News, analysis and community The Loudoun Tribune is the County's largest circulation newspaper and digital news source -- a free, non-subscription print edition that will be mailed to more than 116,000 homes each week, and a web site that is updated every day.
(19)
Eye-catching in print and organized by easy-to-follow sections, the Tribune strives to be different. Our editorial approach focuses on breaking news, behind-the-scenes stories, and thought-provoking opinions. We’re committed to the highest standards of fairness and integrity in our news coverage. We’ll follow the facts wherever they take us, and we’ll call things like we see them. We encourage community engagement via our Facebook post comments, however obscene, profane and vulgar language or personal attacks will be deleted. Repeat offenders of these community guidelines may be blocked.
Operating as usual
Cancer, COVID-19, and Christmas. In conjunction with St. Baldrick’s, I’ve written an article for Medium discussing our family and our situation. When you read it, please know I’m not a professional writer, I’m just a mom living through an impossible situation.
Merry Christmas!
Andrea
By Andrea Colasurdo
Give the gift of Hello Fresh meal service! Start delivery before January 2021!
A delicious deal!
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
The LCSO continued their annual Santa Ride on Friday to help make this holiday season bright for children at area hospitals.
The #Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Cole's Closet, a nonprofit organization, for the past several years to help collect donated toys to fill “closets” with toys for children while they are at the hospital during the holidays.
Through the kindness of Loudoun residents and businesses, the LCSO collected nearly 5,000 toys- our largest collection to date!
Do you need help with YOUR dog? Call Ridgeside K9, LLC!
🐕Need Help? Call/Text 703-586-8968🐕🦺 Serving all VA, MD, DC, and WVA.
Here comes the DC snow. Snow day rolling!
👉We are still taking Board and Train Clients👈 We are following ALL safety guidelines, staying isolated, training in large open areas away from everyone and maintaining distance during turn-overs, while sanitizing everything before and after⬅️⬅️⬅️‼.. We serve all Northern Virginia (Winchester to Arlington/ Alex City - South to Fredericksburg and beyond. We also cover all the DMV. Washington DC to the Eastern Shore! Call us today - we would be honored to bring the best out of your dog!
➡️Serving all Northern Virginia & the greater DMV⬅️
➡️📲Call or text / 703-586-8968📲⬅️
Have a special dog? We are a special place! House pets to working dogs to puppies, we train them all. How can the Ridgeside Team help you? Contact us today‼
🖥 www.RidgesideK9.com 🖥
📽 www.YouTube.com/RidgesideK9llc 📽
💻 [email protected] 💻
📲 703-586-8968 📲
🐕 All Breeds / All Issues 🐶
🏘 Multiple Locations/Trainers 🏘
👉 Serving NOVA, the DMV and Beyond 👈
👨✈️Veteran / Police owned👮🏼♂️
Check out our other locations: give them a 👍
www.RidgesideK9.com
Ridgeside K9, LLC
Ridgeside K9-Carolinas
Ridgeside K9-Ohio
Loudoun County Public Schools
Loudoun County Public Schools Closed Tomorrow, December 17
Loudoun County Public Schools and Administrative Offices are closed tomorrow, Thursday, December 17. All distance-learning classes for tomorrow are cancelled. There will be no food pick-up at LCPS schools tomorrow and food deliveries by bus have been cancelled. All activities on school campuses are cancelled tomorrow. The virtual Student Support and Services Committee Meeting will go on, as scheduled, at 5 p.m. Thursday. The Re-convening of the Recessed December 15, 2020, virtual School Board Meeting will go on, as scheduled, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
#LCSO is working a number of weather-related crashes in #Loudoun County. Residents are advised to only drive if necessary and to please #DriveSafe.
Be sure to monitor traffic and road conditions at www.511virginia.org and sheriff.loudoun.gov/traffic
You can also sign up to receive email and text Traffic Alerts through Alert Loudoun at sheriff.loudoun.gov/alertloudoun.
Below is the current (as of 11:25 a.m.) map of traffic-related incidents being worked by the LCSO deputies.
Great stocking stuffer from folks in Ashburn!
You NEED this adapter if you own a PHONE!
Loudoun County Public Schools
Loudoun County Public Schools and Administrative Offices will be closed tomorrow, December 16, 2020. All distance-learning classes for tomorrow are cancelled. There will be no food pick-up at LCPS schools tomorrow and food deliveries by bus have been cancelled.
All activities on school campuses are cancelled.
