Loudoun
Family-Run Dog Kennel Draws Neighborhood Criticism
BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
A family-run dog kennel that operates along Silcott Springs Road south of Purcellville is drawing concerns from neighbors as it goes through a special exception process with county government to continue operations.
The Dog Home Away From Home Kennel, run by the Alfaro family, has been in business for five years. Megan Alfaro said she and her husband, Pablo, started it to teach their children the value of hard work and responsibility, but soon learned that there is a need in Loudoun for affordable, dog-care options.
They have a five-acre lot where they watch up to 15 dogs at a time, providing daycare and overnight care services.
“We’ve gotten quite good at what we do and we’re really, really proud of what we
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Purcellville Businesses, Residents Divided Over County Business Park Plan
ON THE agenda
NACo Taps Turner to Lead Energy Panel
Board of Supervisors’ Vice Chair Mike Turner (D-Ashburn) is the new chair of the National Association of Counties’ Environment, Energy and Land Use Committee. The panel is one of 10 steering committees responsible for crafting NACo national policies.
Locally, Turner has taken a lead role in examining the power constraints impacting the county’s data center industry
“I’m very humbled and excited to have been selected to serve in this important NACo leadership position,” Turner stated in the announcement.
“Our nation—and indeed the world— is entering a new age where demand for data, and demand for power to process that data, are competing directly with decades of efforts to address and mitigate the harmful effects of global climate change.”
The Environment, Energy and Land Use Committee develops policies related to air, water, energy, and land use, including water resources/ management, stormwater, pesticides, air quality standards, climate change, solid, hazardous, and nuclear waste handling, transport, and disposal, national energy policy, renewable/alternative energy, alternative fuel vehicles, energy facility siting, electricity utility restructuring, pipeline safety, oil spills, superfund/brownfields, eminent domain, land use, coastal management, oceans, parks and recreation.
BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
Purcellville business owners and residents are divided over an application that would rezone 117 acres of land just outside the town’s boundaries to permit up to 1.3 million square feet of industrial and warehouse uses.
The Valley Commerce Center project, proposed by JK Land Holdings, would be located along Purcellville Road between the Mayfair and Wright Farm neighborhoods. The property’s main entrance and exit point would be directly across from the entrance to Mayfair.
The application, which was reviewed by the county Planning Commission July 29, would include a $130,000 proffer for traffic lights at the intersection of Purcellville
BUSINESS PARK continues on page
More information about NACo is online at naco.org
County Joins Rt. 7 Power Line Appeal
The Loudoun County government is joining the Lansdowne Conservancy in its appeal regarding a decision by the State Corporation Commission to allow an above ground transmission line along a portion of Rt. 7 traveling east from Leesburg.
The line, proposed by Dominion Energy, is known as the Apsen to Golden line and includes new 230 kilovolt and 500 kV lines. The SCC approved the proposal in February.
County Attorney Leo Rogers said
ON THE AGENDA continues on page 7
Loudoun County
The site of Dog Home Away From Home kennel along Silcott Springs Road south of Purcellville.
Who Will Pay? Utility Rate Concerns Rise as Power Infrastructure Needs Grow
BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
As plans advance to construct more transmission lines to serve the region and to provide greater grid reliability, concerns are growing over who will pay for those infrastructure upgrades.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) is pushing for information at the federal level on how those improvements will impact average user rates.
In January, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring the Department of Energy to submit a report on the impacts of artificial intelligence and data centers on electricity prices for American consumers. The deadline for that report was July 13, but Subramanyam said Congress has not yet received it.
“Our region has more data centers than any other part of the world, and we know firsthand the environmental impacts and the impact of data centers on our utility bills as they continue to increase,” Subramanyam said. “What I wanted to understand was, what are we talking about and doing at the federal level?”
He sent a letter to Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright asking for the report and a response on its status by July 29. On July 24, Subramanyam received a response saying it was under review by the White House.
“Longer term, I have serious concerns about the fact that data centers are increasing everyone’s utility bills with all the infrastructure we need to power them. We spend more power powering data centers than the entire city of Washington, DC, and we’re planning on almost doubling the number of data centers here and so I think there ought to be a report made public to every American about what data centers are doing to their utility bills.”
What exactly that impact will be remains to be seen.
A December 2024 report by the Virginia Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission on data centers found that Virginia residents were not subsidizing infrastructure needs of data centers.
However, that is likely to change, according to the report.
“Data centers’ increased energy demand will likely increase system costs for all customers, including non-data center customers, for several reasons. A large amount of new generation and transmission will need to be built that would not otherwise be built, creating fixed costs that utilities will need
recover. It will be difficult to supply enough energy to keep pace with growing data center demand, so energy prices are likely to increase for all customers. Finally, if utilities are more reliant on importing power, they may not always be able to secure lower-cost power and will be susceptible to spikes in energy market prices,” according to the report.
A typical Dominion Energy customer could see generation and transmission-related costs increase by $14 to $37 per month by 2040, which does not take inflation into account, according to the report.
The State Corporation Commission is conducting its biennial review of Dominion’s rates for generation, transmission and distribution services.
A typical residential bill is split into two main portions—the base rate and the transmission rate/riders.
Base rates fund generation and distribution costs. A generation assessment comes from the cost to build and maintain power plants which traditionally have been from nuclear, coal or natural gas plants, but are shifting toward solar and wind. Distribution costs are generated from constructing and maintaining low voltage power lines that run power to homes and businesses.
Typically, generation and distribution costs make up 88% of a residential electric bill, which for Dominion Energy users averages approximately $128, according to the company. Because electric bills are based largely on how much power is being consumed, the average home bill can increase to $250 during the hottest summer and coldest winter months and drop to $75 during the milder portions of the year.
As part of its biennial review filing, Dominion proposed a new rate class for highload customers, defined as those requiring 26 megawatts or more. That would apply to all or nearly all of Loudoun County’s data centers.
The Piedmont Environmental Council is pushing for that new rate class and in a July 16 testimony during the filing, PEC expert Gregory Abbot said more actions should be taken to protect consumers.
“This is the first opportunity for the Commission to wrestle with cost allocation, rate design and terms and conditions in a very new and immersive environment due to the scope and scale of one group of energy users driving the size and design of the generation and transmission systems,” POWER
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Another Arcola Property Looks to Move from Residential to Industrial
BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
Owners of a residential property near Arcola are looking to have their land rezoned to permit industrial uses on the site.
The property is just north of the site of a similar proposal made by residents along Hiddenwood Lane. Their application to convert 20 home lots to industrial zoning was denied by the Board of Supervisors earlier this month.
Both applications request a change from Countryside Residential zoning to Industrial Park and both border another residential neighborhood, Briarfield Estates, whose residents battled against the Hiddenwood application.
However, Hiddenwood’s application was to rezone nearly 30 acres, while the Pantovic Property, reviewed by the Planning Commission July 29, is a request for 4.5 acres.
The application involves two properties. The first has been approved for construction of a 17,640-square-foot building for lessons and a medical outpatient service. The second property includes a house and an open field. Sharing a parking lot is a 10,000 square foot childcare business expected to open in two weeks.
County Project Manager Kristian Maldonado said there are several concerns about the application, including that Comprehensive Plan envisions primarily residential uses in this area of the county and that the proposal for industrial uses is not compatible with the nearby homes. Those were largely the basis for denials of Hiddenwood’s application as well.
On the agenda
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joining their appeal with the conservancy’s will help both parties make a more effective case.
The county is also participating in an ongoing application before the SCC by Dominion regarding another transmission line which would begin where the Aspen to Golden line ends. Two local hearings will be held on that application and residents can submit comments or sign up to speak at tinyurl.com/9z3ntrs2.
Voting Opens for
‘I Voted’ Sticker
Designs
Eight finalists have been chosen for the Office of Elections and Voter Registrations’ “I Voted” sticker contest.
The winning design will be used during the November general election and given
Maldonado said county staff also had concerns with the proposed building height of 100 feet, lack of adequate buffering and traffic impacts.
But Bowman Consulting Principal Packie Crown said that the area’s character has changed over the years from residential to flex-industrial and data center space.
“If you look at the area between Briarfield Lane, Northstar Boulevard, south of Broad Run Creek, that totals approximately 109 acres. … The total nonresidential land area in that area now is 88%,” she said.
Crown said approving this rezoning would increase that to 92%.
“This really is not a significant change to the land use character in this area at all. What it does do is it brings it more in conformance with the surrounding land use,” Crown said.
Crown said the applicant would reduce the proposed building heights to 75 and add more landscape buffering.
The application does not include a request to permit data centers or substations on the property.
During the July 20 public hearing, the application was opposed by the Piedmont Environmental Council.
“This is a fragmented area that is not further served by industrial encroachment,” PEC Field Representative Emily Johnson said. “…A 100-foot building height, maybe 75, coupled with request to remove buffering and screening, would dominate the nearby homes and daycare.”
The application will appear back before the commission for further review at a future meeting. n
out early voting and Nov. 5 voting.
Residents can vote on their favorite sticker until Aug. 17 and the three top winners will be announced Aug. 25. Vote online at tinyurl.com/3uuz46t8. n
Eight
finalists have been chosen for the Office of Elections and Voter Registrations’ “I Voted” sticker contest.
AROUND town Leesburg
Recent Police Department Changes Paying Off
BY PATRICK LEWIS
The Leesburg Police Department has made a series of structural changes and additions in the past year, and the agency leaders say those updates pay off.
Lt. Brad Schultz is one of two supervisors who oversee a division of patrol officers, the personnel who respond to calls for service, make traffic stops, and conduct other field operations for the department. He called retail theft “the most significant thing” Leesburg experiences when it comes to criminal activity.
To combat rising shoplifting numbers in the town and the increasing strain the patrol officers were under responding to them, LPD created a Special Enforcement Team (SET) last September. SET is made up of a supervisor and three officers whose full-time focus is on special assignments, primarily responding to and investigating retail theft.
The creation of SET allowed LPD to “take a group of individuals and let them focus solely on active cases,” Schultz said. He explained that, before SET was stood up, businesses often reported shoplifting incidents after they had happened because patrol officers were often tied up with other calls and unable to respond immediately. That led to many cases never being solved.
Schultz said SET has “taken a lot of pressure off the Patrol Section when it
comes to active retail thefts.”
With SET focusing on retail theft, businesses can now call in crimes as they happen, which allows SET to “apprehend individuals in the act of the actual shoplifting incidents,” Schultz said.
The officers are all experienced patrol officers who receive specialized training in investigative work and can serve search warrants, giving them a greater chance of success. Schultz says over 50% of retail theft cases are now closed with an arrest.
“That’s a significant number,” he said.
The SET officers have also built “phenomenal” relationships with businesses and loss prevention officers, which is part of community policing.
Leesburg Police also underwent a broader structural change earlier this year with the creation of a third bureau, the largest subdivision of the department,
Town Celebrated for GIS Mapping Work
and the hiring of a third captain, Loriann LaBarca, to oversee it. The Investigations and Operations Support Bureau includes the Criminal Investigations Division, which houses the department’s detectives and school resource officers, and the Special Operations Division, which includes SET, the canine unit, traffic enforcement officers, and other specialty teams.
All of those functions were previously part of the Field Operations Bureau, which now houses just the patrol officers, who account for the majority of sworn personnel in the department. That allows Field Operations commander Capt. David Smith and his two lieutenants, including Schultz, to focus on day-to-day responsibilities overseeing the patrol officers.
Finally, Schultz pointed to the department’s parking enforcement officers, part of Traffic Management Unit, as major contributors to the agency’s efforts.
“That was one of the largest things that we did that doesn’t get a lot of recognition,” Schultz said.
The parking enforcement officers focus
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The maps portal on the Town of Leesburg website has been recognized with a Special Achievement in Geographic Information Systems Award.
The award given by the Environmental Systems Research Institute, a GIS software company, was presented to Town GIS Manager Jesse Kucenic at the 2025 ESRI User Conference in San Diego, CA, last week.
Kucenic developed the Leesburg Town Maps portal in 2024.
“The Town Maps portal centralizes and showcases a variety of GIS maps, applications and data developed by Town staff,” Kucenic said. “This publicly available platform makes these resources more accessible, supporting information sharing, decision-making, and highlighting unique locations across the Town.”
ESRI lauded the town for setting new precedents in the GIS community and for dedication to maintaining a best practices GIS operation. The town was one of 197 selected from a pool of 100,000 ESRI clients worldwide for the recognition.
The Leesburg Town Maps portal can be reached at leesburgva.gov/townmaps n
Olde Izaak Walton Park to Close During Bridge Repairs
BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org
The Olde Izaak Walton Park will close for nearly two months starting Aug. 18 as crews repair the Davis Court bridge on its access road. The park is expected to reopen Oct. 11.
No vehicular or pedestrian access across the bridge will be allowed during this time.
Work on the bridge includes steel beam replacement, masonry repairs, and concrete and asphalt work.
