1. society
2. welfare
3. healthcare
4. hospital

Vol. 14 No. 15
Serving Mount Vernon, Lee, and Alexandria
April 15, 2015 50 Cents
County’s Homeless Population Dips
By STEVE HUNT
Staff Writer
The good news — the number of
homeless individuals and families
has steadily decreased from 2008
to the present.
The bad news, on the night of
January 28, 2015 there were 1, 204
people who were literally homeless in the Fairfax-Falls Church
community, according to figures
recently released by the county.
According to a report earlier this
year by Voice writer Mary Paden,
between 50 and 60 those homeless people live along the Route 1
corridor between Huntington and
the South County Center.
The 2015 number represents an
almost 2 percent reduction — or 21
people — from the number counted
in January, 2014 with the county
Staff photo/Steve Hunt noting that “these results demonDemocratic candidate for Mount Vernon Supervisor Jack Dobbyn strate the continuing decline in
with his family, wife, Kathryn, daughters Victoria and Marie, and homelessness” in the county from a
son, Jackie, at his campaign kickoff Sunday afternoon.
a high of 1,835 in 2008.
The total decrease in the homeless population from 2008 to 2015
is 34 percent, with the county crediting adoption of housing first and
Dobbyn Kicks Off Campaign
for Mt. Vernon Supervisor
By STEVE HUNT
Staff Writer
Jack Dobbyn considers himself
among “the new generation” of
leaders of Fairfax County.
Sunday, Dobbyn, who is seeking
seeking the Democratic nomination for the Mount Vernon District
supervisor seat, didn’t kickoff his
campaign with a cocktail party —
but among his family, friends and
neighbors in a supporter’s front
yard.
Dobbyn, a long-time Mount
Vernon resident who has been involved in Democratic politics,
including serving as the co-chair
of the Mount Vernon Democratic
Committee, says the county residents are ready for younger leadership on the board of supervisors.
“It’s time to incorporate innovations to make the county more efficient,” he said.
During his campaign, Dobbyn
has also been advocating for more
openness in the Fairfax County
Police Department, particularly in
light of the recent Taser death of
Natasha McKenna and is calling
on the FCPD to release the video
of her death.
Speaking to supporters before
taking off on a canvass in the Forest Haven Drive area, Dobbyn said
he is grateful to have grown up in
such a wonderful area, but now he
is concerned that the Mount Vernon area of the county is not getting the resources and investment
it needs to continue to thrive.
“I don’t see our county investing
in our schools,” he said, compared
with a decade or more ago.
Dobbyn also noted that seven out
of 17 schools in the county which
are not fully accredited are located
within the Mount Vernon District.
“There are 23 schools in the Mount
Vernon District, which means over
30 percent of those schools are not
fully accredited,” he said. “The rate
is only 8.9 percent county-wide.
“There is something very wrong
with this picture, and a dire need for
See Dobbyn Page 11
Fairfax County
rapid rehousing models, heightened prevention efforts, and prioritizing housing for the longest
and most vulnerable homeless as
well as new housing options for
the chronically homeless.
The county goes on to note,
however, that the results would
have been even more substantial if additional housing options
were available and sequestration had not eliminated access
to Homeless Preference Housing
Choice Vouchers.
“The reduction in homelessness
will not continue at the same pace
in the future without significant
increases in the availability of affordable housing in general and
specifically affordable housing
designed for the formerly homeless,” the county stated.
The county also pointed out
See Homeless Page 10
State Funds Veterans Care Centers
At a press conference Tuesday in “No Virginian who fights for our earned,” McAuliffe said, adding
Richmond, Gov. Terry McAuliffe country should have to go with- that amendments to four pieces
announced a bipartisan compro- out the quality care they have
See Veterans Page 10
mise that will allow Virginia to
proceed with the design and construction of two new centers that
will offer quality health care to
veterans.
It’s a project that is near and dear
to the heart of state Sen. Toddy
Puller (D-44th) who has been
working on making the centers
a reality — one of which will be
located in Prince William County
and the other in Hampton Roads.
McAuliffe, who was joined by
Puller, state Sen. George Barker
(D-39th), House Majority Leaders Kirk Cox, and Secretary of
Veterans and Defense Affairs
Staff photo/Steve Hunt
John Harvey in making the anNadia Sadee wasn’t shy about getting out in the middle of
nouncement that the commonLittle Hunting Creek to remove plastic bags from the creek
wealth will set aside more than
bed using a stick during the Potomac River Watershed
$66 million in bond funds for the
Cleanup Saturday morning. More photos, page 8.
construction of the two centers.
