Loudoun Now for July 31, 2025

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Purcellville Vice Mayor Ben Nett and Town Manager Kwasi Fraser are facing felony charges a er a grand jury last week handed down indictments leading to their arrests July 23.

Both were released on $5,000 personal recognizance bonds.

Nett is facing six charges including four counts of using a computer to gather identifying information through the use of material arti ce, trickery or deception; one count of rigged government bidding, and

Purcellville Vice Mayor, Town Manager Arrested After Felony Indictments

one count of commercial fraud against the government.

Virginia State Police Public Relations Coordinator Matt Demlein told Loudoun Now that the rst four charges are related to violations regarding use of the Virginia Criminal Information Network – a statewide data communications network incorporating computerized links to regional and national law enforcement systems.

Nett, who worked as an o cer for the Purcellville Police Department until he was red April 4, ran for council in November

Introducing Loudoun Now Voice

Loudoun Now Voice, sponsored by POUNCE Solutions, is a new platform for community voices, creating a chance for our community to be heard directly on our platforms. We want to share your stories and elevate local conversations, businesses, experts, and voices, and make it simple to create your own quality programming regardless of your level of experience. And since we have one of the biggest online platforms in Loudoun Coun-

ty, we can help those voices to be heard. What’s there to hear and see?

Tales & Ales on Loudoun Now Voice

Loudoun’s own storytelling event, Tales & Ales, shows that everyone has a story. And now with Tales & Ales on Loudoun Now Voice, we sit down with storytellers to learn the stories behind the stories.

Loudoun Lately

What’s your “one good thing?” Loudoun Lately hosts Renss Greene and Jennifer Montgomery love Loudoun, and they talk o the clock with some of

the interesting and change-making people around Loudoun County to learn about the good news around Loudoun—along with things to do and how to get involved in growing the good.

Brown’s Bag

Margaret Brown is a lifelong learner, and on Brown’s Bag, she’s learning about everything from photography tips to how to keep your pets safe in a hot summer, all from local experts and personalities.

LOUDOUN NOW VOICE continues on page 18

Kwasi Fraser
Ben Nett

Hotel Burg Opens to Accolades

In the summer of 2022, developer Kevin Ash approached Leesburg leaders to gauge support for building a new downtown hotel. That launched a three-year journey to create the Hotel Burg, which celebrated its grand opening Tuesday.

Although a similar hotel, the Leesburg Inn, operated a few blocks away on North King Street for nearly a century—until it was razed in 1974 to make way for county government offices—the modern project required months of design meetings with the town’s Board of Architectural Review and a few amendments to ease regulatory hurdles.

The staff at the Thomas Balch Library in a Facebook post once described the historic Leesburg Inn as a “location for memorable hunt breakfasts, wedding receptions, cocktail parties and club meetings” and a “well-

known ‘watering place’” that drew “visitors from Washington DC and beyond.”

Hotel Burg is expected to step into that mold.

The complex at 208 S. King St. includes the 39-room boutique hotel, The Huntōn restaurant, the Diana Lounge and The Chase members-only club.

This week, that work was hailed as transformational for the town’s Historic District.

“Thank you all for coming out. I really do appreciate it,” Ash told a crowd gathered on hotel lawn for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This has been a long, long journey getting here, but I hope everybody can appreciate the detail and all the time and effort that everybody’s put into this.”

“This all started with a kind of a thought and an idea of a style—of a life well lived,” Ash said. “I’ve been very blessed, traveled around the world, seen a lot of great things. I really want

to bring that back to the community that I love here in Leesburg and Loudoun County.”

Ash recruited restaurant entrepreneur Jason Miller, owner of The Wine Kitchen, to join the project. They hired Chef Vincent Badiee to lead the culinary operations and established a farm south of town to provide fresh local ingredients to the kitchen.

“Everything we do is built on the shoulders of those who came before us—places like Tuscarora Mill and Lightfoot that have been here for 30 plus years. We’re just lucky to kind of get swept up in that,” Miller said. “What we do next is because of what they have done, and all the ranchers and the farmers and the wine makers that support us. That foundation has been established, and we’re just going to attempt to build on that.”

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall

continues on page 25

Ashburn Recreation Center Opens this Week

After years of work, the Ashburn Recreation and Community Center is set to open this week – only the third joint center in the county.

The two-story, $102.5 million facility includes a 50-meter competition pool, leisure pool, spa, sensory room, multipurpose room with a kitchen, classrooms, offices and meeting space. It houses the largest gym in the county’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services system which includes 12 basketball hoops and game line markings for pickleball, badminton, basketball and volleyball.

The building’s top floor includes fitness areas, a running track and spectator seating for the pools.

PRCS Recreation Centers Division Manager Jay Allred said the building is the result of a lot of hard work.

“We took a somewhat different approach in the design in that parks and rec staff were involved early on in the

design,” Allred said. “So, the architects were able to have some of the feedback that we have.”

That input has led to a level of detail and thoughtfulness unlike any of the other PRCS buildings, including movable walls between the leisure pool and the competition pool to allow for more efficient use of lifeguards early in the morning and a better design in the pre-school classrooms to limit traffic jams in the hallways.

Near the entrance, past the floor length windows and sitting area, is a childcare room where parents can drop off their kids when attending classes, going for a swim or getting in a workout.

An upgraded membership also includes a recovery room complete with red light therapy, cryotherapy and massage amenities.

“During the construction process, we actually divided the room in half and created something that we’re really

ASHBURN REC CENTER continues on page 5

HOTEL
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
Visit Loudoun President and CEO Beth Erickson offers a congratulatory toast to Hotel Burg developers Kevin and Remington Ash during the July 29, 2024, grand opening celebration.
Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now
The Ashburn Recreation and Community Center was set to open this week – the third of its kind in the county.

Loudoun

Supervisors Continue Work on Data Center Regulations

County supervisors are developing the scope for a 14-month Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendment process to change data center regulations within Loudoun.

The work comes after initial amendments passed earlier this year that removed data centers as a by-right use and instead required all new applications to be approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Now, county leaders are developing the next steps. Tuesday night, the board’s Transportation and Land Use Committee endorsed a list of 15 priorities for amendments and added another.

Work to develop the regulations will be done by county staff members, advisory panels, residents, local organizations and industry and citizen groups.

The existing 15 priorities include rules governing backup generators, noise analysis, visual screening and architectural features, sustainability certifications, setbacks from residential areas, onsite power

sources, district energy, alternative cooling systems, lighting standards, solar, building height, potential future transmission line locations, base load power and indoor utility substations.

Supervisor Sylvia R. Glass (D-Broad Run) successfully added condominiums to the scope after learning that there were instances in her district where developers had planned to establish the centers through condominium building requirements.

Board Vice Chair Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) said this could be a “backdoor” method of building a data center.

“Condominium is essentially an ownership construct if you’re capitalizing the investment. So, the building has to exist, and traditionally, data centers may lease or rent rack space within a building, but this is just a different process, where they can divide a three-dimensional space within the building and actually sell that to an owner who can use that space for the intended purpose that’s been approved under a site plan. And that owner owns that three-dimensional space, just like many multifamily buildings,” Deputy County Administrator Joe Kroboth said.

Kroboth said he agreed that this is becoming a more commonly used practice by developers and that county staff could add researching it into the project scope.

Committee Chair Laura A. TeKrony also asked about possibility of requiring future data center applications of a certain size to include a substation, saying she had discussed it with Dominion Energy.

“We look at some applicants that are now coming back to us that have to put a substation on-site now. … What I’m saying is that we ought to be requiring because Dominion would have to go out and find land, and it would have an impact potentially, on communities as you go further west, if they can’t find land in the east. It does have a true impact. So, I’m wondering if the requirement for an on-site substation makes sense at this point,” TeKrony said.

Kroboth said that could be included in the scope as well.

Turner said it could be helpful to create performance standards for the industry.

County Administrator Tim Hemstreet said the supervisors need to consider how they want to use the Zoning Ordinance.

“We could put performance standards into the special exception process, and you could write them into the Zoning Ordinance. However, once you do that, it makes it much more difficult for existing campuses to come in and try to do something under a special exception process to make the situation better.”

Hemstreet said the staff is looking for guidance on how to form the amendments.

“How do you want to use the Zoning Ordinance to provide incentives for existing properties to come back in at some point, redevelop their site in a way that helps to mitigate some of the things that you don’t want to see?” he said. “And if the Zoning Ordinance in phase two is written too strictly and you throw the existing community into non-conforming, then it makes it much more difficult for them to come into something because they can’t conform with the Zoning Ordinance at that point. So how do we do it to make it a little bit better?”

The motion to recommend the project scope passed 4-0 with County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) absent. It now advances to the full board for approval. n

Belmont-Area Housing Application Advances to Full Board

An application that would rezone land to permit 78 single-family attached housing units received endorsement from the Board of Supervisors’ Transportation and Land Use Committee on Tuesday night.

The 8.19-acre parcel located along Russell Branch Parkway south of Rt. 7 is zoned for office park uses. This proposal would allow construction of townhomes and multi-family affordable dwelling units.

The proposal received a slim recommendation of approval from the Planning Commission with a 4-3 vote, and the Board of Supervisors sent the application to the committee for review following a June public hearing on the application.

Project Manager Darby Metcalf told committee members Tuesday that he could not recommend approval of the application

without several changes including committing that 50 percent of the units would be below the county average of 2,600 square feet. Currently, the application calls for 60 percent of the units to be 2,600 square feet.

The comprehensive plan specifically envisions small lot units in that area of the county, Metcalf said.

Metcalf said he also recommends that the applicant provide more sidewalks, more civic space, and clearer exterior design commitments.

Applicant representative Michael Romeo said that 10 of the homes would be affordable dwelling units and two would be part of the Affordable Market Purchase Program.

“A lot of the affordable projects you see provided now are rental projects. That’s how you can get financing through Virginia Housing and through the county Housing

Loudoun County
A rendering shows the proposed layout of housing units in a rezoning application along Russell Branch Parkway.
BELMONT continues on page 5

Ashburn Rec Center

continued from page 3

proud of here and this is called a recovery room. This is an emerging trend in the fitness space,” Allred said.

Seating areas on the second floor that overlook the competition pool are expected to be a welcome feature for parents whose kids attend 5 a.m. swim practice and want a quiet place to watch their children.

The pool area also includes private rooms that can be used as classrooms or rented out for birthday parties.

Lockers near the pools also include family changing areas in addition to the men and women bathrooms that are designed to create a more comfortable environment for parents with young children.

“If you’re a mom and you’ve got two boys

“I think the rewarding part is that we changed the way we do things as a county than we’ve done things in the past in building this building and getting the end users involved in the design."
Jay Allred
PRCS Recreation Centers Division Manager

or something, you can come in here, bring them in here and change in here in private,” Allred said.

The county already has these features in some of its centers and Allred said they’re very popular.

“But we only have three or four rooms

Belmont

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Trust Fund. These are for-sale units, and we have 12 of those units on our site that allow for residents to get into the housing system,” Romeo said.

Committee members said that, while they felt the project was slightly too dense, they would support it.

“I think this is a good application. I do. It has some drawbacks … but all in all it doesn’t come close to the threshold of me not recommending this for approval. You

and so there was a concerted effort to make this a much larger area,” he said.

One of the classrooms also includes a teaching kitchen with ovens, stoves and a refrigerator.

“There’s a camera here which will record the instructor and project everything onto these TVs,” Allred said adding that they are working on a way to broadcast those recordings online.

The outside area includes playgrounds and a splashpad.

Allred said like many capital projects, building the rec center had its challenges including convincing the architects just how much office space was going to be needed for the staff running the center.

“Including all of the part time temporary staff members, we’ll be around 300 staff,” Allred said. “That’s true for all of the facilities. I mean you have to have six to eight lifeguards just to keep the pool open all the time. Forty facility attendants or the people that are running the gym, keeping the equipment clean upstairs.”

It’s been a long, but worth it journey, he said.

“I think the rewarding part is that we changed the way we do things as a county than we’ve done things in the past in building this building and getting the end users involved in the design,” he said. “So, I think we’re going to end up with a much more functional building. We’re still learning from that process, enrolling some of those lessons right into western Loudoun, which we’re starting design on now.”

The center’s opening is planned for Thursday at 6 p.m. with classes and facilities available for sign-up Friday morning. Special events will be taking place throughout the weekend including water aerobics, cycle introductions, yoga, food tasting in the demonstration kitchen, food trucks, tie-dye shirt making and children’s events.

Learn more at loudoun.gov/6229/Ashburn-Recreation-Community-Center. n

guys have been doing this for two years now through nine referrals and I think it’s time for the board to make a decision,” Board Vice Chair Michael Turner (D-Ashburn) said.

Turner said he also felt the neighborhood would fit in with the surrounding area.

Committee Chair Laura A. TeKrony (D-Little River) said she would also like the applicant to work on increasing the number of smaller units.

The motion to recommend approval passed 4-0, with County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) absent. n

AROUND town Leesburg

Town Council Updates Data Center Revenue Forecasts

Budget Officer Tamara Keesecker last week presented to the Town Council an overview of the top concerns on the horizon, with changes in data center revenue forecasts serving as the pillar in that conversation.

The staff is forecasting between $91 million and $115 million in data center computer equipment tax collections over the next 10 years at the newly annexed Compass Creek campus, where Microsoft operates a hub and new data centers are under construction.

Keesecker cautioned that timing for filling in the data centers with computer equipment is unpredictable. This year, the town saw a spike above its projections made during the Town Council’s retreat in January, but that has consequences in future years.

“What you’ll see though, is by 2030 and 2031, you don’t quite hit the same level that you were in the previous forecast,” Keesecker said. “Because that computer equipment was installed earlier, it’s going to depreciate faster and get to that 10% assessment sooner.”

The staff is recommending that the council avoid using data center tax revenue for recurring costs. They also recommended that council consider a strategic approach identifying both short-term and long-term opportunities to leverage maximum benefits to the community.

Councilmember Neil Steinberg asked what happens if, for instance, a bank, subject to a bank franchise tax instead of a personal property tax, or a tax-exempt religious organization, leases out space in a data center.

Keesecker said it would be a “fair assumption” that the bank franchise tax would produce nowhere near the same amount of revenue. She also explained that the council has no control over who the data center leases space to, so it would be possible for a tax-exempt organization to use the data centers.

“The point is, there’s a lot of uncertainty,” Steinberg said.

The concerns arose from decisions made

by the council during budget talks in March that put the town in position to depend on some of the unrealized data center revenues.

During those talks, the town council shifted $120,000 from its $220,000 stormwater system maintenance fund to make up for lost revenues from waiving the town’s vehicle license fee without increasing the real estate tax rate.

Councilmember Zach Cummings said he and the rest of council would be supportive of putting money back into the stormwater management fund.

In a straw poll, only Councilmember Patrick Wilt opposed that action. Town Manager Kaj Dentler said a formal resolution would be needed to make the transfer.

Cummings also asked about the possibility of using data center revenues to reduce town’s vehicle tax.

Assistant Town Manager and Chief Financial Officer Owen Snyder cautioned that tax relief would be a recurring operating cost.

“We strongly encourage you to consider and think about any kind of monies that are set aside for tax relief and avoidance that you put that similar number aside in reserve,” Snyder said. “Our point from the presenta-

tion is that we need to manage risk with this revenue and the more [having] you use it on operating [costs],” citing the risk that the money may not come in as expected.”

Keesecker also presented the town’s Long-Term Sustainability Plan that calls for cautious estimates of computer equipment tax revenue from data centers, 5% annual growth in property taxes, and a dedicated funding source for stormwater by fiscal year 2028.