The town allocated just over $1 Million to the project after inspections found the bridge to be structurally deficient, with needs for repairs to allow emergency vehicles to access the site. Eventually, the bridge will be permanently closed to vehicles when a second access is created as part of the proposed Tuscarora Creek Stream Restoration as part of the still-undeveloped Crescent Parke development.
The 21-acre park includes a pond and fishing pier, trails and an off-leash dog area. n
Patrick Lewis/Loudoun Now
The Davis Court bridge serves as the sole access point to the Olde Izaak Walton Dog Park. William Timme/ Loudoun Now
Former Piano Company Building Getting Office Conversion
BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org
Renovations are under way to convert the former home of The Piano Company at 6 E. Market St. into an office building. The work is expected to continue through 2026.
It will be the new home of an expanding Leesburg company.
Steve Chapin, of JARS Residential Properties, a commercial real estate company with employees throughout the United States, said Leesburg has been the hub of his business for the past four to five years, with employees flying in every two
or three weeks for in-person meetings. But now, the company has outgrown its space on Wirt Street.
The renovations, designed by architect Tom Gilbride and approved by the town’s Board of Architectural Review last spring, include raising the roof and constructing a parapet, installing rooftop screening, constructing a new primary entrance with an ADA ramp and step-up, replacing all of the storefront windows, infilling a door on the left elevation, and adding a door to a newly constructed pump room.
The project contractor is Black Oak Construction. n
TASTE Leesburg Celebrates
Local Food & Beverage Offerings
TASTE Leesburg returns to downtown Leesburg on Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.
Food vendors, breweries, wineries, businesses, and entertainment will fill five blocks of the downtown historic district. Visitors can experience the flavor of Leesburg with over 65 booths showcasing their offerings.
Local breweries and wineries will also be on-site offering samples of beer, wine, cider, and mead. Restaurants, food trucks, and vendors will offer a variety of menu options for purchase or visitors can stop into one of the downtown restaurants for a bite to eat.
This year, TASTE will celebrate the historic 200th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Leesburg in 1825 with a recreation of the original event on the Center Stage at 6 p.m. featuring fife and drum performances, speeches, and toasts.
Drink tickets are available online and cost $50 through Aug. 8. Ticket prices will increase to $60 on Aug. 9. Ticket purchases include a souvenir sampling glass and drink tastings. A limited number of bev-
Leesburg Police
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much of their efforts on downtown Leesburg, where illegally parked cars, idling cars, and vehicles in loading zones can lead to traffic jams and other problems.
“It’s taken a lot of pressure off the pa-
erage tickets may be available the day of the event through online purchase only.
Music will begin at 5 p.m. on the Center Stage, located on the courthouse grounds, and features games with DJ C Squared and a performance by the JunkFood Band. The Sip & Savor Stage on North King Street will feature a DJ along with more tasting opportunities.
Parking will be available downtown at the Town Hall Parking Garage, the Pennington Parking Garage, and the Loudoun County Parking Garage. Street closures will begin at 10:30 a.m. and are expected to re-open at approximately 1 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 10.
The event is sponsored by Pella Mid-Atlantic Windows & Doors, The American Friends of Lafayette, Kaiser Permanente, M.E. Flow, Sprouts Farmers Market, Power Home Remodeling, Patient First, Prince William Home Improvement, Renewal by Andersen, Atlantic Union Bank, and Wegmans Food Markets Inc.
For more information, go to tasteleesburg.com. n
trol officers,” said Schultz. “There’s been a dramatic increase in us being able to alleviate those issues.”
Schultz also said the department is continuing to look at ways to improve and is discussing making changes to the Field Operations Bureau next year. n
Education Schools Change Reporting of Hate Incidents
Amazon Partners with LCPS, Orblynx for Student Sustainability Education
BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
More than 50 middle school students got an up-close look at cutting-edge sustainability practices last week through a partnership with Amazon, Orblynx Academy and Loudoun County Public Schools. The students have been learning about sustainability and innovation, as well as
exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics through Orblynx’s summer STEM Academy. Friday’s field trip to visit Amazon’s HQ2 office in Arlington served as the capstone to that summer learning.
Amazon Community Engagement Manager Wilberte Paul said being engaged in the community is important to her and the company.
Teachers Trained on Holocaust Education
BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
A Loudoun teacher is hosting a weeklong program designed to educate teachers on the Holocaust and racial injustice and teach them how to effectively facilitate hard conversations in their classrooms.
Heritage High School teacher Nicole Korsen and Shanedra Nowell, an associate professor in education at Oklahoma State University, organized the seminar fa-
cilitated through The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights.
Twenty participants from within Loudoun and outside the county, including educators traveling from North Carolina, Minnesota and California, will spend the week hearing from experts in the field, local Jewish students, a Holocaust survivor and touring museums in Washington, DC.
HOLOCAUST TRAINING continues on page 12
“We’ve developed a wonderful relationship with Loudoun Education Foundation and Loudoun County Public Schools, and through that, we’ve been able to work on multiple projects,” she said.
Amazon has sponsored five Think Big Spaces, which are interactive STEM labs, in Loudoun schools and the opportunity to host students with Orblynx fits right in with that mission.
“We sponsor different opportunities that they’ve had with students and [Orblynx Founder and CEO Ferri Riar] was able to actually have a sustainability camp. And we were like, ‘why not work together and have the kids hear about careers and sustainability?’” Paul said.
Paul said careers of all kinds will be impacted by the need for sustainability.
“We really wanted to create a day where they can hear from different partners, they can see the building, they can see our workspace, they can see dogs in an office and know that the career is bright for them. I think if students are able to see what they can do, they can dream about it, and it’s a little bit more tangible, right?” she said.
Students were given a tour of the office, which uses several sustainability practices including renewable energy initiatives and water conservation efforts. However, they
AMAZON continues on page 14
BY PATRICK LEWIS
Loudoun County Public Schools are no longer providing detailed statistics on hate and bias incidents that happen in county schools. The last time the data was reported was in 2023.
LCPS Public Information Officer Dan Adams said in an email that the division had experienced “665 incidents of ‘using slurs’ for SY24-25.” In a June email, Adams had said there had been “around 660 incidents of some type of hate speech this school year,” which he added was approximately 200 fewer than the same timeframe last year. When asked to provide a detailed breakdown of those statistics, Adams said he did not have them broken down by school and was unable to provide details because the incidents are part of confidential student records.
The school division’s Department of Instruction presented a breakdown of incidents to the School Board’s Equity Committee in June 2023, and the Equity Committee presented similar numbers to the board in 2022. The 2023 breakdowns included the number of incidents broken down into categories such as “swastika” as well as by ethnicity.
The presentation also broke the incidents down by type within each school level – elementary, middle, and high – and presented the number of incidents that occurred in each of the county’s schools.
School Board member Deana Griffiths (Ashburn) said she’s been trying to get an updated breakdown since she took office in 2024.
“I’ve been asking over and over and I’ve been ignored,” she said.
Griffiths said this kind of information is helpful to board members to “see where the problem schools are.”
“We need to know the details of every incident at the schools so we know how to address it. And our current DEI Department is not doing what they’re supposed to do,” she said.
Loudoun Now filed a Freedom of Information Act request with LCPS asking for a list of hate and bias incidents in the schools with the number for each
HATE INCIDENTS continues on page 14
Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Loudoun County Public School middle schoolers explore a craft room at an Amazon Web Services’ office building during a field trip through a program at the Orblynx Academy.
Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Heritage High School teacher Nicole Korsen, right, and Shanedra Nowell, an associate professor in education at Oklahoma State University, left, organized the seminar facilitated through The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights.
Claude Moore Provides Boost to Free Loudoun STEAM Camp
BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org
The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation on Tuesday ramped up its support for a nine-week STEAM summer camp offered offer free of charge through St. Gabriel’s Church’s Educando con Amor—Educating with Love program.
Foundation Director of Giving Stephanie Nerantzis presented a $30,000 donation to support the educational outreach for to students from kindergarten to eighth grade, with high school students serving in instructor roles along with parent volunteers and staff members.
In its third year, more than 450 slots were filled for the camp that offers cooking, music and computer activities.
Nerantzis said the program is a great fit for the foundation’s educationally focused mission and furthers the goal of Dr. Moore, who created the charitable endowment, to provide the community with a leg up. The foundation has awarded grants of more than $100 million since 1990.
This week the camp, which rotates at three Loudoun churches, is being held at St.
Gabriel’s in Leesburg. Activities range from studying music to making slime and pasta, to robotics and video editing for older students.
Also on the schedule Tuesday was making hamburger buns under the direction of Jonathon Clawson, a professional personal chef who volunteers with the camp two weeks each year.
This year, he said students asked whether he could make lava chicken, the fictional super-spicy dish made popular in the “Minecraft” movie.
“The answer is yes, I can make lava chicken,” he said. “But the answer is no, they don’t like it. It’s so hot it melts your face off. But they’re learning about the Scoville scale and peppers—which peppers are good to eat, which peppers are bad to eat.”
Making pasta and treats, including pudding cups and chocolate-covered bananas, also was on the cooking class menu this week.
The camp is led by director Eva Maria Torres Herrera, a long-time educator from Mexico who taught at Sterling-based INMED Partnerships for Children before it abruptly closed in 2023.
St. Gabriel’s had been a partner in the INMED’s program and, with the support of other area nonprofits, worked to keep her programs going. It started with a weeklong
computer programming camp with a second week of a digital art camp added on.
CAMP continues on page 12
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Director of Giving Stephanie Nerantzis gathers with the staff and volunteers at the Educating With Love summer camp in Leesburg Tuesday morning to present a $30,000 donation to Director Eva Maria Torres Herrera.
STEAM
School Board Holds Closed Session Following Summer Recess
On the first Monday back from its summer recess, the Loudoun County School Board convened in a closed session this morning to discuss possible litigation against the division.
The meeting lasted approximately one hour, and no formal action was taken.
While no specifics were published on the topic of the litigation, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights announced July 25 that Loudoun County
Holocaust Training
continued from page 10
Korsen said theirs is one of 10 seminars that take place over the summer and that, while this is the fifth in-person one she’s hosted, she feels now is an especially important time for the event.
“I just think right now, it’s so hard. There’s so many difficult conversations that we’re avoiding,” she said. “And I just feel like we need to be having them. And there’s a big part of this where we’re going to focus on difficult conversations.”
TOLI was founded by Holocaust survivor Olga Lengyel with the goal of advancing education about the Holocaust and helping teachers effectively teach about it to their students. The seminar is designed for everyone, not just the Jewish community, Korsen added.
“Most people [at TOLI seminars] are not Jewish. It’s just people that have chosen to do this … and so part of what we do is we focus a lot on Jewish culture and who the Jews are and more, because that’s what the understanding has to be,” Korsen said. “… I think this is really rewarding, because I feel like this is a way to kind of exponentially reach so many more kids through teachers that are also passionate about it. It’s not like a mandated curriculum. It’s teachers who want to bring this to their students.”
The seminar kicked off Monday afternoon at J. Lupton Simpson Middle School with introductions and a presentation by Holocaust researcher Alexandra Zapruder, who published “Salvaged Pages” in 2002. The book is a collection of diary entries from young eyewitnesses during the Holocaust.
Zapruder told participants about the
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Public Schools is among five Northern Virginia school divisions allegedly violating Title IX – particularly for its policies governing transgender students use of bathrooms and locker room and participation in athletics.
The Department of Education gave the school systems 10 days to comply with three orders: rescind the policies allowing students to access intimate facilities based on gender identity; issue a memo to each
years-long effort to curate the book before the world of internet and instant emails when mailing letters and receiving physical photocopies of untranslated texts was the norm. Finding translators also proved difficult and expensive.
She also discussed the “paradigm shift” she identified when curating the book that differs from the popular narrative of “The Diary of a Young Girl” about Anne Frank,
division school explaining that any future policies related to access to intimate facilities must be consistent with Title IX by separating students based on sex and that Title IX ensures women’s equal opportunity in any education program or activity; and adopt biology-based definitions of the words “male” and “female” in all practices and policies relating to Title IX.
Not complying will risk “imminent enforcement action,” which could include
ed States Holocaust Memorial Museum, guided by a TOLI board member.
Korsen said during the week, the participants will also spend time focusing on human rights issues throughout Loudoun’s history which will be led primarily by Freedom Center founder Michelle Thomas, who will take the group on a bus tour of African American historical sites in Loudoun and host lunch at the
which, Zapruder said, shows a hopeful view of human nature despite the tragic events depicted in the book.
Zapruder also spoke on how to use diaries in the classroom to help teachers bring different perspectives to topics.
On Tuesday, the group will tour the Capital Jewish Museum and the Unit-
They served about 40 kids. Last year, the program expanded to nine weeks with 260 slots offered. Registrations hit 469 this year, with some participants joining for multiple weeks.
referral to the U.S. Department of Justice, according to the DOE.
