Tuesday, May 21, 2013
You could win a family four-pack of tickets courtesy of Six Flags America.
Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the armed forces. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the United State following the Civil War and was made an official federal holiday in 1971. Many people commemorate Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials to pay tribute to those who served. At Patch, we encourage our readers to remember those serving our country this Memorial Day by sharing a memory of your favorite military service member or veteran. Enter Patch’s Memorial Day sweepstakes and you could win a Family Outing at Six Flags America in Mitchellville, MD, just 15 miles east of Washington D.C. The Family Outing is valued at $350 and includes: To enter, comment below with …
But a new poll suggests small business owners are worried about long term growth.
Virginia has been ranked the third-best state for starting a business, according to a new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Commonwealth came in behind only Maryland and Colorado among all states in supporting innovation and entreprenuership, as ranked by the chamber's Enterprising States report. Tell us: Are you confident local business can thrive? Are you spending? Virginia has the highest concentration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs in the nation, according to the report, and ranks second in STEM jobs growth. It also has the largest share of high-tech businesses, which helped it to the Top 3. The businesses include satellite services leader IntelSat, which plans to relocate to Tysons Corner …
$9,000 in scholarships were awarded to Herndon students.
The Council for the Arts of Herndon recently awarded $9,000 in scholarships to Herndon-area students. Patch blogger and Herndon Town Councilmember Grace Han Wolf blogged about the scholarship winners, who were awarded with their scholarships during the May 14 Herndon Town Council public session. The scholarships are awarded to Herndon-area students between the ages of 13 and 21 to continue their education in the visual or performing arts. Families of the applicants must be members of the Council for the Arts in good standing at the time of application. Community service in Herndon is heavily weighted in the decision-making of the Scholarship Committee. Want to blog on Patch? Visit herndon.patch.com/blog to get started. Email Community …
The state's policies and advocacy for cyclists earned it a high ranking from the League of American Bicyclists.
Virginia is one of the best states in the country to bike, according to new rankings from the League of American Bicyclists. But it still lags behind some other states in the Mid-Atlantic region. A combination of state policies and programs — including a state bicycle plan and a "Share the Road" campaign — and an active state bicycle advocacy group helped the state earn No. 16, behind places like Washington state, Colorado, Oregon and Massachusetts. Still, neighboring states fared better on the rankings list: Delaware was 5, Maryland was 11 and Pennsylvania was 15. The League created a list of 10 signs that show progress on bikeability for states, including more than 1 percent of the commuters using bikes, a measure of success Virginia …
Patch blogger Anne Samit writes about a new nighttime yoga practice and finding inspiration in those around you.
There's so much to learn from practicing yoga. This week's blog of the week, "Mentor," by Patch yoga blogger Anne Samit, discusses how trying a new practice can help form a kinship with fellow yogis. That kinship can inspire you to try a new move — and succeed. Samit writes:"One day, on my way out, I couldn’t help but exclaim to this young yogi about her practice. A few days later, on my way in, she returned the compliment. Here I was admiring her, but there she was admiring me! We started to chat and moved on to more important topics, like her handstands. I want those vinyasa handstands, away from the wall, and I asked her how it is that she’s not afraid to go upside down, right in the middle of the room. I’ll help you, she offered. I’ll …
Monday, May 20, 2013
Chesapeake pastor and attorney E.W. Jackson is the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia.
Pastor and attorney E.W. Jackson won the Republican nomination to run for lieutenant governor of Virginia over the weekend, and a YouTube video he made last year with strong words against Planned Parenthood is getting attention. Jackson, an African-American minister, lawyer and author from Chesapeake, posted the “message to black Christians” in September 2012, chiding African-Americans for their “slavish devotion” to the Democratic Party and saying that Planned Parenthood had been more lethal to black citizens than the Ku Klux Klan. "The Democrat Party has created an unholy alliance between certain so-called civil rights leaders and Planned Parenthood, which has killed unborn black babies by the tens of millions,” Jackson said in the video…
The Commonwealth's unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent in April 2013, the lowest since 2008. But uncertainty around sequestration could slow job growth in coming months.
Virginia’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.2 percent in April, the lowest it’s been in more than four years. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the rate is down from 5.3 percent in March and 5.9 percent in April 2012. It is the Commonwealth’s lowest since the 4.9 percent rate in November 2008. Virginia’s rate is well below the national average of 7.5 percent in April. But in Fairfax County, residents enjoy an even lower unemployment rate: In March, Fairfax County had a jobless rate of 3.7 percent, according to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). The FCEDA has helped bring more than 1,400 new jobs from 27 different companies to the county during the first quarter of 2013. Salient Federal Solutions, which provides …
See the bugs on your sidewalk? In your yard? Hanging from your dog's mouth? Post your pics!
Get that camera phone ready for something gross and (maybe) delicious. The first cicadas — and their empty, crunchy shells — have officially arrived in Virginia for the 2013 season. Some areas of Northern Virginia have yet to exerpience the “Cicadapocalypse," but Prince William County and southern Fairfax have seen some of the bugs. Share your cicada photos with us by clicking on the 'upload' button above! Known as the East Coast II brood, these cicadas will emerge between April and June, across North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and several other states up through Connecticut. The result? A 7 kHz buzz could fill the region as the cicadas try to attract mates. If they behave typically, the cicadas will be around for four to six weeks. …
The film is rated PG-13.
The review below ran last week. Now that you've had a chance to see the movie on your own, tell your neighbors: How'd you like Star Trek? Give us your own mini review in the comments section. -- Boy, this is going to be one short review. This movie has more spoilers than the 1967 Enterprise had Tribbles…and in the interest of full disclosure, this is written by the Cinema Siren who owns chairs from the Voyager show, can list the original episodes in order of appearance, has a T-shirt with a quote in Klingon, and a model of the Enterprise signed by all the original cast members. That is to say, fandom lives here. Any experience of watching the new release by director J. J. Abrams would naturally be filtered through a brain steeped in Star …
Have an extra million bucks — or more — to spare? If not, here are some pictures of some of the region's most expensive properties to help when you dream.
Maybe you don't need 10 bathrooms. Or even nine. Maybe you don't need a boat dock in your back yard. Or a fully equipped gym. Some people, though, apparently do. And if you're not looking for much more than a roof over your head — and even if you're not looking at all — we can all dream, can't we? Well, we can do more than that: We can take a peek inside some of the most expensive homes for sale in Virginia and D.C. Just click on the links below to see what's for sale in some of our 31 Patches around the region. WOW: $1.3 Million Home Features Hot Tub WOW: Home Features Skylights, Library WOW: Annandale $1.3 Million Home Features Wrap-Around Porch WOW: Own a Barn in Leesburg Lakefront Contemporary on Upper Lake Drive Wow' House: …
K Byers
6:51 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
As I have done on each of the last fourteen years, my mother and I will make our Sunday trek to Arlington Cemetery to see Rolling Thunder. I am thrilled to see the recognition that was never given to those who served this country during the Vietnam War. I was born in Ft. Hood, Texas. Elvis Presley was there when my father was a young 2nd Lieutenant. Two weeks later we moved to Alaska. Dad was a … more ›