Keesecker also said the FY26 budget has recurring expenditures that exceed recurring revenues. The town used fund balance, specifically the $4.1 million in the town’s debt service reserves, to balance the budget.

“This is common, the town has done it for many years, and luckily, the town has been fortunate enough not to have to draw on those reserves,” Keesecker said. “What we see though is the space between the expenditures and the revenues continues to get tighter, so we’re not sure how much longer we’ll be able to do that.”

The Town Council’s next budget meeting is scheduled for September. n

Lafayette Pop-up Exhibit Planned Friday

The Town of Leesburg invites the public to a pop-up exhibit on Friday, Aug. 1, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Leesburg.

During August of 1825, Lafayette, as a war hero nearly 50 years after the American Revolution, visited Leesburg to great fanfare.

A special pop-up exhibit at the Donaldson Log Cabin, taking place in the First Friday window between 5 and 7 p.m., will feature materials from the Thomas Balch Library’s archival collection and offer visitors a chance to learn more about the welcoming committee and grand toasts delivered in Lafayette’s honor.

For more information, call 703737-7195 or email balchlib@leesburgva.gov.

Historic Records Highlighted at Balch

The Thomas Balch Library will host historic records manager Eric Larson as he presents “Making Loudoun’s Historic Records Available to the Public" at the library at 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 7.

During the presentation, held in the library’s lower-level conference room and virtually, Larson will give an overview of one the collections of historic court records dating back to the founding of Loudoun County in 1757. He will discuss conservation treatments, digitization of records and how to use the collection in research.

Pre-registration is required for this event. Interested individuals may call 703-737-7195 or email balchlib@leesburgva.gov or register online at leesburgva.gov. n

William Timme/ Loudoun Now
The Town of Leesburg updated its data center personal property tax revenue forecasts from January after a revenue spike in 2025.

Community Makes Effort to Return Comatose Leesburg Preschool Teacher

The Johnson family and the community at Little Tree Hugger’s Preschool are working trying to transfer her to Inova Fairfax Hospital.

The community has rallied to help the Johnson family.

Betsy Miller, a parent from the preschool, started a GoFundMe to help pay for her medical expenses.

“In the wake of this accident, we have two or three parents volunteering a day to come [to Little Tree Huggers] because we’re down staff members,” George said. “If you look at the GoFundMe, there’s close to like $50,000 donated for this air repatriation. It’s been incredible, the outpouring of love and support that she’s got.”

Leesburg preschool teacher and music artist Lia Marie Johnson is in a coma in Buenos Aires, Argentina after being struck by a car. The community is working to bring her home.

The trip was particularly important to Johnson, whose mother is from Argentina. In preparation for the trip, she even took tango lessons at a local dance studio.

But the very first day of that dream vacation was cut short on June 2.

Johnson’s father, George, said she, her boyfriend, Nick, and Nick’s brother were crossing an intersection that wasn’t “clearly marked” when she was struck by a car, sending her several feet into the air.

Johnson suffered a skull fracture, broken arm, a collapsed lung and other injuries. For days her doctors said her life was in the balance, her father said. She’s since progressed to making eye contact with her left eye, and moving her left leg and arm, though mostly involuntarily.

“There are moments when we feel like we’re making a connection with her,” but a concern lingers while Johnson awaits repatriation, he said. He worries that she’s already had five cases of intra-hospital pneumonia and that they haven’t been able to set her broken arm.

“We were reluctant to have it treated here,” he said. “Every time they open you up, it’s another chance of something getting into your system and provoking yet another case of infection.”

He said that, through GoFundMe, the Johnson family has been able to cover up to 35% of the medical airlift quote price. He said the price is around $145,000.

Also, Johnson’s students have been sending her drawings and paintings to decorate her hospital room with.

Her father said neither the US Embassy nor the Blue Cross have been able to do anything thus far. He received a call from Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (DVA-10) expressing concern.

“His office is trying to get grants and other resources to try to get her back home, and it’s just there’s nothing available,” he said. “There’s plenty of money to kick people out of the United States, just not to bring people back.”

Johnson was part of a band, Alaska and Aurora, and their first album was produced end by well-known Loudoun musician Todd Wright. Wright, who also helped Johnson on her solo work, released her single “You Are Whole” a few days after the incident.

Johnson’s father said it has become the family’s theme song.

“It’s kept us from going off the rails,” he said. “I don’t know, it might be superstitious or not, but the more her voice is heard, I think the more she’s strengthened.”

In the song’s refrain, Johnson sings “If you’re missing someone deep down in your soul, you are whole.”

George said those lyrics have taken on a whole new meaning for him and the family.

Johnson’s GoFundMe can be found at gofundme.com/f/aid-liamaries-journey-to-healing. n

Wisdom in the Rearview: Lessons Learned on their Business Journey
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The Johnson Family
Lia Marie Johnson reading to her students at the Little Tree Huggers Preschool.

Education

Youngkin: Loudoun Among 5 NOVA School Systems Violating Title IX

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has found that Loudoun County Public Schools and four other Northern Virginia counties’ school divisions are violating Title IX – particularly for policies governing transgender students use of bathrooms and locker room and participation in athletics.

Other school systems found in violation were Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William counties and the City of Alexandria. The findings come after OCR in February opened an investigation into the schools based on complaints that the divisions’ anti-discrimination policies violated Title IX protections.

In a July 25 announcement, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said that the school systems were violating federal law and neglecting their responsibility to protect students.

“They got away with this behavior because the Biden Administration backed

them up. Commonsense is back, with biological boys and girls in their own locker rooms and bathrooms, and boys out of girls sports,” Youngkin stated.

The divisions are also the subject of several lawsuits, informal complaints, and reports, which allege that students in the divisions avoid using school restrooms because of the schools’ policies, and that female students have witnessed male students inappropriately touching other students and watching female students change in a female locker room, according to the DOE.

Loudoun County Public Schools’ Policy 8040 allows gender expansive or transgender students to use their preferred names and pronouns regardless of the name and gender recorded in their permanent educational record. The policy also requires that students be permitted to participate in sports and other activities in line with the gender that they identify with and to access restrooms and locker rooms that align with the gender they

identify with.

“Although this type of behavior was tolerated by the previous Administration, it’s time for Northern Virginia’s experiment with radical gender ideology and unlawful discrimination to come to an end. OCR’s investigation definitively shows that these five Virginia school districts have been trampling on the rights of students in the service of an extreme political ideology,” OCR Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor stated in a July 25 announcement.

The DOE has given 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 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 ensure 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 referral to the U.S. Department of Justice, according to the DOE.

Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Officer Dan Adams told Loudoun Now in an email that the division had received communication from the OCR regarding the investigation.

“Division staff will thoroughly review the correspondence in consideration of next steps. LCPS will continue to ensure full compliance with state and federal laws. LCPS remains committed to maintaining a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where every student can thrive and reach their fullest potential,” he stated.

As of Monday, Adams said there were no plans for the School Board to convene a special meeting to discuss the policy. The full body is not expected to meet next until Aug. 12, past the 10-day deadline. n

County Supervisors May Cover LCPS Federal Funding Losses

In April, Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence announced that the school division would not comply with a request from the federal government to certify that it does not adhere to certain diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, a decision which puts LCPS at risk of losing federal funding.

Now, new details have emerged around what that funding covers and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is floating the idea of stepping in to cover losses should the federal government withhold school funding.

According to division public information officer Dan Adams, LCPS receives around $46 million in federal funding, which is 2.5% of LCPS' annual budget.

At a July 21 town hall meeting about federal budget cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Supervisor Juli

E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) said, “The School Board came to the Board of Supervisors and the Board of Supervisors basically said, ‘we will cover you if the federal government pulls that money.’”

Briskman added that the federal government has not yet removed the funding.

The FY26 budget adopted by the School Board shows just under $3 mil-

lion in federal aid goes to the school’s operating fund, around $24.6 million to the grant fund, and around $24 million to the school nutrition fund.

In the operating fund, LCPS receives $180,062 in impact aid, which makes up for tax revenue the school system formerly received from federal properties that have been sold, $182,374 in funding for the Junior Navy ROTC program, and $2.6 million in Medicaid payment funding.

For the grant fund, much of the federal money—over $15 million—goes toward special education programs. Around $1.16 million is for career and technical education programs, $1.3 million for Head Start programs, $1.3 million for English language learning programs, and around $2.3 million to the help low-income students meet standards.

Much of the grant fund’s federal

FUNDING continues on page 9

A graph shows the allocation of federal funding to Loudoun County Public Schools programs.  Patrick Lewis/Loudoun Now

AI Cameras, Increased Stadium Security Among Safety Updates

Loudoun County Public Schools have contracted with Volt AI to deploy artificial intelligence-powered security cameras throughout the district’s schools and facilities.

The contract is part of nearly $8 million in security upgrades division Superintendent Aaron Spence included in his budget proposal in January. VOLT was chosen following a pilot program that saw multiple companies compete with each other, according to a VOLT statement.

The system will be integrated into all schools in the county and “will fully integrate VOLT AI’s proprietary features, including weapons detection, behavioral analysis, and intelligent alerting,” according to the announcement. These tools are aimed at reducing the number of false alarms and to allow staff to make “faster, better informed decisions in critical moments.”

A spokesperson for VOLT AI said the system does not use facial or vehicle recognition and does not run license plates, nor does it store personally identifiable information.

“After a successful pilot program at Heritage High School, LCPS will be implementing a new AI tool with its security camera systems in all high schools. The software is

Funding

continued from page 8

dollars go toward teacher salaries. Adams said 171 full time employees are funded federally, with many of those employees being assigned to special education.

The school nutrition fund gets around $20 million of its total $48 million budget from federal funding, which provides free

able to identify potential safety issues, such as fights or weapons, and alert personnel in a fast and efficient manner,” division spokesperson Dan Adams said. He added, “It’s important to note that while AI is a groundbreaking tool, human beings remain at the center of all decision making.”

The cameras are expected to cost around $3 million.

Adams also said the school division has changed its policy to allow only clear bags into the stadiums during high school varsity football games. “This brings us in line with best practices and other school divisions in the area,” Adams said. He added that the division’s Safety and Security personnel will also be testing the use of metal detectors at football games this fall. The pilot program will see the detectors used randomly to “assess their usefulness,” said Adams.

The FY26 budget includes other security additions as well, including panic buttons for staff members to wear in case of emergency. The division also is hiring more school security officers and contracted security personnel.

“While education is our mission and our passion, safety remains our number one priority and we are continuously striving to be proactive in finding the best ways to keep all students, staff and visitors safe at every school and facility,” said Adams. n

and reduced school lunches to qualifying students.

Adams said there are no updates on LCPS’ planned non-compliance so far but added that he believes cases relevant to the issue are currently in the court system. Several injunctions against cutting federal funding due to districts’ non-compliance have been issued by federal judges in recent months, but the Trump administration is expected to appeal those decisions. n

The Town of Leesburg’s Incredible Free Outdoor Concert Series

Public Safety

Carrying Trevor’s Spirit Forward: Firefighter Brown Memorial Park Opens

The site of tragedy in a Sterling neighborhood now stands as a reminder of the sacrifices made by first responders and the legacy left by volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown.

Brown was killed in a home explosion while responding with other members of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company to a call for a suspected gas leak along Silver Ridge Drive. Responding units safely evacuated two residents of the home before gas, leaking from an underground 500-gallon tank, ignited causing a catastrophic explosion, leveling the home and trapping multiple firefighters in the debris.

Now, a park dedicated to Brown is located on the site – the work of community members, local businesses and first responders.

The property was purchased by Steve and Cheryl Honard, who live just a few doors down from the site. They bought the property, and later refused compensation, to prevent another home from being built there. The Honards connected with K&H Landscape and Grounds Mainte-

nance President and CEO Kris Hjort to make the park a reality.

A committee, including representatives from the Real Husbands of Loudoun County, the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, Capretti Land and Laura Brown, Trevor’s widow, was formed to direct the work.

On July 26, Trevor’s birthday, a crowd gathered to celebrate the park’s opening and dedicate it in his honor, unveiling a memorial and plaque.

Speakers at the event remarked on Trevor’s influence during his life and said the park would remind and inform pass-

ersby of his impact on the community.

“We know this space will continue to grow just like Trevor’s legacy,” Hjort said. “Whether it’s through moments of quiet reflection, or joyful family gatherings, Firefighter Brown Memorial Park will al-

ways be a place rooted in community and courage.”

David Short served as the Sterling

MEMORIAL continues on page 11

Sheriff’s Office Released Over 90 Immigrants to ICE This Year, Data Shows

The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office has turned over more than 90 undocumented immigrants to immigration officials in 2025, according to data obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request filed by researchers at UC Berkley.

The data is a compilation of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement deportation detainers issued between September 2023 and June 26, 2025.

As of June 26, ICE had issued 164 detainers for people held in Loudoun County’s Adult Detention Center during President Donald Trump’s time in office, with an additional 11 issued during the final days of the Biden administration. Of those 164 detainers, 93 are marked “booked into detention,” meaning they were taken into custody by ICE agents and transferred to an immigration detention center.

Another 49 of the detainers do not have information on whether the subjects were arrested by ICE.

The data also shows that 44 people turned over to ICE by the Sheriff ’s Office this year have already been deported, most of them from airports in Texas and Louisiana. One other person left voluntarily from Dulles Airport.

Another 107 cases are marked “active.”

Most of the people were deported to Latin American countries such as Honduras and El Salvador, but several went elsewhere, including China, The United Kingdom, Afghanistan, India, and Vietnam.

All 164 people are either convicted of crimes or had charges pending when the detainer was issued. Some charges listed include sexual assault, assaults, arsons, DUIs, drug possession, carrying of a concealed weapon, licensing violations, public order crimes and traffic violations.

Forty-six of the convictions included

a date. Three of the convictions are from this year and six are from 2024. In total, 23 of the convictions are from 2020 or later, with the rest being from before 2020, including some as far back as 1998.

Two of the cases marked “active” also include indications that the subject is believed to be a gang member. Eighteen are marked as “significant risk” however the data does not specify what that means.

The 164 detainer orders through June 26, 2025, is 23.3% more than the number of detainers issued by the Biden administration during the same period of last year. Between Jan. 1 and June 26, 2024, 133 detainers issued for inmates held in Loudoun County. In total, ICE issued 285 Loudoun detainers in 2024.

Of those 285 people, at least 174 were taken into custody by ICE and at least 111 were deported or left voluntarily. Many of the other cases remain active. The dataset said the Sheriff ’s Office declined several

detainers in 2024, but LCSO spokesperson Tom Julia told Loudoun Now that that is not the case. “It is possible that ICE mischaracterized something based on its own reclassification of a detainer,” Julia said.

The Sheriff ’s Office has faced heightened public criticism in recent months following the signing of a 287(g) agreement with ICE. The agreement formalizes the process in which ICE issued detainers for immigrants with immigration violations who are incarcerated at local jails and are about to be released. Under the agreement, LCSO will hold those people for an additional 24 hours to give ICE agents time to take them into custody.

LCSO representatives have said that this is the extent of their cooperation with ICE. Sheriff ’s Office spokesperson Tom Julia has told Loudoun Now that patrol deputies do not enforce immigration warrants or assist ICE in making arrests. n

Trevor Brown’s family unveils a plaque in his memory at the park built to honor his legacy July 26.
Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now
A boulder with a plaque stands as a memorial for firefighter Trevor Brown at the site of a home explosion that killed him Feb. 14. 2024.

continued from page 10

Volunteer Fire Department chief and responded to the scene following the explosion Feb. 14, 2024. He knew Trevor personally and counted him as a friend.

