the offices of Chairwoman Phyllis J. Ran-dall (D-At Large) and Vice Chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn), she arranged to have the banner displayed in the County Government Center in Leesburg.

“[The county] seems to be very, very interest-ed with the Civil War, however, it seems to be kind of off balance when it comes to the oth-er side of the Civil War, which includes Afri-can-Americans,” Thomas said. “I think this is probably the first time that something like that has been displayed in the government center.”

[email protected]

Blue Ridge Supervisor Calls for More Turf StudySupervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) has

asked the Loudoun County Health Department to test crumb rubber fields in Loudoun for cancer-causing chemicals.

In a letter dated March 29, Buffington asked Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend that his de-partment conduct carcinogen testing on all crumb rub-ber fields in Loudoun. Eleven public high schools in the county have an artificial turf field with crumb rubber in-fill; most have two fields.

Buffington has joined county Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) in voicing concerns about can-cer-causing chemicals in the crumb rubber infill.

“I feel such testing is prudent in order to maintain pub-lic trust and facilitate open, honest and well informed de-bate about the future of crumb rubber infill in Loudoun County,” Buffington said.

Goodfriend has previously briefed the Joint Board of Supervisors/School Board Committee that it is “unlikely” that there is a health risk from crumb rubber; however, he said, if there is a risk associated with crumb rubber, it could be years before it becomes apparent.

“The number one issue is if it puts kids in harm’s way then we’re not going to do this. The challenge is to prove something is safe and not causing a problem,” he said at that meeting. “I can’t prove the negative at this point that crumb rubber cannot increase the risk of cancer.”

Crumb rubber, which is derived from recycled tires, is the cheapest and most common type of infill for artificial turf athletic fields. The material came under the spotlight when a push for artificial turf fields at four Loudoun high schools with grass fields was met with concerns about the safety of crumb rubber.

Inova to Issue $305M in BondsThe Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has ap-

proved a plan to issue $305 million in tax-exempt reve-nue bonds for Inova Health System Foundation.

The bonds would be issued through the Industrial De-velopment Authority of Fairfax County to refinance oth-er bonds. Loudoun County’s approval is required because the bonds would also finance Inova Loudoun Hospital.

The bonds will refund the Fairfax Authority’s existing Health Care Revenue Bonds, Series 2009A bonds, and Series 2012C bonds; fund a debt service reserve fund; fi-nance a portion of interest on the existing bonds; and pay expenses associated with the existing bonds.

The Inova Health System Foundation periodically is-sues bonds to refinance existing bonds. Inova is a not-for-profit healthcare system encompassing five hospitals in Northern Virginia.

It’s National Library WeekNational Library Week will be recognized April 10-16

in Loudoun County.The national observance has been sponsored by the

American Library Association each April since 1958.According to a resolution adopted by the Board of

Supervisors on April 5, The Loudoun County Public Li-brary and Thomas Balch Library saw more than 1.8 mil-lion visitors and loaned more than 5.8 million items in fiscal year 2015.

Loudoun Symphony Recognized on 25th Anniversary

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has recog-nized the Loudoun Symphony Association’s 25th anni-versary.

The LSA began as the Loudoun Community Orchestra, and since its inception has grown to more than 20 mu-sicians. It includes the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Loudoun Symphony’s String Workshop, and in-school workshops.

The organization also organizes Ensembles for Every-one, a special concert for people with special needs in-corporating visuals and with instruments for attendees.

The LSA also organizes the Instrument Petting Zoo in cooperation with the Rust Library and Melodee Music, in which symphony orchestra musicians demonstrate their instruments and let children try them out.

[ L O U D O U N B R I E F S ]


A banner representing the 21st Infantry Regiment United States Colored Troops is on exhibit in the Loudoun County Government Center.

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cial Education Advisory Chairwoman Lisa Glasgow. “And that they found it during routine maintenance, that was really fortunate that it was that soon aft er the exercises. You know, what if the routine maintenance hadn’t been for longer—would that explosive still not have been accounted for? Not even known that it was missing?”

Th e Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Offi ce and the Loudoun County Fire Marshal announced they have suspended train-ing with the CIA pending a thorough review of all procedures. Loudoun Fire and Rescue Public Information oOffi cer Laura Rinehart said that re-view would likely involve making sure school leaders are aware of training, and that there is accountability and an exact tally of who—and what—is pres-ent for training.

Th e county conducts training with various agencies about once a month at diff erent county facilities, including schools.

“We’ve been doing that [training] for years and years, and there’s never been a problem,” Rinehart said. “Un-fortunately, with this agency, there was a problem.”

“To prevent such incidents from happening again, CIA has taken im-mediate steps to strengthen inventory and control procedures in its K-9 pro-gram,” wrote CIA Offi ce of Public Af-fairs Director Dean Boyd in an emailed response to questions from Loudoun Now. “CIA has also performed a full inventory and accounted for all the explosive training material used in the K-9 training program. Further, CIA will conduct a thorough and indepen-dent review of CIA’s K-9 training pro-gram.”

But the intelligence agency has been characteristically opaque about its in-ner workings. Boyd declined to pro-vide details on that review or any disci-plinary procedures within the agency. Loudoun’s Fire Marshal’s offi ce, which was investigating the incident, found no criminal wrongdoing and closed its investigation.

But following the C-4 scare, the Fire Marshal’s offi ce off ered a peek at how it handles explosives.

Rinehart said its canine explosive handler’s inventory process is thor-ough: all explosive storage containers are sealed, double locked, and checked at least twice a day. In addition, there is a weekly security check on the storage facility and monthly physical checks by type and quantity of explosive.

In training, each training aid is re-corded when it enters and leaves the storage facility. Most training aids weigh less than 4 ounces and are counted individually; bulk training aids are seldom used, and when used, are weighed and recorded on the way in and out of storage.

County and school leaders have said the CIA needs to be more care-ful. School Board member Beth Huck (At Large) said the division should re-examine the policy that gives agen-cies permission to use school property and equipment for training.

“If that’s something that we allow on occasion, regardless of how oft en, we need to have procedures in place to make sure the buses and schools are safe before they’re used again,” she said. “It sounds like that didn’t happen.”

Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Ster-ling) commended the school system’s mechanics for spotting the C-4 and immediately notifying law enforce-ment. He said it was “shocking” it hap-pened.

“I hope they update their policies and their procedures and do a better job,” he said, “because that’s just a little alarming.”

Norman K. Styer and Danielle Nadler contributed to this report.

[email protected]

C-4 left on bus<< FROM 1


Several agencies responded to the scene, including a vehicle identifi ed as part of the National Capital Regional Bomb Squad.


The entire school system’s central garage, including several buses, was searched as a precaution.

April 7 – 13, 2016

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Call today for an additional 5% off!

Bike Mural, by Kevin Dunn

The Artist, by Peter Wood

Sculpture Display, Bike Mural Designs EndorsedThe Leesburg Town Council last week en-

dorsed the designs of the five sculptures to be placed in Raflo Park as part of the ArtsPARKs exhibit, as well as a new mural inside the Town Hall parking garage.

The mural will be painted on the Market Street side, along the bike racks, and is expected to be completed in May.

The sculpture display will be unveiled in a formal ceremony July 2. The sculptures will be available for sale following their two-year ex-hibit in Raflo Park, with 20 percent of the pro-ceeds of each sculpture going to the Friends of Leesburg Public Art to fund the next round of installations.

Birdhouse, by Michael Clay

Sproutman, by Brian Kirk

Unity, by Brian Kirk Trail Blazer, by Peter Wood

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Bluemont

Equines help heal veteransThe ability of horses to lift spirits and help the healing

process is well known. Now, combat veterans at Boulder Crest Retreat in Bluemont are finding that horses can help them achieve peace and find a new way out of the morass of war.

