Thursday, April 25, 2013
Atmospheric changes making pollen 'more aggressive.' Doctors suggest seeing an allergist to develop a plan of action to battle seasonal allergies.
If you’re battling a runny nose, itchy eyes, a cough, wheezing and your car has a new greenish-yellow pollen paint job, you could be dealing with seasonal allergies. In Northern Virginia, maple, cedar/juniper, birch, alder and ash trees are in bloom and contributing most of the pollen flying around, according to Pollen.com. Allergist Dr. Talal Nsouli, a professor of Pediatrics and Allergy/Immunology at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and current White House allergy consultant, says there are three ways to battle seasonal allergies: avoid pollen and mold; take allergy medicine and, if that doesn’t work, opt for allergy shots. “We saw a significant increase in patients because we’ve had very mild winters,” said Nsouli who was …
Monday, March 18, 2013
Top news of the week from our Patch sites around Virginia and DC.
Patch has 31 community sites in Virginia and D.C. Here are some of the top stories from around the region over the past week. 19. More Than 200 Pack Serial Groper Meeting Thursday Night in Springfield: Approximately 250 Springfield residents packed a Fairfax County Police community meeting Thursday night to discuss their concerns about a series of assaults — likely 22 in all — by a man dubbed "the serial groper," that have occurred throughout the Springfield area since September. FCPD scheduled the meeting to update residents on the case and answer questions from concerned citizens. 18. Vice President Biden Visits Injured Officer's First Responders: Vice President Joe Biden visited the Alexandria Police Department last Friday, meeting with…
Friday, February 8, 2013
Virginia Senators Warner and Kaine speak in Reston and warn about sequestration's effects on the economy and national security.
If sequestration goes into effect in March, it will be "worse than you can imagine," Virginia Sen. Mark Warner (D) told a group of mostly government contractors a Reston breakfast event Friday organized by the Northern Virginia Technology Council. Warner, along with junior Sen. Tim Kaine (D), spoke about the short-term and long-term impact of the potential $1 trillion federal budget cuts happen March 1 if Congress doesn't reach a compromise. Half of that would affect the defense industry, which some estimates say could cost Virginia more than 207,000 jobs. Sequestration could have a large impact in Reston, where hundreds of firms depend on government contracting, and thousands of workers are employed by various agencies and companies that …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
What will it mean for the Northern Virginia economy in general and Reston in particular?
Sequestration — $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts to defense and civilian programs over the next decade — will likely happen, and it will mean thousands of layoffs, program eliminations and near-certain economic devastation for Northern Virginia, Virginia Congressmen Jim Moran (D-8th) and Gerry Connolly (D-11th) said on Saturday at a town hall meeting in Mount Vernon. "You need to be aware that this is probably going to happen," said Moran, who spoke at an annual meeting conducted by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland. "It's a democracy and things will ultimately play themselves out, but things are not going well right now (in Congress)." Congress averted the fiscal cliff crisis at the beginning of the year, and …
Monday, February 4, 2013
Temperatures will warm up into 40s by Wednesday.
The big chill in Northern Virginia continues through Tuesday night with highs in the 30s on Monday and Tuesday. Expect cloudy skies during the days and a possiblity for snow flurries Monday and Tuesday nights, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures will feel much colder Monday. Wind gusts up to 25 mph will continue through Monday afternoon. As a result of the wind, the National Weather Service has issued a Small Craft Advisory until 3 p.m. Monday that includes the Potomac River. This means that wind speeds of 18 to 33 knots are expected to produce hazardous wave conditions for small craft. Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels, should avoid boating in these conditions. Here are the daily …
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Facebook data shows most Northern Virginia users are rooting for the Baltimore Ravens, switching their allegiance (temporarily) from the Washington Redskins.
It's not a surprise that most Facebook users in Northern Virginia and D.C. started the football season solidly supporting the Washington Redskins—even though many people who live here came from someplace else. "While winning seems to matter, NFL teams have local followings that are probably heavily influenced by family ties and/or where a person grew up," according to Facebook, which recently compiled data on Facebook users who are fans of an NFL team on the social network. During the regular season, Redskins fans on Facebook are likely to be friends with fans of the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants—most of those are geographically close to the D.C. area, Facebook reports. But…
Friday, January 25, 2013
Forecasters say flakes may fall between 2 and 6 p.m.
Northern Virginia woke up to a blanket of snow Thursday and began preparing for the Round 2 forecasted for Friday. Weather forecasters say to expect more snow to start falling between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Friday. There is a 70 percent chance that Northern Virginia will get hit with snow, said Steve Goldstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He said it won’t be a lot, but will fall throughout Friday's rush hour. “We’re looking at another inch or maybe an inch and a half,” Goldstein said. The region was coated with about an inch of snow Thursday morning, delaying schools. Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman Joan Morris said crews were out as early as 4 a.m. on Friday to pretreat roads in advance of this latest …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Fairfax County is sending 120 officers to help with security at the 2013 presidential inauguration.
With hundreds of thousands of people flooding Washington for the 2013 Presidential Inauguration next week, law enforcement agencies from Northern Virginia are chipping in to help with security in the nation's capital. Gwendolyn Crump, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Department, said her agency is working collaboratively with other agencies to make sure the event will be safe and secure for those that travel to Washington to witness the events. Crump would not say how much the security effort for the inauguration would cost. “Our goal is to develop and implement, with the numerous participating agencies, a seamless security plan that will create a safe and secure environment for our protectees, other dignitaries, event participants …
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
It was a busy year!
The year 2012 is over, and as we look back, it truly was a remarkable period for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The presidential election, a hurricane, and so many other events kept us busy, and there was always reason to celebrate and find happiness. So, with thousands to choose from, here are my favorite photos of the year. It really was tough eliminating some from the group! Enjoy the pictures, and Happy New Year! - James Cullum, Local Editor, Patch
Friday, December 14, 2012
Check out these places where you can cut your own Christmas trees.
December is here, and that means it's Christmas tree season. Skip the fake tree and pick up an authentic pine tree from one of these cut-your-own farms or family fun Christmas tree outing spots. In Reston, there is a pop-up tree lot at National Realty. Joe's Trees Cox Farms Hank’s Christmas Trees at Hartland Farm Krop’s Crops Ticonderoga Farms Snickers Gap Tree Farm Do you know of any other spots to get a tree? Tell us in the comments.
Ronald Sarson
12:28 am on Monday, February 11, 2013
The only real answer to solving our budget and deficit problems is by stopping all pay and benefits for Congress until they solve it. They got us into this mess. It's up to them to get us out of it. more ›