By Susan Laume: Since the Diversion First program began three years ago in Fairfax County offering an alternative to jail for those experiencing a mental health crisis and facing a first arrest, detentions have dropped by nearly 20% in the Adult…
Virginia Senate passes ERA Resolution
By Karen Kirk: By a bipartisan vote, the Virginia Senate voted Tuesday to pass the Equal Rights Amendment Resolution by a 26-14 vote with 7 Republicans joining all 19 Senate Democrats. Now the resolution faces a more difficult road to…
Winter Arrives
Most schools were closed Monday after six to 12 inches of snow fell on Northern Virginia. Children enjoyed the day sledding, making snowmen and having snowball fights while grownups shoveled snow or took a walk in the woods. It was…
Complete results for House D-86 Dem. caucus show Samirah led field of four with 36%
Dr. Ibraheem Samirah, a Herndon-based dentist, won the Democratic Party caucus on Jan 12 for state House District 86 with 36% of the 2,047 votes cast. Coming in second was Kofi Annan, head of the Fairfax County NAACP, with 30%,…
Ibraheem Samirah wins caucus to represent Dems in Va House D-86 special election
Dr. Ibraheem Samirah, a dentist and Herndon resident, has won the Democratic party caucus to represent the party in the special election on Tuesday Feb 19 to fill a seat, state House District 86, left vacant when Jennifer Boysko was…
Vote is Sat. Jan 12 for Va. House D-86 Dem. candidate
Democratic voters in Virginia House District 86 will vote Saturday, Jan. 12, for a candidate to represent the party in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Jennifer Boysko, who recently was elevated to the state senate to…
Bulova’s final new year reception as chair draws large crowd
Over 1,000 Fairfax County employees and invited guests filled the Government Center auditorium on Tuesday, Jan. 8, for the New Year’s Reception hosted by Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova. The outgoing chair has presided over this privately funded event every…
Sierra Club awards Va. Del. Kathy Tran for promoting solar energy
By Susan Laume: The Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club presented Virginia Del. Kathy Tran (D-42) with their Energy Freedom Award on Sunday, Jan. 6, citing her sponsorship of two bills in last year’s legislative session supporting solar energy. Although…
Citizens line up to give local lawmakers their three minutes
By Susan Laume: The Fairfax County state legislative delegation held a public forum on January 5, listening to citizens’ concerns in advance of the start of the 2019 Session of the General Assembly on January 9. Nearly 100 individuals and groups…
Air Board to decide whether massive pipeline compressor can go into historic Black community
By Dr. Vivian Thomson: Is an African American community in rural Virginia the right place to put a massive compressor station for a natural gas pipeline? This is the question the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board will consider at their…
Resolutions: For me, myself and a better planet
Ed. Note: Are you making resolutions for the New Year? Tell us about them! newsletter@fairfaxdemocrats.org By Mala Rajamani: As I disentangle from the anticipations, the optimism and the ‘joie de vivre’ of the holiday season, and peer into the year…
Virginia leads the nation in student arrests – Dem. legislators seek solutions
Virginia refers more of its public school students, in percentage terms, to police than any other state. Now Northern Virginia state legislators want to address this troubling problem in the upcoming General Assembly session starting Jan. 9th in Richmond. Seven…
First Person: After knocking on the door, dialogue helped find common ground
By Brandon Thurner: “What are Abby’s views on energy, specifically nuclear power?” “We commute to work – what can Abby do to fix the traffic back-ups on I-95?” The young couple had recently relocated to central Virginia from deep-red Alabama…
Party time for Fairfax County Dems
By Karen Kirk: It was time for FCDC members to party on Saturday, to celebrate the holidays and the great victories of 2018, but it was clear that a new election was on the horizon. Chair Dan Lagana reminded everyone…