“‘Horse Inspired Growth and Healing’ is an important part of every program we run in support of combat veter-ans and their families,” retreat founder and chairman Ken Falke stated recently. Just a few moments with the horse can bring a notable difference to the veterans who visit the retreat as part of their recovery. The Boulder Crest team notes a common finding—that horses have an in-ternal recognition of what the injured person needs.

In the January issue of the journal Social Work, re-searchers reported that nearly half of all combat veterans suffer from serious psychological disorders and reinte-gration issues. They reported that equine-related mental health programs have shown promise in treating veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

In line with those findings, at the 37-acre Boulder Crest Retreat combat veterans engage in an equine therapy program. The program is facilitated by Suzi Landolphi, who has a master’s degree in clinical and community psy-chology and is a licensed marriage and family therapist. Landolphi created two programs that encourage veterans and their families to better connect, to let go of traumatic experiences, to find a calm and begin to live once more in the present.

Landolphi said horses instinctively respond to humans who are shy about expressing themselves, and encourage them to open up and be more open. For more informa-tion about Boulder Crest Retreat programs, including the horse therapy program, go to bouldercrestretreat.org.

Lovettsville

Lecture title poses a historical questionThe next presentation in the Lovettsville Historical

Society lecture series has a provocative title: “George Washington DID NOT Build the C&O Canal: The Story of Potomac River Navigation and the Rise and Demise of the C&O Canal.”

The lecture by historian John C. Frye will be held at St. James United Church of Christ, at 10 E. Broad Way, in Lovettsville.

Society Vice President Ed Spannaus notes the C&O Canal was built in 1828, whereas an earlier project, me-morialized at Great Falls Park, was not the same as the C&O. Fisher will discuss the entire history of navigation along the Potomac River.

Frye is a Lovettsville native, whom Spannaus described as the “legendary chief historian and curator” of the Western Maryland Room of the Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown, MD. Frye founded the West-ern Maryland Room almost 50 years ago.

For more information on the free lecture, contact Spannaus at 540-822-9194.

Waterford

Waterford Foundation hires new fair directorLovettsville resident Tracy Kirkman is the new director

of the Waterford Homes Tour & Crafts Exhibit.Kirkman comes to the job from the world of event

planning. Foundation representative Bonnie Getty said the nonprofit was confident Kirkman would bring a great deal of energy to the position, along with her event plan-ning, social media skills and marketing experience.

Kirkman also has experience with artisanal food pro-duction and brings some creative ideas for this year’s Wa-terford Fair. She will start her new job April 11.

[ T O W N N O T E S ]

Loudoun Bed and Breakfast Guild Plans Open House Tour

Nine Loudoun County Bed and Breakfast Guild hostelries will be open for public tours Sunday, April 24 as part of the organization’s annual open house.

Visitors will be able to view the houses and sample attractions offered by some of the coun-ty’s top restaurants, caterers, wineries, musi-cians, florists and artisans.

Not only is the open house free to the pub-lic, but many of the B&Bs will offer raffles, free overnight stays, gift baskets and other prizes.

The B&Bs represent a range of accommoda-tions and settings. There will be historic homes with two or three guest rooms, such as George’s Mill in Lovettsville and Fieldstone Farm in Hillsboro, and an elegant modern home—the Mews, north of Purcellville.

Simpler buildings include the Cottage at

Dunthorpe Farm near Hillsboro, and Airwell B&B, artist Lucien Powell’s restored cottage, south of Purcellville.

Larger historic properties are represented by Stone Manor and Silverbrook Farm B&B, near Hillsboro, also Briar Patch B&B between Aldie and Middleburg on Rt. 50, and Serene Manor, south of Round Hill.

Many of the participating B&Bs are sought-after wedding and event sites.

The open house brochure includes a map, addresses for participating B&Bs and a list of all participating wineries, restaurants, caterers, musicians, florists and others who will be part of the open house.

To download a brochure, visit loudoun-bandb.com.

– Margaret Morton

Purcellville Hires IT Manager, Issues NewsletterBY MARGARET MORTON

The Town of Purcellville has made two moves

to beef up the way it interacts with the public.Last week, Assistant Town Manager Danny

Davis announced the hiring of Shannon Bo-hince as the town’s first full-time director of in-formation technology.

Bohince started work March 31. He recently worked for the Loudoun County Department of IT as a senior server engineer. With more than 20 years’ experience in IT and 10 years in local government, Bohince was unanimously selected by a cross-departmental panel of the town’s managers and staff members.

“I’m really excited about hiring Mr. Bohince and bringing his forward-thinking mindset to the Town of Purcellville,” Davis said. “I worked closely with the county on IT, and a lot of what I tried to do was to find new ways of using tech-nology,” he said. “Part of the job is to make in-formation easily accessible, not to dig for deep-ly. We want to help push it forward.

Davis wants to see Bohince develop the IT road map for the town, be innovative and to come up with long-term strategic planning.

“We’re a small department, very hands on, and I hope he will help evaluate where we are, how to look at things a little differently,” Davis

said.On Monday the town announced the publi-

cation of its first newsletter, “Purcellville Post,” to keep residents informed about town gov-ernment. Part of a Town Council initiative to strengthen community partnerships, the Pur-cellville Post is intended to provide a snapshot of the activities of town government, including the council and the staff, as well as publicizing community events.

The first edition highlights the town’s com-prehensive plan updates, the Maintenance De-partment, upcoming special events, and new avenues by which the residents can communi-cate with the government. To minimize costs, the first newsletter was circulated to the com-munity via the April 1 utility bills. Additional copies will be available throughout the town at public locations, including the Town Hall and the Purcellville Library.

The Purcellville Post also can be found online at purcellvilleva.gov/newsletter. Residents are asked to send their feedback on the new pub-lication at [email protected] or by con-tacting Davis at [email protected] or 540-751-2354.

[email protected]

Credit: The Loudoun County Bed and Breakfast Guild

The immaculately laid stone of Fieldstone Farm B&B in Hillsboro

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Beloved Bookshop Faces ClosureBY MARGARET MORTON

Second Chapter Books, an indepen-dent bookstore at 10 S. Liberty Street in Middleburg, has long been a treasure trove for bibliophiles. In a space bare-ly large enough to swing a cat, owners Jilann Burkett and Kathy Jo Shea main-tain an atmosphere of calm and seren-ity.

Today, the bookstore is facing an un-certain future.

Th e bookstore’s building went on the market this week and the bookstore’s lease, which expires in September, will not be renewed by the current owner.

“I’m absolutely horrifi ed to be losing an independent bookstore, and espe-cially this one,” said Loudoun author Bobbi Carducci. “Th ey’re so supportive of local authors, they go above and be-yond.”

Th e possible closure of the bookshop has brought out supporters, who have been coming in to express their shock and sadness, Burkett said. Th e two owners are known for their knowledge, organized approach, and infi nite pa-

tience in searching out books for read-ers and advising on choices.

“We can’t aff ord to lose another in-dependent bookstore,” Carducci said, adding there is a possibility of getting a group of people in the community to buy the bookshop so the business can continue as normal.

Shea and Burkett are hopeful a buyer will choose to keep the bookstore open.

“If someone buys it and wants it here, we’ll put our heart and soul into this. We’d like to continue to make it grow and we love doing it. Right now that’s not going to happen,” Burkett said.

“If that does not happen—we’ll close,” she said, noting that it would take a great deal of time and eff ort to get re-established, even if the book-store stayed in town. “It could play out beautifully, or it could peter out in 35 seconds,” she said.

She said she appreciated people’s support. “Th ere’s no greater pleasure than to have someone come in and walk out with a book they really want.”

[email protected]

Credit: Second Chapter Books

Second Chapter Books has a friendly feel, with books all around.

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BEER BUSTWill Loudoun ever have too much on tap? BY BEN BYRNES

The Loudoun market is brimming with craft beer.

From 2011 to 2015, the county saw unprec-edented growth in the beer-making industry with 17 brew-related ventures opening during, and at least six more are in the works for 2016. That would bring the number of breweries in the county to 23, on a pace to quickly catch up to the number of Loudoun wineries.