From our friend Eileen Whelan
Who’s ready for some wintry weather Wednesday?! ❄️
This is a tricky forecast with the rain/snow line impacting totals in your neighborhood, especially near the Beltway. Roads will definitely be impacted, so plan ahead & consider staying home, if that’s an option for you. 🏡 I see a fire in the fireplace & Christmas cookie baking in my future Wednesday! 🍪🎄
Read more: https://wjla.com/weather/stormwatch7-weather-blog/tracking-two-weather-makers-this-week-that-will-bring-rain-and-snow
Loudoun County Government
With COVID-19 cases rising throughout Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam has announced new, targeted measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The following mitigation measures will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, December 14, 2020:
• Modified Stay-at-Home Order: All individuals in Virginia must remain at their place of residence between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Exceptions include obtaining food and goods, traveling to and from work, and seeking medical attention.
• Universal mask requirement: All Virginians aged five and over are required to wear face coverings in indoor settings shared with others and when outdoors within six feet of another person. This order expands the current statewide mask mandate, which has been in place since May 29, and requires all individuals aged five and over to wear face coverings in indoor and outdoor public settings outside of their own household. These changes are consistent with new CDC guidelines (https://bit.ly/2Lm61Zb), released December 4, which recommend universal wearing of face coverings.
• Reduction in social gatherings: All social gatherings must be limited to 10 individuals, down from the current cap of 25 people. Social gatherings include, but are not limited to, parties, celebrations, or other social events, regardless of whether they occur indoors or outdoors. This does not apply to religious services, employment settings, or educational settings. Restaurants and retail stores are already governed by strict social distancing requirements, and are not included in this limit.
• Continued limits on dining establishments: Virginia restaurants are currently governed by strict social distancing and sanitization requirements, which remain in place. The on-site sale, consumption, and possession of alcohol remains prohibited after 10:00 p.m. in any restaurant, dining establishment, food court, brewery, microbrewery, distillery, winery, or tasting room. All restaurants, dining establishments, food courts, breweries, microbreweries, distilleries, wineries, and tasting rooms must close by midnight.
• Teleworking: Employees who can telework are strongly encouraged to do so.
The full text of Executive Order 72, which details these temporary restrictions, is online here: https://bit.ly/33YFHLm
Read the full text of the governor’s news release here: https://bit.ly/3qVsjS2
Loudoun County Public Schools
To All LCPS Families and Staff Members:
On Thursday, December 10, the Virginia Department of Health published data showing that both Loudoun County core indicators have exceeded the thresholds established by the School Board for returning to 100% distance learning. In addition, the Virginia Department of Health has retroactively updated metrics for earlier dates in December that indicate both metrics had exceeded their thresholds as of December 6.
Given this new information, and the expectation that metrics will stay above the thresholds for the foreseeable future, LCPS will revert to 100% distance learning for all students beginning Tuesday, December 15.
The Loudoun County School Board had determined that LCPS would return to 100% distance learning if both indicators exceed the established thresholds. In-person instruction would pause if Loudoun County stays above those thresholds for five consecutive business days.
The metrics, referred to as Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Core Indicators, are:
1. Total number of new cases per 100,000 persons within the last 14 days reaches more than 200; AND
2. Percentage of RT-PCR tests that are positive during the last 14 days reaches more than 10%.
The metrics are reported by the Virginia Department of Health (https://tinyurl.com/y2k3vt8r), and the VDH reporting is posted to the LCPS COVID Case Data webpage (https://tinyurl.com/yxbnj3am) each business day.
If one of these metrics drops below its action threshold on Friday, December 11, or Monday, December 14, the five-day counter would reset to zero and restart when both metrics again exceeded their thresholds. LCPS does not anticipate that happening before December 15.
We understand that this process is disruptive for families of students who have been participating in hybrid in-person learning this fall. The safety and well-being of all students, staff members, their families and the community continues to be our highest priority, and this decision is being made consistent with our commitment to achieving that objective.
LCPS will further discuss plans for using these metrics to determine when hybrid in-person learning could resume at the December 15, 2020, School Board meeting.
Thank you for your continued support as we adapt to the changing conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic in Loudoun County.
Sincerely,
Eric Williams, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
#Loudoun, beginning January 1, 2021 it will be a primary offense to hold a handheld personal communication device (e.g. cellphone) while driving a motor vehicle in the state of Virginia.
Penalties for violating this law include $125 for a first offense and $250 for a second offense. Breaking the law in a highway work zone is punishable by a mandatory $250 fine.