“The board has received a lot of information and will continue to process and evaluate this matter. We will plan to further discuss it at our next School Board meeting,” Chair Melinda Mansfield said in a statement after the closed session.
The full board is scheduled to meet Aug. 12. n
just bring light to that, so people are more aware,” Korsen said.
The seminar will also include a presentation by 100-year-old Holocaust survivor Frank Cohn, remarks by Korsen about her father who was also a Holocaust survivor, and stories from local Jewish students about their experiences in the school systems today.
The group will end the week with a Shabbat dinner and service at Congregation Sha’are Shalom in Leesburg, led by Rabbi Neil Tow.
“I think that we’re in a place right now, especially in Loudoun County, where we struggle, and I think we’re struggling to have these important conversations,” Korsen said. “And also, I think that we have a lot of mandates put on us that are making teachers afraid to address important topics like this, even when it’s in a curriculum. Virginia is a state that mandates Holocaust education, but teachers may do it however they want. They could just spend 10 minutes on it, or they could spend three weeks. So, I feel like it is something that can empower teachers to do those things, to do the hard things, and not feel like they’re alone in doing it, and have resources and best practices to support them.”
Nowell said she sees “signposts” that should serve as warning flags to society such as an inability to see the humanity in others.
Douglass Community Center and a game of Freedomopoly.
“We also want them to understand that aspect of it. It’s making connections. It’s not at all the oppression olympics, where we’re competing, but it’s showing that every group of people, every group of people, struggle somehow. And so, we want to
“It’s been a big jump, but we have a great teachers,” St. Gabriel’s Rev. Daniel Vélez-Revera said. That includes the highschool aged students: ”What better teachers to teach tech, right?”
Vélez-Revera said the next step in growing the program will be spinning off the educational ministry into its own nonprofit, providing long-term sustainability.
The summer camp is offered in Sterling
“We’re seeing elements of that in our society. Well, ‘those people’ and the othering,” she said.
It’s important to continue telling the stories of the past, Korsen said.
“Especially now, educators are those people. We need to be the ones to tell the stories of those survivors,” Nowell said. n
and Leesburg. During the school year the program offers after-school programs on Fridays and Saturdays, with a goal to expand that to Mondays through Fridays. Learn more at saintgabriels.net/education. n
Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now
Heritage High School teacher Nicole Korsen speaks to a group of educators during a seminar facilitated through The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights Aug. 4.
Amazon
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particularly enjoyed the office building’s game rooms, dog portrait wall and free banana stand.
During their summer at Orblynx, the middle schoolers learned about alternatives to plastics, how to make eco-friendly paint and cultivate organic, biodegradable materials. They learned how to use biomaterials like mycelium, kombucha leather and seaweed fiver to create and design new projects.
During the field trip, they received a presentation from high school students and alumni who also participated in Orblynx and have been using their knowledge to create biodegradable benches.
A team of six girls – Mahsa Riar, Katarina Walordy, Olivia Nugent, Elham Fakhro and Lana Fakhro – use mycelium to create their bio benches, putting hundreds of hours of work into the project. They created a specific bench for Amazon and designed the painting on it – which is also made with milk paint – just for the company.
The painting shows a vibrant city overlooking a lake with a waterfall and mountains in the background.
“We wanted to feature the Amazon HQ2 building with a shell-like structure, which is featured here in the center. And we based our entire city life around this. So really you can see how the nature and urban life coexist without interrupting each other,” Walordy said.
“We also designed the city to be entirely self-sufficient and so we included many forms of renewable energy, such as hydropower and solar power. We also used a vertical garden and lots of greenery woven around in the city to show that we can use the environment without interrupting it. And finally, we included some public transportation in order to reduce the carbon footprint,” Riar said.
Walordy said the goal of the painting
Hate incidents
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school level and type of incident.
Adams, who is also the division’s FOIA Officer, replied to the request by sending the links to the 2022 and 2023 presentations and stated: “Data for incidents of hate speech are part of a student’s disciplinary file and are, therefore, exempt from release. In addition, LCPS does not create a report for which you have described a FOIA does not require a public body to create a new report that does not already exist.”
When asked why the division no longer provides the data, Adams said the school division is reevaluating how it tracks and provides this type of data.
“The [Virginia Department of Education] maintains the [student behavior and
was to show that city life and nature can coexist.
Students also heard from a panel of Amazon Web Services’ sustainability experts who encouraged them that there is more than one path to a career in sustainability.
“If you think about skills and things you want to go do, figuring out how to fill your tool belt, add tools to your tool belt, that’s the most important thing to do,” AWS Director of Sustainability Chris Walkers said. “Figuring out how to solve large problems. Every single one of the people up here on a daily basis solves really big or really small problems.”
Walker told the students to ask questions and be curious about sustainability and how it can impact their lives even now.
“Help your communities. Help your household,” he said, adding that this can could be as simple as composting or using LED light bulbs.
Panelists also talked about ways that Amazon grows its sustainable practices like using reclaimed water to cool data centers, reaching for net zero carbon emissions and using more sustainable materials to package items and build structures.
Riar said the goal of the partnership was not only to educate students on the importance of sustainable practices, but also to show them the career possibilities in the field of sustainability and help them visualize what that could be like.
Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence said partnerships like that one on display last week are an important aspect of student education.
“The engagement within the community is absolutely incredible. So, from making sure that you’re part of our effort to feed kids through our Fueled Program and what you do there, but then getting into our schools and being a big part of how we introduce this kind of learning and these opportunities to think big is really impressive,” Spence said. n
administrative response] data on their website, but for ‘hate speech’ their definition is more broad and includes things that we track separately. So, we are in the process of reconciling our process with theirs and trying to figure out the best way to report that data in a fair and accurate manner,” he stated.
Adams also said that the responsibility for tracking these incidents has shifted from the Equity Department to the Department of Student Services, which he says means the information is now considered protected student records. Additionally, Adams said breaking the data down by school poses too high a risk that students could be identified from the data.
School Board Chair Melinda Mansfield (Dulles) referred a request for comment to Adams. n
Public Safety
Juvenile Arrested After Double Stabbing in Moorefield Station Community Park
BY PATRICK LEWIS
A teenager has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed two other juveniles at Moorefield Station Community Park late Saturday night.
Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office deputies responded to the park on Clarendon Square for reports of illegal street racing and disorderly juveniles shortly after 9 p.m. Aug. 2. When deputies arrived, they found a fight in progress and people fleeing the scene. They then located two juveniles suffering from stab wounds.
Both juveniles were transported to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to LCSO spokesperson Leah Paul. The juvenile suspect was arrested shortly thereafter.
The suspect was charged with two counts of Assault and Battery, two counts of Unlawful Wounding, and two counts of Stabbing in the Commission of a Felony.
Paul stated, “All parties involved are juveniles, so we are not able to comment further on this incident.” n
Feds Bring New Fraud Indictment Against Loudoun Businessmen
After two Federal District Court mistrials, the Department of Justice has secured a new indictment against two Loudoun businessmen charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.
In the July 16 filing against Edward Walsh Vaughan and Hadi Akkad, prosecutors also issued a notice of intent to seize their property, providing a list that includes Fly Ace Farm distillery near Lovettsville and The Winery at Droumavalla near Lucketts, along with other properties in Loudoun County, Washington, DC, and California, luxury vehicles, jewelry and financial accounts.
The men were initially indicted in 2022 on charges of wire fraud and mon-
ey laundering. The charges stem from their involvement as executives with Electronic Transactions Systems Corporation, an Ashburn-based credit card processing company.
Federal investigators alleged the management team collected undisclosed markup fees on nearly 87 million card transactions for approximately 7,000 merchant clients. The City of Sherman, TX, was among the clients and raised concerns about the billing, spurring the investigation.
Prosecutors allege the transactions helped to inflate the value of the company and when ETS was sold in 2018 Vaughn received $107 million and Ak-
kad received $33 million.
Trials were held in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Texas in April and May. Both ended in mistrials.
The new charges are based on the same set of facts alleging the men directed a scheme to overcharge clients for their personal gain through criminal conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
The next trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 5, 2026, in Sherman, TX.
Three co-defendants in the original case— Jill Hall Mandichak, Sean Lynch, and Katherine Nguyen—entered plea agreements in 2022. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 21, 2026. n
SAFETY briefs
Dulles Employee Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Cocaine
A Peruvian man who worked for an airport services company and was assigned to Dulles International Airport has pleaded guilty to smuggling cocaine into the United States.
José Luis Castillo Rojas, 43, flew into Dulles Airport on a COPA Airlines flight on April 24, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Customs and Border Patrol agents searched his bags and found 1.95 kilograms of cocaine and over $54,000 in cash.
When agents searched his phone, they found texts in which Castillo Rojas discussed picking up the bag in Peru, as well as payment, so he could deliver it to someone in the US, according to the report.
He was subsequently arrested following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and pleaded guilty to the importation of 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Castillo Rojas is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum for 40 years in prison.
Teens Assault 7 Eleven Cashier, Steal Merchandise
Just after midnight on Monday, Sheriff ’s Office deputies responded to a robbery call at the 7-Eleven on Ryan Center Way in Ashburn.
After arriving, officers found an adult male victim with minor injuries who was treated at the scene. Following an investigation, detectives determined the incident was a larceny and assault perpetrated by a group of juveniles, according to Public Information Officer Leah Paul.
The Sheriff ’s Office has not released any further information.
Woman Arrested with 59 Pounds Of Marijuana
A 42-year-old Las Vegas woman was arrested at Dulles Airport on
Patrick Lewis/Loudoun Now
Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office personnel investigate a double stabbing at Moorefield Station Community Park on Aug. 2, 2025.
New York Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Theft from Goodwill
A Loudoun County Circuit Court judge sentenced a 61-year-old man to 10 years in prison for a 2024 break-in at two Goodwill stores in Sterling.
Louis Thomas Menatac was convicted on charges of breaking and entering, possession of burglarious tools, and wearing a mask in public to conceal identity.
According to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, in the late summer of 2024, Menatac traveled from New York for the purpose of breaking into several nonprofit donation centers in our area to steal cash.
The was charged with breaking into the Goodwill stores on Enterprise Street and Manifest Boulevard on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12, 2024.
In the first case, prosecutors said he arrived at the store after business hours wearing a stocking mask and gloves to conceal his identity, removed alarm boxes from the rear exterior doors of the donation center, and entered the store. In the main office, he disabled a security camera and used the tools that he brought to cut into the store’s safe. Menatac stole over $9,000 in cash in that incident. In total, Menatac caused $23,114 in losses to the organization from two robberies and similar charges are pending against
Briefs
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Menatac in a neighboring jurisdiction. Law enforcement recovered a notebook containing several addresses of nonprofit donation centers when they apprehended Menatac and the two burglarized locations in Loudoun had checkmarks next to them, according to prosecutors.
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Eden Holmes said during the sentencing hearing that Menatac had an extensive criminal history in 15 jurisdictions in nine states since 1982 and traveled to the area specifically to steal from the charities.
We hope that this sentence sends the message that the legal community in Loudoun takes these types of crimes very seriously.
— Bob Anderson Commonwealths Attorney
“Targeting a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization, that exists to provide free job training, education, and employment services for people with disabilities, disadvantages, or other barriers to employment is despicable. We hope that this sentence sends the message that the legal community in Loudoun takes these types of crimes very seriously,” stated Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson.
In addition to the 10-year prison sentence, Judge Matthew P. Snow ordered Menatac to repay over $23,000 in restitution to Goodwill. n
Aug. 3 after Customs and Border Protection agents discovered over 59 pounds of packaged marijuana in her suitcases during an inspection.
The suspect, Anne Pinheiro, was slated to board a plane for Frankfurt, Germany. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police officers charged her with felony transportation of a controlled substance into Virginia and felony possession with intent to distribute. CBP estimated the street value of the drugs to be $240,000 and added that the amount could double
or triple in Europe.
“Anyone considering making a quick buck by carrying bulk marijuana loads for drug trafficking organizations should realize that the consequences you face can be severe when Customs and Border Protection officers catch you,” stated Christine Waugh, Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Washington, DC. “CBP will continue to seize these marijuana loads to deprive transnational criminal organizations of illicit revenue, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold drug mules accountable.”
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE
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All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.”
This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal
or
Towns
Nett Files to Access Grand Jury Transcripts, Allow Out of State Travel
BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
Purcellville Vice Mayor Ben Nett has filed motions seeking to release the transcript of the grand jury that handed down six felony indictments against him and two for Town Manager Kwasi Fraser.
Nett and Fraser were arrested July 23 and released the same night on $5,000 bonds.
Nett is charged with four counts of
using a law enforcement database to gather identifying information through the use of material artifice, trickery or deception; one count of rigged government bidding, and one count of commercial fraud against the government. Fraser is also charged with rigged bidding and commercial fraud.