The strength of the county’s beer scene has even caught the eye of Downington, PA-based Victory Brewing Company, which announced plans to open a 300-seat restaurant and full ser-vice brewhouse in downtown Leesburg.

But is there a point where Loudoun has more local ly-produced beer than thirsty pa-trons?

Kellie Boles, ag-ricultural develop-ment officer for the Loudoun Coun-ty Department of Economic Devel-opment, for one, doesn’t think so. “As long as we’re bring-ing in innovative

and creative entrepreneurs to the scene, they’re going to capture a piece of this huge market that exists in the Washington, DC, area,” she said.

Loudoun was home to just one major brew-ery operation from 1989 to 2008—Old Domin-ion Brewing Company. After Anheuser-Busch acquired the operation, the Ashburn-based brewpub closed. That left the market wide open and, over the next few years, brewers jumped at the opportunity to take their stake.

“I knew that Ashburn was one of the pio-neers of the craft brewing industry,” said Matt Hagerman, who teamed with Old Dominion’s former master brewer Favio Garcia to open

Lost Rhino Brewing Company in Ashburn in 2011. “And I knew the market was pretty prime here, and there was a vacuum by [Old Domin-ion] exiting out.”

That same year, four other breweries opened their doors: Barn House Brewing, Beltway Brewing, Corcoran Brewing, and MacDowell Brew Kitchen.

Since then, changes in state law and local reg-ulations have only encouraged more beer-mak-ing operations, including state legislation in 2012 that cleared the way for breweries to sell their product on the premises it was made with-out requiring a full-service restaurant. Loudoun County also adopted an ordinance last year to allow beer to be sold on farms where ingredi-ents are grown. The industry also got a boost by the creation of the LoCo Ale Trail, a marketing campaign spearheaded by Visit Loudoun to in-crease the brewery industry’s visibility.

Today, Loudoun’s high number of beer-pro-ducers has shown to be an incentive for brew-eries to come to join the movement, not a de-terrent.

Boles said the Office of Economic Develop-ment knows of breweries that had been look-ing at setting up their operations in neighbor-ing counties and decided to instead come to Loudoun because of the beer-loving scene al-ready in the county.

“It’s a kind of collaborative culture and our Loudoun breweries are telling those brewer-

APRIL FOOLSLocal breweries announce beer conglomerateBY RENSS GREENE

Private equity firm Fulsome Prevaricator has begun buy-ing up popular craft breweries in Loudoun County, starting with the restructuring of Lost Rhino Brewing Company, Ocelot Brewing Company, and Old Ox Brewery into a sin-gle company, Three Mammals Brewing Company.

Just kidding.The three breweries an-

nounced the news with a prank press release April 1, complete with a new logo, three beer names, pho-tos, a Facebook page, and a T-shirt, which people are already asking to buy. They even claimed to be moving into a 40,000-square-foot warehouse near One Loudoun.

But the fake incorporation put a lens on real collabora-tion and camaraderie among the brewers.

“One day we were at the World of Beer grand opening in Ashburn, and we were just hanging out there having a few beers together, and Chris Drummond came up with the idea,” said Adrien Whitman, founder of Ocelot Brewery.

Drummond’s brewery, Lost Rhino, had pulled a crank last year by announcing it was suing Old Ox Brewing Compa-ny for copyright infringement for using an adjective and an animal in their name—a spin on some actual legal trouble at the time, when Red Bull tried to force Old Ox to change its name and marketing.

Drummond wanted a good follow-up for this year.“We were kicking around the idea that all three of us were

named after animals,” Drummond said. He took the idea to Lost Rhino’s graphic designer, Logan Martin, and every-body ran with it.

By lunchtime, people had begun calling all three brewer-ies either in consternation or to ask to buy the T-shirt. So far, there’s only one T-shirt, the one used in a photo. But Drummond said he’s open to bringing some of it to life.

“That’s definitely something we’ll be kicking around, and it’s already been mentioned,” Drummond said. “I think that’s fun too, maybe having some fun with our friends and fans.”

Nor would this be the first collaboration among Loudoun’s craft brewers. Last year, Loudoun’s brewers collaborated at Old Ox Brewery for Lost Rhino’s LoCo Brewfest to create LoCollaboration Harvest Amber Ale, which was sent to brewers all around the county.

“It really stems from the fact that we’re all friends, we’re always at events together, and we’re always helping each other out,” Whitman said.

“It’s kind of an excuse to have a few beers together and have a few laughs,” Drummond said.

[email protected]

The Tasting Room

MONTHLY COLUMN ON LOCO FOOD AND DRINK.

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Jessie Puffenberger pours a pint at Dirt Farm Brewing, nested on the far western end of Loudoun County in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The company’s focus is on brewing small batches of beer made from fresh ingredients grown on the family farm.

“I DEFINITELY THINK WE COULD CERTAINLY USE MORE BREWERIES, BUT THERE’S GOING TO BE A SATURATION POINT SOMETIME.”

Courtesy of Old Ox Brewery

Adrien Whitman, Ocelot Brewing Company; Graham Burns and Chris Burns, Old Ox Brewery; and Matt Hagerman, Lost Rhino Brewing Company, hold up a Three Mammals Brewing Company T-shirt.

BEER BUST >> 27

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— Proceeds benefit The Marshall House and GCMIC’s education programs

— Visit our website for suggested donations and limitations

— Donation dates extended! Accepting items 4/4-4/9, 9AM-12PM at 312 E. Market St, Suite C (The Shops at The Marshall House)

703.777.1301www.georgecmarshall.org/events

The George C. Marshall International Center is a non-profit corporation under IRC Section 501(c)(3). GCMIC relies on a combination of memberships, corporate sponsorships, private donations and grants to fund its mission. 83% of proceeds from contributions, programs and events support our education programs, and help us preserve The Marshall House.

Katherine Marshall was an avid flea market shopper. Her finds grace The Marshall House to this day.

1st Annual Katherine Marshall

FLEA MARKET

SHOPAPRIL 16th & 17th

during theLeesburg Flower

and Garden Festival weekend!

ies, ‘why are you looking in those ju-risdictions? Why don’t you come to Loudoun?’” Boles said.

Th e camaraderie among Loudoun breweries can be easily seen, and tast-ed, with frequent collaborations on special release beers and the occasional sharing of facilities and resources.

Tyler Oyler, CEO of Grail Point Brewery, set to open this year, credits the operation’s success in getting start-ed in large part to well-established lo-cal breweries. Oyler is working with Beltway Brewing to build his brand.

“I have found most if not all brewer-ies to be incredibly encouraging to new craft brewers and brands,” he said. “It’s a fairly magnanimous community that tends to work in great concert with each other. It also tends to lend itself to partnering with the local community to assist in tourism.”

Th ere are a few who acknowledge the industry likely has a bubble, in-cluding Darren Gryniuk, co-owner of Old 690 Brewery near Hillsboro. “Th ere’s defi nitely a population around us that wants to visit the county and drink beer, and I defi nitely think we could certainly use more breweries,” he said. “But there’s going to be a satura-tion point sometime.”

Other brewers believe that the future will be determined by the quality of the

beer being produced, rather than how many brewers are producing it.

Brian Patlen, owner of Bald Guy Brewing, who is in the process of set-ting up shop in Loudoun, said, “As for the number of opened and planned breweries, both the population size and especially the affl uence of Loudoun County can easily support them and a lot more. But there’s a catch,” he added. “Th ey must make good beer. Th at’s the threshold.”

Hagerman noted that concentra-tions of breweries have worked well in other parts of the country. “If you look at other models like towns in Colora-do, Oregon, and Washington, a lot of them have been able to sustain a large group of breweries and a lot of that had to do with particular breweries having particular niche markets,” he said.