“Standing here today, we remember the path it took to get us here. We remember a cold night in February when our community stood together on these very streets, facing a tragedy too immense to fully grasp in the moment,” Short said. “The loss, the fear, the heartbreak. It was a night that changed all of us. Standing here just a few days later, we gathered again, candles in hand, hearts heavy, we mourned the loss of our brother, Trevor Brown. We prayed for those still fighting in the hospital, and we leaned on each other, because that’s what communities do. Standing here, one year later, we marked the anniversary of this event. We spoke Trevor’s name, we honored his sacrifice, and we promised never to forget. And now, standing here today with all of you, we dedicate this park in Trevor’s name, a place for reflection, for gathering, for joy and a place that carries Trevor’s spirit forward, not just as a firefighter, but as a father, a husband and a friend.”

Loudoun County Combined Fire-Res-

cue System Chief James Williams said it was a day to reflect on Brown’s life and service and to support the men and women who risk their lives to protect others every day.

“First is the gratitude for those who helped make this park possible,” he said. “What an awesome symbol of remembrance and legacy for firefighter Trevor Brown, and for all of the community to gather, to reflect, and to thank Trevor for his sacrifices, not only for his personal sacrifice on that day, but his family’s sacrifice every day moving forward. The gratitude is all of you standing here today, all of the men and women in uniform who come out every day to serve the community, and, of course, all of the donors who made today possible.”

Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn), Sheriff Mike Chapman and County Administrator Tim Hemstreet also spoke during the dedication ceremony.

The park includes walkways, benches and many flowering bushes and trees as well as boulder memorializing Trevor with a quote from his journal, “It doesn’t matter what bad events occur, there will always be good. I get stronger with each hardship I face. I learn and grow from all events, good ones and bad ones.”

It is located at 347 Silver Ridge Dr. n

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NEW LISTING LEESBURG

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap.

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 opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-9753. fairhousing@dpor.virginia.gov www.fairhousing.vipnet.org

STONE BEAUTY IN HILLSBORO

Towns AROUND towns

Purcellville Council Minority Reacts to Strategic Planning

Purcellville Town Council members who did not attend the July 19 strategic planning retreat raised concerns during the July 22 council meeting about the priorities adopted during the six-hour session.

The meeting was attended by Mayor Christopher Bertaut and councilmembers Carol Luke and Susan Khalil. Vice Mayor Ben Nett also attended but left the meeting after the first hour.

Conflict surfaced earlier this month when Bertaut scheduled the strategic retreat on a day that councilmembers Erin Rayner and Kevin Wright were out of town. Rayner had been pushing for a strategic retreat during budget season in the spring. Caleb Stought also opposed attending the strategic meeting, saying it was the same day as the town’s Wine and Food Festival and requesting that the date be moved. Bertaut said it was an important meeting and should be a priority for councilmembers to attend.

Participating councilmembers identified four main goals to pursue: provide a responsible and comprehensive approach to maximize financial stability and sustainability; increase engagement with the business community and promote Purcellville; maintain an efficient and high performing town government; and provide quality of life enhancements for infrastructure and public services. Several action items were listed to achieve each goal.

One action item includes working with the town manager, and the town’s financial consultant, Davenport, to address all aspects of the town’s revenues and expenditures for the next 10 years.

“This is something that we should be doing all along, but it’s something that didn’t happen this budget cycle,” Rayner said. “Well, the question is, why would you want to bring in Davenport to do this when you didn’t listen to them this year or for the last four years that you’ve been on council? They told us for years what we need to do, and you ignored them.”

Rayner said the action item of creating a long-term strategy to provide separation between the general and utility funds is also

in direct opposition to the budget adopted by the council majority earlier this year.

She also questioned how the town would pursue additional income sources, either by applying for grants or monetizing town-owned property, after the fiscal year 2026 budget eliminated the towns’ parttime economic development position and cut members from the Planning and Community Development Department.

“The town manager is now taking over as the liaison from management to the [Economic Development and Advisory] commission but he shouldn’t have time to be able to do that. If he was doing his job properly, that is not the job of the town manager. That’s not in his capacity or his function to be doing that,” Rayner said.

The draft strategic plan also proposes evaluating using a third-party for utility billing. Rayner said that had already been looked at in the past and would make things worse, not better.

Stought also raised concerns with the goal of working with Davenport, saying the council majority had been making decisions in direct conflict with the firm’s recommendations.

“It’s just utterly laughable. ‘Ensure the town’s financial liability by pursuing additional income sources to include economic development’ is a great idea, and one that we have had numerous opportunities to pursue, whether through our EDAC Development Advisor John Heather, who we let go, or through the Purcellville Virginia Main Street program, in which we ended our participation. So, I’m really, really confused how you can put these items on here and say we’re going to do this moving forward, when the track record of this council majority and others before it has been in complete opposition to what is described here,” Stought said.

An action item included in the draft is to increase advocacy with other local and county governments and engage with the business community, but Stought said those relationships have been damaged by council decisions.

“There is an astounding lack of self-awareness here, because we are a joke in Loudoun County. We are a joke with the county government,” he said. “… The

Purcellville Business Association came to a council meeting to speak about their growing concern with how the town was being run, and now we have the audacity to include in our strategic plan that we need to engage with local governments and local business associations.”

Wright raised concerns with the “citizens first” header at the top of the strategic document, saying the council majority was not being transparent.

“If this was such a big deal to the majority, then why have 90% of your actions been everything but these? So obviously it isn’t citizens first, because we had hundreds of citizens show up and voice the opposition to the actions taken,” Wright said.

Nett made no comments on the document but the remaining councilmembers said they felt the strategic retreat had been a good and collaborative experience.

“What happens from here on out depends upon the willingness of people to actually talk instead of posture and I think we’ve had a lot of posturing, and I think we could sit down and talk like normal people and try to find consensus in some areas,” Luke said. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing. There’s nothing here that says this is what we’re having to do. We’re going to spend money X on this, X on that. These are workable suggestions that we have to sit down as a group and try to make sense out of this and make function out of this. I think it can be done, but it can’t be done by cascading one another.”

Bertaut added that each councilmember had been given the opportunity to submit ideas for discussion, regardless of whether they were attending the retreat.

“There were a number of items that I could not positively identify as being one that I had submitted or one that another person in the room inside had submitted. So, there are some items in here that I know were not submitted by the town council majority, but I’m hearing a great deal of criticism over stuff that seems missing,” he said.

Bertaut said the council would likely be voting on adopting the document at the next meeting and that councilmembers should work on identifying priorities in the document before then. n

MIDDLEBURG

Shops Join in Sidewalk Sale

This weekend, many retailers on Washington, Madison and Federal streets will be moving discounted items in front of their stores for the 19th annual Summer Sidewalk Sale.

Sponsored by the Town of Middleburg and the Middleburg Business and Professional Association, the sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday, and on Sunday as posted by shops.

Discounts will be offered on everything from shoes to children’s clothes to home décor. Town restaurants also will have specials on the menu.

Balloons will be located outside participating stores.

Learn more at visitmiddleburgva. com or call the town office at 540687-5152.

PURCELLVILLE

Cannons Wrap Up Season

The Purcellville Cannons baseball team closed out the season last week with an 8-7 loss to the Strasburg Express.

This year marked a particularly rainy season for the team with multiple games being washed out by storms, but that didn’t keep the team from advancing to the playoffs after a beating the Winchester Royals 6-2. The Cannons ended the regular season with 20 wins and 18 losses.

In addition to bringing ball games to downtown Purcellville, the Cannons partnered with local organizations and businesses throughout the year including Tree of Life, The Purcellville Pub, The Ridge Performance and Training, local first responders and the Loudoun South Little League. n

Angela Kable Johnson

Community Rallies to Support Round Hill Firefighter Battling Cancer

Community members raised over $7,500 this week to support Round Hill firefighter Capt. Dannie Wilson, who has been diagnosed with cancer, through a car show fundraiser hosted at Ion International Training Center in Leesburg.

Loudoun Career Fire Fighters Association Vice President Mark Golino said when he heard about Wilson’s diagnosis, he reached out to fellow Loudoun County firefighter Adam White who started Route 11 Cruz’n, a nonprofit that raises funds for various causes through car shows.

“Immediately he was like, ‘yes, let’s do something,’” Golino said. “And I said, ‘Well, Adam, what can we do? I just have the idea, but I don’t have the execution.’ That day we discussed it, we went right over to the Ion Training Center, because he said, ‘Well, they’ve had car shows there in the past, and that’s kind of Adam’s wheelhouse. So, we went over to the Ion Training Center and spoke with the manager there, and he’s like, ‘This is a wonderful idea. We’d love to be part of it.’ And then it went from there.”

Organizing a car show fundraiser typi-

cally takes six months, but White did it in 30 days this time.

“He just hustled and did the wonderful things that Adam does with his big, selfless heart,” Golino said, adding that White and Route 11 Cruz’n did the heavy lifting to make the event happen.

He said the number of people who attended Saturday’s car show is a testament to the impact that Wilson has had within the LCFR.

“It’s events like this, unfortunately, that really bring together and shows how much community we do have—and how close and how much everyone actually truly cares about each other,” Golino said. “In addition to members of our career fire department, we also had a lot of volunteers come out as well, which we thought is a very positive thing because it just showed how many people Dannie has reached out to in his career.”

He recalled working with Wilson just after graduating from the academy.

“Dannie was a great captain, because I came in as a rookie, but I wasn’t a younger guy. I came in in my kind of mid to late 20s, and Dannie treated everyone like an adult,” Golino said.

Wilson has worked for LCFR for 25 years and volunteered with Sterling Volunteer Fire for five years prior to that.

“It was a good experience for me, because I took that wealth of knowledge that he had and was able to absorb some of it, because he took the time with us. And it was just a good crew overall but his leadership of the people we worked with made it a good experience,” Golino said.

The show raised $6,000 with another $1,500 raised by the Loudoun Career Fire-

fighters Foundation through merchandise sales. Res-Q-BBQ, which participated in the event, is also donating a portion of its sales, although that amount has not been tallied yet.

Currently, there is not another way to donate to Wilson directly but Golino recommended that community members still wanting to participate donate to the Loudoun Career Firefighters Foundation or the Loudoun First Responder Foundation. n

LIVE MUSIC

LOW WATER BRIDGE BAND

7 to 11 p.m. Thursday, July 31 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $28. tallyhotheater.com

SAMMY KRIMSTEIN

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

JASON MASI

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com

STEVIE ONESHOE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Lark Brewing Co., 24205 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. larkbrewingco.com

SHANE GAMBLE

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Village at Leesburg, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. villageatleesburg.com

ELLE & RON

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

SIMILAR CREATURES

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

NOAH “RED” HAWES

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

THE DARBY BROTHERS

6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. Free. oldstoneschool.org

Why We Love Loudoun: Emma Rowley, Jon Carrol & Terri B!

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 15

Why We

LO VE

In 2024, acclaimed Loudoun music producer Todd Wright invited several renowned singers, songwriters and musicians to record five original songs in four unique Loudoun venues: a winery, a distillery, a church and a horse barn. We asked Emma Rowley, Jon Carrol and Terri B!, performers on “I Still Believe in You,” which was recorded at the John Wesley Church in Waterford, about the project and what they love about Loudoun. Songs of Loudoun is available on all major streaming services.

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE SOUNDS OF LOUDOUN PROJECT?

Emma: I currently live in Nashville, but I come from Loudoun and I work closely with Todd who kindly invited me to participate.

Jon: Through Todd. I’m so lucky to be in his astoundingly wide orbit and proud to be his bud. I love writing and hanging out with him.

JOHN WESLEY CHURCH IS A HISTORIC BLACK CHURCH. HOW DID YOU CHOOSE IT AS A VENUE?

Terri B! Todd and his team chose it. It was a very emotional venue for me as a Black woman. Loudoun has so much rich history.

Emma: It holds significant value to the Waterford community and Loudoun as a whole. To create music in such a sacred space was an unforgettable experience.

WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE LIKE?

Jon: The rooms, the air, the smell – it all hummed with history. It was magical and moving.

YOU WROTE THE SONG TOGETHERHOW LONG DID IT TAKE?

Emma: How most great songs come together – quickly. They have a way of just pouring out naturally.

WHAT IS THE SONG ABOUT?

Terri B! Faith and endurance.

Emma: The song is about perseverance and faith. Both are such universal experiences and writing about them in such a special place was incredible. It felt very symbolic.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT IN LOUDOUN?

Emma: La Villa Roma in Leesburg. The restaurant has been making my favorite cheese pizza for as long as I can remember.

Jon: There are great dining rooms all over. Blue Ridge Grill. I dig Shoe’s Cup & Cork these days. Dolce & Ciabatta is a cool bakery on Catoctin Circle.

FAVORITE PLACE FOR A CRAFT BEVERAGE?

Emma: Night Shift in Leesburg. I ask the bartenders to make me something from the flavors I like, and they always knock it out of the park.

Jon: I’m not a drinker but I’ll attest that The Barns at Hamilton Station is a great venue in which to play music.

BEST HIDDEN GEM IN LOUDOUN?

Emma: Todd Wright and his incredible home recording studio. Though he is so well known, he operates on a level that I think most are not truly aware of unless they work with him.

Jon: I love hiking Bazil Newman Riverfront Park in Lansdowne.

WHAT’S A MUST-SEE PLACE FOR AN OUT-OF-TOWN VISITOR?

Terri B! John Wesley Church in Waterford. The farms around there are also breathtaking.

FAVORITE EVENT IN LOUDOUN TO GO TO?

Emma: Crossroads Music Festival. It’s a multi-day event featuring local, national and international acts. In 2024, Howard Jones headlined the final evening at Tally Ho.

WHAT’S A FUN FACT TO SHARE ABOUT LOUDOUN?

Emma: Loudoun has grown so much and yet at the same time it feels like nothing has changed. It’s done an amazing job at expanding yet holding on to its quaint charm.

Jon: The county motto is “I Byde My Time.” That must mean something, I suppose.

WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE SONG?

Jon: Please don’t! In the big bag though is Bob Dylan’s “Tight Connection to My Heart” and “Song of Bernadette” by Leonard Cohen.

WHO IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE ARTIST?

Terri B! I love so many different styles of music, but I would say Tracy Chapman, James Taylor, Whitney Houston, the fabulous Thunderbirds and Teddy Pendergrass are on the list.

Emma: Elvis Presley is one of my greatest inspirations. His voice was a staple of my childhood and still influences the way I sing today.

See a video of the recording of “I still Believe in You” here: vimeo. com/1103478725 n

Left: Emma Rowley, Jon Carrol and Terri B! sit in Waterford’s John Wesley Church where they recorded “I Still Believe in You” for the Sounds of Loudoun project. At right: Jon Carrol records his part of “I Still Believe in You.”

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Thank You

e Readers’ Recommendations

During June, Loudoun Now asked readers to share their recommendations about their favorite places, people and businesses.

Nearly 4,200 names were submitted as nominations in the poll’s more than 200 categories, with each person, place or business held up as a piece of the community that makes Loudoun County a special place to live and work.

What’s the favorite date spot? Again this year, the readers recommended Purcellville’s Magnolia’s at the Mill.

Stone Tower near Leesburg and Bear Chase Brewery on Loudoun’s western boundary continue to rank as the favorite cra beverage destinations.

Among more than 60 performers nominated from the county’s robust music scene, Gary Smallwood repeated his performance as Loudoun’s favorite musician.

