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Elaine Walker has been mayor of Lovettsville for 20 years and contributed to a lot of the positive growth in the town. Times-Mirror File Photo/Lisa Johnson

Walker will not run for Lovettsville mayor

Fri., Jan. 27 | 01:49 PM - Elaine Walker, current mayor of the Town of Lovettsville announced Jan. 27 that she will not be vying for the mayoral position for her town.

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Leesburg Police bust suspected meth lab

Fri., Jan. 27 | 12:31 PM - The Leesburg Police Department, or LPD, busted a suspected meth lab overnight after a tip from an anti-theft service.

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UPDATE: Nine students suspended for bringing ‘pot brownies’ into Ashburn middle school

Thu., Jan. 26 | 09:53 PM - Sheriff's Office spokesperson Liz Mills revealed that nine students have been suspended in the incident.

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The Carriage House at the Goodstone Inn and Restaurant.

Inn and restaurant wins excellence awards

Thu., Jan. 26 | 05:23 PM - The Goodstone Inn and Restaurant has been named a finalist by the Condé Nast Johansens.

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Head-on: Freedom wrestlers scored an exciting 33-23 comeback win over Broad Run after going down 23-9 early. The Ashburn Duals event was put on to build rivalry and to benefit the Chris Cooley Foundation, which raises money for breast cancer awareness. Times-Mirror staff photo/Matt Vecchio

Freedom dominates at Wrestle for the Cure event

Thu., Jan. 26 | 02:30 PM - Dozens of wrestlers suited up with pink shirts, socks and shoelaces for the first Battle of Ashburn charity event, held Jan. 25 at Broad Run High School. Freedom High School pinned down three victories in the round-robin style event, and proceeds benefitted the Chris Cooley Foundation.

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Romney to stump in Reston

Thu., Jan. 26 | 02:00 PM - Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will hit the campaign trail in Reston ahead of Virginia's March primary.

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Greenway legislation, study becomes buzz topic

Thu., Jan. 26 | 09:57 AM - Proposals for distance-based pricing along the Dulles Greenway abounded in the past week, as both houses of the General Assembly heard from Loudoun County politicians.

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Michael Babatunde Ayodele, 19, of Queens, N.Y., expelled just over 1,089 grams of heroin, according to Customs and Border Control officers. Ayodele’s case is just one of seemingly frequent cases arising as smugglers try to sneak heroin into the country through Dulles Airport. Courtesy photo/CBP

New Yorker caught smuggling heroin, authorities fight trend

Wed., Jan. 25 | 02:02 PM - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a New York man on heroin smuggling allegations last week. The agency is attempting to curb what appears to be a growing trend in heroin smuggling into the United States.

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Inova named top performer in national collaborative

Wed., Jan. 25 | 01:37 PM - Results from a recent three-year national health care collaborative may give Loudoun residents who must visit the county's only hospital a sense of comfort. Inova Loudoun Hospital was named a 2011 Top Performing Hospital in the Premier Healthcare Alliance's QUEST collaborative.

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Virginia could see elderly exploitation laws this year

Wed., Jan. 25 | 10:09 AM - State Sen. Mark Herring (D-33rd) continues to push for elderly exploitation laws, this year with support from top Republicans.

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Burk to run for open seat on Leesburg Town Council

Tue., Jan. 24 | 08:39 PM - Kelly Burk, a former Loudoun County Leesburg District Supervisor and member of the Leesburg Town Council, will officially announce her candidacy for a seat on the council on Feb. 3.

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UPDATE: Airport fund will be moved to general fund

Tue., Jan. 24 | 05:15 PM - The Airport Fund for Leesburg Executive Airport will be moving to the town's General Fund with a 5-1-1 vote with Council member Terry Titus dissenting and Council member Tom Dunn abstaining during their Jan. 24 council meeting.

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Sterling man charged with kidnapping, additional counts

Tue., Jan. 24 | 03:53 PM - The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office charged a 21-year-old Sterling man on Jan. 19 after he allegedly brandished a firearm and held a 16-year-old female against her will while posing as a police officer.