Th e variety off ered by the farm brew-eries on the west end of the county and the commercial breweries tucked amid eastern Loudoun’s industrial parks appeals to wide demographics and creates the foundation for a sus-tainable model for young industry. As the playing fi eld widens, and attracts brewers and patrons from around the Washington, DC, area, the demand for high quality and innovative fl avors will help Loudoun establish a nationally recognized craft beer scene. DC’s Wine Country is getting much hoppier.

Ben Byrnes has worked in the food industry for 11 years. He lives in

Leesburg with his wife and newborn son.

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PERFECT MATCHES >> 32

PERFECT MATCHESLocal wineries team up with food producers BY JAN MERCKER

T here’s nothing quite like a crisp white wine and some tasty, tangy goat cheese. And when they’re made

within miles of each other, that’s bonus points for local flavor.

Lately, area wineries are not just pouring tastes, they’re inviting food-producing neighbors in for spe-cial pairings and promotions, creating a kind of local agro-synergy. That’s a big draw for guests. It’s a win-win for wineries and their culinary partners: giving food producers access to new customers and at the same time pro-viding a new experience for winery guests.

Aimee and Todd Henkle, owners of The Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek north of Leesburg are at the forefront of the movement. The Hen-kles launched the monthly Tastemaker series last month. The winery will stay open late on select third Saturdays to host a sit-down tasting featuring lo-cal delicacies (both sweet and savory) paired with Lost Creek and other Vir-ginia wines.

“We like to focus on the experi-ence,” Aimee Henkle said. “The culi-nary component is very important. It’s amazing to really explore the wines.”

With the new series, Henkle hopes to go beyond the typical tasting room cheese board, offering a guided pairing to give visitors a special educational experience. The Henkles and senior tasting room staff members, along with representatives of the food producers, will be on hand to talk about the pair-ings.

The Henkles have long offered cu-linary tastings by reservation in part-nership with Lovettsville’s Market Ta-ble Bistro, and decided this year they

wanted to spotlight other local produc-ers as well.

“We were looking for people who are the best at what they do in the area,” Henkle said.

The next Tastemaker tasting April 18 features Leesburg’s Layered Cake Patisserie, a popular French-style bak-ery, pairing a Virginia sparkling wine paired with a vanilla macaron cook-ie, Lost Creek’s Reserve Chardonnay with an almond croissant and the win-ery’s Provenance Red with a chocolate éclair. May’s tasting features cheese from Lovettsville-based Georges Mill Farm Artisan Cheese, and the June event spotlights Purcellville’s beloved Lothar’s Gourmet Sausage.

Cross promotion of local business-es is key, Henkle said, providing great exposure for both the winery and its

culinary partners—and a chance to promote a natural affinity between lo-cal products.

“A lot of it is about exposure and having people try our product,” said Molly Kroiz, owner and cheese maker at Georges Mill, which specializes in handcrafted goat cheese. “It’s also fun to collaborate with other local produc-ers.”

During the May 21 Tastemaker event, Kroiz will be on hand to talk about her cheese-making process and about Georges Mill’s Community Sup-ported Agriculture program, which of-fers members a weekly cheese selection April-October.

Croiz prefers the hands-on, guided tasting format to simply offering her

Oatlands Races Celebrates 50th on April 17

BY MARGARET MORTON

It will be a golden day on Sun-day, April 17 when the Loudoun Hunt puts on the Oatlands Point-to-Point to commemorate its 50th anniversary.

Gates open at 10:30 a.m., with post time set for noon. There will be nine races, including the one-mile Mrs. George C. Everhart Memorial Invitational Side Saddle Race and the featured Eustis Cup over a 3.5-mile course.

Loudoun Hunt Master Dave Moyes will be part of a celebratory crowd that will bask in remembered glory and tales of epic races over the past 50 years.

And probably no one will be re-membered more from those early days of planning for a race meet site than “Dr. Joe,” Joseph Rogers, MD. It was Rogers who suggested Oatlands as a possible site, in part because of its historical significance and because its rolling terrain would be suitable for timber and hurdle racing.

According to Brett Phillips, founder, editor and publisher of Leesburg Today, who was part of those early planning sessions, a $2,000 purse was offered for the featured William Corcoran Eustis Cup, named after a former owner of Oatlands. And it was Rogers who later became known as one of the most successful owner-riders, who flew over the course on his famous horse, King of Spades.

It took years of picking stones out of the ground to produce today’s lush turf (Moyes said it’s still an ongoing job) and the challenging course that ends for timber races in a long uphill grind to the finish post.

Oatlands has many stories, in-cluding that of the death of timber horse Barros Negros, that won the coveted Eustis Cup and then died of a heart attack while being led back to the van area. He was buried that night at the finish line in a cer-emony attended by race committee

Courtesy of Morven Park

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Aimee and Todd Henkle, owners of The Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek, launched their Tastemaker series of culinary tastings this spring.

Courtesy of Lost Creek

The April 18 Tastemaker Series event at The Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek features French-style pastries from Layered Cake Patisserie paired with wines from Lost Creek and Virginia sparkling wine maker Thibaut-Janisson.

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THIS WEEK >> 30

UNDER CONTRACT $245,000

Sun filled, three finished levels duplex. Large

fenced yard. Fantastic country kitchen w/

wood burning FP. Cathedral ceilings on upper

level. Finished family room. Backs to park.

Walking distance to library and pool. Great opportunity.

Open Sunday, April 10th 1-3pm

One Of A Kind Custom Home $450,000

This beautiful home was completely remod-eled and added on to in 05. Large .80 acre lot

w/trees & English garden. A cooks delight, custom kitchen, 2 sinks, center island and FP. Main lvl master w/sep jetted tub & shower. Large porch facing west for fantastic sunsets.

Directions Rt. 7 west, right on Charlestown Pike, Right on Berlin Turnpike approximately 5 miles to #39 on right.

$399,900 Absolutely charming cape cod w/huge front porch.

Finished area above garage includes, kitchen, bath

& 2 extra rooms. Perfect for home office or studio.

Newly finished hardwood floors on main level and

new carpet upstairs. Beautiful stone FP. Plantation

shutters thru out. Fresh paint and enclosed porch.

2 Separate lots

included in price!

LOCO CULTURE

LOUDOUN SYMPHONY CHERRY BLOSSOM GALASaturday, April 9, 7-10 p.m.; Mid-dleburg Community Center, 200 W. Washington St., Middleburg. Details: loudounsymphony.org

LSO’s annual gala fundraiser in-cludes a chef’s tasting dinner from top area restaurants, performances from LSO members and live and silent auctions. Tickets are $75.

BIRDING BANSHEE Saturday, April 9, 8 a.m.; Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, 21085 The Woods Road, Leesburg. Details: loudounwildlife.org

Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Friends of Banshee Reeks at one of Loudoun’s hottest birding spots. Whether you’re new to birding or a pro, this walk is a great chance to learn about and see new species. Bring binoculars.

NEERSVILLE COUNTRY BREAKFASTSaturday, April 9, 8-10:30 a.m.; Between the Hills Community Asso-ciation, 11762 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville. Contact: 540-668-6504

Enjoy a homemade breakfast of sausage gravy, biscuits, eggs,

home fried potatoes, breakfast meats, fruit, along with special treats of freshly made donuts and French toast casserole. Donations accepted.

SPRING WILDFLOWERS WALKSaturday, April 9, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park, Ball’s Bluff Road, Leesburg. Details: loudounwildlife.org

Join John DeMary, well-known local naturalist and retired teacher, on a Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy field trip to explore this beautiful, wooded riverside park for the early spring wildflowers and migrating birds. Advance registration is required.