Both appeared in court July 28 and a date to review the case was set for Sept. 4.
On July 31, Nett’s attorney, Ryan Campbell, in addition to filing the mo-
tion to release the grand jury transcript also filed a request to amend the terms of Nett’s bond to allow him to travel to Kentucky, West Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland. Currently, Nett is prohibited from leaving Virginia.
“Mr. Nett is innocent of these allegations. Prior to running for Town Council last year, Mr. Nett enjoyed an unvarnished reputation as an upstanding citizen and law enforcement officer,” according to the motion.
Nett’s parents live in Kentucky and their health is “increasingly an issue,” according to the motion.
Campbell said allowing travel outside of Virginia would not pose an unreasonable risk.
Fraser’s attorney is also expected to file a motion requesting that the Loudoun County Circuit Court judges recuse themselves from the case.
An Aug. 14 hearing will be held to hear arguments on the motion. n
Another Transformation Coming to Round Hill Grocery
BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org
For more than 40 years, western Loudoun residents could count on seeing Bob and Frances Milligan sitting behind the counter at the Round Hill Grocery store.
After their passing in 2017, Valerie Campbell purchased the Main Street landmark and reimagined the market with deli service and a focus on local farm produce.
This month, the store will be undergoing another transformation as Trey Wirth takes over.
Wirth, who lives just a few blocks away, was doing job searches for the next chapter in his life after retiring from his 25year Coast Guard career when one day he asked Campbell if she would be willing to sell the business.
She said yes, as she plans to focus on expanding the offerings in her Hardware Café in Purcellville.
“I don’t want the stress. I don’t want that type of fast-paced lifestyle,” he said. ”I just randomly asked Val if she’d be willing to sell one day and that’s just kind of how it came about. I’m really looking forward to this next adventure.”
Wirth plans to take much of August to set up the shop before reopening as the Round Hill Farm to Trail Company.
When it does, the store, located at 19 Main St., will keep its rustic, small town feel while serving as a destination for cof-
I love old towns and antiques. I love the historical perspective of things, and I love the Appalachian Trail. That’s why I also moved here.”
Trey Wirth
fee drinkers and outdoor enthusiasts.
“I love old towns and antiques. I love the historical perspective of things, and I love the Appalachian Trail. That’s why I also moved here,” Wirth said.
“You’re not going to see many changes, other than visually. But we’re putting in an espresso bar and coffee for folks,” he said, noting that coffee was at the top of the list as he solicited suggestions from the community.
He also plans to work closely with area farmers to highlight their produce and potentially serve as a pickup location for Community-Supported Agriculture package.
Round Hill is one of three official Appalachian Trail Communities in Loudoun County and Wirth wants to promote that
linkage by providing hiking supplies.
“I’m an avid Appalachian Trail hiker, and I just love the organization and what it stands for,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we’ll be a mini-REI, but we’ll have things in the store that will bring the hikers in, some basic equipment—and not just for hikers; we get a lot of bicyclists that come through. Having them be able to stop in where they know that they can get a good bite to eat and things.”
In an area surrounded by wineries and breweries, Wirth plans to offer a wide selection of non-alcoholic and other craft beverages. And there will be an emphasis on ice cream with the goal of bringing families and kids downtown.
“It’s going to be very community centric,” he said.
A September reopening is planned. You can follow the progress on the Round Hill Farm to Trail Co. Facebook page. n
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
The Round Hill Grocery will be closed this month as town resident Trey Wirth takes over as the new owner.
Vintage Car Enthusiasts Eye Rallye Middleburg
burg, with drivers taking part in time trials on routes throughout the region over multiple days.
An idea recently presented to the Town Council envisions a one-day event with vintage racers traveling from the Summit Point raceway in West Virginia to the finish line—and a community celebration— in downtown Middleburg.
Town leaders are open to the concept— with one major reservation. Because of scheduling limits at Summit Point, the race would have to be held on Saturday, Oct. 18. That’s the same day as the Middleburg Film Festival, another town tradition that attracts large crowds.
Ryan Danger, a previous Miglia WarmUp participant, said the goal is to stand up a temporary race until the event organizers realize their mistake in moving.
spectators also would be encouraged to get into the spirit with period attire and all things vintage. Proceeds from the event would be donated to the Seven Loaves food pantry.
“We’re all here because we love cars, but we’re all here because we love the town as well,” co-organizer Jason Paterniti said. “When we spun out of the Miglia event, we wanted to make the subject relevant to everybody not just car people, which is why we decided to go the direction of the vintage celebration. The idea is that you may not love old cars, but maybe you do love old fashioned music. We want this to be is much more inclusive.”
BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org
It has become a fall tradition in Middleburg to celebrate vintage race cars. But with the organizers of the 1000 Miglia Warm-Up USA moving to Miami this year, some local auto enthusiasts are hoping to create an event of their own.
“Our roads are way better. Our scenery is way better. With the vines in the background, we’re closer to Italy than Miami will ever be,” he told the council during a July 24 briefing on the plans.
Since 2019, the event—which allows drivers to qualify for the historic touring race in Italy—has been based in Middle-
The event would include up to 45 vintage cars, many from the 1920s and 1930s, with a lockout at 1975. Participants and
While supportive of the effort, council members questioned the safety and logistics of holding an event that would close downtown streets, attract even more visitors and require more police support during a busy festival weekend.
Danger and Paterniti were asked to discuss the program with the film festival organizers at the Salamander Resort and Spa and to return with a more detailed plan that the council and staff could evaluate. n
LoudounNow
WINNER LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE
Shawn Till in a 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider Zagato crosses the starting line during last year’s 1000 Miglia Warm-Up USA. The event, held in Middleburg in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024, moved to Miami, FL, this year.
Business Park
continued from page 4
Road and Hillsboro Road.
The application was filed with the county government after the Purcellville Town Council declined to consider JK Land’s request to annex the property into the town. That would have provided the property with access to public water and sewer service.
Under the new proposal, the project would be served by on-site water and sewage treatment, which has raised concerns among residents.
Project Manager Rachael Iwanczuk said JK Holdings had conducted a test of an on-site well that showed it would yield 52 gallons of water per minute for 14 hours at a time. However, she said there was not a clear indication of whether the well could maintain that rate long-term without impacting nearby properties.
Iwanczuk said county staff did not support the application due to several issues including incompatibility with what is envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan, impacts of the business park on nearby residential neighborhoods, as well as traffic and environmental impacts including the potential to limit water availability.
“Adverse effects to off-site supply wells are possible with a reasonable potential that negative off-site impacts will occur, including greater drawdown,” Iwanczuk said.
During the July 29 public hearing, residents who live nearby and Town Council members said they oppose the project.
Walsh Colucci Senior Land Use Planner Michael Romeo said the buildings would be designed specifically to fit in with the surrounding area and that JK Land Hold-
ings would be happy not to build a road, known as the Northern Collector Road, through the property. That road is included in county plans but has been opposed by residents. In addition, Romeo said they would make improvements along parts of Purcellville Road.
Mayor Christopher Bertaut said the county’s Comprehensive Plan envisions uses that are distinct from the more intense uses within the town.
“Valley Commerce Center, as proposed, is more nearly aligned with the intensity of development inside, and by inside, I mean well inside the boundaries of the town of Purcellville,” Bertaut said.
He also said that the annexation request was opposed by town residents.
Vice Mayor Ben Nett and councilmembers Carol Luke, Susan Khalil and Caleb Stought also spoke in opposition to the application.
Homeowners in Mayfair and Wright Farm said they were concerned about the impacts on their neighborhoods.
“The Mayfair community is a charming neighborhood. On a day like today, you would see children riding their bicycles and scooters, young parents pushing baby strollers and even a child’s lemonade stand. Residential and industrial do not mix and the proposal before you would turn the scene that I just described into a nightmare,” Michael Parish said.
Parish said Purcellville Road is narrow and rural and could not support the traffic that the business park would bring.
But local business owners said the project would fill much-needed warehouse space for organizations looking to grow.
Peter Dalton, who lives in Purcellville and owns Hunt Country Animal Control, said small businesses like his have a dif-
Without access to local commercial space, it’s becoming harder to grow, hire and serve the community effectively.”
—Peter Dalton
ficult time finding commercial space in western Loudoun and often have to lease buildings in eastern Loudoun and Fairfax County.
“That means longer drives, higher costs and less time focusing on what matters most, serving the people in our own backyard. Without access to local commercial space, it’s becoming harder to grow, hire and serve the community effectively. I would encourage you guys to please support this application. Western Loudoun is more than just a place to live, it needs to be a place where small businesses can operate and thrive,” Dalton said.
Keith Mainland, who lives in town and owns a landscaping company, said his business has grown to employ 60 people.
“We’re in urgent need of more industrial space,” he said. “As it stands, the cost and availability of land, especially in eastern Loudoun, is making it harder and harder for businesses like mine to stay. If something doesn’t change soon, I’ll be forced to make the tough decision of whether to move outside of the county. Approving Valley Commerce Center isn’t just a land
Loudoun 4-H Club Brings Home Ribbons in State Dairy Competition
The Loudoun County 4-H Dairy Club participated in the Virginia Youth Dairy Field Day competition last week, bringing home multiple ribbons and placing second and third in the overall contests.
The senior team was made up of Elliott Cochran, Paul Cochran, and Mary Grace Menuey, and the junior team included Blake Cochran, Charlotte Cochran, Zachary Lutman, and Elizabeth Menuey.
Each participant evaluated six classes of cattle, ranking the cattle from first to fourth in each class. For a couple of predetermined classes, they also had to pro-
vide oral reasons justifying their placements. The accuracy of their evaluation, and the presentation of their oral reasons determined their final scores.
In the junior division, Loudoun’s team finished fourth in oral reasons and second overall. Elizabeth Menuey placed sixth individually both in oral reasons and overall. Charlotte Cochran was the thirdplace individual overall in the state.
Mary Grace Menuey took third place in the individual results for the team for oral reasons with Paul Cochran taking seventh and Elliott Cochran taking ninth.
use decision, it’s a vote for keeping small and mid-sized businesses here in Loudoun. It’s a chance to invest in the backbone of our local economy and give us the space we need to operate, grow and continue serving this community.”
The Planning Commission agreed to forward the application to work session for more review before making a final recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. They expressed concern over its compatibility with the rural area of western Loudoun, impacts on water supply and traffic impacts.
Commissioner Robin-Eve Jasper (Little River) said the density and nature of the project does not fit will between two residential neighborhoods.
“The reason we’re doing that is because there’s not enough land at a cheap enough price left in the eastern Loudon, and there is a shortage of flex space there now, and we’re moving it out to western Loudoun,” she said. “What is the impact of that? That is exactly the thing we fight all the time when we have applications.”
Commissioner Mark Miller (Catoctin) said there are other examples in the county of developments of this size operating on well and septic systems and that the consultant studying the well found it could generate enough water.
“It looks good, but perhaps there is another source that we should be considering to make sure that whatever is built here in the confines of what the water source that can be generated is adequate,” he said.
Commissioner Dale Polen Myers (At Large) said she also wanted to find out more information about the impacts to surrounding water availability.
The item will appear before the body again at a future meeting for more consideration. n
Overall results had Mary Grace Menuey earning fifth, Elliott Cochran taking seventh, and Paul Cochran taking eighth.
Those individual performances landed the senior team in second place in the oral reasons division and third overall.
Learn more at loudoun4h.weebly.com. n
Contributed
From left at rear, Elliott Cochran, Paul Cochran, Mary Grace Menuey; from left in front, Elizabeth Menuey, Zachary Lutman, Charlotte Cochran and Blake Cochran.
Teens Aid Homeless with Project Hope Haven
BY BRIDGET LOCKETT
Project Hope Haven, a student-led nonprofit, continues raising awareness and support for Loudoun County’s often overlooked homeless population with its Steps 4 Support walkathon fundraiser Friday, Aug. 8.
The organization was established in 2024 by John Champe and Lightridge high school students but has grown to include student volunteers from sixth through 12th grades living across South Riding, Sterling and Ashburn.
“We have seen a lot of homelessness in Loudoun County that just wasn’t being addressed, especially because Loudoun County could seem as a more well-off place, so it’s not something that’s really considered as much,” said Project Hope Haven co-founder and CEO Neha Muralitharan.
Since its founding, the organization has donated 5,300 articles of clothing, raised $2,250 through local events and fundraisers, served 1,500 individuals directly, and reached over 60,000 people with awareness campaigns and community engagement.
“Our whole mission was just to support individuals experiencing homelessness through hands-on service and community outreach, including members our age in both the fundraisers and directly supporting our organization through donations and education,” Muralitharan said. “Everything has gone back directly to homeless individuals in our area.”
To drive community-led change, PHH partnered with the Loudoun Homeless Shelter and local businesses, including Masala Pizza & Bitezz and Brew Birds, to host fundraisers, serve meals to over 70 individuals, and raise funds for winter care packages containing essential cold-weather supplies distributed directly to individuals experiencing homelessness.