And it should come as no surprise to county residents that nearly 80 Loudounbased nonpro ts were nominated for recognition of their community service.

Inside, you’ll nd the readers’ recommendations for where to meet with friend, the favorite outdoor dining spot, who to bank with, where to nd the best burger or barbecue, and service provider from accounting to yoga—virtually every element of life in Loudoun.

e list of winners also can be viewed at loudounsfavorites.com.

COMMUNITY

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY

42 Nominations

WINNER:

NORTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Runner Up: Virginia Tech

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

35 Nominations

WINNER:

LEESBURG FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL

Runner Up: Bluemont Fair

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE COMMUNITY SPORTS LEAGUE

42 Nominations

WINNER:

LOUDOUN SOCCER

Runner Up: Purcellville Cannons

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE COMMUNITY SWIMMING POOL

44 Nominations

WINNER: AV SYMINGTON AQUATICS CENTER/ IDA LEE

Runner Up: Franklin Park

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE GOVERNMENT SERVICE

29 Nominations

WINNER: LOUDOUN COUNTY

SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Runner Up: Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE NONPROFIT/COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION

78 Nominations

WINNER: LOUDOUN HUNGER RELIEF

Runner Up: Blue Ridge Hospice

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PERFORMING ARTS GROUP

19 Nominations

WINNER: THE DANCE ACADEMY OF LOUDOUN

Runner Up: Loudoun Symphony

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE OF WORSHIP

87 Nominations

WINNER: ST. THERESA

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Runner Up: Cornerstone Chapel

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PRIVATE SCHOOL

83 Nominations

WINNER: ST. THERESA

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Runner Up: Cornerstone Christian Academy

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PUBLIC SCHOOL

73 Nominations

WINNER: BROAD RUN HIGH SCHOOL

Runner Up: Loudoun County High School

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE SUMMER CAMP/PROGRAM

26 Nominations

WINNER: LOUDOUN COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION

Runner Up: Dance Academy of Loudoun Summer Camp

FOOD & DRINK

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ASIAN RESTAURANT

76 Nominations

WINNER: CHINA KING, LEESBURG

Runner Up: Jasmine

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BAKERY/PASTRY SHOP

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BARTENDER

7 Nominations

WINNER: MATT DULEY, BUNGALOW LAKEHOUSE

Runner Up: Joni Smith, Spanky’s Shenanigans

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE FOR BREAKFAST

42 Nominations

WINNER: FIRST WATCH

Runner Up: Anita’s Mexican Restaurant

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BREWERY

24 Nominations

WINNER: BEAR CHASE BREWERY

Runner Up: Dirt Farm Brewing

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE FOR A BURGER

51 Nominations

30 Nominations

WINNER: MOM’S APPLE PIE

Runner Up: Dolce & Ciabatta

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BAR

50 Nominations

WINNER: SPANKY’S

SHENANIGANS

Runner Up: Bungalow Lakehouse

WINNER: MELT

Runner Up: Blue Ridge Grill

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CHEF

14 Nominations

WINNER: INGRID GUSTAVSON, LIGHTFOOT

Runner Up: Tony Stafford, Ford’s Fish Shack

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP

25 Nominations

WINNER: STARBUCKS

Runner Up: Dunkin Donuts

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FAMILY RESTAURANT

66 Nominations

WINNER: BLUE RIDGE GRILL

Runner Up Fire Works, Leesburg

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FINE DINING

35 Nominations

WINNER: TUSCARORA MILL

Runner Up: Magnolia’s at the Mill

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FOOD TRUCK

26 Nominations

WINNER: FORD’S FISH SHACK

Runner Up: ResQ BBQ

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE FOR FRENCH FRIES

41 Nominations

WINNER: FIVE GUYS

Runner Up: Blue Ridge Grill

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ITALIAN RESTAURANT

25 Nominations

WINNER: TRAVINIA

Runner Up: Solo NY Pizza

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MEXICAN RESTAURANT

22 Nominations

WINNER: ANITA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Runner Up: Uncle Julio’s

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE OUTDOOR DINING SPOT

34 Nominations

WINNER: CLYDE’S WILLOW CREEK FARM

Runner Up: Magnolia’s at the Mill

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE FOR BARBECUE

14 Nominations

WINNER: MONK’S BBQ

Runner Up: Mission BBQ

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE FOR PIZZA

52 Nominations

WINNER: FIRE WORKS

Runner Up: Solo NY Pizza

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE FOR SEAFOOD

14 Nominations

WINNER: FORD’S FISH SHACK

Runner Up: King Street Oyster Bar

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE FOR SUSHI

27 Nominations

WINNER: PASSION FIN

Runner Up: Jasmine

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ROMANTIC DINING SPOT

26 Nominations

WINNER: MAGNOLIA’S AT THE MILL

Runner Up: Tuscarora Mill

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE SANDWICH SHOP

26 Nominations

WINNER: DELI SOUTH

Runner Up: South Street Under

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE WAITER/WAITRESS

8 Nominations

WINNER: JONI SMITH, SPANKY’S SHENANIGANS

Runner Up: Tammy Hines, Tammy’s Diner

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE WINERY

46 Nominations

WINNER: STONE TOWER WINERY

Runner Up: Bluemont Vineyards

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE FOR WINGS

42 Nominations

WINNER: BUFFALO WING FACTORY

Runner Up: Velocity

PLACES

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ART GALLERY

4 Nominations

WINNER: MEDLIN ART GALLERY

Runner Up: The Ordinary Art Gallery & Studio

OPENAIR

CIRRUS PLATINUM TRAINING CENTER

Come fly the safest aircraft with our factory trained instructors and enjoy the latest advancements in aircraft innovation and technology.

Locations in Leesburg, Manassas & Gaithersburg MD flight.training@flyopenair.com (800)-940-2359 • www.flyopenair.com

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BED & BREAKFAST

23 Nominations

WINNER: RED FOX INN

Runner Up: Goodstone Inn

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BUSINESS EVENT VENUE

26 Nominations

WINNER: LANSDOWNE RESORT & SPA

Runner Up: Stone Tower Winery

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE COMMUNITY CENTER

15 Nominations

WINNER: IDA LEE RECREATION CENTER

Runner Up: Claude Moore Recreation Center

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DATE SPOT

22 Nominations

WINNER: MAGNOLIA’S AT THE MILL

Runner Up: Tuscarora Mill

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FARM

17 Nominations

WINNER: GREAT COUNTRY FARM

Runner Up: Wegmeyer Farms

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FARMERS MARKET

12 Nominations

WINNER: LEESBURG FARMERS MARKET

Runner Up: One Loudoun Farmers Market

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE HISTORIC SITE

9 Nominations

WINNER: MORVEN PARK

Runner Up: Oatlands Historic House and Plantation

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE HOTEL/RESORT

16 Nominations

WINNER: LANSDOWNE RESORT & SPA

Runner Up: Salamander Resort & Spa

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE LIVE MUSIC VENUE

27 Nominations

WINNER: TALLY HO THEATER

Runner Up: Tarara Summer Concert Series

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MOVIE THEATER

6 Nominations

WINNER: ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE CINEMA

Runner Up: CMX Village 14 Cinemas

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MUSEUM

6 Nominations

WINNER: UDVAR HAZY CENTER – SMITHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

Runner Up: Loudoun Museum

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE OVER 55 COMMUNITY

6 Nominations

WINNER: LANSDOWNE WOODS

Runner Up: Potomac Green, Ashburn

Thank you very much for voting us your and for voting us your favorite

runner up for Specialty Store! It

an honor to celebrate our 41st anniversary with the community. We count our blessings for the many friends we have made. We have the largest collection of art and frame samples in Leesburg and beyond.

Thank you Shirley, Cindy, and, Pat.

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PARK

20 Nominations

WINNER: IDA LEE

Runner Up: Morven Park

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

5 Nominations

WINNER: FRANKLIN PARK ARTS CENTER

Runner Up: Stage Coach Theater

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PICK YOUR OWN FARM

7 Nominations

WINNER: GREAT COUNTRY FARM

Runner Up: Wegmeyer Farms

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE TO MEET WITH FRIENDS

75 Nominations

WINNER: BEAR CHASE BREWERY

Runner Up: Blue Ridge Grill

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE TO PLAY TENNIS

15 Nominations

WINNER: IDA LEE PARK

Runner Up: Lansdowne Resort and Spa

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE TO RIDE YOUR BICYCLE

6 Nominations

WINNER: W&OD TRAIL

Runner Up: Loudoun’s Gravel Roads

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLACE TO WALK YOUR DOG

13 Nominations

WINNER: W&OD TRAIL

Runner Up: Morven Park

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE RECREATION CENTER

7 Nominations

WINNER: IDA LEE PARK RECREATION CENTER

Runner Up: Claude Moore Park Recreation Center

HEALTH & MEDICAL

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ACUPUNCTURIST

6 Nominations

WINNER: DAN PARISH, LOUDOUN FAMILY WELLNESS

Runner Up: Rachal Lohr, Firefly Acupuncture and Wellness

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE DOCTOR

4 Nominations

WINNER: MARTHA CALIHAN, FIVE STONES HEALING ARTS AND WELLNESS CENTER

Runner Up: Rachal Lohr, Firefly Acupuncture and Wellness

35 year s f eeding

Loudoun County

800 families per week need us for food assistance

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY

7 Nominations

WINNER: ASHBY PONDS

Runner Up: Morningside House of Leesburg

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE AUDIOLOGIST

3 Nominations

WINNER: ASHLEIGH

GREENWOOD, ADVANCED ENT

Runner Up: Justine McDermott, Justine McDermott Audiology

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CHIROPRACTOR

19 Nominations

WINNER: BRAD CLEGG, CLEGG CHIROPRACTIC

Runner Up: Matt DiLorenzo, DiLorenzo Chiropractic

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DENTIST

39 Nominations

WINNER: BRIAN COCHRAN, COCHRAN FAMILY DENTISTRY

Runner Up: Ryan Mayo, Mayo Family Dental

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DIETITIAN

3 Nominations

WINNER: MEGAN BEST, MEGAN B. WELL

Runner Up: Lara Lattman, Five Stones Healing Arts and Wellness Center

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DOCTOR

34 Nominations

WINNER: MARTHA CALIHAN, FIVE STONES HEALING ARTS AND WELLNESS CENTER

Runner Up: Troy Mohler, Leesburg Sterling Family Practice

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ESTHETICIAN

4 Nominations

WINNER: RAGAN RILEY, MOUNTCASTLE MEDICAL SPA

Runner Up: Maria Foster, Mountcastle Medical Spa

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE HOME HEALTH CARE COMPANY

5 Nominations

WINNER: INOVA HOME HEALTH

Runner Up: HomeWell Care Services

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DERMATOLOGIST

11 Nominations

WINNER: VAN HA, LOUDOUN DERMATOLOGY

Runner Up: Douglas Cary Semler, Semler Dermatology

Dr. Eric Steffen | Dr. Charles Clegg |
Clegg

TUSCARORA

MILL

#1-Fine Dining

#2-Romantic/Date Spot

MAGNOLIAS AT THE MILL

#1-Romantic/Date Spot

#2 Fine Dining

FIREWORKS

#1-Pizza

#2-Family Restaurant

SOUTH

Mitchell, Burns & Co., P.C.

Voted Loudoun’s Favorite CPA Firm

“Thank You” to Our Clients

Business and Individual Tax

Compliance and Financial Reporting

Serving Industries Including:

Manufacturing, Construction, and Non-Profit Groups

Mitchell, Burns & Co., P.C.

110 East Market Street, Suite 200 Leesburg, VA 20176

703-777-4900 mco@mcocpa.com

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MIDWIFE

5 Nominations

WINNER: HILARY BIESECKER, LOUDOUN HOMEBIRTH AND HEALTHCARE

Runner Up: Heather Swartz, Loudoun Homebirth and Healthcare

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE NURSE PRACTITIONER

16 Nominations

WINNER: SUSY FURR, LEESBURG STERLING FAMILY PRACTICE

Runner Up: Catherine Williams, Loudoun Internal Medicine

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE OPTOMETRIST

9 Nominations

WINNER: GREG MCGREW, EYECARE CENTER OF LEESBURG

Runner Up: Scott Dilzer, Dilzer Eye Care

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE OPHTHALMOLOGIST

6 Nominations

WINNER: AYMAN BOUTROS, THE EYE CENTER

Runner Up: Claiborne Callahan, Leesburg

Jeffrey D. Mitchell, CPA; Sandra M. Tondreau, CPA; W. Matthew Burns, CPA; Kara J. Doyle, CPA; John S. Walker, CPA; J. Garrett Mee; Tonji Leiss, CPA; Taylor Marrs, CPA; Cassie Chauncey; Claire Burns

• Park – Ida Lee Park

• Community Festival – Flower & Garden Festival

• Swimming Pool – AV Symington Aquatic Center

• Community Center – Ida Lee Park Recreation Center

• Recreation Center – Ida Lee Park Recreation Center

• Fitness Center – Ida Lee Park Recreation Center

• Place to Play Tennis – Ida Lee Park Tennis Center

• Tennis Instructor – Kyle Duncan

• Tennis Instructor – Keith Basden (Runner Up)

www.idalee.org

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE OPTICIAN

7 Nominations

WINNER: PAIGE BUSCEMA, EYETOPIA

Runner Up: Michelle Tran, Ashburn Vision Source

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ORTHODONTIST

9 Nominations

WINNER: NEIL KRAVITZ, KRAVITZ ORTHODONTICS

Runner Up: Matthew Hancock, Hancock Orthodontics

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PEDIATRICIAN

14 Nominations

WINNER: JOHN FARRELL, SOUTH RIDING PEDIATRICS

Runner Up: Max Lins, Loudoun Pediatrics

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PHYSICAL THERAPY PRACTICE

22 Nominations

WINNER: BIOMECHANIC PHYSICAL THERAPY

Runner Up: PT Solutions (formerly Loudoun Physical Therapy)

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLASTIC SURGEON

5 Nominations

WINNER: TIMOTHY MOUNTCASTLE, MOUNTCASTLE PLASTIC SURGERY

Runner Up: David Berman, Cosmetic Surgery & Skin Care Center

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PSYCHIATRIST

7 Nominations

WINNER: KRISTI GUANDAGNOLI, MINDWELL PSYCHOLOGY

Runner Up: Donald Hall Jr., Riverside Counseling

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PSYCHOLOGIST

6 Nominations

WINNER: KAREN LARSON, KAREN LARSON & ASSOCIATES LLC

Runner Up: Stacy Stickley, Potomac Psychological Center

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PSYCHOTHERAPIST

5 Nominations

WINNER: SUZANNE NIXON, INTERGRATIVE COUNSELING

Runner Up: Neil McNerney

LOUDOUN'S FAVORITE WEIGHT LOSS CENTER

7 Nominations

WINNER: BEBALANCED HORMONE WEIGHT LOSS

Runner Up: Nova Physician Wellness Center

LOUDOUN'S FAVORITE YOGA/PILATES INSTRUCTOR

9 Nominations

WINNER: MINDY BEACH, YOGA TIME STUDIO

Runner Up: Marta Phillips, BlueFit & Massage

PEOPLE

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ACCOUNTANT

19 Nominations

WINNER: JEFF MITCHELL, MITCHELL & CO. P.C.

Runner Up: Matthew Burns, Mitchell & Co. P.C.