CIVIL WAR MEDICINE PROGRAMSunday, April 10, 2 p.m.; Mt. Zion Historic Park, 40309 John S. Mos-by Highway, Aldie. Details: www.mosbyheritagearea.org

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members.The “Oatlands races” became a

hugely popular event, drawing thou-sands of race goers each year. For many, it was as much an occasion for a social reunion, wandering up and down “The Lane,” to see people one might not have seen since the last “Oatlands,” as it was to enjoy the races. Patron spots along The Lane are fiercely sought—and sometimes equally fiercely fought over, passing

down from generation to generation.The Loudoun Hunt hounds also

will be present on April 17, occasion-ally parading down the lane—to the delight of children, who appear from

nowhere to greet them.Moyes, who recalls racing at Oat-

lands “in the pouring rain and wind—so hard that my goggles kept popping on and off,” paid tribute to the 200 to

300 volunteers who each year get the course in shape and manage it on race day.

“A major part of it is the volunteers who put it on. We couldn’t afford it otherwise,” Moyes said.

Luckily for racing fans, those volun-teers still turn out to put on a day of racing that is unlike anywhere else in patrons’ recollection.

Tickets are $25/car on race day, or $20/car in advance. Subscriber park-ing is $50. Call 703-327-3935 or go to loudounhunt.com or LoudounFair-faxHunt.com.

The Mosby Heritage Area Association presents an interactive event that brings Civil War medicine to life. The event starts with outdoor exhibits followed by a talk by historian Kevin Pawlak on Civil War hospitals at 3 p.m. Admission is $10, free for students. No advance reservations required.

FILM SCREENING: ‘RARA AVIS’Monday, April 11, 7 p.m.; Foxcroft School, 22407 Foxhound Lane, Mid-dleburg. Contact: 540-687-4510

Noted conservationist and Foxcroft alumna Cina Alexander Forgason and two-time Academy Award nominee Al Reinert will screen and discuss their documentary about naturalist and explorer John James Audubon. Screening is free and open to the public, but advance registration is recommended.

NIGHTLIFE

LOUDOUN YOUTHFEST BATTLE OF THE BANDS FINAL BATTLEFriday, April 8, 6:30-8:30p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St.; Lees-burg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com

Talented teens from around the county duke it out to see who gets a prime opening spot at YouthFest in May. Admission is $8 at the door.

LIVE MUSIC: CAITLIN JANEFriday, April 8, 7-9 p.m.; Trinity House Café, 101 E. Market St., Leesburg. Details: trinityhousecafe.com

With an eclectic mix of piano-driven pop tunes, guitar-based melodies, and soul-filled strings interwoven through her songs, Caitlin’s pure and rich vocals have drawn comparisons to favorites like Sarah McLachlan and Natalie Merchant.

LIVE BAND KARAOKEFriday, April 8, 8 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com

You’re the star when you sing ka-raoke backed up by the seasoned musicians of the Harikaraoke Band at this popular monthly event. No cover.

HUMANE SOCIETY OF LOUDOUN FUNDRAISERSaturday, April 9, 6 p.m.-midnight; The Bungalow, 13891 Metrotech Drive, Chantilly. Details: hslc.yapso-dy.com

The Humane Society’s spring fundraiser features a Jimmy Buf-fett-theme and music from Dave McKenney and The Calypso Nuts. Requested donation of $25 can be made at the door or online.

LIVE MUSIC: BUSHMASTERSaturday, April 9, 7:30 p.m.; Smoke-house Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smoke-house-live.com

Gary Brown, lyricist, composer, guitar player and vocalist for Bushmaster, grew up outside of D.C. influenced by local artists like Chuck Brown, Danny Gatton, Link Wray, and Bobby Parker. The band’s funky, guitar-centric, blues-rock music enlightens as well as entertains. No cover.

LIVE MUSIC: THE PAT MCGEE BAND REUNIONSaturday, April 9, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre,19 W. Market St.; Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com

The Richmond-based rock band had a big following in the ’90s on Virginia college campuses and beyond. They’re back together and ready to play old favorites and a few surpris-es. Tickets are $34 in advance. $39 day of show.

AMERICANA BRUNCH WITH JASON MASISunday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Mar-ket Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smoke-house-live.com

DC-based singer-songwriter Jason Masi is a Loudoun winery circuit fa-vorite, influenced by soul artists like Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers, folk

and blues icons like Van Morrison and James Taylor and modern song-writers in the vein of Mat Kearney, Damien Rice and James Morrison. Free with brunch.

ON STAGE

LOUDOUN LYRIC OPERA: A COFFEE HOUSE TRILOGYFriday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, 8 p.m., Oatlands Carriage House, 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg; Sunday, April 10, 8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford. Details: loudounlyricop-era.com

LLO presents three one-act operas, including Bach’s “Coffee Cantata,” Menotti’s “The Telephone,” and Barab’s “A Game of Chance.” The program features classical vocalists from around the region accompanied by string quartet and flute. Tickets are $30, $15 for youth 17 and younger.

DISNEY’S ‘THE LITTLE MERMAIDFriday, April 8, 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 9, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday, April 10, 4 p.m.; Belmont Ridge Middle School, 19045 Upper Belmont Place, Leesburg. Details: lcps.org/tickets

Students present the full-length Broadway version of the beloved musical, complete with live orches-tra, Broadway-style costumes, and spectacular special effects, including flying, skating and pyrotechnic sim-ulations. Tickets are $10. Advance purchase is required.

‘PETER PAN’Friday, April 8, 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 9, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday, April 10, 2 p.m.; J. Lupton Simpson Mid-dle School, 490 Evergreen Mill Road, Leesburg. Details: lcps.org/jlsms

The family-oriented classic will en-tertain fans of all ages with a great cast, set and costumes. Tickets are $7.50.

JAZZ & CO DANCEFriday, April 8, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 9, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sun-day, April 10, 3 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklin-

parkartscenter.org

Enjoy a delightful evening of artistry and entertainment from the Loudoun School of Ballet pre-professional contemporary dance program. Rep-ertoire includes Broadway, jazz and contemporary ballet. Performances benefit the Teri and Shari Malone Foundation.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, students and children.

GALLERY COFFEE HOUSE: TUNA DOES VEGASSunday, April 10, 6:30 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org

Local ensemble Imagine That! pres-ents “Tuna Does Vegas!” The eclec-tic band of citizens from Tuna, TX are portrayed by two actors making this send-up on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict men, women, Vegas Showgirls and Elvis! Coffee is included. Tickets are $8 at the door.

LUCKETTS BLUEGRASS: SPECIAL CONSENSUSSaturday, April 9, 7 p.m.; Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Leesburg. Details: luckettsblue-grass.org

The Grammy nominees are known for traditional favorites and award-winning originals. Tickets are $15 at the door.

WITH THE KIDS

BLUE SKY PUPPETS: ‘BANANAS’Wednesday, April 13, 10 a.m.; Frank-lin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org

In this production Blue Sky Puppet Theatre presents themes of healthy living issues in a fun, upbeat and positive way. Tickets are $5 at the door. For ages 2 and up.

[ T H I S W E E K ]

THE OATLANDS POINT-TO-POINT Gates open at 10:30 a.m., with post time set for noon. There will be nine races, including the one-mile Mrs. George C. Everhart Me-morial Invitational Side Saddle Race and the featured Eustis Cup

over a 3.5-mile course.

Tickets are $25 per car on race day, or $20 per car in advance. Subscriber parking is $50. Call 703-327-3935 or go to loudoun-hunt.com or LoudounFairfaxHunt.com.

POINT-TO-POINT << FROM 28

April 7 – 13, 2016

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Last Friday marked the first warm-weather First Friday of the year, drawing large crowds out of their homes and on to the streets of downtown Leesburg. The monthly event has become an exhibit for the town’s creative side, with restaurants and shops showcasing the talents of area musicians, artists and even winemakers. Learn more at leesburgfirstfriday.com.

PHOTO ESSAY BY DOUGLAS GRAHAM/LOUDOUN NOW

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Loudoun warms up to First Friday

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To share your condolences with our readers, contact Lindsay Morgan at 703-770-9723 or via email at [email protected]

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016 11:00AM—2:00PM

CAREER EXPO Are You a Student or Recent Graduate

Looking for a Job or Internship?

