COMSTOCK FOR DELEGATE BLOG
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Comstock Connection
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October 7, 2010
Dear Friend,
It has been a busy Fall already with lots of civic, community, and charitable events. I wanted to update you on our activities and news and events. I would also invite you to share this newsletter with any friends or colleagues who might be interested.
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County-Wide String of Burglaries
Parts of Fairfax County, including McLean, Vienna, and Great Falls, are experiencing a string of burglaries and robberies that are thought to be linked to the same person or group. There are more than 80 related incidents. Our local police have made this their #1 priority.
Fairfax County police have a map that keeps you up to date on where the burglaries have occurred and ongoing information about the incidents: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/.
The Great Falls Citizens Association is hosting a Security Alert Meeting on October 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Grange. For more information about the burglaries, ways to protect your home and to report suspicious activity, click here.
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Jill's House Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Last week I was honored to join Pastor Lon and Brenda Solomon, their daughter Jill, Jill's House President, Denny Harris, special guest Ken Starr and other local officials and supporters of Jill's House at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Jill's House is a unique non-profit organization providing respite care for children with special needs. This wonderful new facility is a true blessing to our community that will address a major community need. The mission and commitment of all those involved with Jill's House is an inspiration! There are still many sponsoring opportunities available to help support Jill's House -- you can sponsor a child for a monthly visit, or you can sponsor a brick in the garden path, purchase a garden bench or even help with plants and trees for the facility. To learn more about Jill's House, volunteer, or donate, you can visit their website.
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Clemyjontri "Concert in the Park" Begins An Annual Tradition
The First Annual Clemyjontri "Concert in the Park" was held last month at the Clemyjontri Park in McLean with a special performance by the McLean Orchestra on Friday night, September 10 followed by a dinner. The theme for the evening was "A Musical Salute to Our Military" commemorating the ninth anniversary of the trerrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Adele Lebowitzz, who donated the land Clemyjontri Park is built on, was on hand for the special event in this special park. The proceeds received from this event will be used by the Friends of Clemyjontri Board to purchase the Liberty Swing, which was designed for children who are dependenton wheelchairs. Only seven such swings exist in the U.S. The Friends of Clemyjontri is committed to the mission of ensuring the care of Clemyjontri's playground, the first playground in Virginia where children with and without special needs can play side-by-side. Planning for next year's event is already underway. Julie Clemente, the President of Friends of Clemyjontri, has a great letter to the editor in The Connection this week, highlighting all those who contributed to this successful effort. The Connection also featured a story about the event last month. Donations for the Liberty Swing can still be made to "Friends of Clemyjontri" and sent to Ms. Juliann Clemente, 6908 Benjamin Street, McLean, VA 22101.
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Korean Central Presbyterian Church Dedication
On Sunday, October 3, I was honored to join the congregation of the Korean Central Presbyterian Church as they dedicated their new building and brought the community together in this celebration. It was a wonderful service attended by many throughout Fairfax County. The Church has a rich history in the community for over 35 years. To learn more about the Korean Central Presbyterian Church, please visit their website.
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
The Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation, focuses on breast cancer awareness in Virginia every day . . . every week, and every month, but they also bring us together in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to raise awareness even more. To learn more about the Foundation and their activities go to: http://www.vbcf.org/
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VDOT Audit Identifies $1.45 Billion Available
Recently, Governor McDonnell released the results of the independent financial and performance audit of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The audit, performed by Cherry, Bekaert and Holland, LLP, discovered $1 billion in funding that is available for transportation projects, but has not been utilized to date. An outside audit such as this had been pushed for by the House of Delegates for years, but stoped in the state Senate. Fortunately, the Governor went forward with it this year. Read more about the audit on the Governor'swebsite.
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MPA ArtFest Big Success
On October 3, the ArtFest hosted by McLean Project for the Arts once again was a huge success transforming McLean Central Park into "a lively landscape of mini art galleries showcasing and offering for sale the work of a diverse group of 40 juried artists."
Cheers to MPA and the musical entertainment provided by the McLean Symphony Woodwind Quintet, the McLean Orchestra Brass Quintet, - Scott Ramminger and the CrawStickers, Potomac School and the McLean Orchestra String Quartet.
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Sales Tax Holiday on Energy Star and WaterSense Projects October 8-11
Virginia's fourth Energy Star and WaterSense products sales tax holiday will begin this Friday, October 8th and continue through Monday, October 11th. During the holiday, consumers can purchase a variety of "Green" products qualified for energy savings by the federal government and not pay the 5% state and local sales tax. For more information on the Holiday, please click here.
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River Safety Day at Riverbend Park on October 9
Potomac River Safety Day will be held at Riverbend Park on Saturday, October 9th, 10am-4pm. There will be fire trucks, pumping devices showing how they pump water from the river, rescue boats and rescue equipment for the public to see.
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New Autism Center Partnership
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) recently announced the establishment of the Center of Excellence for Autism Spectrum Disorder. The center will serve as a focal point for research, professional development and technical assistance in implementing research-based effective practices and comprehensive services for students with autism. You can learn more about this partnership here.
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NVTC Panel On Impact Of DOD Proposed Contracting Cuts
On October 5, I was pleased to join local officials and businesses to discuss the impact of the proposed DOD contracting cuts on our national defense as well as our local businesses. This is a critical issue that all of our state and local officials have come together on. As the Governor and our Congressional Delegation have pointed out, there was no transparency in this process and no discussion with Virginia leaders, private contractors or JFCOM before these cuts were announced. And to date there has been no demonstration that the proposed changes will save money, much less be good for our national security. Governor McDonnell formed the Virginia Commission on Military and National Security Facilities, chaired by former Congressmen Tom Davis and Owen Pickett, to serve as an advisory panel on these important issues. I look forward to continuing to work with our entire state and congressional delegation, NVTC, and our local business community to monitor this situation. Read more about the Governor's Commission here.
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New Inova Hospital Service To Find Out Wait Times At Emergency Rooms
Inova recently launched a new service, allowing area residents to see the wait times for all of Inova's Northern Virginia emergency room locations. You can visit Inova's website or download the iPhone app to view the wait times.
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Congressional Debate in Great Falls on 10/12
The Great Falls Citizens Association is hosting a 10th District Candidates Night on October 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Grange. Congressman Wolf , Jeff Barnett and Bill Redpath will participate.
Deadline For Registering To Vote
Also, if you have not yet registered to vote, the deadline to vote in the November election this year is October 12. Visit the Virginia State Board of Elections website to download your registration form.
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Join Volunteer Fairfax for the 16th annual VolunteerFest on October 23. VolunteerFest is a Fairfax area day of community service. It is held in conjunction with National Make a Difference Day. Visitwww.VolunteerFairfax.org for more information.
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If you have other events, news, or issues of concern, always feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Barbara Comstock
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