“I think as a younger person, there’s not as much significance given to what we’re doing, because there’s sort of this surrounding stigma of like ‘oh, they can’t do it’ or ‘they don’t have enough responsibility,’” Muralitharan said. “Just getting our foot in the door in the first place was
honestly the biggest thing for us, but I think at this point, we’ve partnered with a lot of organizations and done a lot of events, so we’re sort of past that.”
Recently, Project Hope Haven has moved away from partnering with businesses for fundraisers and has started planning its own events, including its Delivered with Love Bake Sale and Serving Some Hope Pickleball Tournaments.
For its newest event, Project Hope Haven is collaborating with another student-led group—Her First Foundation, which leads initiatives supporting women’s health—to organize the Steps 4 Support, A Sunset Walkathon fundraiser on the World Trail fitness course in South Riding on Friday from 6 to 8 pm.
The walkathon allows community members to buy tickets and walk for a cause or donate separately all while enjoying music, games, raffles, and prizes. The funds will be split between the two groups.
Tickets are $7 presale or $9 in-person.
“Our larger goal through all of these events and fundraisers like the care packages is mainly just to create a sort of general knowledge around members in our area that there is this problem,” Muralitharan said. “There’s things that we can do to support and help this problem, whether that’s serving one meal or making one care package, or just raising that awareness, so that even when we may not be in this area anymore, there’s still that awareness or this project that’s been started and that can continue.”
[Bridget Lockett is a Stone Bridge High School student interning with Loudoun Now over the summer.] n
Contributed
Leaders of Project Hope Haven pose outside the county government’s family homeless shelter near Leesburg.
Ashburn Author Debuts ‘Soulmatch’ to Indie Bookseller Praise
LIVE MUSIC
ERIC SELBY AND DEAN KERN
4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7 Lansdowne Woods Clubhouse, 19375 Magnolia Grove Square, Lansdowne. lwva.org
TEJAS SINGH
6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7
Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7 Dynasty Brewing, 21140 Ashburn Crossing Dr., Ashburn. dynastybrewing.com
THE LACS
7 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7
Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $34. tallyhotheater.com
JASON MASI
3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com
LINDSAY AUSTIN
4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Three Creeks Winery, 18548 Harmony Church Road, Hamilton. 3creekswinery.com
ADAM KNUDSEN
4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Old Farm Winery at Hartland, 23583 Fleetwood Road, Aldie. oldfarmwineryhartland.com
PAM & DAVE
5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com
GARY SMALLWOOD
5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com
DAVID SPARROW
5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com
LIVE MUSIC continues on page 23
BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org
Ashburn Author Rebecca Danzenbaker’s debut novel “Soulmatch,” a young-adult, romance and sci-fantasy exploration of how societal narratives can both shape and be defied by individuals, released last week.
The novel has won a spot on the American Bookseller Association’s July/ August 2025 Young Adult Indie Next Book List.
“Soulmatch” was conceived 15 years ago, inspired by YA dystopian works like “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” “Ember In The Ashes” and “Shatter Me.” Danzenbaker, keeping her YA audience in mind, drew up a protagonist with deep-seated anxieties about where life might take her.
Danzenbaker channeled lessons pulled from a life of career switches and experimentation with purpose.
“We all think ‘what am I supposed to do?’” Danzenbaker said. “Why am I here? And who can tell me who I am?”
Her literary angle for those questions arrived one day in 2010.
“I passed a cemetery and randomly thought, ‘gosh, I wonder if my past self is buried there?’” Danzenbaker said. “And wouldn’t it be cool if someday we had the science to connect us to our former lives?”
With that creative spark, Danzenbaker spiraled a whole bunch of ideas around the impacts such science would have on society, she said.
In “Soulmatch,” the government uses camera technology so advanced that the photographer can capture the “markers” of a person’s soul in a picture. Over time, the similarities between the souls of those in the past and present became evident. Thus, the Kirling System, a government-mandated matching of a soul from a former life to a current life, was invented.
“As this goes on, they’ve realized, like oh yeah, people are being reborn, then the infrastructure starts growing around that,” Danzenbaker said.
That new understanding redefines the meaning of life for the inhabitants of “Soulmatch,” who begin the practice of passing their inheritance, and their sins, to future incarnations.
“We need infrastructure for that. We need laws around that,” Danzenbaker
said. “If you are a convicted serial killer, you will get 10 life sentences. … Your soul has to serve 10 life sentences.”
For Loudoun locals, “Soulmatch” delivers a sci-fantasy rooted in the familiar. The story begins in Ashburn in 236 A.K.— “After Kirling.”
Danzenbaker said the story’s worldbuilding and premise elevate it beyond the standard romantasy tropes.
“It has a lot of familiar elements that you would expect in dystopia, but the reincarnation aspect takes that in a dif-
ferent direction, and so it creates its own little sub-niche of the genre,” Danzenbaker said. “Behind the scenes on this, all these characters have four or five-ish documented past lives. Even though you have different families in every life, you’ve interacted with all the same souls in every life. … It does create a more dimensional sort of array of relationships, if that makes sense.”
Simon and Schuster Publishing.
The Cover of Rebecca Danzenbaker’s “Soulmatch”
RICK REAVES JAZZ BAND
Friday, Aug. 8, 6 to 10 p.m.
Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. Free. oldstoneschool.org
The Rick Reaves Jazz Band brings smooth grooves and soulful rhythms to The Gap stage for this free concert.
GET OUT
LIVE MUSIC
continued from page 22
JIM STEELE
5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Lark Brewing Co., 24205 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. larkbrewningco.com
TODD BROOKS AND POUR DECISIONS
5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Village at Leesburg, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. villageatleesburg.com
SIMILAR CREATURES
5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Old 690 Brewing Company, 15670 Ashbury Church Road, Purcellville. old690.com
JP JONES
5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com
RICK REAVES JAZZ BAND
6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. Free. oldstoneschool.org
TUNNELS END
6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 South Riding Summer Concert Series, South Riding. southriding.net
CHRIS BOWEN
6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com
COLE DOUGLAS
6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com
BEST BETS
TASTE LEESBURG 2025
5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Downtown Leesburg, 25 E. Market St., Leesburg. tasteleesburg.com
Enjoy an evening of flavor, music, and fun during the annual TASTE Leesburg festival. Free. Tickets required for beer and wine samples.
UNCAGED: ZAC BROWN TRIBUTE
7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $20. tallyhotheater.com
ANDREW KUHENS
7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
The Dell: Food & Brew Hall, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. atthedell.com
JUSTINA BETH-EL
8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Nick’s Taverna, 42395 Ryan Road, Ashburn. nickstaverna.com
DJ ADONI
9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Rio Cantina, 21800 Towncenter Plaza, Sterling. facebook.com/RioCantinaSterling
CHRIS TIMBERS BAND
8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com
GRANT MACMILLAN TRIO FEAT. JOHN
D’EARTH
8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Tarbender’s Lounge, 10 S. King St., Leesburg. tarbemnderslounge.com
THE NEW DOMINION BAND
9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com
BBQ & BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com
DAVID DAVOL
12 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Cana Vineyards and Winery, 38600 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. canavineyards.com
DAISY ROAD
1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanisbeer.com
CALEB NEI
1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Williams Gap Vineyard, 35521 Sexton Farm Lane,
SHEMEKIA COPELAND
Sunday, Aug. 10, 7 p.m. (doors) Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com
Grammy-nominated and Blues Music Award-winning vocalist Shemekia Copeland delivers a potent mix of blues, soul, R&B, and Americana—packed with genuine emotion and social commentary. Kelly Bell Band opens. $45.
Round Hill. williamsgapvineyard.com
JACOB & AARON JAZZ DUO
1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery, 38506 John Wolford Road, Waterford. wheatlandspring.com
LENNY BURRIDGE
1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com
MIKE KUSTER
1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com
MELANIE PEARL
1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. 868estatevineyards.com
MELISSA QUINN FOX DUO
1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 50 W. Vineyards, 39060 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. 50westvineyards.com
JULIET LLOYD
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Sunset Hills Vineyard, 38295 Fremont Overlook Lane, Purcellville. sunsethillvineyards.com
LINDSAY AUSTIN DUO
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com
STANLEY WHITAKER
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford. 8chainsnorth.com
JASON TEACH
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com
MATT DAVIS
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Lark Brewing Co., 24205 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. larkbrewingco.com
NICK TIERRA
2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Old Farm Winery at Hartland, 23583 Fleetwood Road, Aldie. oldfarmwineryhartland.com
DAVID ELLIOTT
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Twin Oaks Tavern Winery, 18035 Raven Rocks Road, Bluemont. twinoakstavernwinery.com
DAN FISK
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com
SCOTT KURT
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, 38906 Mount Gilead Road, Leesburg. willowcorftwine.com
JOE MARTIN
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Chrysalis Vineyards, 39025 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. chryasliswine.com
HUME-FRYE
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Casanel Vineyards & Winery, 17956 Canby Road, Leesburg. $15. casanelvineyards.com
JOHN BENJAMIN
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Two Twisted Posts Winery & Tavern, 12944 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. twotwistedposts.com
LENNY BURRIDGE
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Doukénie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com
continues on page 25
Pour Relationship Choices: Continuing Your Wine Journey with Renee Ventrice
BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org
Renee Ventrice has been a leading ambassador of Loudoun’s wine industry for over a decade, working to break down barriers and build connections.
Now she is expanding that effort with her writing talents. Her first book, “Pour Relationship Choices,” qualified as a best seller on Amazon.com. The collection of personal stories blends wine vintages with life lessons toward the goal of furthering her mission.
“What I learned is that people are very intimidated by wine, and they’re intimidated by wine people,” she said. “So,
“I like to make people feel more comfortable around the wine bottle. I like to make them feel comfortable ordering wine in a restaurant or picking it up at a supermarket.”
—Renee Ventrice
one of the missions that I’ve had on my wine journey and with writing this book is to demystify it and to let everyone know that everybody has the opportunity to have wine be theirs.”
The U.S. Navy veteran turned wine whisperer entrepreneur co-founded, and later sold, the award-winning Cork & Keg Tours and now leads WineauxClock Culinary Experiences, hosting events that introduce participants to new flavors and pairings.
“I like to make people feel more comfortable around the wine bottle. I like to make them feel comfortable ordering wine in a restaurant or picking it up at a
supermarket,” Ventrice said.
In that effort, it is important not to be put off by the sometimes-snooty aspects of wine culture. “You can’t be wrong if you say you taste persimmon in the wine, and the tasting notes say peach. Who cares? It’s your palate.”
Ventrice is relatively new to the wine world, but her writing roots are deeper.
“I started drinking wine right after [my son] was born, when I found out that it paired well with food. And then after we moved to Loudoun County, I found out that we lived in wine country. I didn’t even know that we did. At that point, I was like we have to check this out,” she said.
Two decades later, she is the one leading others on that exploration.
Her writing journey started as a 7-yearold.
“In 1977, I won a creative writing award. I even beat sixth graders. I beat hundreds of kids in Bellevue, Nebraska, where I grew up, and thousands across the state,” she said.
But she never got to fully celebrate the achievement.
“We couldn’t afford to go to the award ceremony. It was in Kearney, Nebraska— four hours away. It may as well have been on the other side of the planet,” she said. “So, I never even got the award. Maybe they mailed it to me, who knows? But I never got it.”
During a recent therapy session that memory resurfaced as a lasting sadness for that seven-year-old who never got to celebrate the prize.
The therapist suggested she celebrate now—go bake a cake.
“We didn’t have any cake batter. So, we made tapioca pudding, my other favorite, and then in icing I wrote, ‘Congrats, Renee, 1977,” she said.
Not even a week later, Ventrice was contacted by a friend who was launching a book publishing company and asked her to be his first writer.
“Within 24 hours of reviewing the contract, I said yes. So that was really pivotal,” she said.
And then the book went to number one on Amazon.
“I guess that’s a part of me as well. That’s a part of the seven-year-old Renee who started writing and has been holding on to not doing it for so long, maybe because I was afraid of being rejected, or
afraid of not being celebrated for doing something that I thought was amazing,” she said.
“I’ve always written. I’ve always been a creative writer. I wanted to be a journalist when I joined the Navy, but that job wasn’t open, so I became a cryptologist instead,” she said.
The stories in the book stem from her experiences at Loudoun’s diverse winery scene.
“Just watching all of the different ways that the wine expresses itself in Loudoun that is so different—whether you’re at Bozzo Family Wines, or a mega winery like Stone Tower—lots of different experiences can be had at wineries. So why can’t each wine have its own actual experience, its own actual relationship definition?” she said.
Within the chapters, she compares box wine with the bitter experiences with an ex-boyfriend and draws laughter with her attempts to say “cheers” in Estonian.
[“Fact: I’ve never really drank box wine on
purpose.”]