Watershed
Cleanup
Pets of the Week
Carlton Was a Good Dog
Bobby is a male, tan and white
German Shepherd mix believed
to be about 1 year and 4 months
old. Bobby is a very energetic dog
who loves to play outdoors, but his
playing style can be a bit rough so
a single-dog would be best.
Bobby — D#A063764
Carlton’s shelter “mug shot”
Brownie is a male, brown and
white American Staffordshire
Terrier mix believed to be about
4 years old. Although he may be
four, he has as much energy as a
puppy and would need a couple
of hours of exercise every day to
keep up with his fitness plan.
Carlton Hunt
Adopted: March 24, 2012
Fairfax County Animal Shelter
(believed to be about 7 years old)
Brownie — ID#A063841
Died: April 7, 2015
(cancer)
Cheesecake is a female, white
Domestic Shorthair believed to
be about 2 years and 7 months
old. She is a very affectionate
kitty who will never turn down
a pet or a snuggle session and
is the queen of kitty kisses.
Owner Steve Hunt with Carlton
on adoption day.
Cheesecake — ID#A061585
Carlton shares a bed
with his best buddy,
(the late) Maxx Miller.
Paisley is a male, black and white
Domestic Shorthair believed to be
about 2 years and 8 months old.
Paisley is looking for a loving
home where he can run, play and
be a kitten who after living in a
foster home is all ready for his new
forever home.
Special thanks to Holly Gill, D.V.M.,
Jacqueline Stock, D.V.M., Ami Krasner,
D.V.M. and all the staff at the Hollin
Hall Animal Hospital for their loving
care of Carlton during the past three
years and especially in his final days.
Paisley — ID#A051604
The Hollin Hall Animal Hospital is proud to sponsor the
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s Pets of the Week.
For information on adopting this week’s pets go to
www.alexandriaanimals.org. (703) 746-4774
Carlton goes for a walk with his
“aunt” Marlene Miller outside the
Hollin Hall Animal Hospital.
www.hollinhallanimalhospital.com
2
April 15, 2015
Carlton crosses
Shenandoah Road on
one of his last walks.
ANNUAL GALA
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HOUSING & FAMILY SERVICES
SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2015
THE WESTIN ALEXANDRIA
400 COURTHOUSE SQUARE
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
AN ELEGANT EVENING
FEATURING COCKTAILS,
GOURMET DINNER, AUCTIONS,
DESSERT BUFFET AND DANCING
Courtesy photo
Hosting and speaking at Economic Outlook 2015 were Edythe Kelleher, executive director
SFDC; Virgil Frizzell, NVAR; Dr. Terry Clower, GMU Center for Regional Analysis; Dr. Gerald
Gordon, Fairfax County EDA; Michael Neibauer, Washington Business Journal; and Jane
Gandee, Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce.
Priorities Funding to Remain Tight
The regional Washington DC
economy will continue to perform at levels consistent with
2014 while the U.S. Gross Domestic Product will show small
decreases for 2015, was the message of Dr. Terry L. Clower, of
the George Mason University
Center for Regional Analysis at
the Economic Outlook forum on
April 9 hosted by Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce
and Southeast Fairfax Development Corp.
Clower was joined by Fairfax
County Executive Ed Long,
Virgil Frizzell of the Northern
Virginia Association of Realtors and Dr. Gerald Gordon, executive director of the Fairfax
County Economic Development
Authority, to discuss trends in
local government and economic
development.
Long said that the county’s economy was underperforming with
residential assessments growing
at half the rate as last year.
“In this economic environment
we face a difficult truth and hard
choices as we are not able to
fund all of our priorities,” Long
said.
Long said the county is projecting only moderate growth in revenues for the next several years
and a budget shortfall is now
projected for FY 2017.
Frizzell, chairman-elect of
the NVAR said that the county
is great place to live and buy a
home. He said that 1,075 homes
were sold in February, which
was only 1 percent lower than
2014, given the harsh winter that
should bode well for a strong
spring market.
Average home sales prices are
up four percent and median prices are up six percent compared
with 2014.
Gordon said that there is more
vacant office space in the county
than there is total office space in
Loudoun County and developers continue to build office space
knowing this is a strong location.
Gordon said that businesses moving out of old office into
new space is the prime reason
for the high vacancy rate. For
future office to be successful it
will be built around metro accessible locations, he commented.