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ARCHITECT

6 Nominations

WINNER: TOM O’NEIL, O’NEIL ARCHITECTS

Runner Up: Clint Good, Clint Good Architects

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ARTIST

23 Nominations

WINNER: STILSON GREENE

Runner Up: Sharon Virts

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ATTORNEY

58 Nominations WINNER: RHONDA WILSON PAICE, MARQUIS LAW GROUP

Runner Up: Robert E. Sevila, Sevila, Saunders, Huddleston & White

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BAND/MUSICIAN

65 Nominations

WINNER: GARY SMALLWOOD

Runner Up: Todd Wright

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BANKER

15 Nominations

WINNER: BETSY BENNETT, BANK OF CLARKE

Runner Up: Paul Bice, BCT The Community Bank

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE SPORTS COACH

24 Nominations

WINNER: BRETT FULLER, PURCELLVILLE CANNONS

Runner Up: Steve Bradley, Shenandoah Sluggers

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BROKER

22 Nominations

WINNER: RICH VAALER, VAALER REAL ESTATE

Runner Up: Pete Hutchinson, MPH Realty

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DANCE INSTRUCTOR

8 Nominations

WINNER: GERALYN WARD, THE DANCE ACADEMY OF LOUDOUN

Runner Up: Jennifer Jackson, Loudoun Dance Academy

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DJ

7 Nominations

WINNER: CERPHE COLWELL, MUSIC PLANET RADIO

Runner Up: Loudoun DJ, Paxton LePage

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ELECTRICIAN

17 Nominations

WINNER: TRE VANDENBURGH, VANDENBURGH ELECTRIC

Runner Up: Kevin Watts, Dr. Watts Electrical Service

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE EVENT PLANNER

10 Nominations

WINNER: TINA JOHNSON, JP EVENTS & CONSULTING

Runner Up: Rusty Foster, BowTie Strategies

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FINANCIAL ADVISOR

29 Nominations

WINNER: BCT WEALTH ADVISORS

Runner Up: Mark DeSarno, Bank of Clarke

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE GOLF INSTRUCTOR

11 Nominations

WINNER: ROBYN JAMES, RASPBERRY GOLF ACADEMY

Runner Up: Robert Blumer, Creighton Farms Golf

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE GRAPHIC ARTIST

10 Nominations

WINNER: STILSON GREENE, STILSON GREENE GRAPHIC DESIGN ILLUSTRATION

Runner Up: Jen Andos, Paperfish Creative

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE HOME BUILDER

13 Nominations

WINNER: DREW LAUTEN, LAUTEN CONSTRUCTION

Runner Up: Matthew Bowe, Alair Homes Hunt Country

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE INSURANCE AGENT

17 Nominations

WINNER: LANDEY PATTON, STATE FARM

Runner Up: Keith Seekford, Moore Clemens and Co. Inc

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE INTERIOR DESIGNER

12 Nominations

WINNER: JULIE HOFFMANN, J&L INTERIORS

Runner Up: Beth Goldsmith, Beth Goldsmith Creative Works

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MASSAGE THERAPIST

20 Nominations

WINNER: CAROLINE O’NEILL, THE BODY, BIRTH AND BABY CENTER

Runner Up: Bernadette Binns, Clegg Chiropractic

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MECHANIC

31 Nominations WINNER:

Runner Up: Mike Spinks, Hamilton Service Center

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MORTGAGE BROKER

27 Nominations

WINNER:

STEVE COWEN, BCT RESIDENTIAL LENDING

Runner Up: Angie Edwards, Bank of Clarke

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MUSIC INSTRUCTOR

17 Nominations

WINNER: TODD WRIGHT, HALF KING STUDIO

Runner Up: Wayne Estes, Catoctin School of Music

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PERSONAL TRAINER

19 Nominations

WINNER:

CHUCK OWENS, FULL DISTANCE

Runner Up: Diana Paul, Diana’s Fitness Lab

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

25 Nominations

WINNER: DOUGLAS GRAHAM, WILDLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

Runner Up: Aliyah Dastour, Alimond Photography

LoudounNow WINNER
LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PICTURE FRAMER

8 Nominations

WINNER: SHIRLEY MEDLIN, MEDLIN ART GALLERY

Runner Up: Nick Gurban, Ashburn Art & Framing

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FLYING INSTRUCTOR

5 Nominations

WINNER:

BILL ENGLISH, AVIATION ADVENTURES

Runner Up: Kyle McDaniel, Commonwealth Aviation

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLUMBER

19 Nominations

WINNER: DAVE ADAMS, ARTISAN PLUMBING

Runner Up: Leo Rowitz, Plumb Professionals

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PUBLIC SERVANT

23 Nominations

WINNER: SHERIFF MIKE CHAPMAN

Runner Up: County Chair Phyllis Randall

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE RESIDENTIAL REALTOR

46 Nominations

WINNER: TANIA GONDA, WEICHERT REALTORS

Runner Up: Gwen Pangle, Pangle & Associates at Compass

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE STONE MASON

4 Nominations

WINNER: DAVE RATCLIFF, RATCLIFF’S MASONRY

Runner Up: Allen Cochran, Cochran’s Stone Masonry

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE TEACHER

56 Nominations

WINNER: JEANNIE JENS, POTOMAC FALLS HIGH SCHOOL

Runner Up: Elaine Voketaitis, Loudoun County High School

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE TENNIS INSTRUCTOR

7 Nominations

WINNER: KYLE DUNCAN, IDA LEE TENNIS CENTER

Runner Up: Keith Basden, Ida Lee Tennis Center

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE VETERINARIAN

28 Nominations

WINNER: MICHAEL STRICKLAND, LEESBURG VETERINARY HOSPITAL

Runner Up: Jason Bollenbeck, Towne Animal Clinic We are honored to be recognized as Loudoun’s Favorite Event Planner and Event Planning Company.

BUSINESSES

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ANTIQUE STORE

7 Nominations

WINNER: OLD

LUCKETTS STORE

Runner Up: Nostalgia Boutique

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE APPLIANCE STORE

10 Nominations

WINNER: HOME DEPOT

Runner Up: Sterling Appliance

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BOOKKEEPING BUSINESS

3 Nominations

WINNER: YIELD BOOKKEEPING

Runner Up: R&R Bookkeeping Services

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BOOK STORE

4 Nominations

WINNER: BARNES & NOBLE

Runner Up: Birch Tree Books

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BANK

24 Nominations

WINNER: BCT, THE COMMUNITY BANK

Runner Up: Bank of Clarke

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BARBER SHOP

42 Nominations

WINNER: DARRELL’S BARBER SHOP

Runner Up: Roosters, Leesburg

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BEAUTY SPA

53 Nominations

WINNER: JENNY’S SALON

Runner Up: Woodhouse Day Spa

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE BICYCLE SHOP

8 Nominations

WINNER: TREK BICYCLE

Runner Up: Plum Grove

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CAR REPAIR SHOP

55 Nominations

WINNER: VIRGINIA

TIRE & AUTO

Runner Up: Catoctin Automotive

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CAR WASH

15 Nominations

WINNER: DUCKY DETAILING

Runner Up: Flagship, Leesburg

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CARPET CLEANER

6 Nominations

WINNER: LOUDOUN VALLEY FLOORS

Runner Up: Ayoub Carpet Service

ARTIFACTS

n B-17 Flying Fortress Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby

n Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space

n A Sonex Waiex-B kitplane, built in a week by 2,000 volunteers at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 2022 fly-in

ACTIVITIES

n Guided tours

n Story times for younger visitors

n Science demonstrations by the Museum’s Explainers

Listings and tickets at si.edu/imax

n Deep Space

n Blue Angels

n Some of the latest Hollywood films in the evenings NEW FILMS AT THE AIRBUS IMAX® THEATER

FREE MONTHLY ASTRONOMY PROGRAMS Join us each month for daytime sungazing and nighttime stargazing outside the Museum. STEVEN F. UDVAR-HAZY CENTER n 14390 AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CARPET STORE

9 Nominations

WINNER: LOUDOUN VALLEY FLOORS

Runner Up: Abbey Carpet

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CATERING COMPANY

30 Nominations

WINNER: SAVOIR FARE

Runner Up: Monk’s BBQ

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CHILD CARE CENTER/PRESCHOOL

42 Nominations

WINNER: CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH & SCHOOL

(FORMERLY LEESBURG OPEN ARMS)

Runner Up: Golden Pond School

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CHILDREN’S CLOTHING STORE

10 Nominations

WINNER: CARTER’S

Runner Up: Kohl’s

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CLEANING SERVICE

20 Nominations

WINNER:

YOU’VE GOT MAIDS

Runner Up: Maid Brigade

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE COMMERCIAL BROKERAGE

17 Nominations

WINNER: KELLER WILLIAMS, LEESBURG

Runner Up: Compass

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CONSIGNMENT SHOP

6 Nominations

WINNER: RE LOVE IT

Runner Up: Wear it Again Kid

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

19 Nominations

WINNER: BOWA BUILDERS

Runner Up: CaseCo

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DANCE STUDIO

8 Nominations

WINNER: THE DANCE ACADEMY OF LOUDOUN

Runner Up: Loudoun School of Ballet

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DRIVEWAY REPAIR COMPANY

8 Nominations

WINNER: LUCKETTS EXCAVATING

Runner Up: Collegiate Sealers

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE DRY CLEANER

25 Nominations

WINNER: LEESBURG CLEANERS

Runner Up: Lansdowne Cleaners

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ELECTRICAL COMPANY

24 Nominations

WINNER: DR. WATTS ELECTRICAL SERVICES

Runner Up: Trump’s Electrical Service

LoudounNow

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ELECTRONICS STORE

4 Nominations

WINNER: BEST BUY

Runner Up: Costco

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE EVENT PLANNING COMPANY

10 Nominations

WINNER: JP EVENTS & CONSULTING

Runner Up: The Market Group

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE EQUESTRIAN FACILITY

13 Nominations

WINNER: MORVEN PARK

Runner Up: Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Equestrian Center

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY COMPANY

24 Nominations

WINNER: ANDREW SAMPLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Runner Up: Alimond Studio

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE EXCAVATING COMPANY

10 Nominations

WINNER: LUCKETTS EXCAVATING

Runner Up: Leo Construction/Excavating

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FARM MARKET VENDOR

20 Nominations

WINNER: WEGMEYER FARMS

Runner Up: Potomac Vegetable Farms

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FARM STORE

3 Nominations

WINNER:

TRACTOR SUPPLY

Runner Up: Southern States

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FARM EQUIPMENT STORE

5 Nominations

WINNER: BROWNING EQUIPMENT

Runner Up: Southern States

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FASHION ACCESSORY STORE

21 Nominations

WINNER: LOU LOU

Runner Up: Eyetopia

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FITNESS CENTER

48 Nominations

WINNER: IDA LEE RECREATION CENTER

Runner Up: Planet Fitness

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FLIGHT SCHOOL

3 Nominations

WINNER: OPENAIR

Runner Up: Aviation Adventures

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FLOORING COMPANY

11 Nominations

WINNER:

LOUDOUN VALLEY FLOORS

Runner Up: Ayoub Carpet Store

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FLORIST

16 Nominations

WINNER:

JERRY’S FLORIST & GIFTS

Runner Up: J. Morris Flowers

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FRAMING STORE

Nominations

WINNER: MEDLIN ART GALLERY

Runner Up: Ashburn Art & Framing

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FUNERAL HOME

4 Nominations

WINNER: HALL FUNERAL HOME

Runner Up: Colonial Funeral Home

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE FURNITURE STORE

9 Nominations

WINNER: BELFORT FURNITURE

Runner Up: Haverty’s Furniture

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE GOLF COURSE

12 Nominations

WINNER: LOUDOUN GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB

Runner Up: Raspberry Falls Golf Club

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE GRANITE COMPANY

9 Nominations

WINNER:

LOUDOUN GRANITE & MARBLE

Runner Up: Granite Center

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE GROCERY STORE

12 Nominations

WINNER: WEGMAN’S

Runner Up: Trader Joe’s

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE HAIR SALON

62 Nominations

WINNER: JENNY’S HAIR SALON

Runner Up: Village 9

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE HANDYMAN SERVICE

12 Nominations

WINNER: JP HANDYMAN SERVICE

Runner Up: Ace Handyman Service

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE HARDWARE STORE

6 Nominations

WINNER: NICHOL’S HARDWARE

Runner Up: Home Depot

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTOR

25 Nominations

WINNER: BLUE RIDGE REMODELING

Runner Up: John Nugent and Sons

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE HVAC COMPANY

27 Nominations

WINNER:

CLIMATIC HEATING & COOLING

Runner Up: ME Flow

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE INSPECTION STATION

28 Nominations

WINNER: VIRGINIA TIRE AND AUTO

Runner Up: Auto Solutions

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE INSULATION COMPANY

3 Nominations

WINNER: COMFENERGY

Runner Up: Southland Insulators

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE INSURANCE COMPANY

21 Nominations

WINNER: STATE FARM

Runner Up: USAA

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE INVESTMENT COMPANY

23 Nominations

WINNER: FIDELITY INVESTMENTS

Runner Up: Edward Jones

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE JEWERLY STORE

5 Nominations

WINNER: KETTERMAN’S JEWELERS

Runner Up: Hunt Country Jewelry

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE JUNK REMOVAL COMPANY

4 Nominations

WINNER: GOT JUNK?

Runner Up: 123 Junk

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE KIDS ACTIVITY/PARTY PLACE

15 Nominations

WINNER: GREAT COUNTRY FARM

Runner Up: Leesburg Animal Park

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE LANDSCAPE COMPANY

28 Nominations

WINNER: BLAKE LANDSCAPES

Runner Up: Abernethy & Spencer Greenhouse and Garden Center

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE LAWN CARE COMPANY

23 Nominations

WINNER: BLAKE LANDSCAPES

Runner Up: Green Acres

LoudounNow

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE WINNER 2025

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE LAWN AND GARDEN CENTER

8 Nominations

WINNER: ABERNETHY & SPENCER

GREENHOUSE AND GARDEN CENTER

Runner Up: Meadows Farms Nurseries

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE LIMO COMPANY/CAR SERVICE

7 Nominations

WINNER: CHARIOTS FOR HIRE

Runner Up: Reston Limo

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE LUMBER YARD

7 Nominations

WINNER: LOUDOUN LUMBER

Runner Up: TW Perry

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MORTGAGE COMPANY

17 Nominations

WINNER: BCT, THE COMMUNITY BANK

Runner Up: Truist Bank

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MOVING COMPANY

9 Nominations

WINNER: JK MOVING & STORAGE

Runner Up: MG Moving Services

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MUSIC RECORDING STUDIO

4 Nominations

WINNER: CREATIVE UNDERGROUND

Runner Up: Half King Studio

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MARKETING/PR COMPANY

13 Nominations

WINNER: BOWTIE STRATEGIES

Runner Up: Conveyance Marketing Group

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MARTIAL ARTS STUDIO

18 Nominations

WINNER: KIM’S TAEKWONDO

Runner Up: Impact Taekwondo

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MUSIC SHOP

4 Nominations

WINNER: DIG! RECORDS & VINTAGE

Runner Up: Shamrock Music Shoppe

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE NAIL SALON

74 Nominations

WINNER: LOUDOUN NAIL SPA

Runner Up: Elite Nails

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE MATTRESS STORE

5 Nominations

WINNER: BAER’S MATTRESS DEN

Runner Up: Mattress Warehouse

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE NEW CAR DEALERSHIP

22 Nominations

WINNER:

LEESBURG TOYOTA AUTONATION

Runner Up: Dulles Motorcars

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PAINTING COMPANY

14 Nominations

WINNER: JOE FLEMING PAINTING

Runner Up: Five Star Painting

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PEST CONTROL COMPANY

3 Nominations WINNER:

COUNTRY TERMITE & PEST CONTROL

Runner Up: Savage Pest Warfare

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PET GROOMING BUSINESS

22 Nominations

WINNER: CANINE CAROUSEL

Runner Up: Doggie Wash, Purcellville

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PET KENNEL

16 Nominations

WINNER: OLD MILL BOARDING KENNEL

Runner Up: Blue Ridge Veterinary Associates

Thank youLOUDOUN!