#PhoneDownLoudoun
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
UPDATE:
Two Sterling men are in custody in connection with the December 4 robbery of a 7-Eleven where one of the robbers pepper-sprayed an employee during the incident.
Marvin R. Garcia- Dominguez, 27, and Carlos A. Centeno-Torres, 29, were apprehended this weekend as part of an investigation in coordination with the Town of Herndon Police Department.
Garcia- Dominguez was charged with robbery and abduction. Centeno-Torres was charged with robbery, abduction, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Both suspects were also charged in connection with a similar robbery that occurred on December 2 in Herndon.
In Loudoun County, the two suspects entered the convenience store located in the 21900 block of Cascades Parkway around 1:10 a.m. on December 4 and walked around for a short period of time. One of the suspects then pushed the employee behind the counter and pepper-sprayed him. The suspect then forced the employee to open a cash register and remove cash. Both suspects then fled the store.
The incident was later reported to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office around 2 a.m. The victim declined medical treatment at the scene.
Both Garcia- Dominguez and Centeno-Torres remain held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
ORIGINAL RELEASE
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a reported robbery at a 7-Eleven in Sterling where the suspects pepper-sprayed an employee during the incident.
Two suspects entered the convenience store located in the 21900 block of Cascades Parkway around 1:10 a.m. on December 4 and walked around for a short period of time. One of the suspects then pushed the employee behind the counter and pepper-sprayed him. The suspect then forced the employee to open a cash register and remove cash. Both suspects then fled the store.
The incident was later reported to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office around 2 a.m. The victim declined medical treatment at the scene.
The first suspect was described as a white, possibly Hispanic male, 5’6”-5’8” tall, with a medium build. He was wearing a dark-colored jacket, green cargo pants, and light-colored sneakers. He was also wearing a dark beanie-style hat and was covering his face. The second suspect was described as a white, possibly Hispanic male, 5’6”-5’8” tall, and was wearing black pants, a black hoodie, red sneakers, and a medical face mask.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective T. Rodriguez with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021. You may also submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office app. The Loudoun Sheriff app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play.
Well done Purcellville!
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
UPDATE:
Two Sterling men are in custody in connection with the December 4 robbery of a 7-Eleven where one of the robbers pepper-sprayed an employee during the incident.
Marvin R. Garcia- Dominguez, 27, and Carlos A. Centeno-Torres, 29, were apprehended this weekend as part of an investigation in coordination with the Town of Herndon Police Department.
Garcia- Dominguez was charged with robbery and abduction. Centeno-Torres was charged with robbery, abduction, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Both suspects were also charged in connection with a similar robbery that occurred on December 2 in Herndon.
In Loudoun County, the two suspects entered the convenience store located in the 21900 block of Cascades Parkway around 1:10 a.m. on December 4 and walked around for a short period of time. One of the suspects then pushed the employee behind the counter and pepper-sprayed him. The suspect then forced the employee to open a cash register and remove cash. Both suspects then fled the store.
The incident was later reported to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office around 2 a.m. The victim declined medical treatment at the scene.
Both Garcia- Dominguez and Centeno-Torres remain held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
ORIGINAL RELEASE
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a reported robbery at a 7-Eleven in Sterling where the suspects pepper-sprayed an employee during the incident.
Two suspects entered the convenience store located in the 21900 block of Cascades Parkway around 1:10 a.m. on December 4 and walked around for a short period of time. One of the suspects then pushed the employee behind the counter and pepper-sprayed him. The suspect then forced the employee to open a cash register and remove cash. Both suspects then fled the store.
The incident was later reported to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office around 2 a.m. The victim declined medical treatment at the scene.
The first suspect was described as a white, possibly Hispanic male, 5’6”-5’8” tall, with a medium build. He was wearing a dark-colored jacket, green cargo pants, and light-colored sneakers. He was also wearing a dark beanie-style hat and was covering his face. The second suspect was described as a white, possibly Hispanic male, 5’6”-5’8” tall, and was wearing black pants, a black hoodie, red sneakers, and a medical face mask.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective T. Rodriguez with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021. You may also submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office app. The Loudoun Sheriff app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play.
RHOLC Foundation
Let's make 2020 our most successful year ever!! RHOLC Foundation is honored and proud to help support and collaborate once again with Sherriff Michael Chapman and the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office for our 3rd year RHOLC Toy Drive collecting toys for Cole's Closet. Help us bring happiness to the kids in the hospitals this holiday season.