More than 150 local business
people attended the fourth annual Economic Outlook at Belle
Haven Country Club. More information about the presentation
s can be found at SFDC.org or
MtVernon-LeeChamber.org
Hosting and speaking at Economic Outlook 2015 were
Edythe Kelleher, executive director SFDC; Virgil Frizzell,
NVAR; Dr. Terry Clower, GMU
Center for Regional Analysis;
Dr. Gerald Gordon, Fairfax
County EDA; Michael Neibauer,
Washington Business Journal;
and Jane Gandee, Mount Vernon
Lee Chamber of Commerce.
— Holly Dougherty
6:00 PM COCKTAILS AND SILENT AUCTION
7:30 PM DINNER
9:00 PM LIVE AUCTION
9:30 PM AFTER PARTY WITH
DESSERT BUFFET AND DANCING
FREE VALET PARKING • BLACK TIE OPTIONAL
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
AT GOODHOUSING.ORG OR BY PHONE AT 703-768-9404
THE MISSION OF GOOD SHEPHERD HOUSING (GSH) IS TO REDUCE
HOMELESSNESS, INCREASE COMMUNITY SUPPORT,
AND PROMOTE SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN ALEXANDRIA, VA.
LEARN MORE AT GOODHOUSING.ORG
Mount Vernon
Antique Center
Washington Area’s
Oldest Antique Mall
Custom Framing Available
Antiques, Furniture
Collectibles
Mon., Wed.–Sat. 11 am–7pm
Sun. 12 pm– 5 pm
(CLOSED TUESDAYS)
8101 Richmond Hwy.
Alexandria
703-619-5100
www.mtvantiques.com
info@mtvantiques.com
April 15, 2015
3
CRIME LOG
COMMUNITY
NOTES
Senior Center Dance
April 17
The Hollin Hall Senior Center will host its regular “Third
Friday with the Mount Vernon Swing Band” community
dance on April 17 from 7:30
p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the center
located at 1500 Shenandoah
Road.
The cost is $4 at the door and
is open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.
Police To Discuss
Elder Abuse April 22
Fairfax County police MPO
Robert Urps, crime prevention
officer at the Mount Vernon
District Station, will discuss
“Elder Abuse” on Wednesday,
April 22, at the Hollin Hall Senior Center, 1500 Shenandoah
Road, at 10 a.m.
The program is free and open
to the community. Call 703765-4573 for reservations.
Ad
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4
April 15, 2015
The following incidents were re- The suspects were described as
ported by the Mount Vernon Dis- black males, 18-21.
trict Station of the Fairfax County
Police Department for the period LARCENIES
April 7 – 13.
*5800 block of Cameron Run
ROBBERIES
Terrace, cash from residence.
*5800 block of Monticello Road,
*Russell Road 8200 block — jewelry from residence.
April 6, 7:48 p.m. A man entered *6600 block of Richmond Higha restaurant, took merchandise way, merchandise from business.
and fled without payment. An *2700 block of Beacon Hill
employee confronted the suspect Road, phone from residence.
outside the restaurant. The sus- *7100 block of Coventry Road,
pect assaulted the employee and wallet from vehicle.
took property from him. The vic- *2600 block of East Side Drive,
tim did not require rescue. The phone from school.
suspect was described as Hispan- *Harrison Lane/Robert E. Lee
ic, 18-25, about 5 feet 5 inches Place, phone from business.
tall and 150-160 pounds.
*2300 block of Huntington Avenue, beverage from business.
*Sacramento Drive 8600 block *7400 block of Mount Vernon
— April 5, 12:35 a.m. The vic- Square Center, beverage from
tim was walking when three business.
men approached him. One sus- *6100 block of North Kings
pect displayed a handgun and the Highway, phone from residence.
other suspects assaulted and took *6200 block of North Kings
property from the victim. The Highway, merchandise from busifirst suspect then fired a single ness.
gunshot into the air. All three sus- *2500 block of Parkers Lane,
pects then fled on foot. The victim cash from vehicle.
was transported to a local hospital *5800 block of Richmond Highwith non-life threatening injuries. way, property from business.
Get the
MOUNT VERNON
VOICE
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Send your check for $25 to:
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community on your home computer.
*6300 block of Richmond Highway, clothing from business.
*6300 block of Richmond Highway, merchandise from business.
*7900 block of Richmond Highway, phone from business.
*2600 block of Arlington Drive,
property from residence.
*8400 block of Byers Drive,
phone from business.
*3300 block of Groveton Street,
property from residence.
*7900 block of Janna Lee Avenue, property from residence.
*2500 block of Parkers Lane,
property from vehicle.
*6200 block of Richmond Highway, merchandise from business.
**5800 block of Cameron Run
Terrace, property from residence.
*2300 block of Huntington Avenue, beverage from business.
*3300 block of Memorial Street,
property from residence.