We are proud to be named a Runner-Up in the 2025 Loudoun Favorites

We’re grateful for your support and trust in us to bring smiles to our community every day.

Here’s to continuing to serve you with expert care and a reason to smile!

Leesburg: 17 Fort Evans Road NE, Suite E I Winchester - 519 W. Jubal Early Drive, Suite 101 703-777-9200 I hancockortho.com

“It is truly an honor to have been nominated as Loudoun’s Favorite Audiologist Thank you for allowing Advanced Hearing Services to be part of your hearing care journey We take great pride in what we do, and have been proud to serve the community for over 40 years ”

Justine McDermott , AuD CCC-A Doctor of Audiology

Advanced Hearing Services

24805 Pinebrook Road, Suite 200 Chantilly VA 20152 Thank You!

It is truly an honor to have been nominated as Loudoun’s Favorite Audiologist. Thank you for allowing Advanced Hearing Services to be part of your hearing care journey. We take great pride in what we do, and have been proud to serve the community for over 40 years.

Advanced Hearing Services 24805 Pinebrook Road, Suite 200 Chantilly VA 20152

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PET SITTING BUSINESS

12 Nominations

WINNER: WOOFIE’S

Runner Up: Your Dog Smiles Pet Sitting Company

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PET STORE

7 Nominations

WINNER: PETSMART

Runner Up: Doggone Natural

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE PLUMBING COMPANY

21 Nominations

WINNER: ARTISAN PLUMBING

Runner Up: ME Flow

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE RADIO STATION

15 Nominations

WINNER: MUSIC PLANET RADIO

Runner Up: WTOP

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE REALTOR GROUP OR TEAM

23 Nominations

WINNER: THE CLEGG TEAM CORCORAN MCENEARNEY

Runner Up: Platinum Group

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE

14 Nominations

WINNER: COMPASS

Runner UP: Pearson Smith Realty

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE ROOFING COMPANY

17 Nominations

WINNER: LOUDOUN VALLEY ROOFING

Runner Up: Hartley Home Exteriors

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE SPECIALTY STORE

21 Nominations

WINNER: VERY VIRGINIA

Runner Up: Eyetopia

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE STORE FOR GIFTS

26 Nominations

WINNER: KETTERMAN’S JEWELERS

Runner Up: Twigs

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE SWIMMING POOL SUPPLY STORE

3 Nominations

WINNER: SWIM GEM

Runner Up Total Pools

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE TANNING SALON

5 Nominations

WINNER: PALM BEACH TAN

Runner Up: Spray Tans by Sarah

10 Nominations

BLUE RIDGE HOSPICE Runner Up: Hope’s Treasures

12 Nominations

Runner Up: Stockman Title and Escrow

LOUDOUN’S

Nominations

Runner Up: Arbor Artists LOUDOUN’S

LOUDOUN’S

“BeBalanced gave me my life back! By learning about my body, lowering stress and sugar, and balancing my hormones naturally, I have lost 50 pounds to date. I have more energy and I feel better in my own skin. Through this journey, I got my confidence back. Most importantly, I got me back!”

-BeBalanced Client, Susan

Balance Hormones Naturally

Lose 15-21 lbs in 30 days

221 Crescent Station Terrace Leesburg, VA 20175

571-258-4782

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY COMPANY

6 Nominations

WINNER: PATTY SCHUCHMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Runner Up: Joylyn Hannahs Photography

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE WEDDING PLANNING COMPANY

11 Nominations

WINNER: JESSICA ASHLEY EVENTS

Runner Up: Elegant Momentz by Kathleen

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE WOMEN’S CLOTHING STORE

14 Nominations

WINNER: MADISONBELLE

Runner Up: Lou Lou

LOUDOUN’S FAVORITE YOGA/PILATES STUDIO

13 Nominations

WINNER: FLOW YOGA

Runner Up: Yoga Time

FOR PARTICIPATING IN LOUDOUN NOW'S 2025 FAVORITE'S POLL!

Susan Lost 50lbs

I

for your continued trust and confidence and honored to be voted your favorite psychotherapist once again. (Six years in a row and eight times since 2014!)

It

with

Counseling

Marriage & Family Therapy

Executive Therapy

Soulful Seminars for Women

Therapeutic Support Groups

Growth-oriented Seminars & Presentations for Businesses

Each year the Loudoun’s Favorites poll is among our favorite projects. It is an opportunity to shine a special spotlight on what makes our county a great place to live and work.

anks goes especially to our readers for taking the time to thoughtfully share their recommendations—yes, many did make their way through all 200-plus categories, which is no small feat. at e ort makes our community stronger and, we hope, better informed about the treasures right in our backyards.

THE DARBY BROTHERS

Friday, Aug. 1, 6 p.m. Hillsboro Old Stone School oldstoneschool.org

The Darby Brothers recreate epic songs from Journey, Zeppelin, Queen, Foreigner, The Doors., Hendrix, Petty and many more. Free.

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 14

50 WEST TRIO

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchase.com

SHOT THRU THE HEART

7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. tallyhotheater.com

ERIC CAMPBELL

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1

The Dell: Food & Brew Hall, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. atthedell.com

THE BREWED BAND

9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

DAVE GOODRUM

12 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Cana Vineyards, 38600 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. canavineyards.com

FRAYED KNOTS

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

STEVE BOYD & FRIENDS

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com

JOSH CREWS AND FRIENDS

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

BEST BETS

THE LACS

Tally Ho Theater

Thursday, Aug. 7, 7 p.m. (doors) tallyhotheater.com

Robert Clayton “Uncle Snap” Sharpe and Brian Andrew “Rooster” King bring county rap to the Leesburg stage. $34.

Dirt Farm Brewing, 18701 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont. dirtfarmbrewing.com

MERCY CREEK

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Taylorstown. creeksedgewinery.com

LAURA CASHMAN

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Purcellville. 868estatevineyards.com

BOTTLE SHOCK

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

ANGELINA REMONDINO

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Three Creeks Winery, 18548 Harmony Church Road, Hamilton. 3creekswinery.com

MATT BURRIDGE

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Sunset Hills Vineyard, 38295 Fremont Overlook Lane, Purcellville. sunsethillsvineyard.com

ROOK RICHARDS

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford. 8chainnorth.com

BRIAN JOHNSON

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

50 West Vineyards, 39060 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. 50westvineyards.com

RYAN SILL

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com

POLO IN THE PARK

Saturday, Aug. 2, 6 to 10 p.m.

Morven Park International Equestrian Center, 41580 Sunday Morning Lane, Leesburg. $40 to $250. polointhepark.org

Bring a picnic and enjoy two matches of polo on the terraced viewing area next to the arena. The first match begins at 7 p.m.

BLACK STERLINGS

7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26 Leesburg Town Hall, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. idalee.org

The acoustic duo creates has been performing throughout the world for more than 20 years duo creating dynamic show each time. Free.

JOE DOWNER

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Lark Brewing Co., 24205 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. larkbrewingco.com

DEANE KERN & ERIC SELBY

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Good Spirit Farm, 35113 Snickersville Turnpike, Round Hill. goodspiritfarmva.com

IAN VEST

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

WILL BARKLEY

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Firefly Cellars, 40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton. fireflycellars.com

LUKE ANDREWS

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Chrysalis Vineyards, 39025 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. chrysalisvineyards.com

GRAYSON MOON

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

MARK CULLINANE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Two Twisted Posts, 12944 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. twotwistedposts.com

STANLEY WHITAKER

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Doukénie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com

LENNY BURRIDGE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton. thebarnsathamiltonstation.com

CHEVRE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Bozzo Family Vineyards, 35226 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. bozwines.com

WAYNE SNOW

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery, 18035 Raven Rocks Road, Bluemont. twinoakstavern.com

JESSICA PAULIN

3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Notaviva Farm Brewery & Winery, 13274 Sagle Road, Hillsboro. notaviva.com

JOHN “JP” JONES

3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

ZACH JONES

3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Barnhouse Brewery, 43271 Spinks Ferry Road, Leesburg. barnhousebrewery.com

ROWDY DUO

4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

The Dell: Food & Brew Hall, 1602 Village Market Blvd. SE., Leesburg. atthedell.com

SCOTT KURT

4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrelbrewing.com

ETERNAL MOON

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

LIVE MUSIC

continues on page 16

POP-UP AUDIO

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

THE SELLOUTS

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Honor Brewing Company, 42604 Trade West Drive, Sterling. honorbrewing.com

MELISSA QUINN FOX TRIO

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. beasrchasebrew.com

LAST CHILD WITH ELIZABETH’S FURNACE

6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Tarara Vineyards, 13648 Tarara Lane, Leesburg. $20. tararaconcerts.com

90S NIGHT WITH WOAH!

7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $21.70. tallyhotheater.com

ROXANNE COOK

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

The Bungalow Lakehouse, 46116 Lake Center Plaza, Sterling. bungalowlakehouse.com

BLACK STERLINGS

7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Leesburg Town Hall, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. idalee.org

LIGHT RAIL

9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

PATTY REESE

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

JASON MASI

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery, 495 E. Washington St., Middleburg. mtdefiance.com

LAURA CASHMAN

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

Lark Brewing Co., 24205 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. larkbrewingco.com

SHANE HINES

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

SHARIF

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike,

Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

RYAN SILL

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com

TRAVIS TUCKER

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford. 8chainsnorth.com

IAN VEST

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 Old 690 Brewing Company, 15670 Ashbury Church Road, Hillsboro. old690.com

AGAINST THE GRAIN

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

JIM STEELE

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

LENNY BURRIDGE

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

DAN CRONIN

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. 868estatevineyards.com

DEANE KERN & ERIC SELBY

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

Doukénie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com

ROBBIE LIMON

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton. thebarnsathamiltonstation.com

SHAWN HATFIELD

4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

The Bungalow Lakehouse, 46116 Lake Center Plaza, Sterling. bungalowlakehouse.com

ZACH JONES

6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

JASON MASI

6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6

The Lost Fox, 20374 Exchange St., Ashburn. lostfoxhideaway.com

SELA CAMPBELL

6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6

Vino Bistro, 1605 Village Market Blvd. SE, Leesburg. vinobistroonline.com

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR

6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7 Dynasty Brewing, 21140 Ashburn Crossing Drive, Ashburn. dynastybrewing.com

TEJAS SINGH

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

THE LACS

7 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $34. tallyhotheater.com

HAPPENINGS

FARMER FOR A DAY 9 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 31 Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, 15855 Limestone School Road, Leesburg. novaparks.org

RESERVOIR SUNSET KAYAK PADDLE

7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 31 Reservoir Park, 22211 Water Vista Drive, Ashburn. novapark.org

JUST FOR TEENS: YOGA & MINDFULNESS FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL

7 to 8:15 p.m. Thursday, July 31, Crossroads UMC, 43454 Crossroads Drive, Ashburn. $10. crossroadsnova.org

SUMMER SIDEWALK SALE

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 10a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 Downtown Middleburg, 10 W. Marshall St., Middleburg. middleburgva.com

POP-UP EXHIBIT: LAFAYETTE’S 1825 VISIT TO LEESBURG

5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1

Donaldson Log Cabin, 14 Loudoun St. SW., Leesburg. leesburgva.org

LAFAYETTE: FICTION AND FACT

6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Loudoun Museum, 16 Loudoun St., Leesburg. loudounmuseum.org

ART EXPRESSIONS CLASS

6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Crossroads UMC, 43454 Crossroads Drive, Ashburn. $5. crossroadsnova.org

STERLING PLAYMAKERS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

Potomac Falls High School, Cascades. $20. sterlingplaymakers.org

LEESBURG FARMERS MARKET

8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 2

Virginia Village, 30 Catoctin Circle SE., Leesburg. loudounfarmersmarkets.org

LOUDOUN MINI ATHLETES’ TRI

8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Broadlands Community Center, 43008 Waxpool Road, Ashburn. $45. trisignup.com

POLO IN THE PARK

6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Morven Park International Polo Equestrian Center, 41580 Sunday Morning Lane, Leesburg. $40. polointhepark.org

RIVER CANOE CLEANUP

8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

McKimmey Boat Ramp, Lovettsville. $30. keeploudounbeautiful.org

ELITE INLINE HOCKEY: LEARN TO SKATE CLINIC

9 to 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

Douglass Community Center, 407 E. Market St., Leesburg. $25. eliteinlinehockey.hockeyshift.com

MOVIE: ALADDIN

6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

Loudoun Station, 43751 Central Station Dr., Ashburn. loudounstation.com

Q&A WITH SUPERVISOR KERSHNER AND DELEGATE HIGGINS

7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6

Between the Hills Community Center, 11762 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville. facebook.com/betweenthehills

WRITING IN NATURE

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7

Morven Park, 17339 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org n

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9TH

Loudoun Now Voice

continued from page 1

Ready, Set, Grow! With LEF

Hosted by Loudoun Education Foundation Executive Director Danielle Nadler, LEF Ready, Set, Grow! brings you conversations at the intersection of education, innovation, and community in Loudoun County. Each episode spotlights the educators, students and community leaders who are helping to shape the future of education and workforce.

Think Outside the Box with POUNCE

Everyone has a story, and the best ones start in unexpected places. Hosted by Brian Tinsman, “Think Outside the Box” brings you conversations that are curious, creative, and a bit catlike. From marketing tips to personal journeys and passion projects, we spotlight Loudoun’s local humans of interest.

Local Currency with Loudoun Credit Union

Real people. Real stories. Real value. Behind every deposit, every loan, and every swipe of a Loudoun Credit Union card is a

story of community, resilience, and purpose. Local Currency shares those stories: from teachers and first responders to small business owners and public servants, these are the voices of Loudoun County who are building their lives and futures close to home.

And more local-only programming is in the works.

Find it all on social media @loudounnowvoice, and online at loudounnow.com/voice.

Be heard with your own program

With our new platform, hosting a show can be as simple as joining a virtual meeting, with things like theme music and sound quality taken care of.

Who might want to host a show on Loudoun Now Voice? Maybe you’re a business owner who wants to go beyond typical marketing to build a relationship with your potential customers by sharing your expertise. Maybe you’ve already got a program that you want to help get off the ground by adding it to our catalogue. Maybe you live in a community with stories you want to share—or you have your own story to share. To learn more, contact us at voice@loudounnow.org.