■ MEET EMPLOYERS ■ ■ GATHER INFORMATION ■

■ APPLY FOR JOBS ■ Avoid the Lines & Register in Advance

www.leesburgva.gov/careerexpo

Tuscarora High School 801 N. King Street, Leesburg

cheese for sale at area wineries.“It makes more sense to do the wine

and cheese in a focused way,” Kroiz said.

Waterford’s 8 Chains North Win-ery has a history of pairing local treats with its wines—from truffl es from Leesburg’s Abby Rose Confections to an annual Fourth of July pie pairing in collaboration with Mom’s Apple Pie bakery.

Th e winery took things up a notch last month hosting a health-orient-ed pop up market, featuring locally sourced food products.

Th e Healthy Chick’s Pop Up Show was a fi rst for organizer Hillary Tat-tersall, who has hosted pop up sales (mostly featuring design and home décor) for years through her Chick’s Picks by Hillary business. Tattersall branched out in March with her fi rst health-oriented event.

Th e event, which targets both Tat-tersall’s extensive contact list (made up mostly of women) and the winery’s contacts, was cross-promotion at its fi nest, Tattersall said.

“Th eir demographic is my demo-graphic,” Tattersall said. “Girls on Sat-urdays do Loudoun wineries.”

Th e event featured agro-businesses like Great Country Farms and Fields of Athenry Farm and was a welcome showcase for Marla Vargas-Mund-ey, owner of LAJ Foods in Leesburg. Vargas-Mundey specializes in vegan

foods using locally sourced ingredients and is known for her soups (like rose-mary-beet and curried carrot), sauces and snacks. She’s built her business selling her products at pop ups in pri-vate homes, farmers markets and fl ea markets.

“It was a great networking opportu-nity for people like me,” Vargas-Mund-ey said.

“It turned out to be fabulously suc-cessful,” agreed Sydney Smith-Mar-lowe, general manager at 8 Chains North. “Th ere was a nice synergy. … Th ere was a constant fl ow.”

And while there aren’t any more pop ups on the calendar for the time being, there will certainly be opportunities to showcase local businesses in the near future, Smith-Marlowe said.

Meanwhile at Lost Creek, the Hen-kles are running with the Tastemaker series, with plans for barbecue, olive oil, pie and other pairings later this year.

“Th ere’s a big sense of community,” Henkle said. “It’s important to show-case local businesses and help get the word out.”

Th e Tastemakers Series at the Vine-yards and Winery at Lost Creek takes place Saturdays April 18, May 21, and June 18 from 7 to 9 p.m. Cost is $25 per person and advance reservations are required. For more information, visit lostcreekwinery.com.

To check out upcoming events at 8 Chains North, visit 8chainsnorth.com.

[email protected]

Perfect matches<< FROM 28 Donald Phau

Donald Phau of Leesburg passed away on March 16, 2016 due to complications from Multi-ple Sclerosis. He was 66 years old.

Born in New York in 1950, he was the son of Benjamin Phau, and Frances Phau and graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. A stu-dent and scholar of American and European history, Don published studies of Lafayette and Beetho-ven and their fi ght to spread the ideals of the American revolution, and on Benjamin Franklin’s role in organizing the dramatic indus-trial growth and scientifi c progress which followed the revolution. He wrote a major critique of Th om-as Jeff erson which showed how the Virginian connived with the British and southern slaveholders

and free-traders against Alexan-der Hamilton’s program for high wage modern industry. Donald Phau was a long-time member of the political movement associated with Lyndon LaRouche.

He is survived by Deborah Son-nenblick, his closest friend and partner for the past ten years and by his two sons, Peter and Paul Phau, and by his niece C. Alexis Freeman.

April 7 – 13, 2016

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Crossword

Contact: [email protected] or (703) 770-9723

Yard Sale

NLew

ifePraise & Deliverance Church

“Come & Experience Pentacost with the Annointing of the

Holy Spirit”

A Church Alive is Worth the Drive!

Sunday School - 10:00 amSunday Worship Service - 11:30 am

Prayer Tues. 7:30 pm / Bible Study Wed. 7:30 pmwww.be-blessed.org

*Bishop Michael Gilcreast(681) 252-3784

305 S. Charles St. Charles Town, WV 25414

House of WorshipLeesbug Sterling Family Practice

Is ExpandingOur s ix th locat ion located in the Medica l Professional Building at Stone Springs Hospital in Aldie, VA is scheduled to open this Summer. If you are compassionate, energetic and love working with a team, then we need YOU. FT positions are available for LPN’s and MA’s. Pediatric and or family practice preferred but willing to train the right candidate. We offer health, dental and vision insurance as well as direct deposit, 401K and many other benefits. FT positions are also available in our Broadlands location.

Please send your resumé to: [email protected] or

fax: (703) 726-0804 attention Lisa

Employment

Email: [email protected] to place your employment ad

C2 Operations offers Professional Roofing, Siding, Remodeling, & Specialty Services

throughout Loudoun Co. & Northern Virginia

Services Include:Roof Repairs • Roof Replacements • Siding

Gutters • Windows • DoorsSkylights & Maintenance

We perform the job you need, when you need it, and at the

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703.651.6677

To Include Your House of WorshipEmail: [email protected]: (703) 770-9723

Raspberry Falls (Raspberry Drive & Route 15, across from White’s Ferry).

COMMUNITY YARD SALESaturday, April 16 from 8am to 1pm.

Baby gear, equestrian supplies, fitness machines, antiques and more!

Delivered in mailboxes & newstands in Loudoun County

LoudounNow

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Business Card DirectoryBOB CAT

30 YEARS EXPERIENCE• DRIVEWAYS • EXPOSED AGGREGATE

• PATIOS • FOOTINGS • SLABS• STAMPED CONCRETE • SIDEWALKS

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Let us heLp you carry your Load!

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landscapeHGB

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Licensed & Insured Contractor who performs “Handyman Services, Rental & Re-sale Turnovers“

Taking orders for spring deck projects*We Accept ALL Major Cards*

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• Interior & Exterior Painting • Power Wash & Stain Decks • • Bathroom & Kitchen Remodeling • Finish Basements •

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• Exterior Rotten Wood Replacement •• Small or Large Jobs We Do It All •

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Since 1976 • Free EstimatesLicensed & Insured

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LANDSCAPEC.L.L.

CORUM’S LAWN & LANDSCAPING• Lawn Maintanence• Landscape & Hardscape• Tree Service• Drainage Solutions• Bobcat Services

James Corum(540) 347-3930 or (540) 905-0706www.corumslandscaping.com

Senior & Neighborhood Discounts

Baker’sPainting & Remodeling Serving Northern Virginia area for over 10 years.

BUILD DECKS & FENCESPOWERWASHING & STAINING

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Licensed & Insured Contractor who performs “Handyman Services, Rental & Re-sale Turnovers“

Taking orders for spring deck projects

*We Accept ALL Major Cards*

DECKS

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GARDENINGYOUR LUSH GARDEN

Professional, certified and experienced gardener.

Flower, Veggie, Butterfly, Native, Herb gardens, Ornamental Bushes, Design, Plant, Prune, Mulch, Maintain

10% discount by 04/15. Low hourly rates. Pkg. avail.