*6000 block of Richmond Highway, property from residence.
*6300 block of Richmond Highway, merchandise from business.
*3100 block of Sherwood Hall
Lane, cash from business.
*8100 block of TIS Well Drive,
license plate from vehicle.
*2900 block of Arlington Drive,
bag from vehicle
*2400 block of Fairhaven Avenue, snacks from business
*8400 block of Frye Road, beer
from business
April 12. An employee reported
someone entered the business and
took property. LARCENIES
*5400 block of Edsall Ridge
Place, tools from vehicle.
*5700 block of General Washington Drive, tools from business.
*7000 block of Bethnal Court,
merchandise from business.
*7000 block of Braddock Road,
purse from school.
*6200 block of Farrington Avenue, property from vehicle.
*7900 block of Hill Park Court,
license plates from vehicle.
*6800 block of Bland Street,
merchandise from business.
*9600 block of Thomas Baxter
Place, phone from residence.
*8900 block of Belvoir View
Place, merchandise from business.
*6600 block of Springfield Mall,
electronic equipment and jewelry
from vehicle.
*5700 block of Kingstowne
Boulevard, merchandise from
business
*5800 block of Kingstowne
Boulevard, merchandise from
business
*7000 block of Little River Turnpike, cell phone from library
*7600 block of Oakridge Woods
Court, laptop computer from residence
The following incidents were reported by the Franconia District STOLEN VEHICLES
Station of the FCPD.
*7000 block of Leesville BouleBURGLARY
vard, Ford pick-up truck.
*8400 block of Terminal Road,
*Electronic Drive 6600 block — Mazda Tribute.
Resident Warns of Phone
Scam in Mount Vernon
Frank Cohn is no spring chicken...and he’s no dummy either.
Last week, Cohn received a call
from a 703 area code that there
was a warrant out for his arrest.
The Mount Vernon Transportation Commissioner and former
Mount Vernon Citizens Association Citizen of the Year was well
aware of the scams perpetrated
on gullible, trusting people -particularly senior citizens.
“I knew it was a phony,” Cohn
said.
He also knew that there is nothing really the police can do about
fraudulent callers such as that,
but he called Fairfax County
police anyway to let them know
what had happened.
Despite the caller ID having
a 703 area code, the call likely
came from overseas, he was
told.
Cohn just wanted to let his
neighbors know that real people
do get such fraudulent calls and
help ensure they don’t fall for the
scam -- like an acquaintance of
his did recently and was out to
the tune of more than $1,000.
— Steve Hunt
What We Think
Do you think everyone should get out in the
Spring to clean up the local creeks?
Publishers:
Marlene Miller,
Steve Hunt
Elizabeth Atagi
Waynewood
“Yes, because we are slowly
destroying this planet and we need
to reverse what we have destroyed.”
Monroe Martin
Gum Springs
“That’s a no brainer: of course it
is a good thing to do. I had snacks
at my house for the clean-up crew
for Gum Springs.”
Editor:
Marlene Miller
Writer,
Photographer:
Steve Hunt
7946 Fort Hunt Road,
Alexandria, VA 22308
Phone: (703) 360-0080
mountvernonvoice
@aol.com
mountvernonvoice.com
Elton “Saiso” Cansler
Kennedy Shelter
“Yes, I think people need to
come out here and clean up
the creek, and the streets
and the grass as well.”
Parker Hartzell
Ridgecrest Drive
“I definitely do. I was horrified at
how much trash there was in
the creek. We filled a lot of
bags with only five people.”
Kim Fairchild
Stratford Landing
“I absolutely think it is important.
This is where we live. It is our
community and we need to make
an investment in it because we all
live here.”
Contributors
Michael Castleberry
Mary Paden
Michael Herman
Riverdale Park, MD
“I come to the creek clean up every
year and it looks better this year,
probably because of past clean ups.
It is good to clean up the creeks,
but people can also help by putting
trash into trash receptacles in the
first place. Eighty present of what
we took out was plastic bags, food
packaging and plastic bottles.”
Nicholas Lindsey
Paginator
Jo Deckert
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5
County Plans to Transform Huge Gullies in Mount Vernon Park as Sediments Threaten Dyke Marsh
Photo courtesy Jennifer Smith
Water carrying a load of sediments from the gullies
moves downstream toward Dyke Marsh.
6
April 15, 2015
By MARY PADEN
Contributing Writer
After a heavy rain, water rushes down Quander Road into an
18- inch reinforced concrete
drainpipe that spews water into
Mount Vernon District Park, a
woods between Quander and
the Mt Vernon REC on Fort
Hunt Rd.