Donations of new and unwrapped toys for children age infant to 17-years-old are being accepted now through December 14, 2020. The toys can be dropped off at any LCSO Station, Monday through Friday (excluding Holidays), from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. You can also make a donation directly to Cole’s Closet here: https://www.colescloset.org/programs Last year you helped us collect over 2,100 toys for our annual toy drive.
The drop-off locations are:
Eastern Loudoun Station
46620 East Frederick Drive, Sterling, VA
20164
Ashburn Station
20272 Savin Hill Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147
Dulles South Public Safety Center
25216 Loudoun County Parkway, Chantilly, VA 20152
Western Loudoun Station
47 W. Loudoun Street, Round Hill, VA 20141
LCSO Headquarters
803 Sycolin Road SE, Leesburg, VA 20175
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
Leesburg Police Department
REMINDER: On Friday 11/20/20, the Virginia Department of Transportation will be reducing the East Market Street (Route 7) speed limit in both directions between Cardinal Park Drive SE and River Creek Parkway SE from 55 mph to 45 mph as part of the Route 7 / Battlefield Parkway interchange project. #RoadSafety
More at: https://bit.ly/32U3z26
Town of Leesburg, Virginia
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
#ScamAlert
Don't Be Fooled by Jury Duty Scams!
Jury duty scams involve a caller claiming to be with law enforcement and threatening arrest if you don't pay fines for failing to report for jury duty.
The past few days multiple residents reported they were contacted by a caller claiming they were with the LCSO and there was a warrant for their arrest because they missed (federal) jury duty. In some cases, they used the name of a Lt. Mark Richardson and advised the victims to obtain gift cards to pay fines to avoid arrest.
Remember- under no circumstance would a law enforcement official in Virginia be permitted to collect fines of this nature.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Loudoun Tribune posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to The Loudoun Tribune:
You have that "star" chip in your windshield that you have not had repaired and now it's a big crack. You can't take time off work to go get it fixed. if only someone would come to you, right? Well.. there is!! Patriot Auto Glass comes to your home or office to repair or replace your windshield. Call them today!!
Need a pool table moved and set up or recovered? Cover Aww Pool Table Services is who to call!
Happy First day of Spring to you! Need to whip that whip into shape for spring with a nice hand wash, clay bar, paint protection coatings and films? Contact Mobile Detailing By Corsair and get on the schedule to make your car, truck or motorcycle shine!
These kids know what's up! They were. Flying at iFLY
Loudoun weather report
We support the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office #PinkPatchProject. The LCSO/LCSDA & the Pink Patch Project in the fight against #breastcancer! Have you picked up yours yet? Patches are $10 & can be purchased at the LCSO HQ at 803 Sycolin Rd.,SE Leesburg. You may also send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your cash payment to DFC A. Kowalski, Att: “Pink Patch Project”, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, P.O. Box 7200 Leesburg, VA 20177-7200. All proceeds at the end of the month will be donated to @LBHN - Loudoun Breast Health Network.
Crowd is growing!
Strange weather in Sterling. A microburst hit Sterling this afternoon and many caught it on camera and loaded pics up on social media. The National Weather Service describes a microburst as a localized column of sinking air (downdraft) within a thunderstorm and is usually less than or equal to 2.5 miles in diameter. Microbursts can cause extensive damage at the surface, and in some instances, can be life-threatening. There are two primary types of microbursts: 1) wet microbursts and 2) dry microbursts. Wet microbursts are accompanied by significant precipitation and are common in the Southeast during the summer months.
Proud to be a sponsor of the 2018 Jill's house ride. Donate at http://tiny.cc/LoudounTeam
Start checking your mailboxes today, Saturday and Tuesday! Remember those that died while serving.
Brooks Cycles Open house today, new location on Walney Road. 3pm to 6pm
Indoor skydiving in the heart of Loudoun! Soar into Spring! Tell them we sent you! Use promo code SPRING2018 - check out the iFLY full page ad on the back of the April 27th issue of the Loudoun Tribune.
Live from Motorcycles of Dulles -
Airshow begins at 1pm
Leesburg Executive Airport Airshow today!
Inside The Loudoun Tribune offices in Sterling, VA
Lucy, 11, jumps off the diving board at the Lovettsville Community Pool. There's one hour left of dog swim! Take your dog out to 57 E Broad Way in Lovettsville. All ages and breeds welcome! Follow the Tribune for more pet-related events this weekend.