703-297-9821.www.yourlushgarden.com

LEE E. ABERNATHYMANAGING DIRECTOR & CEO

[email protected]

PROTECH COMPUTER SERVICESComputer Networking • Project Management

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Ashburn, VA 20147-5664 Office: (703) 729-5995 Fax: (703) 738-7011

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* Decks & Fences* Additions* Garages* Screened Porches* Finished Basements

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Finish Carpentry - Flagstone, Stone Walls, Paver PatiosGeneral Handyman Services - References Available

803 S Filbert Ct. Sterling, VA 20164

Loudoun Event Management

Benjamin Hall (571) 246-8409

[email protected]

Weddings • Catering • Corporate Events • Dinner Parties

April 7 – 13, 2016

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LAWN CARE

Stephany DeBerrycell: 571.258.7371stephany.deberry@exprealty.comwww.stephanysellsthedmv.com43723 Lees Mill Sq Leesburg, VA 20176Licensed in VA & MDProviding SUPERIOR service since 2006

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Business Card DirectoryTREE REMOVAL

ROOFINGC2 Operations offers Professional Roofing, Siding,

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Norman K. Styer Editor

[email protected]

Danielle Nadler Managing Editor

[email protected]

Margaret Morton Senior Writer

[email protected]

Renss Greene, [email protected]

Kara C. Rodriquez, [email protected]

Douglas Graham, [email protected]

Contributors

Ben Byrnes

Jan Mercker

Advertising Director

Susan Styer

[email protected]

Classified Manager

Lindsay Morgan

[email protected]

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LETTERS >> 38

Training FailureThe federal government’s commitment to protecting the

public’s safety came into question in a bizarre way last week. If you find plastic explosives under the hood of a public

school bus, you would hope taxpayers’ money wasn’t used to put it there.

Everyone’s been assured something like this won’t happen again. What we don’t know is whether something like this has happened before. If there wasn’t a reporter with a camera on the scene last week, we seriously doubt anyone would have ever heard about it.

Even while fessing up to the gaffe, government officials sought to put the error in an oddly positive light, placing an emphasis on the extreme unlikelihood of harm coming to anyone.

That’s a bit rosy. What if the explosives weren’t found by trustworthy workers in the county garage, but by someone with nefarious intentions? Or if the material simply fell out on the side of a road?

More fundamentally, the question is why does the Central Intelligence Agency, or any federal government department, needs to conduct its training in suburban schoolyards? Sure-ly, the agency has ample resources to test its performance in more controlled settings. Law enforcement training in emp-ty schools has its place, particularly where first responders from multiple agencies can practice working together to deal with a call they hope they never get.

That doesn’t seem to be the case in this instance. Instead, they were the cause of such a call. And it was not a drill.

[ L E T T E R S ]

Not WorkingEditor:

Reading Butch Porter’s March 31 column “Words Used to Mean Things,” I agree with Mr. Porter that not voting for candidate Trump should not in it-self make you “establishment.” How-ever, sometimes the water gets a little murky in that regard when drilling down as to why.

Like Mr. Porter, I like to think of myself as a conservative and have over the years aligned myself with such gov-ernment representatives in hopes of having these ideas promoted in policy. This did not happen. Once in the sys-tem, candidates lose all sense of who they represent; they become just part of the good ole boys club, the status quo “establishment.”

There has to be a realization that if we are ever going to get change of any sort, a candidate’s values, mannerisms, ability to debate and, yes, hairdo, have to be secondary to what now has to be the primary mission. That is of taking on the “establishment“ head first. For without that, we now know, there can be no real change.

Some of our greatest historical lead-ers were not such because they had fancy hairdos or, in fact, even nice peo-ple. They were great leaders because of their ability to recognize a problem, and had the tenacity to take it on head first, go alone if they have to, and just get it done. Winston Churchill surely comes to mind. This is what we need right now and I believe candidate Trump, even with all his flaws, is this.

One could argue that should Trump become president and have success in cracking the “establishment” strangle-hold, his changes could make things worse than what we have now. This is an unknown. The one thing that is known, is that what we have now is not working.

– Joe Korode, Hamilton

HOA DeductionEditor:

As a resident and member of the Brambleton HOA Covenants Com-mittee, I was happy to hear that Con-gresswoman Barbara Comstock has officially co-sponsored HR 4696, the Helping Our Middle-Income Earn-ers (HOME) Act.

If passed, this piece of legislation will allow homeowners living in Bramble-ton and HOAs throughout America who earn $115,000 or less in annual income to deduct up to $5,000 of their yearly HOA fees from their federal tax-es. As we all know, every cent counts when living in Northern Virginia and this simple and smart tax legislation will help many people right here in our own community of Brambleton.

I thank my friend and Supervisor Tony Buffington and Congresswoman Barbara Comstock for listening and responding to our HOA’s request for their leadership and support on this legislation.

– Pamela Keegan, Brambleton

A GiftEditor:

Congratulations to our new Loudoun County Board of Supervisors for its resistance to the invasion of T-shirted Loudoun County School officials and parents who storm the board chambers every year trying to intimidate good folks from even asking questions about various items in the school budget and coercing supervisors into approving the full budget submitted.

As a result of their negotiation skills, in concert with their commitment to control excess spending, our elderly, handicapped, and those who live pay check to pay check will now face a 1-cent increase in the tax rate this year while school officials will still receive a

CorrectionLast week’s article on school boundary changes incorrectly reported

The Lakes at Red Rock’s new school assignment, as well as the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at Evergreen Mill Elementary. The Lakes at Red Rock was re-assigned to Ball’s Bluff Elemen-tary. Under the new boundaries, 38 percent of Evergreen Mill’s students will qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

Loudoun Now regrets the errors.

April 7 – 13, 2016

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Leesburg, VA 20178

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Preserve and Build LegaciesBY ROGER VANCE

As much as we sometimes desire oth-erwise, change in our communities is inevitable. But what should not be in-evitable are outcomes that disregard or dishonor the past. It is often hard in the pressing present to consider and appre-ciate what has come before, to embrace the legacies built by others. Doing so, however, can enrich—and reinforce—the legacies we ourselves will leave be-hind.

As Loudoun County has grown and been transformed in the past two de-cades, protecting and preserving our heritage has frequently been ignored or lost in the shuffle. But more and more communities are recognizing their past as a solid foundation for innovation and for building the future.

Today, a long and direct line of com-munity centered education in rural western Loudoun is converging with an innovative approach to learning in the launch of the Hillsboro Charter Acad-emy, preserving a legacy that stretches back uninterrupted for 140 years, while promising to create a unique legacy of its own.

The Virginia 1869 Constitution em-bedded the right to vote for “every male citizen of the United States, twenty-one years old” into state law. The consti-tution also mandated reforms to local government and recognized education as being a governmental responsibili-ty, requiring the General Assembly to create a statewide system of free public schools.

With that, movements to create local public schools began, with one result being the opening of Hillsboro’s Locust Grove Academy in 1875. The school was situated on a locust tree-covered ex-panse at the foot of the north Short Hill on Charles Town Pike, just beyond the eastern 1802 boundary of Hillsboro. As with many of the homes and structures in Hillsboro, the local fieldstone from the nearby Short Hills was used in the original two-story structure.

The Hillsboro School played a signif-icant role in the evolution of public ed-ucation in the surrounding countryside and Loudoun County when it became consolidated in 1911 to serve children who had previously attended the Sa-lem and Edgegrove schools. As demand grew, so too did the building, with the addition of the school’s center and a western stone wing added in 1917. In re-sponse to the needs of a growing school population, a brick auditorium was add-

ed to the rear of the stone wings in 1929. Accounts recorded in Hillsboro: Memo-ries of a Mill Town, offer insights to the school and its greater role in the rural community: “Once a year the children would trudge up the hill and all the way through town to the Janney Mill, there to be weighed on the mill scales for the school records. Water came from the spring, and it was a special privilege to be the student chosen to carry it.”

By the middle of the 20th century, the Loudoun County School system was modernizing and consolidating, in-creasingly rendering the old-fashioned small schools throughout the district anachronistic. When the “new” Hills-boro Elementary School was complet-ed in 1966, it incorporated grades one through seven from the adjacent histor-ic structure. But with the new school’s opening, the historic school structure was imperiled. Used for storage, the building’s condition declined rapidly in the decade after it was closed, being susceptible to vandals and becoming an eyesore. In response to its slated demoli-tion in the mid-1970s, a group of citizens and former students gathered together, founding the Hillsboro Community As-sociation dedicated to saving the struc-ture. Hillsboro’s Old Stone School today still serves the community as Town Hall, community center and event venue. The small distinctive circular-shaped Mod-ern Movement school building, one of just a few in Northern Virginia, is today itself deemed a contributing structure to the Hillsboro Historic District and a part of the area’s legacy.