The water cascades down a
13-foot drop into a gully 100
feet across that joins other gullies and runs across the width
of the park.
Mature trees have fallen into
the gullies as soil erodes from
under their roots.
As the rainwater carves out
the gullies, it carries the soil
— up to 60 dump truck loads
of it in the past 10 years —
downstream to Dyke Marsh,
the area’s premier birding and
wildlife area, where it smothers
plants and aquatic life.
Over the past 10 years or so,
according to Charles Smith,
Project Manager with the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental
Services, Stormwater Planning
Division, “it is very possible
that 1,500 cubic yards of material, or about 60 dump truck
loads of sediment, has eroded
out of this gully.
Some filled in the stream below or settled out in Westgrove
Park and River Towers property, and some portion entered
Dyke Marsh.
The gully is much larger than
that amount, but we don’t know
what eroded out of it in the 55
years before the big shifts in the
last 10 years.”
What happened 10 years ago
is unclear.
“It was some sort of tipping
point which could have included intensive rain events
with trees coming down which
produced a cascading effect,”
Smith said.
The fault lies with the stormwater drainage design, which
has damaged both the park and
the marsh, and typical of those
installed in Mount Vernon District in the 1950s, when the goal
was to remove water from the
streets as quickly as possible.
As a result of this system,
Mount Vernon has the most
degraded streams in the county
— and the worst erosion problems, according to a recent
Photo/Mary Paden
Rainwater outfall from a drain pipe has cut a gully 13 feet deep and
100 feet wide in Mount Vernon Park.
county stream survey.
Modern drainage systems
move water more slowly to rivers, letting sediments settle out
along the way.
In July 2014, the Friends of
Dyke Marsh and the River
Towers Condominium Association co-convened a meeting of
the county stormwater office,
the code compliance office,
the Fairfax County Park Authority, and the National Park
Service to show pictures of the
sediment entering Dyke Marsh,
which is scheduled for a $27
million federal restoration.
The county responded with a
$1.2 million restoration plan
for Mount Vernon Park, which
was presented to both upstream
(Bucknell) and downstream
(River Towers) residents at a
meeting in mid-March.
The plan would build up the
bottom of the gullies, slope
their banks to a stable angle,
and install stone ruffles and
“plunge pools” to slow the water. Three trail crossings would
be built across the new runoff
streams and other trails in the
park improved.
About 33 trees would have to
be cut down, but the new banks
would be replanted with native
species and invasive species
would be removed. Plans can be
viewed at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/
projects/quander_road.htm
Smith gave a detailed and
enthusiastic presentation on
the proposed improvements,
noting the “wonderful flora”
in the park and saying he encountered a “healthy red fox,
” but no frogs or salamanders
in a survey of the 10 acres involved. Smith said invasive
species would be removed by
spraying with Roundup and the
area would be monitored for
three years. The new streambed
configuration is expected to last
60 to 100 years.
Some residents objected to
killing the invasive plants with
pesticides because the chemicals could wash into Dyke
Marsh. Smith said the application is safe if done in dry weather when it can be absorbed into
the plan leaves, but agreed to
discuss the issue further.
Several residents of Quander
Road and Swarthmore Drive,
whose houses back up to the
park and who walk its trails,
seemed pleased with the plan.
They said the ground had become unstable because of erosion and land and trees continued to fall into the gullies.
A 93-year-old tree in danger
of falling into the gully was recently removed by the county.
Friends of Dyke Marsh chair
Glenda Booth said “We support
this project and urge the county
to accelerate it.”
No start date is scheduled for the
project, which would take about
four months to complete and
could be done any time of year.
Advocates of the plan urged
residents to contact the board
of supervisors and Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland
during April while the budget is
being finalized encourage them
to give it priority because further erosion and damage will
occur until action is taken. As
the federal government plans
its multimillion dollar renovation of Dyke Marsh, poor
management of county land upstream continues to damage it.
Photo courtesy Charles Smith
The bank of a gully with a tape measure for scale.
Far left, Charles Smith,
Project Manager at the
Fairfax County Department
of Public Works and
Environmental Services,
Stormwater Planning
Division shows plans for
stabilizing the gullies in
Mount Vernon Park to
Bucknell Manor residents
Darrel Payne, Matthew
Weber and Lydia Fast.
Photo/Mary Paden
Left, Jennifer Smith, Board
member of River Towers
Condominiums, shows
pictures of sediment flowing
from the gullies in Mount
Vernon Park into the Dyke
Photo courtesy Glenda Booth Marsh Wildlife Preserve.
Photo/Mary Paden
Water is eroding soil from tree roots, causing
them to topple into the gully.
