
Ad Hoc Commission Recommendations: 88 Percent Implemented
Public Safety Committee hears from Recruitment, Diversity and Vetting subcommittee chair.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is well on its way to implementing all recommendations from the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission. At the Dec. 13 meeting of the board’s Public Safety Committee, they announced 88 percent of the commission recommendations have been implemented or are soon to be so.
Burke Home Sales: November, 2016
In November, 2016, 47 Burke homes sold between $799,000-$128,000.
Burke Home Sales: November, 2016

‘Infamy’: Springfield Resident Remembers Pearl Harbor
Survivor recalls Pearl Harbor attack on 75th anniversary.
“To do our duty was all that mattered. We responded to the challenge.”
Fairfax: Three Council Members Are Vying for Mayor
Politics
Three members of the Fairfax City Council have tossed their hats in the ring to become the City’s next mayor. Vying in the Feb. 7, 2017 special election will be Council members Michael DeMarco, David Meyer and Ellie Schmidt.

Fairfax: Festival of Lights and Carols
Holiday
The City of Fairfax’s annual Festival of Lights and Carols was Saturday, Dec. 3.

Quarterback Promotes ‘Phones Down. Touchdown.’ Initiative
Redskins’ quarterback urges region to put phones down while behind the wheel.
“If I get sacked in a game, I can get back up and move onto the next play — for the most part,” he said. “But when you text and drive, you might not get back up.”

Burke, Fairfax Station, Springfield: Great Dads Turns 20
Nonprofit celebrates two decades training fathers to be better parents.
“I remember leaving the conference and driving past the exit for my office,” Stafford said, “looking back and seeing my briefcase, thinking about all the things I needed to get done, or thought I did.” But Stafford passed the exit, drove home and surprised his wife. He announced the family would be going to the zoo, “a nice little daycation.”

Updated List of Shelters for the Homeless
Shelter Information
NVRC has updated the list of shelters for the homeless, drop in centers and winter shelters in the region: Visit http://www.novaregion.org/index.aspx?NID=174

Fairfax: Getting into Holiday Spirit with Encore
Musical extravaganza, ‘Christmas Undercover,’ takes the stage.
“It’s a really cute plot with a detective feel to it, plus Santa Claus,” said Director Raynor van der Merwe. “There’s a strong storyline that sets up beautiful vocal and dance numbers that further tell the story. It’s a very entertaining show for the whole family. For two hours, the youngest to the oldest will be transported to a different world.”

Celebrating Diversity in Burke
33rd Interfaith Thanksgiving service at Burke Presbyterian Church celebrates differences.
“You can lament about the hate in the country right now,” she said, “but there’s a great sense of readiness to act in a different way, that we’re capable of being different and being together.” Co-pastors at Burke Presbyterian Church Rev. Meg Peery McLaughlin and her husband Rev. Jarrett insist the interfaith Thanksgiving service held in their worship hall on Nov. 22 was not in response to any perceived disunity in the country following the Presidential election.

Fairfax: Robinson Square Root
Educational program part of FACETS plan to prevent homelessness.
“If you don’t do homework, you get bad grades,” Dowling asserted. The boys are receiving after school homework assistance at the Robinson Square community center, owned by Fairfax County and operated by Fairfax-based non-profit FACETS.

Fairfax Station: Donated Thanksgiving Food Baskets Ready for 525 Households
Five-hundred twenty-five households in southeastern Fairfax County were served a Thanksgiving food basket from Lorton Community Action Center, thanks to donations from the community and volunteers to organize the packing.

Completing Circle of Giving
Volunteers compile more than 7,500 pounds in donated food for Lorton Community Action Center and Britepaths.
“It helped save my son from the streets,” Jeter said. Rather than continuing to run with a dangerous crowd, he got involved with an LCAC job training program called Job Corps and later enlisted in the U.S. Army.

H-Mart Opens in Burke
On Nov. 9, Burke Village Center officially welcomed a new tenant, H-Mart, an international grocery store specializing in Asian food. "Having H-Mart here in Burke, further exposes our community to different cultures, food and traditions," said Del. Filler-Corn.

Sangster Hosts Veterans Day Assembly
Viewpoints: Burke Students on Meaning of Veterans Day
Of the 970 students and 665 families at Sangster, which serves parts of Burke, Fairfax Station and Springfield, Principal Lisa Reddel said 175 families are associated with the school’s Military Spouses Group that welcomes newcomers and supports new to the area military families getting settled.