Want to advertise on or sponsor a Loudoun Now Voice program? Get in touch now for early adopter rates. And as a nonprofit, every dollar we get goes toward growing our newsroom and our mission to serve the community. Contact us at sales@loudounnow.org. n

Obituaries

Caroline Brown Pelton

Caroline Brown Pelton, 85, of Lincoln, VA passed away on July 24, 2025, at Commonwealth Senior Living in Manassas, VA. She was born on July 18, 1940, to Howard T. and Myrtle Leonard Brown of Lincoln, VA. After graduating from Loudoun County High School in 1958, she earned a BA in English from Earlham College. She began her 46-year teaching career as a Peace Corps teacher in Sierra Leone, Africa, in 1962, where she was the only teacher with a college degree in the school for girls in Freetown. Upon her return to the states, she taught for 33 years in the Washington, DC. Public Schools, first at Cardozo High School for five years, then at Western H.S. which became Ellington School of the Arts in 1974. At Ellington she served as chair of the English department and participated with her students in programs at Arena Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre, and the Folger Theatre. She married Rodney Pelton on November 21, 1987. The following year she retired to teach at Broad Run High School in Loudoun County closer to their home in Waterford and then Lincoln, VA. Caroline was active in the Church of the Savior in Washington, DC and throughout her life at Goose Creek Friends Meeting in Lincoln, VA. She served on the Friends Wilderness Center Board and the Rolling Ridge Foundation Board. Caroline brought her gifts of leadership and deep spiritual discernment to the Goose Creek Meeting. For many who were convinced Friends, she was an important guide, helping them to grow in our understanding of the Quaker Way. In times of struggle and national crisis, she was a steadying force that kept our meeting spiritually grounded. While in later years she was unable to attend meeting in person, she was a regular attender via Zoom. Her Light continued to shine very brightly. We will miss her and send our deepest condolences to her extended family. Caroline is survived by her sister, Peggy McMaster (Len), brother Douglas Brown (Nancy), sister Rachel Flanagan (Craig), brother-in-law, Harry Uram, and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her husband’s children and extended family. She was predeceased by her husband, Rodney Pelton, her parents Howard and Myrtle Brown, and her sister Nancy Uram. Caroline’s love for her family was evident in the care that she showed in support of their health and education. She will be missed greatly by them and by her many other friends always. The memorial service will be held at 11:00 on August 9, 2025, at the Goose Creek Meeting House, 18204 Lincoln Rd, Purcellville, VA 20132. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the scholarship committee at Goose Creek Friends Meeting, PO Box 105, Lincoln, VA.

Legal Notices

NOTICE OF WILLINGNESS

Notice of Willingness

Lane Widening - Claiborne Parkway to Old

Find out about the planned widening and improvements to about one mile of Croson Lane in Loudoun County between Claiborne Parkway (Route 901) and Old Ryan Road (Route 893) based on the 2019 Countywide Transportation Plan.

Croson Lane runs east-west between Belmont Ridge Road and the new Ashburn Metro station. This project will widen Croson Lane (Route 645) from two to four lanes between Claiborne Parkway (Route 901) and Mooreview Parkway (Route 2298) and transition to two lanes from Mooreview Parkway to Old Ryan Road (Route 893). The project will also provide a safe continuous sidewalk along the north side and shared-use path along the southside of the Croson Lane Right of Way. Stormwater is managed by three facilities adjacent to the south side of the Right of Way and one offsite pond.

New Loudoun Water Betterments (12” waterline) will be installed within the existing Right of Way along the north side of Croson Lane between Clairborne Parkway and Crested Quail Drive. An 8” waterline will cross Croson Lane and tie to the existing system at Val Varaita Drive.

Funding for this project includes local tax funding, cash proffers and revenue sharing administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

For more information on this project, visit: loudoun.gov/crosonlanewidening. Plans are available for review at 101 Blue Seal Drive, Suite 102, Leesburg, Va. 20175. If your concerns cannot be satisfied, Loudoun County is willing to hold a public hearing. You may request that a public hearing be held by sending a written request to Mr. Mark McIntosh, Project Manager, Loudoun County, PO Box 7500, Leesburg, Va 20177 or by email to dtci@loudoun.gov on or prior to August 8, 2025. Please reference “Croson Lane Widening” in the subject line.

Loudoun County ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, please call 571-258-3282 (TTY/TDD 711).

Loudoun County: CRCP-2022-0006 State Project: #0645-053-R21 UPC: 118310

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

7/10 & 7/31/25

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

Croson
Ryan Road

Legal Notices

TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE

IN LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA RESOLUTION NO. 25-07-02 PRESENTED: JULY 16, 2025 ADOPTED: JULY 16, 2025

A RESOLUTION: PRESCRIBING FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026: THE DATE, TIME, AND PLACE OF REGULAR MEETINGS OF THE TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE PLANNING COMMISSION; RESCHEDULING OF REGULAR MEETINGS THAT FALL ON A LEGAL HOLIDAY; AND THE PROCESS TO CONTINUE A REGULAR MEETING FOR UNFINISHED BUSINESS OR HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the regular meetings of the Town of Purcellville Planning Commission shall be held on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm at Town Hall, located at 221 South Nursery Avenue, in Purcellville, Virginia, in the Town Council Chambers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all regular meetings of the Planning Commission shall end no later than 9:30 pm unless the meeting is otherwise extended for a time certain by a majority vote of the Commissioners present, recognizing that the completion of an agenda item commencing prior to the designated ending time may be finished; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that should a day established by the Planning Commission as a regular meeting day fall on any legal holiday, the meeting shall be canceled by virtue of this adopted Resolution and rescheduled to the following Thursday.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that should a regular meeting of the Planning Commission: (i) need to be continued to complete unfinished business; or (ii) need to be rescheduled due to hazardous conditions, then such meeting shall automatically be held on the Thursday immediately following such regular meeting. All hearings and other matters previously advertised for the regular meeting shall be conducted at the continued or rescheduled meeting without further advertisement; however, notice shall be given as provided in subsection D of § 2.2-3707 of the Code of Virginia; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in order to reschedule a regular meeting due to “hazardous conditions,” the Chair, or the Vice-Chair if the Chair is unable to act, shall: (i) make a written finding that weather or other conditions are such that it is hazardous for members to attend the regular meeting; and (ii) declare as promptly as possible to all members of Planning Commission and the press that the regular meeting must be continued to the Thursday immediately following the regular meeting. All hearings and other matters previously advertised shall be conducted at the rescheduled meeting without further advertisement; however, notice shall be given as provided in subsection D of § 2.2-3707 of the Code of Virginia; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all prior rules governing the date, time and place of regular meetings of the Town of Purcellville Planning Commission are hereby replaced; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town of Purcellville after its adoption.

Ronald B. Rise, Chair Purcellville Planning Commission

ATTEST:

Kendall Wisniewski, Planning Clerk

LOUDOUN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE NOTICE OF IMPOUNDMENT OF ABANDONED VEHICLE

7/31/25

TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE VACANCIES – TOWN COMMITTEES

The Purcellville Town Council will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews to fill vacancies on the following committees, commissions, and boards, including but not limited to the ones listed below.

PLANNING COMMISSION

Every local government in Virginia is required to have a Planning Commission “in order to promote the orderly development of the locality and its environs” (Code of Virginia, Section 15.2-2210). The Purcellville Planning Commission is a seven-member body of Town residents that are appointed by the Town Council to advise the Council on matters relating to Town planning and development. The Commission also develops and recommends updates to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, which outlines the Town’s vision for its future and strategies for attaining that future. The Commission also reviews and makes recommendations on updates to the Town’s zoning and development related regulations that help to implement the Comprehensive Plan.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) is an advisory committee appointed by the Town Council to provide advice on matters relating to the promotion of a sound economy for the Town. The Committee makes recommendations on new policies and programs to strengthen the Town’s commercial tax base by supporting the existing business community and encouraging new businesses to locate within the Town. The Committee supports its recommendations with research on the economic health of the Town and the business needs of the community. The Committee also helps with Town events that enhance the economic vitality of Purcellville.

PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s (PRAB) is an advisory board whose primary duty is to serve as the coordinating and reviewing body of the Town for matters related to parks, sidewalks, trails and recreational facilities and activities in and adjacent to the Town limits.

PURCELLVILLE ARTS COUNCIL

The Purcellville Arts Council (PAC) is an advisory committee of at least 5 but no more than 11 members that supports visual and performing arts in the Town of Purcellville. The Purcellville Arts Council works to offer local artists more opportunities to share their art with the public while providing residents with a variety of ways to experience, enjoy, and learn about art.

TREE AND ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

The vision of the Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee (TESC) is to establish partnerships with citizens, business owners, and other stakeholders to plan and implement measurable environmentally responsible and sustainable initiatives for Purcellville and our nation.

Citizens interested in serving on any committee, commission or board should complete and submit an application along with a letter of interest and resume outlining your qualifications. An online application can be found on the Town’s website at http://purcellvilleva.gov/forms.aspx?FID=78 . You may also pick up an application at Town Hall 221 S. Nursery Avenue, Purcellville during normal business hours Monday through Friday 8:30am-4:30pm.

Information on all the Purcellville committees can be found on the Town’s website. https://www.purcellvilleva.gov/544/Committees-Commissions-Boards

Applications are due by 4:00 PM on Friday, August 15, 2025, and interviews will be held in September.

If you have any questions concerning the vacant positions on any committee, commission or board or the appointment process, please do not hesitate to contact Kimberly Bandy, Town Clerk at (540) 751-2333.

7/17, 7/24 & 7/31/25

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.

2003

703-450-7555

2006 HONDA CIVIC JHMFA36246S007272 AL’S TOWING 703-435-8888

2010 TEXAS BRAGG SEMI TRAILER BODY WORKS 703-777-5727

2025 BIGTEX TRAILER BLACK AL’S TOWING 703-435-8888

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

NOTICE OF BOND ELECTION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA Case No.: CL25-4314

Loudoun County Circuit Court

IN THE MATTER OF THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS OF THE COUNTY OF LOUDOUN, VIRGINIA IN THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF $138,377,000 ORDER

THERE HAVING BEEN PRESENTED to the Court the following resolutions adopted by thc Loudoun County School Board (the “School Board”) and the Board of Supervisors of Loudoun County, Virginia (the “Board of Supervisors”), respectively:

(a) A copy of a resolution adopted by the School Board on June 10, 2025, requesting the Board of Supervisors to request this Court to order an election in the County of Loudoun, Virginia (the “County”) on the question of issuing general obligation bonds in the maximum amount of $107,220,000 for certain school capital projects including, School Renovation and Replacement Program, Special Program/ Academy Expansion, and the LCPS Facility Renewals and Alterations; and

(b) A certified copy of a resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors on June 17, 2025, finding it advisable to contract a debt and issue general obligation capital improvement bonds in the maximum aggregate principal amount of $138,377,000 to finance school capital projects and other County capital projects as stated therein, and requesting this Court to order a special election for this purpose; and

IT APPEARING TO THE COURT that such resolutions have been duly adopted and that a special election for the purpose set forth herein is authorized pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 15.2-2610 and 15.2-2611; it is hereby ADJUDGED, ORDERED and DECREED as follows:

1. Such resolutions are approved and are hereby filed.

2. The regular election officers of the County shall, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, that being a day not less than eighty-one (81) days from the date hereof and being the same day as the general election, hold a Special Election in accordance with § 24.2-681 et seq. of the Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended, and take the sense of the qualified voters of the County on the following questions regarding contracting a debt and issuing general obligation bonds of the County in the maximum aggregate principal amount of $138,377,000 for the purposes set forth in such resolutions.

3. The ballot to be used at the election shall pose the questions in substantially the following form:

School Projects

QUESTION: Shall the County of Loudoun, Virginia contract a debt and issue its general obligation capital improvement bonds in the maximum principal amount of $75,620,000 to finance, in whole or in part, the design, construction, equipping and other costs of the Capital Renewal and Alteration and the Special Program/Academy Expansion; and the costs of other public school facilities as requested by the Loudoun County School Board?

( ) YES / ( ) NO

Parks and Recreation and Public Safety Projects

QUESTION: Shall the County of Loudoun, Virginia contract a debt and issue its general obligation capital improvement bonds in the maximum principal amount of $32,631,000 to finance in whole or in part the design, construction, equipping and other costs of the Cascades Library and Senior Center Complex Renovation, Linear Parks and Trails System, Sterling Neighhorhood Park, and Fire and Rescue Station #02 /#14 - Purcellville Addition; and the costs of other public parks, recreational and community center and public safety projects approved in the County’s Capital Improvement Program?

( ) YES / ( ) NO

Transportation Projects

QUESTION: Shall the County of Loudoun, Virginia contract a debt and issue its general obligation capital improvement bonds in the maximum principal amount of $30,126,000 to finance, in whole or in part, the design, construction, and other costs of improvements for Braddock Road Widening - Paul VI Eastern Entrance to Loudoun County Parkway, Croson Lane Widening - Claiborne Parkway to Old Ryan Road, and Farmwell Road Intersections Improvements, and the costs of other public road and transportation projects approved in the County’s Capital lmprovement Program? ( ) YES / ( ) NO

4. The election shall be conducted, the ballots counted, and the returns made and canvassed in the manner provided by law, and the results thereof shall be certified to this Court, to the State Board of Elections and to the Board of Supervisors.

5. A copy of this Order shall serve as the Writ of Election. The Clerk of this Court shall forthwith send two certified copies of this Order to the Loudoun County Sheriff. Upon receipt, the Sheriff shall forthwith serve one certified copy of this Order upon the General Registrar of the County at the following address:

Judy Brown, General Registrar 750 Miller Drive SE, Suite C Leesburg, Virginia 20175

Upon execution, the Sheriff shall file his return of service with this Court.

6. The Clerk of this Court shall forthwith send a certified copy of this Order to the State Board of Elections and to the Loudoun County Attorney.

7. Pursuant to Va. Code §15.2-2610, the County of Loudoun shall cause a copy of this Order, preceded by the caption, “NOTICE OF BOND ELECTION”, to be published in a newspaper published or having general circulation in the County. Such publication shall be made at least once but not less than seven (7) days before the election. 7/31/25

LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDS/PROPOSALS FOR:

ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR THE LINEAR PARKS AND TRAILS SIGNATURE PROJECT AND STERLING NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, RFP No. 682886 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, August 26, 2025.

MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING DESIGN AND PROJECT ADMINISTRATION SERVICES, RFP No.

676852 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, September 8, 2025.

PLUMBING SERVICES, IFB No. 683922 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, August 25, 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

7/31/25 Addyourvoiceto

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

LEESBURG TOWN CODE AMENDMENT:

Legal Notices

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.

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.

7/25 & 7/31/25

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.

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.

7/25 & 7/31/25

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

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.

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.

7/25 & 7/31/25

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

AND NOTICE OF PRESUMPTION OF DEATH

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA Civil Case No.: CL25-2859 Loudoun County Circuit Court, in re JUNE B. LANE, Petitioner v. EDWARD S. LANE, JR., Respondent, A HEARING WAS HELD in this matter on the 18th day of July, 2025, at which was presented proof of this Court’s jurisdiction over this matter, proof of compliance with Virginia Code § 64.22304(A), and satisfactory evidence of the death of Edward S. Lane, Jr., after exposure on June 20, 2024, to a specific peril of death as set forth in Virginia Code §64.2-2300(B); and this Court

FINDING that the legal presumption of death applies in this matter, but that further publication is required by Virginia Code §64.2-2304(B) before entry of a final order declaring the death of Edward S. Lane, Jr., it is therefore

ORDERED, that Edward S. Lane, Jr., if alive, and any other person for him, produce to this Court at its courthouse in Leesburg, Virginia, satisfactory evidence that Edward S. Lane, Jr., is alive within two weeks from the date of the last publication of this Notice, and notice is further given that if no such proof is received within such time frame, this Court may without further notice enter an order declaring the death of Edward S. Lane, Jr., on June 20, 2024.

7/24 & 7/31/25

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

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Loco Service Providers

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

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.

Opinion

Working with Absolute Power

Aremarkable narrative is emerging in the aftermath of the felony indictments handed down last week against Purcellville’s vice mayor and town manager.

Town residents over the past seven months have witnessed a string of well-orchestrated backroom dealings in which the newly seated four-member council majority has sought to exert its will across the government.