April 15, 2015
7
Cleaning Up
Little Hunting
Creek
in Janna Lee ...
Saturday marked the 27th Annual
Alice Ferguson Foundation’s
Potomac
River
Watershed
Cleanup and Del. Scott Surovell
(D-44th) 7th annual cleanup of
Little Hunting Creek. Surovell
with more than 80 volunteers
collecting more than 150 bags
of trash from three different
cleanup sites along the creek
— Janna Lee Avenue bridge,
Creekside Village and the Mount
Vernon Plaza Shopping Center
behind the Shoppers and U.S. A girl makes her way from under the bridge with a big bag of trash.
post office. During the past
seven years, Surovell’s cleanups
have removed more than 160
shopping carts, 300 bags of
trash, and more than 40 tires.
According to Surovell, the
cleanup netted around 8,500
Courtesy photo pounds of trash including a
Surovell emerges from the creek side with a bag filled with garbage. .22-caliber hunting rifle, five
shopping cars from Costco,
WalMart,
Shoppers
Food
Warehouse and Rite Aid, 16 tires,
three scooters, 40 sports balls, a
bounce house, a bathtub and a
mannequin torso.
The cleanup was done in
partnership with the Friends
of Little Hunting Creek which
organized the event, provided
supplies and logistics.
Staff photos/Steve Hunt
A small group of women worked together gathering trash.
A boy with his hands full carefully crosses the creek.
... and in Gum Springs
Across Richmond Highway in Gum Springs, residents organized by Bryan Birch and his wife, Ursula, collected trash from the area of the creek near Shaw Park Court.
Above, left, New Gum Springs Civic Association President Queenie Cox found broken window frame someone had discarded in the woods. Center, Birch, left, and
Paul Krizek, candidate for the 44th House of Delegates district, worked together removing trash from the middle of the creek.Above right, from left, Victoria Krizek, Nia
Campbell, Aanya Jhaveri and Khloe Krizek display the bags of trash they collected from alongside the creek.
8
April 15, 2015
ENTERTAINMENT
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Mirren Shines Brightly in ‘Woman in Gold’
MOUNT VERNON
VOICE
MOVIE TALK
The MOUNT VERNON
VOICE is the only
newspaper published on the
Richmond Highway corridor
to serve residents of both
the Mount Vernon and Lee districts.
By MICHAEL CASTLEBERRY
Contributing Writer
Movie fans probably couldn’t go
wrong if they automatically went to
every movie in which Helen Mirren has a part of any importance.
She snatched an Oscar for her
interpretation of England’s queen
and she continues to shine in everything she does on film, e.g, even
as the dowdy Alma Hitchcock in
Hitchcock. She’s just that good.
In Woman In Gold she shines
brightly as the tough-as-nails
eighty-ish Austrian-born woman
whose family amassed a fine art
collection before World War II,
which included the dazzling ‘Portrait Of Adele Block-Bauer’, her
aunt, by Gustav Klimt.
The portrait, with all that gold
leaf, is a dazzler but no less is
Dame Helen, undaunted in the face
of adversity, unbowed by authority, in short, a pretty dazzling lady
herself. She’s a knock-out!
The film, alas, is more like a Masterpiece Theater production, e.g.
really fine actors, fine production
qualities, but a rather staid, pedestrian format. But even within that
format you can’t hold Dame Helen
down: she just radiates an unflinching, unbowed determination to see
justice done. And crazy as it might
sound, you really believe that she
has a chance.
The story line is that the painting
was hijacked by the Nazi’s as they
took the best of the art of Jewish
collectors after the Anshluss and
continued to do so throughout Europe during the war (already covered in The Monuments Men a year
or so ago).
This is a much more personal story and it becomes two people: Mrs.
Altman, whose family owned the
painting, and her attorney, played
by Ryan Reynolds. She is wordly,
assured, confident, unbowed by
authority or adversity. He is young,
inexperienced, unworldly, naïve,
and they make quite a pair, a European-American mix of Harold
And Maude Go To Vienna. But is
it worth seeing?
You betcha!
The film is actually better than the
rather pedestrian script by a wellknown writer, Alexi Kaye Cambell,
and the notion that what happened
before has parallels to today is rather heavy-handedly made more than
once. But the glamour and beauty
of Vienna redeems some dodgy
moments in the plot and the force
of Dame Helen cannot be denied as
she takes on Austria as well as the
U.S. Supreme Court.
Mirren is mercurial in her charm,
distant and pedantic when she
wants to be, brisk and charming
when she choses, a woman who
does not take no for an answer and
who expects others to accept when
she utters the same word. You gotta
like that Mrs. Altman!
