Opinion

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered a decision that has major significance for Virginia and especially for Northern Virginia, in addition to their decision on redistricting.

Few realize that Virginia has a series of uranium lodes that run along the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The largest lode is in Pittsylvania County on the North Carolina border, but a major series of lodes are in Madison, Culpeper and Fauquier Counties at the headwaters of the Occoquan River. The Occoquan is a major source of drinking water for Fairfax and Prince William Counties.

By: D.J. Jordan

Father’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year, hands down!

Each May, for one week, the Nation recognizes the service and sacrifice of the country’s law enforcement officers. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation naming Peace Officer Memorial Day as May 15 and the week this day falls as “National Police Week”.

This year, we will celebrate our profession and remember our fallen brothers and sisters May 13-19. Thousands of law enforcement officers from the region, state, country, and even from across the world descend upon the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and to come together as family to support one another in mutual camaraderie. Although this week is often considered a somber time meant to reflect and remember those we have lost, we can also use this week to take time and thank those who have served and continue to serve their communities.

Because of housing overdevelopment, quality of life will suffer next school year for many of the students, parents, and teachers affected by the recent boundary changes for 16 elementary schools in the Woodbridge, Neabsco, and Occoquan districts.

Quality of life will continue to suffer for the thousands of other students and teachers packed into overcrowded classrooms and more than 200 trailers, countywide.

Predatory lending, imposing abusive terms and high interest rates on borrowers regardless of ability to pay, is a nagging problem in Virginia, the 36th Senate District and especially in the U.S. 1 Corridor. I will introduce legislation in January to end these abusive practices.

There are many kinds of high-interest or predatory loans. First, payday loans are loans that are secured against a consumer’s pay check. In 2009, the Virginia General Assembly enacted restrictions on payday loans which caused the practice to scale back to about six locations in and around the 36th District.

By Senator Scott Surovell As traffic congestion continues to plague us, I am intensifying my fight for more transportation resources in our area. Last week, I testified before the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) and made the case for more funds for several critically needed transportation projects: the I-95/Occoquan bottleneck, U.S. 1 widening and bus rapid […]