March events at the Manassas Museum include two new exhibits, free book talks and more.

From March 4 – April 17, the Manassas Museum presents "Impressions", the Osbourn High School art show.  Impressions features the paintings, mixed media works, sculpture, and drawings of Osbourn art students.  The exhibit offers students the opportunity to be guest curators, as they choose works to be displayed, create frames or mounts, and write descriptive labels for their works.

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For Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department, saving lives is just in a day’s work.  Sometimes those lives aren’t even human.  

While the engine crew from station 14 was retrieving dinner, they spotted a beautiful husky who was without his family.  “We saw him walking around the parking lot and we just walked up to him and he came right to us. He was very well behaved and friendly, so we knew he had a family,” said Firefighter Chris Weber.  Although wearing a collar and tag, the veterinarian listed was out of business. “We took him to Old Bridge Animal Hospital but he did not have a chip.” 

Animal control had been contacted, but Firefighter Weber put out a post to other department members in the hopes that the owner might be found.  Another member recognized the dog, whose family had posted his disappearance on Facebook.  Within the hour, dog and owners had been reunited.  “Kai” who is four years old had run off through an open gate in the back yard.

He had been gone for two hours and the family was thrilled to find him so quickly.  “Sometimes your best chance of finding help for a missing pet can be in your pocket on your smartphone,” said Valencia Lee, Kai’s owner.  To the OWL firefighters, Lee expressed gratitude. “Thank you for finding him and bringing him home! I don’t know what we would’ve done if no one had found him!”

Remember to chip and have current tags for your dog. If you find a lost pet, call Animal Control services at the Police non-emergency number at 703-792-6500.

The Painter’s Journey from June 21 to July 29.

The Painting Ladies – Nancy Brittle, Janie Mosby, Chris Smith and Kathleen Willingham explore life in rural communities. Their works in oil, water and photography depict a sense of place through landscape, still life and figurative art. They believe in working together with unique voices and variety of media as complements to one another.                    

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Paintings from the Manassas Art Guild are on exhibit in The Hall at City Hall through March 11, 2016. Prices range from mixed media, acrylics, watercolors and quilling. The Manassas Art Guild is an organization that was set up to promote participation and appreciation of the visual arts.

Artists participating in this exhibit include: Maureen Guillot, Herald Grandstaff, Laura Lavarnway, Janet Hansen Martinet, Stephanie McGhee, Ann Null, Connie Ryman, and Marti Whitehead.

Exhibits in The Hall rotate on a monthly basis and include different forms of visual art. Visiting The Hall is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and later evening meetings are held in the building. 

The Manassas Symphony, under the baton of Music Director James Villani celebrates the music of English composers with From the British Isles. The performance will be held in Merchant Hall of the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 7:30 pm. The concert includes music by Malcom Arnold and Frank Bridge, and it closes with Vaughan Williams’ rhapsodic Symphony No. 2 (A London Symphony).

The concert features MSO Principal Cellist Diana Chou who takes center stage for a performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto in e minor, Op. 85. Diana received her Bachelor of Music Education from Ithaca College and a Masters of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Houghton College. She is establishing a reputation in Northern Virginia as a dynamic performer, educator, and conductor.

During the school day, she teaches approximately 300 elementary students within the Fairfax County Public School system, and in the evenings maintains a private studio with students of all ages. She has coached various youth orchestras through the region, and is well known for her ability to engage students. During the summer Diana is the cello coach for Stallion Summer Strings camp at South County High School. She currently sits principal cello with the Manassas Symphony and Fairfax Chamber Players, and is the founding member of the Gemini Ensemble.

All seats for the Manassas Symphony Orchestra concerts in Merchant Hall of the Hylton Performing Arts Center (HPAC) are reserved and everyone needs a ticket.  Individual concert tickets are available at the Hylton Center Ticket Office open Tuesday-Saturday 10 am to 6 pm and Thursday 10 am to 8 pm and two hours before the performance begins.   Tickets may also be purchased through Tickets.com by calling 888-945-2468, or by visiting the HyltonCenter.org. Tickets are also available for sale at the Center for the Arts Box Office on George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus.  Individual concert tickets are priced as follows:

• Adults $20
• Senior Citizens 62+ $16
• Educators w/ID only at Ticket Office   $16
• Children/Students, Free – must obtain ticket at the Ticket Office

College Students must show ID to obtain free concert ticket.

Do you wonder what it would be like to be a police officer? How do they make the decisions they make? What does a detective do? How are they trained?

The Citizen Police Academy gives citizens an overview of the Prince William County Police Department. Graduates of the course will have a better understanding of the operation of the Department, and a greater awareness and appreciation of the challenges and decisions faced by Prince William County police officers each day.

The 10-week program meets Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., starting on April 5, 2016. Graduation will be on June 7, 2016. The program consists of classroom and hands-on instruction. Topics to be covered include virtually every aspect of police work, including Patrol Operations, Criminal Investigations, Tactical Operations, Crime Scene Management, Internal Affairs, and Special Operations. In addition, participants will be given the opportunity to ride a shift with a patrol officer and be familiarized with police equipment, including firearms.