Could it have been deeper, less
superficial? Sure. But it would
have needed a different script and
definitely a different producerdirector. Simon Curtis is competent, as his
long history of television films and
productions attests, but his work is
not marked by creative approaches. There’s little character analysis,
little depth to the characterizations
of any but the main actors, there’s
too much to tell and too many showcases of Dame Helen’s pluck. Still,
it’s not a bad trade-off.
The cast is solid with Reynold,
whom Hollywood has never known
what to do with (The Proposal,
where he as a hapless assistant to
uber-boss Sandra Bullock), is solid
at the plucky lawyer trying to keep
up with his client. Look for the
producer-director’s wife, Elizabeth
McGovern, Countess of Grantham
on Downton Abby, as a judge, Katie Holmes in in there somewhere,
and even Charles Dance, gaining
new fame with the reprise of PBS’s
The Jewel In The Crown but immensely more famous as the late
Tywin Lannister in HBO’s Game
Of Thrones, has his moments. Especially noteworthy as Austrian
investigator Hubertus Czernin is
Daniel Bruhl, who spars really well
with Dame Helen.
Would you think one woman
could break a country’s hold on the
portrait after seventy years when
everyone in Austria considers it
their ‘Mona Lisa’? They’ll never
let it go, right??
Then you need to check it out! And
never bet against Dame Helen!
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30 Years
80 Countries
One Event
Cocktails & cuisine from every continent
Live entertainment & live auction
The Child & Family Network Centers’
th
Anniversary Spring Benefit
30
Friday, April 17, 2015 at 6:30 pm
At the historic Old Town estate Holland House
415 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA
tickets $250 per person
to purchase tickets or learn about sponsorship :
703.836.0214 | bshattuck@cfnc-online.org
benefit honorary chairs
The Honorable Don & Megan Beyer
Marvin & Margaret Bush | The Honorable Adam Ebbin
The Honorable John & Jeanne Warner
The Honorable Barbara Favola & Douglas Weik
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Mount Vernon Voice
P.O. Box 15572
Alexandria, VA 22309
April 15, 2015
9
More Than 1, 200 Residents Remain Homeless in County
Homeless from Page 1
that while the overall number of
the homeless declined during the
past year, “persons in families increased by 3 percent (20 people)
compared to 2014. Single homeless adults decreased by 8 percent
(42 people) compared to 2014.
In total, people in families accounted for 59 percent of all
homeless people counted, consisting of 213 families with 715
people, and 36 percent of all
people who were homeless were
children under the age of 18, a
small increase from the last three
years.
In addition, the county noted that
62 percent of adults in homeless
families were employed, and 78
percent of the adults in homeless
families are female.
Forty-one percent of all persons
in families were homeless due to
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10
April 15, 2015
domestic violence, although there
is an increase in the number of
units and beds designated to serve
this population as programs have
chosen to concentrate on serving
those affected by domestic violence.
Regarding single homeless
adults, they accounted for 41 percent, a total of 488 people,in the
count.
Of those, 55 percent, or 268, of
single homeless adults suffered
from serious mental illness and/
or substance abuse, the same percentage as last year, and many
had chronic health problems and/
or physical disabilities.
Compared with homeless families, 77 percent of single homeless individuals were male, an increase from 73 percent in 2014.
And one-fourth of them were
employed. Eight percent were re-
ported as veterans.
The point-in-time campaign,
conducted in coordination with
the entire metro DC region, is
consistent with guidelines from
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and
covers all people who are literally homeless whether they live
in shelters, in time-limited transitional housing problems, or unsheltered and living on the street.
Courtesy photo
State Sen. Toddy Puller (D-44th) spoke at a press conference Tuesday in Richmond announcing
that the state would be funding construction of two veterans centers in the Commonwealth,
including one in Prince William County. Behind her is Gov. Terry McAuliffe, right, is state Sen.
George Barker (D-39th), and John Harvey, Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs.
State Funds Veterans Centers
Veterans from Page 1
of legislation in the House and
Senate will free up funds “so that
we can get our brave men and
women the care they need now,
instead of waiting years for federal funding.
“Quality health care is an essential element of a productive
live, and in a new Virginia economy no veteran will go without
it,” he said.
Puller stated at the news conference that “These facilities
will provide essential care for
veterans who need it in order
to live healthy and productive
lives” and thanked McAuliffe
and her colleagues in the General Assembly who worked hard
to expedite these facilities.
Barker commented that “As the
home of one of the largest and
fastest-growing veteran populations in the nation, we have
a special responsibility to ensure that every man and woman
who serves can get access to the
quality and affordable care they
need.
