By Karen Kirk: School safety, diversity and challenges facing Fairfax County Schools were the top issues at a forum Saturday featuring at-large candidates for the Fairfax County School Board. The forum was held at Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls…
Category: Social Issues
Fairfax Supervisor candidates vow to end voluntary cooperation with ICE
By Diane Burkley Alejandro: After this year’s elections, Fairfax County may finally have a board of supervisors ready to stop voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has made our region a national leader in deportations. This…
Fairfax supervisor chair candidate top concerns: affordable housing, social equity
Affordable housing and social and racial equity are the most important issues facing Fairfax County, according to the Democratic candidates for chair of the county Board of Supervisors. The four candidates, who will face off in a primary on June…
Rep. Wexton receives award for her work to support women
U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (VA-10) received a Hope Award from Calvary Women’s Services Wednesday night for her work to end domestic violence and addiction at the organization’s 18th Annual Hope Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. The event honors leaders who uplift and…
Why I am not calling for the resignation of Northam or Fairfax
By Chap Petersen: One of the things I’ve learned from twenty plus years in elected office is that ordinary voters are smarter than politicians. This reality was never better illustrated than in the 2019 General Assembly session, when the Commonwealth…
Alicia Plerhoples wants to close the gap between the two Fairfax Counties
By Alicia Plerhoples: I often tell my daughters that they are not growing up like I grew up. As a child, I experienced housing instability and food insecurity, just as many hardworking Fairfax County families do today. I was 9…
No. Va. immigrant job bank honored for finding day labor for thousands
“One Community. One World.” This vision was more than just a slogan at the annual Centreville Immigration Forum dinner on April 13, showcasing the talent and cultural diversity of our region. A Parade of Flags ceremony representing some of the…
NAACP and GOP both protest Northam planned visit to Northern Va.
Gov. Ralph Northam (D) cancelled a campaign stop in Burke on Sunday in the face of protests organized by groups that normally have little in common — the Fairfax County NAACP and the Fairfax County Republican Committee. After the cancellation,…
“Two Virginia” split obstructs animal protection bills in legislature
By Susan Laume: A current investigation into allegations of cruel treatment at a Fairfax pet store highlights the importance of improving legal protection for animals. Nevertheless, about a dozen pro-animal bills failed to win approval in the state legislature in the…
Fairfax schools must stop honoring white supremacy
By Sean Perryman: In August of 2017, James Alex Fields, Jr. intentionally drove his Dodge Challenger into dozens of people, mowing them down and murdering Heather Heyer. In response to the day of violence surrounding the “Unite the Right” rally,…
Murder convict honored in Fairfax for jailhouse legal service
By Lainie Singerman: A convicted murderer turned legal scholar was honored in Fairfax on March 24 for his contributions to criminal justice reform, including helping to exonerate a fellow death row inmate. The Citizen Advocate of the Year award, from…
First Person: Want to know what matters most to Fairfax high school students? Let one tell you
By Trisha Rahman: As a student currently attending a Fairfax County Public high school, I am familiar with many of the issues high school students care about. Yes, we think about test scores, our football team stats, even Ariana Grande’s…
Social issues in forefront of Dem. prosecutor primary debate
By Susan Laume: As the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office handles thousands of civil and criminal cases every year, and touches many thousands of lives in northern Virginia, the social policies of the elected official running the office demand the…
Upcoming appearance in Fairfax City by national leader against death penalty
By Paul O’Shea: Following recent passage in the state Senate of a bill to ban the death penalty for criminal defendants with severe mental illness, northern Virginia welcomes a leading proponent of a national movement against the death penalty on…