McLean Morning Report

McLean Headlines: 5 Things About the Space Shuttle. Neighbor Running for Gov? Langley Lacrosse Steller Season

Wednesday April 18

Good Morning Neighbors, Space Shuttle's 30 Years. Lots of McLean neighbors saw the space shuttle Discovery as its flew over McLean twice Tuesday. Here are five things you probably didn't know about the spaceship. McLean Neighbor Running for Governor?  Hints at announcement after November elections. Langley Lacrosse Enjoys Stellar Season. Saxons beat Madison ending its 26-win streak. All our Newsletter subscribers received a bulletin about the Space Shuttle flying over McLean as it happened Tuesday. We'll always tell our subscribers about breaking news in McLean as it happens. Click here to become a subscriber. 

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McLean Week in Review

McLean's Headlines - April 9-13

McLean Week in Review

Catch up on McLean news you might have missed last week. Monday April 9 Volunteers Needed to Put 1940 Census Names Online. McLean Family History Center and National Archives looking for Census help. McLean Returns to Station Name. McLean proposed as name of first station on new Silver Line. Traffic Alert. Up to 30 minute overnight Beltway and Dulles Road closings. Lane Shifts on Route 7. Reader's Choice. Nominate your favorite McLean spa. Tuesday April 10 A Day of Remembrance. Parents, friends, relatives gather to remember a McLean student who died in March. Community Meetings on New Report Cards. Fairfax County Public Schools begin hearings tonight on new progress reports for elementary schools. What Happened to Governor's Pledge of Rail …

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McLean Little League Loses Longtime Benefactor

Wayne Whitlow dies

McLean Little League starts its season Saturday missing one of its biggest and longest supporters, Wayne M. Whitlow. Whitlow died March 13th at his home in Alton, Virginia of heart and lung failure.  He was 85 years old. Whitlow's family business, Wayne Insulation, has the distinction of being the only original and continuous McLean Little League sponsor since the league's inaugural season in 1956.  When the league started, Whitlow lived on Youngblood Street in McLean.  That is how the relationship began. Whitlow played baseball as a kid and all through high school. His daughter, Mary Whitlow said her father's feelings for baseball could be summed up in three simple words.  He "just loved it." "He loved to play ball and he wanted to give …

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Family, Friends Gather to Say Goodbye to Courtenay Nash

McLean student found dead in her Syracuse University dorm room

Heartbroken parents, relatives and friends gathered Monday to remember Courtenay Nash, 18, a McLean High School grad who was found dead in her Syracuse University residence hall two weeks ago. Relatives came from Australia and New Zealand.  Friends from McLean and from as far away as India and Israel. In all more than 100 made the pilgrimage to the McLean Community Center to say goodbye in a service led by her father, Andrew. "It's been the most difficult two weeks of my life," Andrew Nash began, with his wife Sonya and son Lachlan seated nearby. "We're starting this long journey we're going on without Courtenay," he told the brimming with friends. Throughout the service, pictures of Courtenay and her family flickered across two screens: a…

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Memorial Service For McLean Student Found in Her Syracuse Dorm Room

Courtenay Nash was a McLean High School graduate

A memorial service will be held  Monday at the McLean Community Center for Courtenay Nash, a Syracuse University freshman, found dead in her dorm room March 23. Courtenay, 18, graduated from McLean High School in 2011. At Syracuse, she was  studying economics as well as philosophy and European literature, according to her obituary. Born  in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, she was the daughter of Andrew John and Sonya Denise Nash, of McLean, and sister of Lachlan William Nash. Syracuse Police said that Nash was found dead in her dorm room around 4:30pm March 23. The Medical Examiner's office in Syracuse, NY,  has said it could take up to a month  to determine the cause of death. Police do not suspect foul play in Nash's death.  "The family …

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Long-time McLean Residents Die Within Days of Each Other

Warren and Hazel Skon

A long-time McLean couple died within days of each other last week at their home. Capt. Warren "Andy" Skon, USN (Ret.), a World War II veteran, died Thursday,  at his McLean home. His wife of 67 years, Hazel Marie Skon, died on Sunday, also at their home, according to Money and King Funeral home. Both had pneumonia, The Washington Post reported. They had lived in McLean since 1963, the Post said. Both were 92. Capt. Skon served as a naval aviator in the Pacific for two years during World War II and was a highly decorated pilot, the Post reported.  He participated in the Navy’s first nighttime fighter actions from an aircraft carrier and was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy’s highest award for wartime valor, the Post reported. Both were …

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Sen. Howell Plays Important Role in Derailing Virginia Anti-Abortion Bill

Spotlighted details of ultrasound procedure

State Sen. Janet Howell, (D-Reston, McLean) played a major role in publicizing the details of an anti-abortion bill that was derailed this week, according to The Washington Post. The bill, which required women seeking abortions to have an ultrasound, started unravelling when it was slowly revealed that in the first trimester that procedure meant probing inside a woman's vagina, The Post reported. The story starts when another Fairfax Democratic senator understood how an ultrasound had to be performed in the first trimester and ended in political firestorm fueled by national media attention and late night comedians. The bill  was approved by the Virginia Senate health committee when Sen. George L. Barker (D-Fairfax), with a background …

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Funeral Service Today for Former McLean American Legion Post Commander, WWII Veteran

Charles L. Davis, retired USAF WWII Lieutenant Colonel, dies at 92. Services will be held at National Memorial Park, 7482 Lee Highway Falls Church, VA 22042. Tuesday at 2 p.m. Read full story here.

Well-known McLean Barista Loses Her Husband A Month After Becoming A Mom

Their first baby was born a month ago

A month ago Vilma Beteta, a barista at Greenberrys, gave birth to the child she and her husband Ramsis had long hoped and prayed for. She was overwhelmed with joy. Saturday she will attend her husband's funeral and Sunday she will bury him. "She is devastated," said her friend and co-worker Alina Sarb. Vilma Beteta is a well-known and well-liked barista at Greenberrys, a popular downtown coffeeshop. "The Office," the group of retirees that convenes each mid-morning at Greenberrys, gave her a baby shower in December. The news shocked regulars at Greenberrys, when they  began learning on Friday of her husband's sudden death. He apparently died of a heart attack after he parked his car near their Falls Church apartment Thursday evening, her …

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