“The governor’s leadership in
working with the General Assembly on this important issue
will make a real difference in the
livers of our veterans and their
families,”he said.
Puller also noted the concern
about the number of homeless
veterans and pointed out that the
centers, which are slated to open
in 2017-2018, will provide beds
for well over 100 veterans.
She also praised the Virginia
leadership for taking the lead on
the centers and not waiting for
federal funding to begin the creation of the centers.
Barker said both centers are
slated to open within a year of
each other, but that he and Puller will be lobbying to have the
Prince William County one open
first, if possible.
McAuliffe also pointed out that
expediting the funding of these
centers does not prevent Virginia
from receiving Veterans Administration grant funding in the future to recoup the cost of up to
65 percent for construction of
these facilities.
— Steve Hunt
Supervisor Kickoffs
CLASSIFIED
EMPLOYMENT
REMOVAL SERVICES
Experienced Officers
Needed
Free Hands Junk Removal
Steel, copper, metal
Ovens, washers and dryers
Free removal
Call for price on removal of
other items.
(202) 415-0965
(571) 572-1370
by Alexandria Security Patrol.
Armed and unarmed patrol.
DCJS 11-1027
Call 703-765-0407
Advertise
in the
Mount Vernon Voice
classifieds
Jack Dobbyn, center in white shirt, with a crowd of supporters at his campaign kickoff Sunday afternoon.
Deadline: Noon, the Friday before the
upcoming Wednesday issue.
$19/column inch.
Call today to place your order: 703-360-0080
Dobbyn Kicks Off Door-to-Door Campaign
Dobbyn from Page 1
school improvement in the Mount
Vernon District,” he added.
Dobbyn, who had just spoken the
week before at a Northern Virginia
Transportation Authority meeting
regarding funding for the widening
of Richmond Highway to six lanes
from Hybla Valley to Woodlawn,
expressed concern that the corridor
may be passed over again.
Dobbyn commented that if that is
not done now, it could affect other
improvements to the corridor in the
years to follow, such as the extension of the Metro Yellow Line from
Huntington to Hybla Valley.
Dobbyn then got the crowd of
A supporter signs up to canvass with assistance from
supporters fired up and ready to hit
Dobbyn’s campaign manager Michael Matthews.
the pavement.
“I’m going to win because I’m
knocking on doors,” Dobbyn said.
In addition to his involvement in
Democratic politics, Dobbyn notes
that he has fought for the Mount
Vernon community’s health and human services needs as Mount Vernon
Supervisor Gerry Hyland’s appointee to the county’s Human Services
Council as well as on the board and
co-chair of the supervisors’ and Fairfax County School Board’s joint
working committee, the Successful
Children and Youth Policy Team.
He also represents citizens on issues pertaining to land-use policy
as co-chair of the Land Use Committee of the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations.
Locally, his civic activities include serving as president of the
Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club, and
a youth league coach beginning
Staff photos/Steve Hunt
when he was 16 years old.
Dobbyn speaks with supporters before heading out to knock on doors.
Business Directory
2108 Shenandoah Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22308
n jodeckert@gmail.com n 703.768.2091
n
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graphic
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Jo Deckert
Graphic Arts Studio
Communication design
Specializing in print products
Merchants—Call me to learn about your discount for
design of MOUNT VERNON VOICE advertisements.
Steve Hunt
Digital Photography Services
Casual weddings, reunions, events,
Christmas cards, pets, and more.
Affordable prices to fit any budget.
Call 571-239-5960
Advertise
in the
Mount Vernon Voice
Business Directory
2 inches by 2 columns
(approximately a business card size) at a
very reasonable price.
Ad must run for 8 weeks for $320
($40 each printing).
Call today to place your order: 703-360-0080
April 15, 2015 11
A Beautiful Day to Kickoff
the Alexandria Potomac Little League Season
Photo courtesy Scott Surovell
Almost 400 players, coaches and parents attended APLL’s opening day ceremony at Bucknell Elementary, along with politicians
including Del. Scott Surovell (D-44th), to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the league’s 2015 season Saturday morning.
Pony Rides • Live Shows • Earth Day Exhibits • Games
Food Trucks • Climbing Wall • Plant Sale
Saturday, April 25 •10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Workhouse Arts Center
www.springfestfairfax.org
The Workhouse Arts Center is located at 9518 Workhouse Way in Lorton, Va.
For more information, call the Clean Fairfax Council at 703-324-5471.
12
April 15, 2015
For reasonable accommodations, call 703-324-5880, TTY 711.