“I’ve been doing events all over Loudoun County, at restaurants, at wineries, at Gvino Wine Bar. And those two chapters have really been resonating. When I do networking and work events, I have a chapter about your relationships with your business besties and people, collaborators and business partners. And they seem to really like that one a lot, and want me to actually come and do a talk on how to do collaborations,” she said. “The book was really a compilation of my own life experiences, but also a way for me to continue coaching people and also doing more wine events as a sommelier.”
“Pour Relationship Choices” is available on Amazon in both the digital version and paperback format and soon will be available on Ventrice’s website, reneeventrice.com, which also has a schedule of her upcoming wine events and talks. n
Contributed
Renee Ventrice in the kitchen with her new book “Pour Relationship Choices” and a glass of red.
GET OUT
LIVE MUSIC
continued from page 23
LIBERTY STREET
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton. thebarnsathamiltonstation.com
DEANE KERN & ERIC SELBY
2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Bozzo Family Vineyards, 35226 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. bozwines.com
LAURA CASHMAN
3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com
BRIAN FRANKE
3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Barnhouse Brewery, 43271 Spinks Ferry Road, Leesburg. barnhousebrewery.com
ROB HOEY
4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
The Dell: Food & Brew Hall, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. atthedell.com
NIYA HARTLEY
4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Dirt Farm Brewing, 18701 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont. dirtfarmbrewing.com
SHADE TREE COLLECTIVE
4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com
RED THYME
5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com
SO FETCH
6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Tarara Vineyards, 13648 Tarara Lane, Lucketts. tararaconcerts.com
THE VIRGINIA RUM RUNNERS
6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com
TROY BRESLOW
6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Honor Brewing Company, 42604 Trade W. Drive, Sterling. honorbrewing.com
THE VIPER BROTHERS
5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com
GRANT MACMILLAN TRIO FEAT. JOHN D’EARTH
5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Bluemont Vineyard, 18755 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont. bluemontvineyard.com
THE WRIGHTS
6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com
BOTTLE SHOCK
6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. 868estatevineyards.com
MIKELPARIS
7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Lost Rhino Brewing Company, 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn. lostrhino.com
DAVE GOODRUM
7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
The Bungalow Lakehouse, 46116 Lake Center Plaza, Sterling. bungalowlakehouse.com
THE BREWED
8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com
LOST LOCALS
9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com
MERCY CREEK
12 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery, 495 E. Washington St., Middleburg. mtdefiance.com
TOMMY BOUCH
1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Lark Brewing Co., 24205 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. larkbrewingco.com
NATE HADLEY
1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com
NATHANIEL DAVIS
1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com
DILL PICKERS
1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com
JOSEPH R. MONASTERIAL
1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
The Lost Fox, 20374 Exchange St., Ashburn. lostfoxhideaway.com
CARLY ROSE RATCLIFFE
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com
SHANE GAMBLE
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford. 8chainsnorth.com
DAVE MININBERG
2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com
JOSH SOWDER
2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Old Farm Winery at Hartland, 23583 Fleetwood Road, Aldie. oldfarmwineryhartland.com
JESSICA PAULIN
2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Twin Oaks Tavern Winery, 18035 Raven Rocks Road,
MUSIC continues on page 26
National Night Out in Leesburg
BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org
The Leesburg Police Department held its annual National Night Out event Tuesday, inviting families to gather at the Douglass Community Center for food, games and demonstrations.
The nationwide initiative aims to promote police-community partnerships, neighborhood camaraderie and safety.
The event featured free pizza and other refreshments; a moon bounce, games and prizes; interactive displays, drone demonstrations, and resource booths from several community organizations.
Soulmatch
continued from page 22
Danzenbaker also funneled her background into the world’s politics. For 10 years, she worked on the account management team at Congressional Quarterly in DC.
GET OUT
LIVE MUSIC
continued from page 25
Bluemont. twinoakstavernwinery.com
DREW STEVYNS
2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com
SCOTT KURT
2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com
VICTOR TORRES
2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. 868estatevineyards.com
PATTY REESE
2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Doukénie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com
RICHARD WALTON
2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Bluemont Station Brewery & Winery, 18301 Whitehall Estate Lane, Bluemont. bluemontstation.com
“National Night Out is a special event that brings our community together,” Police Chief Thea Pirnat said. “It’s about building trust, strengthening relationships and working side by side to keep our community safe.”
Sgt. Justin Schumer called the event a great time. Earlier he and other officers played soccer with kids at the event.
Mayor Kelly Burk and Councilmember Zach Cummings also attended. n
Sgt. Justin Schumer plays soccer with kids at the Leesburg Police Department’s “National Night Out” at the Douglass Community Center. William Timme/Loudoun Now
“That’s when I got a lot my political training and learning how legislative process works, which has helped in my writing career,” she said. “There’s a lot of political intrigue, even though I write YA, there’s usually some sort of government or microcosm of the way—reflections of the way government works.”
After that job, Danzenbaker grew a photography business. During the
BOURBON MOON BAND:
4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Goodstone Inn, 36205 Snake Hill Road, Middleburg. goodstone.com
HUME & FRYE
3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com
SHEMEKIA COPELAND
7 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10
Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $45. tallyhotheaters.com
JASON MASI
6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13
The Lost Fox, 20374 Exchange St., Ashburn. lostfoxhideaway.com
GREG & CHRIS
6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14
Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com
DEANA CARTER
7 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14
Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $45. tallyhotheater.com
HAPPENINGS
WRITING IN NATURE
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7
Morven Park, 17339 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org
COVID-19 pandemic, she had to shut that down. Once boredom struck, her fingers found the keyboard and “Soulmatch” found its first draft, culminating a journey from teaching music to elementary schoolers, to account management for Congressional Quarterly, to photography for Ashburn locals and finding her passion for escaping into fiction.
“You can always change and grow. If
STORYTIME ON THE FARM
2 to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7 Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, 15855 Limestone School Road, Leesburg. novapark.org
ATTRACTING BIRDS TO YOUR YARD
7 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Brambleton Library, 22850 Brambleton Plaza, Brambleton. loudounwildlife.org
THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL
7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10 Potomac Falls High School, Cascades. $20. sterlingplaymakers.com
BIRDING BANSHEE
8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, 21085 The Woods Road, Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org
LEESBURG FARMERS MARKET
8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 9 Virginia Village, 30 Catoctin Circle SE., Leesburg. loudounfarmersmarkets.org
GENERAL LAFAYETTE FAMILY DAY
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Loudoun Museum, 16 Loudoun St. SW., Leesburg. loudounmuseum.org
BLEND BOOK FAIR
3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Blend Coffee Bar, 43170 Southern Walk Plaza,
not, why are we even here?” Danzenbaker said. “What is our life about if we’re supposed to stay the same our entire lives and not learn and grow and change and like, learn from our mistakes?”
Learn more about Rebecca Danzenbaker and “Soulmatch” at rebeccadanzenbakerbooks.com. n
Ashburn. blend-coffee-bar.square.site
TASTE LEESBURG 2025
5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Downtown Leesburg, 25 E. Market St., Leesburg. tasteleesburg.com
JAMIE LEVER SHOW
6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 Farmwell Station Middle School, 44281 Gloucester Parkway, Ashburn. events.sulekha.com
THE WASHINGTON ROAST
7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9
Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. tallyhotheater.com
MOVIE NIGHT: MADAGASCAR
6:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10 Loudoun Station, 43751 Central Station Drive, Ashburn. loudounstation.com
PERSEID METEOR SHOWER WATCH PARTY
11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday, Aug. 11
Aldie Mill Historic Park, PO Box 322 John Mosby Highway, Aldie. novaparks.org
DISCOVER VERNAL POOLS
7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14
Gum Spring Library, 24600 Millstream Drive, Stone Ridge. loudounwildlife.org n
Obituaries
Susan Lee Boland
Susan Lee Boland passed away on August 3, 2025, at the age of 81 years after a brief and bravely fought battle with cancer. Born to Mary Katherine and Norman Lee Apple in Rochester, PA, Sue grew up alongside her siblings Janis and William ‘Bill.’ She was a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan. After pursuing higher education she became an elementary school teacher. Later, she worked various retail jobs in Leesburg, including Whites, Ben Franklin, and My Friends and Me—each role a reflection of her friendly nature and dedication to service. She was a beloved member of her community, making friends wherever she went. Those who knew her were often lucky recipients of her Hallmark cards throughout each year. She loved giving and receiving greeting cards and maintained long-term correspondence with many friends. She enjoyed the associations and friendships she made through the Red Hat Society and the Women’s Club of Loudoun. She leaves: her devoted husband, Edwin Boland; her children Kellie Sue (and Andy) Owens, Eric Lee (and Michelle) Johnson, and stepdaughter Liz (and Greg) Stillman; grandchildren Calvin (and Megan) Owens, Philip (and Ashley) Owens, Cole Johnson, Dylan Johnson, and Max Johnson; and great-grandchildren Petunia Owens, Lorelai Owens, and Otis Owens. She will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and friend. Her legacy of love, thoughtfulness, and friendship lives on in the hearts of all who knew her. Family and friends are invited to a gathering on Wednesday, August 13 at 1:00pm with a service at 2:00pm at Colonial Funeral Home (201 Edwards Ferry Road, Leesburg). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Adler Capital Caring Hospice Center.
Trudi Ball Schwarting
Trudi Ball Schwarting, 81, most recently of Leesburg, VA, passed away peacefully on August 2, 2025, surrounded by family. Born on June 23, 1944 in Falls Church, VA, Trudi was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She was known for her incredible musical ability, her love of family and her massive book collection! She dedicated her life to her family and was always there with a listening ear, a warm embrace, and a loving heart. Trudi enjoyed reading, directing choirs, playing the piano and organ, gardening, and telling everyone she met about Jesus. She was a longtime secretary and member at Hamilton Baptist Church, but most recently attended services in her memory care facility. Her beautiful soprano voice, overly abundant meals, and giddy sense of humor when she was tired will be deeply missed. She is survived by her six loving children, Tim,Toni, Billy, Beth, Ben and Tiffani, their spouses, Jackie, Bryan, Andrea and Dan, her grandchildren Grace, Bradley, Will, Dylan, Riley, Jaron, Luke, Bennett, Chaya, Libby, Jesse, Jovie, Zane, Andrew, Logan, Wilder, Crosby, Declan, Creed, and Maverick, and her sister, Sharon and her husband George of Chesapeake, and their son Matt, his wife Stacy, and daughter Ada of Maricopa, AZ. A funeral service will be held at Hamilton Baptist Church on August 15th. A visitation hour will precede the service and will start at 10 am. The service will be at 11 am with a brief graveside service at Lake View Cemetery, also in Hamilton. A reception will be held at the Hamilton Baptist Church Fellowship Hall immediately following the graveside service. Flowers may be sent to Hamilton Baptist Church or a donation may be made to Blue Ridge Hospice in Trudi’s name. Arrangements by Hall Funeral Home, Purcellville, VA. Please visit www.hallfh.com to express online condolences to the family.
LOUDOUN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE NOTICE OF IMPOUNDMENT OF ABANDONED VEHICLE
This notice is to inform the owner and any person having a security interest in their right to reclaim the motor vehicle herein described within 15 days after the date of storage charges resulting from placing the vehicle in custody, and the failure of the owner or persons having security interests to exercise their right to reclaim the vehicle within the time provided shall be deemed a waiver by the owner, and all persons having security interests of all right, title and interest in the vehicle, and consent to the sale of the abandoned motor vehicle at a public auction.
This notice shall also advise the owner of record of his or her right to contest the determination by the Sheriff that the motor vehicle was “abandoned,” as provided in Chapter 630.08 of the Loudoun County Ordinance, by requesting a hearing before the County Administrator in writing. Such written request for a hearing must be made within 15 days of the notice.
NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO ESTABLISH A BRANCH OFFICE
MainStreet Bank, Fairfax VA, intends to apply to the Federal Reserve Board for permission to establish a branch at 10 North Pendleton Street Building A, Middleburg, VA. The Federal Reserve considers a number of factors in deciding whether to approve the application including the record of performance of applicant banks in helping to meet local credit needs.
You are invited to submit comments in writing on this application to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, P.O. Box 27622, Richmond, VA 23261. Comments can also be sent electronically to comments.applications@rich.frb.org. The comment period will not end before August 22, 2025. The Board’s procedures for processing applications may be found at 12 C.F.R. Part 262. Procedures for processing protested applications may be found at 12 C.F.R. 262.25.
To obtain a copy of the Federal Reserve Board’s procedures, or if you need more information about how to submit your comments on the application, contact Brent B. Hassell, Assistant Vice President, at (804) 697-2633. The Federal Reserve will consider your comments and any request for a public meeting or formal hearing on the application if they are received in writing by the Reserve Bank on or before the last day of the comment period.
Steven Adaire Tiffany, 71 of Winchester VA, passed away on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at Winchester Medical Center.
