GALLERY: Remembering 9/11 in Northern Virginia

Share your pictures from your September 11 memorial ceremonies.

Ted Smith lifted his silver bugle to his mouth at 9:03 a.m. Tuesday, the exact time United flight 175 flew into the South Tower of the World Trade Center 11 years ago. The student body at Longfellow Middle School gathered outside to hear Smith, of Mclean, play Taps in the cool, fall-like morning. Smith first played at Haycock Elementary School at 8:46 a.m., the precise time when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. At 9:40 a.m., he planned to play the song at McLean High School "in honor of all the military and civilians killed as American Flight 77 struck the Pentagon." And finally at 10:06 a.m., Smith will play Taps for the last time at the McLean Volunteer Fire Station to mark the time …

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Fairfax Water Chairman Writes Falls Church Mayor about Potential Merger

Philip Allin outlines the benefits of combining the Falls Church system with Fairfax.

The chairman of the Fairfax County Water Authority wrote a public letter to Falls Church Mayor Nader Baroukh outlining the benefits of merging the county's water system with the system in Falls Church. Philip Allin wrote that water rates across the county could be reduced by up to one-third if the merger moves forward. It would also save Falls Church as much as $47 in capital expenditures, Allin said. The letter is available on the water authority's website. A full copy is also available directly above this article.

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Falls Church Council Takes Preliminary Vote to Sell City Water Authority

Fairfax Water Serves McLean

The debate on whether Falls Church Water should be sold or not is on. Prior to last week's city council meeting where council approved the first reading of an ordinance to sell the water system, a group of citizens protested against the sale of the water company. Those against the sale fear it will mean higher water rates, lost utility jobs that will lead to poorer quality service, and a loss of local accountability over decisions related to the water system. “Water is one of our most precious resources and should not become a commodity to be sold off to the highest bidder,” Ryan Scarborough said in a written statement. “We are not just talking about rates here. A sale would mean that the community would no longer have a real say in how …

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Countywide Survey Shows High Levels of Alcohol Consumption Among McLean Area Students

Parents Hear Results of Youth Survey.

Some of the 100 parents who gathered recently were surprised at the results of the annual countywide survey of alcohol abuse among students attending McLean area middle and high schools: For the first time since the Fairfax County Youth Survey has been administered to students in the county's school system, specific information was available about each high school pyramid and made available to parents. In an open forum at McLean High School called by the Parent, Teacher Student Association, a representative from the Fairfax County Public Schools presented the McLean pyramid-specific results of the survey, which examines behaviors, experiences and other factors that influence the health and well-being of the county’s youth. Some of the most…

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McLean Morning Report

Latest McLean News-Friday March 2

Morning Briefing

Good Morning Neighbors, Italian Restauranteur to Open French Restaurant. Assaggi owner to open second downtown McLean restaurant. Proposal for New Downtown McLean Apartment Building. Latest plan for Elm Street parking lot. Fairfax Water Proposes Merger with Falls Church. Object: to lower water bills for county customers, many of whom live in McLean. Handgun Ban Lifted. Govenor signs bill to allow unlimited handgun purchases. Please vote by 9 am on your favorite McLean breakfast place.

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Mining, Concrete Work Complete on Tysons Subway Tunnels, Stations Update

New subway line opens the end of 2013.

Mining and concrete construction work has been completed on the two tunnels that will carry the Silver Line Metro trains underground between the station in front of Tysons Corner Mall and the first station in the middle of Route 7. These twin tunnels run beneath the highest natural point in Fairfax County at the intersection of Routes 7 and 123. Both tunnels are approximately 2,400 feet in length, just shy of a half-mile. The Silver Line will allow passengers to travel on the same train from downtown Washington to McLean, Tysons Corner and Reston. The first phase of the long-awaited and much debated new line is on schedule to open in late 2013 from Falls Church to Reston. During mining operations, the construction team successfully …

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Fairfax County Takes Control of Water Rates in Landmark Legislation

What Happens to McLean Water Rates Undetermined

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed landmark legislation taking control of all water rates charged county residents and control of the millions of dollars in water fees that will flow from new developments, especially in Tysons Corner. The board voted unanimously to lower water rates now paid by McLean residents and hundreds of thousands of other county residents who live in Fairfax County but receive their water from systems operated by Falls Church, Vienna, the City of Fairfax and the Town of Herndon. What this actually means to McLean residents in terms of how much they pay for their water remains to be seen. Dranesville Supervisor John Foust, one of the major proponents of the county setting rates for its …

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