With population growth driving the building of new schools in the area, over the past decade, the small rural Hills-boro Elementary School was increas-ingly regarded as an inefficient relic and targeted for closure. And once again, the greater Hillsboro community band-ed together, taking the opportunity af-forded by the Loudoun County School Board to create a public charter school that will occupy the building.

Offering a science, technology, en-gineering, arts and math (STEAM) project-based curriculum, the Hills-boro Charter Academy will continue a long tradition of innovative, communi-ty-based and driven education in a rural setting when it opens in September. It is anticipated that the adjacent Old Stone School will once again serve students in some adjunct capacity.

The Hillsboro Charter Academy’s motto, “Cultivating a Love for Learn-ing,” borrows from its rural surround-ings and succinctly describes its mission to inspire to young minds. Let the legacy building begin.

Roger L. Vance is the mayor of

Hillsboro and former editor of American History magazine.

A VIEW FROM THE GAP

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LETTERS << 36

single year increase of $58 million.Red roses of respect and admira-

tion to our Board of Supervisors for its work on our tax rate. When this writer walked in the same shoes as our su-pervisors, we used to maintain a list of all big spending orators who claimed to have no problem with raising tax-es to achieve their goals and then we checked the list again to see how many orators still lived in our community af-ter the tax bills were mailed out.

However, our Board of Supervisors deserves to be the target of arrows of disappointment for the worst decision since my ancestors lived in tepees along Goose Creek. Th ey should hang their heads in shame and be made to stand in the corner of the board chambers for “donating” $150,000 of our tax dollars to the richest community in Loudoun County because community offi cials cancelled their annual fair based upon a weather forecast of a potential hur-ricane that never materialized. Local community offi cials claimed a “great loss of income” as a result of the can-cellation that they themselves made. Th e cancellation was not made by our Board of Supervisors. Regardless of where the funds are taken from to provide this “gift ,” the decision by our supervisors will, in most taxpayers’ minds, go down as one of the worst de-cisions of this century only topped by a previous board’s decision to make us a fi nancial partner of the mismanaged

Washington DC Metro system.Does this poor decision to donate

$150,000 of our tax dollars to the rich-est community in Loudoun County mean that if rain falls on the annual Leesburg fl ower show, the charity rac-es at Morven Park, or any fund-rais-ing events scheduled by our Loudoun County schools that Loudoun taxpay-ers will have to subsidize the loss for each?

Th is writer would bet his last patooty that Leesburg’s fl ower show draws more folks to Loudoun, spending more money, than attends the community fair receiving such a “gift .” Th is action certainly deserves arrows of disbelief rather than roses of admiration and respect.

As a captain on a volunteer fi re de-partment for 10 years and the dad of a paramedic/fi refi ghter daughter and a paramedic/fi refi ghter son-in-law, both of whom were severely injured with broken backs suff ered on their jobs and will spend the rest of their lives disabled and in intense daily pain, I challenge the offi cials of Loudoun County’s richest community to donate their $150,000 gift of taxpayers’ money to our fi re and rescue service where it can be used on behalf of all Loudoun residents and not a selected few.

– Lou Gros Louis, Lansdowne

[ L E T T E R S ]

April 7 – 13, 2016

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

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 fi le a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair

Housing Offi ce at (804) 367-9753.

[email protected] • www.fairhousing.vipnet.org

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punched Mattison in the head as he lay dying.

What factors triggered the violent deadly attack was the subject of debate during much of the hearing Monday and Tuesday.

Nguyen and Denise Mattison sep-arated in 2010 and divorced in 2011. Th e mediation resulted in an agree-ment that included terms of custody for their three children. Among the conditions was a clause that Denise Mattison said was designed to en-sure the children would not be left in the care of a specifi c family because of concerns Nguyen had about them. Th e family was not named in the doc-ument.

Later, Nguyen claimed the agree-ment forbad Denise Mattison from leaving their children with any third party. Aft er Denise met and married Corey Mattison in 2014, Nguyen’s en-forcement of that clause became ob-sessive.

On Jan. 15, 2015, the obsession turned fatal.

Nguyen showed up at the townhouse about 8 p.m. and asked to see the chil-dren. Th e oldest was at a school event and the younger two were sleeping. Nguyen off ered to pick their daughter up at school and bring her home, but Denise Mattison said she would do it.

Aft er Nguyen left , Denise and Co-

rey discussed whether to put the two children in the van before making a short trip to the school. Normally they would, to avoid a confrontation with her ex-husband. On that night Denise said Corey told her that they had to stop living in fear of Nguyen’s threats. He would watch the kids while she went to the school.

Nguyen also went to the school and escorted his daughter to the mom’s waiting van. He saw the van was emp-ty.

He turned and ran to the Mattison home, arriving at the front door sec-onds later, according to the testimony. With his pistol in hand, he banged on the door demanding entry.

Within seconds, their lives changed forever.

Taking the stand Monday, De-nise described Nguyen as manipu-lative and controlling, both during their marriage and aft er she found love and made a new life with Corey and his two children from a previous marriage. She and the children feared Nguyen’s temper.

“I thought that the ‘happily ever af-ter’ was about to begin,” Denise Mat-tison said about her relationship with Corey. At times, she said she puts blame on herself for his death.

“He lost his life because he chose to love us and that is the only thing he ever did wrong,” she said.

At the time of her husband’s death, neither knew she was pregnant. Th eir daughter, whom she named Corey, was born last summer.

A key defense witness during the sentencing hearing was Charles Ew-ing, a forensic psychologist from the University at Buff alo Law School. He was retained to determine whether Nguyen was insane at the time of the shooting. Ewing said he was not. He was, however, “psychotically obsessed” with the belief that, under the divorce agreement, his wife could not leave the children with anyone other than him.

Ewing agreed that Nguyen misinter-preted the document. “He was out of touch with reality,” he said.

Nguyen had been treated since his youth for Attention Defi cit Disorder, but Ewing said he should have been treated for bi-polar disorder and ex-treme depression, brought on by the failures in his marriage and in business and fears of losing his children.

On the day of the shooting, Ewing said, Nguyen “just snapped” when he realized Denise had left two of their children at home with Corey.Ewing concluded that Nguyen did not pose a threat to the community in general, but prosecutors questioned whether the one day he spent inter-viewing the defendant was adequate to reach that conclusion.

In the end, McCahill agreed with prosecutors that a life sentence was warranted in the case.

Th e judge described the incident as a lose-lose. A tragedy for Denise, for Corey’s mother and children, for Nguyen’s children, Nguyen and for so-ciety.

“When we have a citizen that is lost

in this fashion, society looks to the courts for justice,” he said.

Th e judge quoted a psychologist who treated Nguyen just hours be-fore the shooting who said she never would have thought he was a threat to himself or others. “So much for predictions,” McCahill said, referring to Ewing’s statment. “In the end, this is about holding you accountable and protecting the safety of the public.”

In addition to the life sentence on the murder charge, Nguyen will serve 10 years for burglary, fi ve years for destruction of property, fi ve years for malicious wounding, and three years for use of a fi rearm, to be served con-secutively.

Nguyen, dressed in red-and-white stripped scrubs with the words “Loudoun County Prisoner” on his back, gave a several minute statement before the judge read the sentencing. Between speaking, Nguyen sobbed loudly and hunched over, trying to catch his breath. “I place blame for this squarely at my feet,” he said.

He recounted the testimony from family members and friends who de-scribed Corey as kind, compassion-ate and generous. “If I wouldn’t have killed him I probably would have liked him,” Nguyen said. “I just want to say I’m sorry. … I’m sorry for everybody’s grief on both sides.”

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