Steve was born in 1953 in Leesburg, VA, the son of the late Hugh and Evelyn Tiffany. He was a graduate of Loudoun Valley High School and he retired from American General Life and Accident Insurance Company as a salesman. Steve was a member of the Leesburg Moose Lodge and the Winchester Eagles Club. In his early years, Steve used to play football and baseball, and he loved watching the Redskins play.
He is survived by his wife, JoAnn whom he married on June 5, 2014; daughters, Holli Ratliff, Allyson Tiffany O’Brien, Katelyn Murphy; son, Shayne Tiffany and grandchildren, Mason Edwards and Miles Edwards.
A Celebration of Steve’s Life will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association via their website at https://donatenow.heart.org
Please visit obituaries and tribute wall at ompsfuneralhome.com
Steve Tiffany
ABC LICENSE
Tio Pinche Bar & Grill LLC, trading as Tio Pinche Bar & Grill, 22034 Shaw Rd., Suite 114, Sterling, VA 20164. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Retail Restaurant application: Wine, Beer, Mixed Beverages, Consumed On and Off Premises.
Suyapa D. Argueta Ramos, LLC Managing Member
Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices.
Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.
7/31, 8/7/25
ORDER OF PUBLICATION
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
VA. CODE § 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104
Case No.: CL25-3708
Loudoun County Circuit Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Eunae Hwang v. Sung Wook Ko
The object of this suit is to obtain a final decree of divorce from the defendant
It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Sung Wook Ko appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before September 5, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.
7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7/25
LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDS FOR:
FIRE AND RESCUE CLASS A AND CLASS B UNIFORMS, IFB NO. 683915 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, September 5, 2025.
Solicitation forms may be obtained 24 hours a day by visiting our web site at www.loudoun. gov/procurement . If you do not have access to the Internet, call (703) 777-0403, M - F, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
WHEN CALLING, PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCUREMENT
8/7/25
Legal Notices
ABC LICENSE
Peruvian Delicious LLC, trading as MachuPicchu Restobar, 20020 Ashbrook Commons Plaza, Unit 117, Ashburn, VA 20147-5033.
The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Retail Restaurant or Caterer Application Restaurant Wine, Beer, Mixed Beverages, Consumed On and Off Premises.
Sergio Martin Talledo, Member
Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices.
Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.
8/07, 8/14/25
ORDER OF PUBLICATION DISSOLUTION NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the shareholders and directors of Ripleys House, Inc. (formerly known as Pest Management Services, Inc.), a Virginia stock corporation with an address currently at 16755 Birdham Drive, Hamilton, Virginia 20158, have approved a proposal that the corporation voluntarily dissolve and terminate, and that the directors are now engaged in winding up and settling the affairs of the corporation pursuant to Article 16 of the Virginia Stock Corporation Act.
Any person who has a claim against said corporation is hereby notified to present the claim to the address below:
Patricia H. Pierleonardi 16755 Birdham Drive Hamilton, Virginia 20158
E-mail: Pestpatty20@gmail.com
The notice of a claim must include a reasonable description of the claim that the person may be entitled to assert against said corporation. Any claim against said corporation will be barred unless a proceeding to enforce the claim is commenced before the earlier of: (1) the expiration of any applicable statute of limitations; or (2) three (3) years after the date of publication of this notice.
ABC LICENSE
Maplestone Food Group LLC, trading as Nomad, 14 S. Madison ST., Middleburg, VA 20117. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Retail Restaurant, or Caterer - Restaurant, Wine, Beer, Mixed Beverages, Consumed On and Off Premises application.
Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices.
Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.
7/31 & 8/7/25
ORDER OF PUBLICATION A MESSAGE TO LOUDOUN COUNTY OLDER AND DISABLED RESIDENTS FROM
Robert S. Wertz, Jr. Commissioner of the Revenue
RESIDENTS 65 AND OLDER OR TOTALLY AND PERMANENTLY DISABLED who wish to apply for 2025 Personal Property (vehicle) Tax Relief for the first time must submit an application to my office by the September 2, 2025, filing deadline.
Please visit our website or contact my office for information or filing assistance.
Leesburg Office 1 Harrison Street SE First Floor
Sterling Office 46000 Center Oak Plaza
Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, M - F Phone: (703) 737-8557 Internet: loudoun.gov/taxrelief Email: taxrelief@loudoun.gov
Mailing Address: PO Box 8000, MSC 32 Leesburg, VA 20177-9804
If you require a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability or need language assistance to participate, please contact Tax Exemptions & Deferrals, trcor@louodun.gov, (703) 737-8557 / TTY-711. Three business days advance notice is requested.
PUBLIC NOTICE
INVITATION FOR BID (IFB)
FREEDOM PARK PICKLEBALL COURTS
The Town of Leesburg will accept sealed bids electronically via the Commonwealth’s e-procurement website (www.eva.virginia.gov), until 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 22, 2025, for the following:
IFB NO. 25203-FY26-09
FREEDOM PARK PICKLEBALL COURTS
The project includes the construction of five (5) pickleball courts, along with a parking lot and stormwater management to support this new facility. Work includes erosion and sediment controls, clearing and grubbing the site, earthwork, storm drainage and stormwater management facilities, aggregate base, asphalt base and surface, court fencing, concrete curbs and borders, pickleball court color coatings, striping, and accessories, sidewalks and trails, pavement marking and signing, landscaping, and all incidentals related thereto.
For additional information, visit: http://www.leesburgva.gov/bidboard
8/7/25
TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
LEESBURG TOWN CODE AMENDMENT:
Legal Notices
TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
CHAPTER 2 (ADMINISTRATION); ARTICLE V (BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS); DIVISION 1 (GENERALLY); SECTION 2-227 (LEESBURG COMMISSION ON PUBLIC ART)
In accordance with Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended, Sections 15.2-1102 and 15.2-1427, the Leesburg Town Council will hold a public hearing on:
TUESDAY, August 12, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia
to consider the adoption of a proposed ordinance amending Chapter 2, Article V, Section 2-227 of the Leesburg Town Code relating to the Leesburg Commission on Public Art. The purpose of the proposed amendment is to update the membership eligibility criteria for the Leesburg Commission on Public Art to allow town business owners to serve as members.
A copy of the proposed ordinance will be available beginning on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, from the Town Clerk, Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, 20176 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by contacting Eileen Boeing, Clerk of Council at 703-731-2733.
CANCELED
At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of Council at 703-771-2733, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.
8/7/25
TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
TO CONSIDER AN AMENDMENT TO A RENEWAL LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH LUMOS NETWORKS, INC. FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES WITHIN TOWN RIGHTS-OF-WAY
Pursuant to Virginia Code § 15.2-1800, the LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL will hold a Public Hearing on:
TUESDAY, August 12, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia
to consider an amendment to the existing Renewal License Agreement with Lumos Networks, Inc., which authorizes Lumos Networks, Inc. to use certain Town rights-of-way and publicly owned property for telecommunications purposes, upon certain terms and conditions. The proposed amendment would extend Lumos Networks, Inc.’s existing fiber optic cable systems to certain additional rights-of-way and publicly owned property under the terms of the existing agreement.
Copies of the proposed Resolution, the proposed First Amendment to Renewal License Agreement for Telecommunications Facilities between the Town and Lumos Networks, Inc., and additional information regarding the proposed amendment, will be available beginning on August 6, 2025, from the Clerk of Council, located in Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.); or by contacting Eileen Boeing, Clerk of Council, at 703-771-2733.
CANCELED
At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of Council at 703-771-2733, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711. 8/7/25
TO CONSIDER A RENEWAL LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH CABLEVISION LIGHTPATH LLC FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES WITHIN TOWN RIGHTS-OF-WAY
Pursuant to Virginia Code § 15.2-1800, the LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL will hold a Public Hearing on:
TUESDAY, August 12, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia
to consider a Renewal License Agreement with Cablevision Lightpath LLC, as successor to United Fiber & Data, LLC, authorizing Cablevision Lightpath LLC to use certain Town rights-of-way and publicly owned property for telecommunications purposes to install, operate, and maintain fiber optic cable, for a term of five years, upon certain terms and conditions.
Copies of the proposed Resolution, the proposed Renewal License Agreement for Telecommunications Facilities between the Town and Cablevision Lightpath LLC, and additional information regarding the proposed renewal agreement, will be available beginning on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, from the Town Clerk, Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, 20176 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by contacting Eileen Boeing, Clerk of Council at 703-731-2733.
CANCELED
At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of Council at 703-771-2733, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.
8/7/25
ORDER OF PUBLICATION
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316
Case No.: JJ047165
Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
Commonwealth of Virginia, in re IVORY GREEN
Loudoun County Department of Family Services v. Unknown Father
The object of this suit is to hold a third permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code § 16.1-282.1 and §16.1-281 for Ivory Green.
It is ORDERED that Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before September 16, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.
8/7, 8/14, 8/21, 8/28/25
GARAGE/ESTATE SALE
SAT-SUN, August 9th-10th from 7am - 6pm
15620 Malvosin Place (Selma Estates) Leesburg, VA 20176
NEW Designer Clothes/Purses/Shoes; Collectibles; NEW Business Accessories/ Computer Bags/Desk Items; NEW Pampered Chef items; NEW Waterford & Lenox items; NEW Plates & Fondue Sets; NEW Kitchen Items & Accessories; Car Accessories; Games & Toys; Yard & Garden; Quilts & Bedding; NEW Cookbooks; Books; Fitness Items
& Carry”
Loco Service Providers
viewed on Comcast Cable Channel 67 and Verizon FiOS Channel 35.
Published by Loudoun Community Media
RENSS GREENE Executive Director rgreene@loudounnow.org
BILL CLIFFORD Chief Development Of cer bclifford@loudounnow.org
NORMAN K. STYER
Executive Editor nstyer@loudounnow.org
EDITORIAL
HANNA PAMPALONI Reporter hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
WILLIAM TIMME Reporter wtimme@loudounnow.org
ADVERTISING
SUSAN STYER Advertising Manager sstyer@loudounnow.org
TONYA HARDING Account Executive tharding@loudounnow.org
VICKY MASHAW Account Executive vmashaw@loudounnow.org
Opinion
Lopsided Equation
As the urgency to add more electricity generation and transmission capacity grows, so should efforts to insulate traditional consumers from those extraordinary costs.
Elected representatives at the state and federal level have begun raising concerns over the inequity inherent in the current system that spreads grid infrastructure costs across all ratepayers. But little has been done to address it.
Some forecasts expect data centers to consume nearly 10% of all domestically generated electricity by 2030. That’s up from around 3% today.
In Virginia, the latest estimate by Dominion sees power demand growing from 98,000 GWh in 2024 to 173,000 GWh in 2039—with that increase attributed
Bravo
Editor:
Last week was the Loudoun County Fair and I was reminded again that Loudoun County 4H is one of the best traditions that Loudoun has.
So many kids put their heart and soul into their animal partners for months leading up to the fair. And so many parents and volunteers—too many to name here—give hour upon hours of their time and energy to make it all happen.
Loudoun’s rich rural heritage is on display for all of the county to enjoy during fair week.
Bravo to all of you 4H participants, parents and volunteers for another great fair.
—Mike Amos, Round Hill
Disdain
Editor:
As a resident of Loudoun County and white American citizen, I would like to express my disdain for Sheriff Chapman’s role in furthering the fascistic policies of the federal government by persecuting immigrants, most of whom work a lot harder than I do.
It’s not enough that he’s proudly partnering with U.S. Immigration and
almost entirely to keeping pace with data center operations. That’s enough to power 129.8 million homes; Virginia has about 3.4 million of those.
That’s a pretty lopsided equation on the demand side. But not so when it comes to repaying the costs to build new power plants and transmission lines, those are divided among all ratepayers.
Because the power company separates charges for generation and transmission costs on every bill, consumers will be able to closely monitor their share of the burden. Based on the current projections, those fees can fairly be viewed as akin to data center taxes.
The question is: How high will they go before our elected leaders rebalance the system?
LETTERS to the Editor
Customs Enforcement, along with preppy Governor Youngkin, to keep this state as white as possible. According to Virginia Public Media, he’s holding suspected immigrants in jail for two days beyond their scheduled release—probably just for an extra pat on the head from Dear Leader.
Even if you believe that all undocumented immigrants are criminals who should be treated as such—which I do not—this sheriff ’s embrace of Trumpian nativism ensures that anyone who looks like an immigrant can and will be targeted. According to the grassroots group Indivisible, under Chapman’s command, vehicle searches involving Latino motorists have increased fourfold since last year. I’m certain this wasn’t because they suddenly got worse at driving.
Moreover, anyone driving a car in Loudoun—whether they look like an immigrant or not—can be targeted by surveillance cameras, fishing for vehicle data that can be used to deport people, according to the news site 404 Media. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather those cameras be used to take down kidnappers, car thieves, murderers, and such—you know, real criminals.
