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Roberts Sentenced for 2009 Lansdowne Murder
The leader of a horrific 2009 attack on a Loudoun couple as they took their morning walk has been sentenced to four life terms. The attack, more than seven years ago, killed William Bennett, while his wife, Cynthia, survived with serious injuries. Anthony Roberts, 26, pleaded guilty on Monday, June 20 after prosecutors agreed to
READ MOREReview Board Seeks Nominations for ‘Community Blue Ribbon Award’
The Loudoun County Joint Architectural Review Board (JARB) is seeking nominations for its 9th annual awards program, with help from the public for projects that exemplify the protection, preservation or enhancement of historic buildings, landscapes, properties or other resources in Loudoun. Nominations should focus on restoration work, educational workshops and displays, interpreted cultural landscapes, and
READ MORESupreme Court Vacates Bob McDonnell’s Convictions
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday unanimously reversed former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s 11 corruption convictions. Maureen McDonnel’s counsel, William A. Burck, said the former first lady of Virginia’s nine counts will also be tossed out. The high court vacated the unanimous finding of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which rejected McDonnell’s
READ MOREShe Wants You to Know: excerpted from Chair Phyllis J. Randall’s official Loudoun County bio
Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall serves on the Board’s Finance/Government Operations and Economic Development Committee, the Joint Board and School Board Committee, and the Transportation and Land Use Committee. She also serves as one of the Board’s representatives on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), the Northern Virginia Regional
READ MORELSCO Recruits 23 New Criminal Justice Academy Graduates
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office welcomed 23 recruits after the 134th session of the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy (NVCJTA). The newly enlisted deputies took the top academic and leadership positions as well as awards in firearms and driver training. Friday’s graduation ceremony saw the recognition of three standout officers: • Deputy Casey Alexander
READ MOREUPDATED: Former Congressman and Civil Rights Leader Arrested at Dulles
Walter E. Fauntroy, who served as Washington’s congressional delegate from 1971 to 1991, was arrested Monday morning at Dulles International Airport and is being held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Fauntroy, 83, was arrested by border patrol officials while he was clearing customs due to an outstanding warrant for failure to appear and
READ MORELoudoun Board Overrules AT&T Commission Permit on Short Hill
The notion of putting 160,000-square-foot telecommunications substation, or what some critics claimed was just a cover for a data center or top secret government facility, has been put to rest, at least for now. Despite AT&T withdrawing a commission permit to construct a 35-foot structure along the ridgeline of Short Hill Mountain, the Loudoun Board
READ MOREJury Recommends Life Plus 16 Years after Castillo Murder Conviction
The Loudoun County jury that convicted Braulio Castillo of first-degree murder on Monday has recommended that he be sentenced to life plus 16 years in prison. The jury deliberated for about three hours before returning its recommendation on Tuesday. Castillo was convicted of first-degree murder of his estranged wife, burglary and violating a protective order
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Former Loudoun Deputy Sentenced for Embezzlement
A federal judge on Friday sentenced Frank Pearson, 45, a former Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) deputy and narcotics officer from Winchester, VA, to three years in prison for embezzlement of LCSO funds. Evidence was presented that Pearson embezzled more than $229,000 from the agency’s asset forfeiture fund from 2010 to 2013, according to information
READ MORECoalition Urges BOS to Vote “No” on AT&T Request
The application by AT&T to build a 160,000 square foot facility on the ridge of Short Hill Mountain in northwestern Loudoun took another hit on June 20 when the Short Hill Committee of the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition issued a memorandum urging the county’s Board of Supervisors (BOS) to overrule a previous approval by the Planning Commission when it meets June 23. AT&T
READ MOREEnergy Management Saves Loudoun County Public Schools Big Bucks
Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) has updated the performance of it energy savings program for County schools and related facilities. Loudoun implemented the program in 1993, which so far has led to $70 million in cost avoidance over the 23-year period. John Lord, energy education specialist for LCPS, says energy savings for the 2015-2016 school
READ MOREInterfaith Vigil Held for Orlando Shooting
Three local religious organizations gathered Monday night at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Sterling to honor the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting last weekend. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation, All Dulles Area Muslim Society and the Interfaith Community of Loudoun County came together to offer prayers and a moment of silence for the victims. The