The regime launched the power grab at its first meeting, firing the well-regarded town manager and eventually putting a political ally in his seat—ignoring a pool of more than 80 other applicants. The push continued from there with a brick wall strategy—as the vice mayor eventually described it— that effectively blocked out the views of councilmembers in the minority and ignored the protests of residents who packed into their meeting room.

With four votes in hand, their agenda was unstoppable.

But we know the dangers associated with such absolute power.

Why?

Editor:

I was surprised to learn that former Virginia State Delegate and Senator Dick Black stood outside the Loudoun County Courthouse on Monday morning, passing out flyers and holding an impromptu press conference in support of Purcellville Town Manager Kwasi Fraser and Councilman Ben Nett during their postarrest arraignments on multiple felony charges, including bid rigging for Fraser and misuse of the Virginia Criminal Information Network for Nett along with additional charges for both.

As a self-described former chief of the Pentagon’s Criminal Law Division, I was shocked to watch a video of Mr. Black minimizing the felony charges as “petty” and alleging that the Virginia State Police investigations—authorized by the state Attorney General, supported by Loudoun’s Commonwealth Attorney, and followed by criminal arrest warrants approved by a Virginia-appointed judge—were merely “lawfare” pursued by financially motivated out-of-town property owners who have unsuccessfully sought Town Council approval to annex their properties into the town in order to subsequently up-zone and sell their properties for significant

Last week, work by the Attorney General’s Office, Virginia State Police investigators, an independent prosecutor, and a jury of community members found evidence sufficient to bring criminal charges.

While it is too soon to know whether the alleged actions will merit convictions, the narrative being crafted in public defense of vice mayor and town manager seeks to obfuscate the seriousness of the conduct.

We’re told the defendants are being unfairly targeted by powerful interests seeking to attack the small town with a wave of new housing developments—and that the forces of government have joined in that effort. It’s all a grand conspiracy against the alleged co-conspirators.

Instead of rolling out an alternative reality narrative, councilmembers would be better served by reevaluating their governance style to put a greater focus on building trust and transparency—essential elements once valued by town leaders.

LETTERS to the Editor

financial gain. While there absolutely are out-of-town property owners trying to do that, Mr. Black’s allegation ignores the widespread in-town support for holding officials accountable, as evidenced by the recent recall petitions and ongoing legal recall process.

As a former state delegate and senator who represented parts of Loudoun County, I found Mr. Black’s narrative tonedeaf and disrespectful to the thousands of in-town Purcellville residents who have taken time from their busy schedules to sign recall petitions and exercise their First Amendment rights at Town Council meetings and elsewhere. These residents advocate for maintaining the Purcellville Police Department, making sound financial decisions for the town’s water and wastewater systems, and funding needed capital improvement projects. They believe the “Mayberry” majority has acted incompetently, neglected residents’ will, violated Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act and Conflict of Interest Act, and, as suggested by their recent arrests, committed criminal acts related to their roles.

In response to a reporter’s question, Mr. Black clarified that he supported both Nett and Fraser, despite knowing that Nett faces several charges for

allegedly misusing the Virginia Criminal Information Network—access he had until his termination as a Purcellville police officer—to research those he deemed as political opponents.

Why would Mr. Black, an Ashburn resident who to my knowledge hadn’t met Nett before Monday and hasn’t publicly commented on the widely reported “Mayberry” controversy over the many months that it’s been in the news, appear in person to make such a bold allegation and offer public support for Fraser and Nett?

Tony Buffington, Purcellville

A Bold Idea

Editor:

The recent article by Norman K. Styer, “Rebalance: County Eyes Lower Data Center Taxes,” is an important snapshot of a historic moment in Loudoun County’s fiscal trajectory. With data centers now contributing nearly 40% of our local tax base—and growing—the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors finds itself in a position most counties across the country would envy: overflowing coffers.

LETTERS continues on page 25

READERS’

poll

Should lower taxes on data centers be part of the county budget management strategy?

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:

Did you get an out-of-town vacation this summer?

Share your views at loudounnow.com/polls

Yet, in this rare moment of abundance, the county is debating whether to tinker at the edges—perhaps modestly reducing tax rates on the data center industry or slightly shifting burdens here or there.

What’s missing from the conversation is a truly bold idea, one that recognizes just how transformational this new revenue stream is for the people who live and work here: Let’s eliminate personal County taxes for Loudoun residents.

I’m not talking about reducing them. I mean eliminating them.

This is not a radical idea. It’s a reflection of good governance. Our citizens built this county. They endured the growing pains of explosive development, sat through endless zoning battles, and navigated the stress of overcrowded roads and schools. Now, as our county enjoys billions in assessed value from data infrastructure, shouldn’t the first beneficiaries be the taxpayers themselves?

Let’s be clear—residents pay more than their share. In addition to property taxes, there are vehicle license fees, stormwater fees, trash fees, and a host of other nickel-and-dime charges that quietly add up. At the same time, county services—while improved—are not necessarily better than they were 10 years

Hotel

continued from page 3

(D-At Large), Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk, Loudoun Chamber Vice Chair Dorri O’Brien, and Visit Loudoun President & CEO Beth Erickson lauded the project and the work of Ash, his wife Remington and their team during the ceremony.

“I think the world doesn’t work unless we have visionaries, people who can have an idea and then see that to fruition,” Randall said. “And the fact is that those visionaries have to be there through good times, through bad times, when the country’s feeling great, when the country’s not. It doesn’t matter. Visionaries are what keeps our country and our world going. So, thank you so much for having this idea.”

Burk acknowledged Ash’s work during the long regulatory review process, saying “you definitely kept us on our toes.”

“Kevin and his team have done a phenomenal job. They have taken a dream and made it a reality, and it is a phenomenal reality, and we are very lucky that it’s here in Leesburg,” Burk said. “… The economic activity will benefit Leesburg with more

LETTERS to the Editor continued

ago. And costs for homeowners continue to rise, from insurance to HOA dues to utility rates.

The county can afford this shift. Data centers are expected to continue growing. Even with modest adjustments to their tax rates, the county’s revenue outlook remains strong. This is the moment to think differently. Loudoun can lead the nation as the first county of its size to fully fund operations without a tax burden on its citizens.

Critics will ask, “What if the data center boom ends?” A fair question—but we’re not suggesting reckless spending. We’re suggesting structural reform. A dedicated stabilization reserve can be created to smooth out revenue cycles. We can maintain a responsible capital improvement plan while removing recurring tax obligations from individual citizens.

This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about fairness and vision. The average Loudoun household shouldn’t be paying thousands in property taxes when the county budget is flush. The promise of economic development was that it would eventually relieve the burden on homeowners. If not now, when?

—Bruce Gemmill, Leesburg [Bruce Gemmill is a business leader,

customers at our local shops and restaurants in downtown as you welcome guests from Loudoun and Leesburg and all over the world, they’re going to be coming here. Congratulations on a wonderful new addition to our historic and vibrant downtown.”

“Kevin, Remington and the entire Hotel Burg team, thank you for recognizing what I’ve always known that downtown Leesburg is pure gold. You brought vision, investment and genuine care to our community, and we’re absolutely thrilled to welcome you,” O’Brien said.

Erickson celebrated the opening with a toast with a wine called Possibilities from Zephaniah Farm Vineyard.

“There is something special that happens in Loudoun County and in the town of Leesburg, and it is because of our elected officials. It’s because of our town staff. It’s because of our economic development departments,” Erickson said. “It’s because of entrepreneurs who really think and understand and create the environment where this can thrive, where this can be built, where this can succeed. Today is a really successful day.”

Hotel Burg officially opens Friday, Aug. 1. Learn more at hotelburg.com. n

from page 24

longtime Loudoun resident, former Leesburg Town Councilman, and gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia Commission on Government Reform & Restructuring.]

A Dividend

Editor: Norman K. Styer’s recent article “Rebalance: County Eyes Lower Data Center Taxes” as well as Bruce Gemmill’s letter to the editor raise important issues.

For many years, the Loudoun County Conservation and Preservation Coalition has been sounding the alarm for dangerous reliance on data center revenue for the county budget. While diversifying the revenue stream is important, lowering data center taxes is a false solution. It skirts the real issue: There are too many data centers in Loudoun County.

Mr. Gemmill’s idea has merit. Another solution is similar to what happens in Alaska where every qualifying resident receives an annual Permanent Fund Dividend. It is a state program that shares North Slope oil wealth with everyday residents.

There are many reasons why a similar program should be considered for

Loudoun.

While Loudoun County’s data center wealth is enviable, there are costs/ harms. The harms inflicted on Loudoun County, and its residents are far reaching. They include, but are not limited to, compromising Loudoun’s charm and beauty; disrupting the concrete and gravel supply chain; polluting Loudoun’s air, water, and soil; negatively impacting human health; threatening electrical grid instability; damaging and degraded electricity quality; draining drinking water supplies; paying for expensive private, forprofit data center infrastructure.

Is it fair for Loudoun residents to bear these burdens? Shouldn’t Loudoun’s data center wealth be shared with each qualifying resident, subject to annual review?

And, of course, there is the existential climate change impact. Analysis of Dominion Energy’s current Integrated Resource Plan to provide data center electricity will not only increase greenhouse gas emissions blocking climate change mitigation but violates the Virginia Clean Economy Act Law adopted by the Virginia General Assembly in 2020.  —Natalie Pien, Leesburg

Indictments

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alongside a slate of candidates. The opposing slate included then-Mayor Stanley Milan and current councilmember Caleb Stought.

“Carl Benjamin Nett on or about May 22, 2024 in the County of Loudoun, did unlawfully and feloniously use a computer to obtain, access, or record, through the use of material artifice, trickery or deception identifying information … of Caleb Stought and [his wife] Erica Stought,” according to court documents.

A separate charge alleges that Nett also accessed information regarding Milan and someone identified only by the initials “S.G.” on Aug. 22, Sept. 1 and Dec. 9.

Regarding the conspiracy for bid rigging, court documents allege Nett “did unlawfully and feloniously conspire to agree with another to intentionally rig, alter or manipulate, or cause to be rigged, altered or manipulated, a bid submitted to the Town of Purcellville for the purpose of allocating purchase, or allocating sales, or raising or otherwise fixing the price of services, or excluding other persons from dealing with the Town of Purcellville.”

The fraudulent commercial dealing charge is based on allegations that Nett “did unlawfully, knowingly, and feloniously falsify, conceal, mislead or cover up, in any man-

ner, by trick, scheme, or device, a material fact in a commercial dealing of the Town of Purcellville, or did make a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation, or made or used a false writing or document, knowing the same to contain a false fictious statement,” according to court documents.

Fraser was also charged with felonies of rigged bidding and commercial fraud against the government following a review by the grand jury. Indictment documents for Fraser list similar accusations as Nett’s.

The indictments do not list the specific circumstances surrounding the charges, however during a May Town Council meeting, information surfaced publicly that Nett and Fraser had met with a consultant later hired to conduct an assessment of the Purcellville Department prior to posting a bid for the contract. Mike Jones, who received the contract, said he had a Jan. 27 meeting with Fraser and Nett at a restaurant in town, where they told him they could spend $12,000 on an assessment.

Fraser announced to the council Feb. 25 that he would be hiring a consultant to conduct an independent assessment of the Police Department after several officers retired or resigned.

The request for proposals to conduct an assessment was posted to the town website from Feb. 14 to 25 with at least 13 companies competing for the bid. Fraser said he chose Jones’ company because he was the

lowest qualified bidder, but after questioning added that he had not met with any other potential bidders.

Nett also sent a memo to Jones outlining a plan to restructure the Police Department and saying that he expected to be appointed as police chief following the assessment.

Nett and Fraser appeared in court Monday morning, but trial dates were not set in their cases. A date to review the case was set for Sept. 4. In the meantime, attorneys are expected to file motions in the cases.

After Fraser worked at Town Hall Friday, July 25, the council held a special meeting, and after a closed session, voted to place Fraser on paid administrative leave.

Fraser’s attorney, Charles King, on Monday said he plans to file a motion to unseal the transcript from the grand jury and amend the bond conditions to allow Fraser to visit his sick father in New York.

Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen, who is prosecuting the cases, said he also plans to file a motion to join Fraser’s case with two of Nett’s charges.

King said he was also planning to request a recusal from Loudoun’s Circuit Court judges and have a judge from an outside jurisdiction preside over the case.

‘Political Persecution’

A day after his arrest, Nett released a statement calling the charges “political persecution.”

“I am stunned and saddened by these events, as my only goal was to stabilize property taxes, lower residential water bills, maintain our small town from the threat of overdevelopment, and streamline local government,” Nett stated. “Clearly, I have made some powerful enemies. I sincerely believe that last night’s events are the culminating acts of over a year of being politically targeted by a weaponized law enforcement apparatus, part of a broader effort to overturn the results of the most recent election.”

Nett said after taking office Jan. 8 he became the target of a “decapitation strike,” referencing two internal affairs investigations of his conduct. He also was placed on Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson’s Brady List – reserved for officers whose testimony may not be relied on in court. He was then fired from the Police Department in April.

He also referenced a determination by a three-member panel who reviewed his termination grievance that found that he should be reinstated to the department and paid backpay, although the impartiality of the panel has been called into question. Of the panelists, one was chosen by Nett, while the second was chosen by Town Manager Kwasi Fraser, who also faces criminal charges as a result of the State Police investigation. Those two representatives, Brian Wells and Jonathan Wright, chose the third member, David Buss.

The panel raised allegations that

Nett was fired over political reasons and that Councilmember Erin Rayner used friendships with members at the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to impact actions by that office regarding Nett. The group also concluded that the Police Department lacked formal policies related to directed patrol and sick leave and suggested that Interim Police Chief Sara Lombraña improperly opened an internal investigation into Nett.

The final decision must be confirmed by the chief judge of the Loudoun County Circuit Court. That has not been completed yet in this case.

In his statement, Nett pointed to the relationship between Rayner and Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Nicole Wittmann, for whom Rayner served as a campaign manager in her 2019 race for commonwealth’s attorney and said the grievance panel found his termination was politically motivated.

“The targeting of me, a small-town councilman, with a weaponized law enforcement apparatus that has conspired to violate my rights under the Code of Virginia and the U.S. Constitution is chilling and has had significant impact on the legislative process and the business of local governance as a whole – not to mention the impact on me and those I love,” Nett stated.

Those accusations were reiterated by Purcellville Mayor Christopher Bertaut and Dick Black, who served as a Republican state delegate from 1998 to 2006 and as a state senator from 2012 to 2020. Black attended the court proceedings Monday morning voicing support for Fraser and Nett and said the charges were an effort by other councilmembers to increase development in Purcellville.

“This is the most outrageous case I’ve ever seen in my life,” Black said. Black said that Nett stood in the way of annexing property that could be upzoned to allow multiple housing units per acre calling the actions against him “lawfare of the most despicable fashion.”

Councilmembers Kevin Wright, Caleb Stought and Rayner released a joint statement said that they also uphold the principle of innocent until proven guilty but that the indictments had “cast a shadow over our beloved town” and calling on Nett to resign from the council.

“The integrity of our local government is paramount, and we believe that the actions of our elected and appointed officials should reflect the values and trust of the citizens they serve. Recent events involving the arrest of a fellow council member are a sobering reminder that actions have consequences—especially for those in positions of public trust,” according to the joint statement.

A recall petition for Nett, Bertaut and councilmembers Carol Luke and Susan Khalil was filed last month and is being reviewed by Olsen. n

A Loudoun Moment

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