Profiling and mass surveillance are
contrary to the principles this country is supposed to stand for. Sheriff Chapman, who has clearly not read 1984, should either get onboard with democracy and human rights—or self-deport to El Salvador and go work for Bukele. I hear he’s hiring.
—Matthew Johnson, Sterling
Praise
Editor:
The rhetoric so often doesn’t match the reality of the situation. As a resident of this county, I have four members of my immediate family who are legal immigrants. I support what Sheriff Chapman is doing to keep criminals off our streets. Everyone at the time of arrest gets an inquiry as to whether they’re in this country illegally among other law enforcement inquires. An illegal immigrant has violated one crime by entering the country illegally. The Sheriff has nothing to do with ICE operations. The Sheriff and his deputies does not profile anyone!
The Sheriff ’s Office uses data analytics to determine where traffic and crime issues are. The Sheriff ’s Office has no
LETTERS continues on page 33
Loudoun Now is mailed weekly to homes in Leesburg, western Loudoun and Ashburn, and distributed for pickup throughout the county. Online, Loudoun Now provides daily community news coverage to an audience of more than 100,000 unique monthly visitors.
LETTERS to the Editor
continued from page 32
information concerning anyone’s race, gender, or immigration status when they observe a traffic violation, nor do they engage with ICE on any of their field operations. They do not know any individual’s immigration status until they go to jail and he/she gets run through several immigration checks. If the person is determined to be illegal by ICE and if ICE wants to pick them up they have 48 hours to do so.
Loudoun County is the safest place to live in the Metropolitan area thanks to Sheriff Chapman and the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office. They recently were recognized by Loudoun Now. Sheriff Chapman was recognized for the “Best Public Servant” for the fifth year in a row, and the sheriff deputies for “Favorite Government Service.”
The left has told outrageous lies about Sheriff Chapman and the Sheriff’s Office. Supervisor Briskman in particular, from the Board of Supervisors has told lies over and over again about Sheriff Chapman. I will say it again, the rhetoric doesn’t match the reality that crime is low thanks to Sheriff Chapman. How about showing praise and thanks to Sheriff Chapman and the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office?
—Donna Widawski, Ashburn
Lafayette
continued from page 3
America’s Semiquincentennial.
To commemorate Lafayette’s visit, three days of special programs are planned.
On Friday, Aug. 8, Historians on Tap will feature an informal discussion about Lafayette’s impact on the nation starting at 6:30p.m. at Dynasty Brewing, 101 Loudoun St. SE.
On Saturday, Aug. 9, there will be a full day of living history activities. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. there will be activities at the Loudoun Museum, including visits by reenactors portraying James and Elizabeth Monroe and Lafayette. There will be special activities for children and the public will be encouraged to view the museum’s exhibit that dives deeply into Lafayette’s visit to Leesburg.
Starting at 6 p.m., activities will move to the courthouse lawn where a reenact-
Fiber Optic
continued from page 3
the new data center complex near Frederick with a one millisecond round trip time, according to Quantum Loop’s website.
The project is taking place along Rt. 15 from Lucketts to Leesburg and along parts of Battlefield Parkway NE. The construc-
— By Chip Beck, beckchip@aol.com
ment of the dinner party 200 years ago is planned, including many of the 50 toasts. Perhaps fittingly, the program will take place during the town’s TASTE Leesburg festival, which will have the downtown
tion work is being done by Team Fishel, according to Town of Leesburg spokesperson Kara Rodriguez.
As part of the preparations for the laying of the fiber optic cable, QLoop requested and received fiber optic easements from the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in August 2023. The easement was approved in April 2024 and is for county-owned property in Lucketts
streets full of revelers.
On Sunday, Aug. 10, a ticketed program will be held at Oatlands starting at 2 p.m.
A more formal history talk, the program will be moderated by Chuck Schwam, the executive director of the American Friends of Lafayette. Speakers will be Lafayette interpreter and historian Mark Schneider, Monroe interpreter and historian Jay Harrison and Marc Leepson, author of “Lafayette: Lessons in Leadership from The Idealist General.” Tickets are available at oatlands.org.
For more details and information about other activities planned by the Loudoun VA250 Committee, go to visitloudoun.org/loudoun250. n
where digging is now taking place.
The ongoing construction has caused considerable ground disruption along and near Rt. 15 and Battlefield Parkway and has contributed to traffic woes along Rt. 15 during rush hour. Dozens of construction vehicles and pieces of heavy machinery from Team Fishel are working along Rt. 15 and Battlefield Parkway NE as part of the project. n
Library of Congress
Marquis de Lafayette in battle as shown in an 1834 engraving by Godefoy from Chasselat.
Athari
continued from page 1
and I basically pitched myself and my project as a proposal,” Bangaru said. “I said, ‘this is what I want to do. I think that your lab could really benefit my project.’ And it happened, and later on Ms. Mitchell replied to me and she said, ‘that sounds good. Why don’t you come in for an interview?’ So, I came in for an interview.”
Fast forward a few months and Bangaru has spent the summer working on her project at Athari and learning other skills she didn’t know she needed.
“When I proposed it, it was more of a mechanical engineering project,” she said. “But [the Athari team] told me that engineering and technology can only do so much. If you want to help the human body, you have to get to the intricacies of it. You need to understand how the human body works at the molecular level if you want to solve prob-
I feel like in school sometimes they just give you a formula, but they don’t explain the reasoning behind the formula, and I think at Athari they’re like, ‘this is why it works.”
—Nina Zasypkina
lems like this. And it was so interesting to me. During that interview, I was like, ‘OK, yes, I will learn biology.”
Srinivasan, who took classes at the Academies of Loudoun, interned at the company in 2023 and, after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University, came back to work for them this year as a research scientist.
Zasypkina graduated from Dominion High School in June and was also introduced to the world of bioscience through classes at the Academies of Loudoun.
Each of them said their internships at Athari prepared them in ways they weren’t expecting and gave them a leg up in the industry at a time when such opportunities are difficult to come by.
“As an intern, I learned a lot. I learned a lot of wet lab skills that I previously hadn’t gotten or wasn’t able to sort of congregate or
put together, but now I’ve kind of had all of this wet lab experience as well as been able to practice my dry lab experience, which in this economy, it’s kind of hard to get a computational level job,” Srinivasan said.
“I feel like in school sometimes they just give you a formula, but they don’t explain the reasoning behind the formula, and I think at Athari they’re like, ‘this is why it works,’” Zasypkina said.
Those experiences are purposefully cultivated by the Athari team to better prepare the next generation of scientists and fill gaps left by universities.
Internship Coordinator and Research and Development Scientist Sarah Alsuleiman said the company encourages innovation and ideas from their interns and works to help tailor each experience in the direction each student is trying to go.
“I’d have internships in the past where I would go in and it doesn’t matter what you want to do. It’s like, you’re lucky to be there first of all because usually internships are so hard to get. Especially in today’s climate, it’s so hard to get an internship. And to have to come in [to Athari] and be like, ‘well, here’s where my career is going and actually, here’s the specific thing I want to do,’ that’s unheard of,” Alsuleiman said.
“When I came into this internship, I didn’t even think I would do hands-on stuff. I thought I would just be here standing in the corner, taking notes, but I actually got to run my own experiment,” Zasypkina said. “They actually listened to my own opinions, which I did not think they would. I’ve had a little bit of experience in high school doing my own research, but I didn’t think they would actually value my opinions, which was really nice to hear. So, I definitely was amazed that I came by those opportunities, because high schoolers don’t have this opportunity.”
The day-to-day mentorship and guidance are led primarily by doctors Tshaka Cunningham, who works as Athari’s chief scientific and technical advisor, and Tammey Naab, who works as the chief medical director and laboratory director.
“What we were trying to do with the students is give them real world training experiences that will prepare them to go into the industry,” Cunningham said. “As a local biotech entrepreneur, I recognize that we have a bit of a challenge as far as the skills and talent gap within biomedical research. We have a lot of students that have great book knowledge, but when it comes to hands on laboratory skills, they’re limited.”
He said the COVID pandemic had likely exacerbated that by keeping students from the hands-on learning experiences that were available.
“We’re sort of trying to make up for lost time as far as filling some gaps in their training so that they actually have hands on skills that make them more employable by not only small biotechs, but larger pharma com-
“What we were trying to do with the students is give them real world training experiences that will prepare them to go into the industry,”
—Tshaka Cunningham
panies that need folks to do things like drug discovery research, like we do here at Athari on a smaller scale,” he said.
Cunningham said employers often require experience for entry-level positions but won’t give students the opportunity to gain that experience, creating a chicken or the egg-type problem. Interns said that can be frustrating when trying to get started in the industry.
George Mason student Jacob Lockey said he was struggling to find an internship this summer and ended up cold calling Athari to see if they had any opportunities available.
“During the interview, they proposed a problem that they were having with the robot where they were having issues with alignment of pipette boxes so I went and 3D printed a solution for that, and then we ended up actually integrating it,” he said. That cinched his summer opportunity at Athari and he’s been able to continue troubleshooting technical issues with the machinery.
“[We want to] bring the next generation of life science leaders up,” Mitchell said. “We’re not just learning science stuff. We’re learning, do you have a firm handshake? Can you look someone in the eye? Can you answer the question truthfully? Can you do what you say you’re going to do? Are you respectful to your coworkers? How do you represent yourself in the community? How are you giving back to the community?”
Naab said those skills can also help open more job opportunities for students during college and after they graduate.
“I think that anytime that you have a situation where you have a practical skill even if they don’t actually use it in the career they go into, they can use it to actually get funding or can make money during college by actually becoming a teaching assistant or actually tutoring students. … because when you’re in college, you don’t need all these huge student loans,” she said.
Naab, who taught over 10,000 students during her time at Howard University, said teaching the importance of fostering collaboration and not creating “silos” is important to instill in the next generation.
“I think that that’s what Athari masters
here, is that it’s not a siloed approach. And so, what I recommend is that everyone actually see what other interns are doing and that they’re encouraged, if they have time, to join other projects or to become involved with other projects. So, that also fosters this non-siloed, collaborative approach,” she said.
Cunningham said he hopes there will be more opportunities like these for local students.
“I think what the universities and what organizations like ours need to do is partner up more, and that’s why we value the partnership with George Mason University and Loudoun County Public Schools, because we’re taking those students that really want to have these opportunities and giving them a chance. If we don’t, it’s going to reflect bad on all of us, because then we won’t have ready scientists for the next generation,” Cunningham said.
He also wants to see the biomedical fields grow in Loudoun and the surrounding areas.
“I want to see our country maintain our dominance. I want to see our region grow in its biomedical and biotech force and rival that of any other region in the country. As a proud Virginian, and as someone who’s been working in biotech and pharma for the better part of the last 30 years, I really feel like we have a lot of potential here, that I’m hoping that, even if federal investments don’t come, state investments come to keep that momentum going.”
Mitchell said these are all problems she started Athari to solve.
“When I came out, nothing was there, right? The companies that I worked for— very good companies, very big companies, very international companies—they were great on paper, but the things on the inside kind of left you a little bit alone. This is not what I expected, and so what I learned from university is not what really happened in the real world. So, I wanted to be able to take all that, take your theoretical learning from academia, and marry that with hands-on real-world activities that are actually supporting our ecosystem. So, you’re not working on getting coffee and copies, you’re literally working on something that’s going to impact humanity when we get done,” she said.
Mitchell and Cunningham want to grow the program to support 20-30 interns each summer but said that will require more partnerships and greater investments.
“It takes like a $100,000 just to run this the summer program. That’s nuts and then we still have to keep the lights on, and we still have to do the real research that we’re trying to do, still have to pay people on the first and the 15th. All these things are happening,” Mitchell said.
“People aren’t really gravitating to science right now. This is the opportune time to confirm that science is important, and we all need to maintain humankind,” Mitchell said. n
A Loudoun Moment
Korean Air Celebrates 30 Years at Dulles Airport
Representatives of Korean Air and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority gathered Friday to welcome a newly branded Boeing 777-300ER as it arrived on the daily nonstop flight from Seoul.
The flight was celebrated as representatives marked the 30th anniversary of the airline launching service between Dulles Airport and Incheon International Airport. During that time nearly 3.5 million passengers have been served, including 170,000 travelers last year.
According to MWAA, Korean Air flights contribute an estimated $60 million in local economic impact in the National Capital Region each year.
Festivities for the July 25 celebration included a cultural performance by the JUB Cultural Center, featuring traditional Korean fan dancing and drumming. The 30th passenger to check in won a complimentary roundtrip ticket courtesy of Korean Air and all passengers received special gifts. n
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
As the dog days of summer sets in and watering holes dry up, along this creek we saw wood ducks, great egrets, solitary sandpipers, blue-gray gnatcatchers, eastern phoebe, a great blue heron, a raccoon and whitetailed deer come for a drink.
Photo by Douglas Graham