READ MORESearch for Man who Approached Young Girl in Lowes Island Area
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance to help identify a subject who approached a young girl on June 9 in the Lowes Island area of Sterling. The 8-year-old victim told the Sheriff’s Office she was walking to school in the area of Saulty Drive and Muddy Harbor Square around 7:25
READ MOREAT&T Withdraws Request to Build Facility on Short Hill
A contentious proposal to place an AT&T transmission utility substation along the ridgeline of Short Hill Mountain east of Neersville and north of Hillsboro appears to be over, for now at least, after the company withdrew its request Monday for a commission permit. AT&T submitted a commission permit application for the facility, which the Loudoun
READ MORERoute 50/Loudoun County Parkway Interchange Design to Get Review
The design of the interchange planned at Route 50 and Loudoun County Parkway will undergo new analysis out of concern that previous models of the project made assumptions about the completion of nearby projects that could lag. Supervisor Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) raised the issue earlier this month and won support from his colleagues. If nearby
READ MORESafety Classes for Prospective Babysitters
Loudoun residents ages 11 to 14 who are considering getting into the babysitting business might consider monthly Safe Sitter classes offered by INOVA Loudoun Hospital. For $70, the prospective entrepreneurs will participate in a curriculum created by a pediatrician that includes the following: Babysitting as a business Success on the job Childcare essentials Safety for
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Op Eds
Happy Birthday iPhone: The Good and the Bad 10 Years Later
The iPhone is 10 years old this week, and it’s truly amazing how it (and smartphones in general) has revolutionized the way we function as a society and in so many positive ways — having instant access to information, increasing ways to communicate in real time, having multiple applications in the palm of your hand
READ MOREAsk Dr. Mike: 9 Tips to Raising a Kid with Grit!
In the 1984 movie The Karate Kid, a teenage boy becomes disheartened when his karate teacher has him doing chores to exhaustion day after day. Instead of teaching the boy fighting techniques for his upcoming competition, the master instructs the boy to paint his house and fence, sand his floors, and wax his many old
READ MOREOpinion: During Immigration Ban Chaos, Perriello Earned My Vote
On Jan 28, 2017, I was on the ground at Dulles Airport, joining dozens of my immigration lawyer colleagues in providing legal assistance to passengers caught in the chaos of Trump’s first travel ban. The scene was chaos, and despite having a federal court order signed by a US District Court Judge in hand, US
READ MOREAsk Dr. Mike: “13 Reasons Why” Could Harm Vulnerable Teens
Lights, Camera…Suicide! Enter stage right, “13 Reasons Why” a new Netflix television series about a teenage girl (Hannah Baker) who commits suicide and then leaves behind seven double sided audio tapes for her friends and classmates to listen to. Each tape depicts the harmful events (e.g., sexual assault and rape) that occurred for Hannah that
READ MOREWe Think: The Swamp is Not Draining
April 24, 2017. Last week’s announcement by state Sen. Jennifer Wexton that she will oppose Rep. Barbara Comstock for Virginia’s 10th congressional district seat has put an even brighter spotlight on the second term incumbent and the performance of Congress as a whole. The seat was moved from “Lean R” to “Toss Up” by the Cook Political Index, and may
READ MOREDick Black on Syria: Reality Check or Suspension of Disbelief
Virginia state Sen. Richard L. “Dick” Black (R-13) has been both praised and vilified for his well-publicized support for Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad. Black elaborated on those views in an interview with the Tribune earlier this year covering his life experiences and influences. On April 9, Black offered the following commentary after Assad’s war planes were widely reported to have used lethal sarin
READ MORESupreme Court Rules the Bare Minimum is No Longer Enough for Special Needs Children
By John Whitbeck. All parents of school-age children face the difficult task of monitoring their progress through school. This critical parenting responsibility is somewhat easier for many of us in northern Virginia due to the high quality of our schools. But imagine if your child had a mental or physical disability that made learning more difficult. Thousands
READ MORERate of Spending and Residential Growth is Hard to Defend
The following letter was sent to members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on March 6. First, I want to thank Supervisor [Ralph] Buona for his leadership in not raising the salary for the Board two years ago. The vote was largely symbolic since the increase wouldn’t have even dusted the surface of the budget,
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