There are a few slots still available for the upcoming session. To apply, simply complete the Citizen Police Academy Application Form, which is found on our website at www.pwcgov.org/police. From there, select “Volunteer Center,” then “Citizen Police Academy.”

Once the application is submitted, a background check is completed and letters are mailed to those who are selected approximately one month prior to the available session. Eligible applicants who do not get into the upcoming session in the spring will be placed on a waitlist for future sessions in order of receipt of their application.

For more information, please call the Criminal Justice Academy at 703-792-6599

The fifth week of the General Assembly Session brought some long days and nights as we rushed to complete work on bills before our mid-session deadline called “Crossover.”

First the Senate passed legislation to plug a hole in the Northern Virginia 2.1% regional gas tax that is used to fund transit.  This legislation was the top priority for Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford Counties.  It now goes on to an uncertain future in the House of Delegates, but without the legislation, localities will be under even more pressure to raise real estate taxes if we expect to maintain the same level of transit service. 

Eleven of my bills have passed the full Senate with two more still waiting for final passage.  One bill involved improving the fairness of protective order proceedings and another ensured that Virginians can enforce subpoenae in civil and criminal cases in Virginia due to a recent Supreme Court of Virginia opinion. 

My legislation to help close the Digital Divide moved through committee this week.  Today’s children learn digitally and digital literacy is a key job skill in a modern workforce.  However, low income families often cannot afford devices or broadband connections. 

After I learned Fairfax County was using electronic textbooks and failing to provide computers for low income families to use them at home, I introduced legislation to require any school using electronic textbooks to provide a digital device to every student.  The legislation was vetted and approved by the Joint Commission on Technology and Science but was tabled in the House.  Last week, the Senate Education, Health and Welfare Committee passed the bill on a 14-1 vote. 

The proliferation of companies providing background checks for people has led to an increase in dissemination of inaccurate information.  This severely limits Virginians’ opportunities, especially in employment and housing.   My legislation to create a Virginia-based cause of action to remedy these situations and hold companies accountable for putting out inaccurate information passed the Senate.  

Several of my law firm clients and lawyers in Northern Virginia have told me that some orthopedic practices are refusing to see individuals who have suffered injuries in vehicle collisions – even if they have insurance.   My bill to require insurance companies to contractually prohibit doctors from refusing patients based on how they were injured was continued to 2017 so we can convene meetings between insurance companies, doctors, and other stakeholders to mediate a resolution. 

If you have any feedback, please send me a note at [email protected].  It is an honor to serve as your state senator.

Anyone looking for an affordable place to live in Northern Virginia should plan to visit the 2016 Northern Virginia Housing Expo, hosted by Fairfax-based nonprofit AHOME Foundation in cooperation with the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA), Prince William, Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church, and the Town of Herndon.

Admission is free.

The area’s only regional housing expo showcases both homeownership and rental opportunities and resources throughout Northern Virginia. The event will be held from 10 am until 3 pm and will feature workshops, exhibits and free one-on-one credit counseling.

The sixth annual expo is designed to educate attendees about location options, being prepared for buying or renting, understanding and improving credit scores and improving their financial literacy and personal finance habits. Visit the event web site for the growing list of exhibitors and the schedule of the free workshops.

The expo, whose location rotates annually throughout Northern Virginia, is being held at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, Virginia, located at 15201 Neabsco Mills Road, between I-95 and Jefferson Davis Highway.

The event is produced by a collaborative effort of the aforementioned housing authorities along with representatives of the banking and mortgage industry, and is managed by Laura Nickle, president of Leesburg-based Communi-k, Inc. Past expos have been recognized with a prestigious award from the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) for “best government initiative.”

More information about the expo is available at www.NoVaHousingExpo.org; you can also follow the Northern Virginia Housing Expo on Facebook and Twitter to receive event updates.

The event is made possible by a variety of sponsorships, including funding from platinum sponsors Capital One, the Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development and the Virginia Housing Development Authority, as well as gold sponsor Northern Virginia Association of Realtors®, and silver sponsor George Mason Mortgage.

The Plant NoVA Natives Campaign presented Kim Hosen, Executive Director of the Prince William Conservation Alliance, with its first ever “Plant NoVA Natives Champion Award” in recognition of her work to preserve and improve environmental quality in the county.

Hosen and the PWCA have used plants native to the region to transform the landscape surrounding the Stone House Nature Center into the Merrimac Farm Conservation Landscape Garden.

Their work has created a diverse habitat for birds, butterflies, moths, turtles, amphibians, and more. Here creatures great and small can find nesting sites, food and water, and places to rest and hide among a wealth of Virginia’s native plants.

The garden serves as an example for residents who are interested in creating landscapes with plants that are adapted to the local ecosystem.

In addition to their work at Merrimac Farm, PWCA coordinated a number of volunteer organizations to plant natives at K9 Gunner Memorial Dog Park in Lake Ridge.

The PWCA also identifies and pursues conservation opportunities throughout the county. The Plant NoVA Natives Campaign is a local social marketing campaign created to educate the public about the importance of implementing native plants into our local landscapes.

Learn more at www.plantnovanatives.org