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Loudoun ranger reunion planned for June

Tue., Jan. 24 | 01:00 PM - A reunion of descendants of Union soldiers who served with the Independent Loudoun Virginia Rangers during the Civil War is being planned

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Fraudulent immigration document producer pleads guilty, will be deported

Tue., Jan. 24 | 12:51 PM - A Guatemalan 26-year-old pleaded guilty in Loudoun County Circuit Court on Jan. 20 to two counts of forging public documents. Now, he's on his way out of the country.

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Utility rate committee pushes for consultant for further study

Tue., Jan. 24 | 10:06 AM - As if Leesburg Town Council hasn't been flooded with enough issues to start the new year, they may be adding another expense to pay a consultant to help further studies in the water rate debate.

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Barnett won’t run for Congress in 2012

Mon., Jan. 23 | 03:38 PM - Jeff Barnett, the Democrat who in 2010 vied against U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf for the 10th District, announced Sunday he would not seek his party's nomination in 2012.

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Bills would repeal HPV vaccine requirement

Mon., Jan. 23 | 11:16 AM - RICHMOND – In 2007, the General Assembly passed a law requiring girls to be vaccinated against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus before entering the sixth grade.

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Committee votes to lift Sunday hunting ban

Sun., Jan. 22 | 01:00 PM - RICHMOND – A Senate committee has approved compromise legislation to allow Virginians to hunt on Sundays.

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Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Matt Vecchio
Jordan Felton, a Leesburg native, is a bodyguard to the world’s most famous.

He’s got your back

Sun., Jan. 22 | 10:38 AM - Leesburg man spins passion for weightlifting into celebrity bodyguard career

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more photos

VA liberals and conservatives unite against tax breaks

Sat., Jan. 21 | 08:00 AM - RICHMOND — Progressives and conservatives agree on few things in Virginia politics, but both have placed ending the tax credits, which cost the commonwealth billions of dollars in lost revenue, high on their agenda for 2012.

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Government targets operators of Megaupload.com, area servers

Fri., Jan. 20 | 02:19 PM - In an attempt to derail Internet piracy, seven individuals and two corporations were charged by a Eastern District of Virginia grand jury with running an international organized crime enterprise.

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Jake Hinkle, 13, left, and Kyle Ebbets, 13, build a simple pastry dessert before digging in during a school trip from Belmont Ridge Middle School to the National Conference Center Jan. 11. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Matt Vecchio

Belmont Ridge eighth-graders learn business, event planning with NCC

Fri., Jan. 20 | 12:00 PM - A future Top Chef or the next great event planner could be coming out of Belmont Ridge Middle School.

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Man attempts to rob Sterling Subway

Fri., Jan. 20 | 11:33 AM - An unknown person attempted to rob the Subway restaurant in the 150 block of Enterprise Street in Sterling, the Sheriff's Office said.

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McDonnell endorses Romney

Fri., Jan. 20 | 11:14 AM - Republican Gov. Robert McDonnell is supporting GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, the Romney campaign announced Friday morning.

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The bell tower to the Lucketts Community Center was placed back on the newly replaced roof on Jan. 12 after being removed in May 2011. Photo Courtesy/Steve Hillebrand

Bell tower replaced on Lucketts Community Center

Fri., Jan. 20 | 08:00 AM - Built in 1913, the Lucketts Community Center was first a school for the Lucketts community. Currently serving as a preschool and community center, the building is now undergoing a complete renovation.

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VA school choice advocates push tax credits for corporate scholarships

Thu., Jan. 19 | 03:00 PM - RICHMOND — Parents of children who are struggling in some of Virginia’s most troubled public schools could get more choices, if Republicans win tax breaks for companies that make donations for low-income students to attend private institutions.

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County’s volunteer sign removal program suspended

Thu., Jan. 19 | 12:57 PM - The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors scrapped a program that trained residents on the removal of various signs in public right of way.

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Despite improvement, state police remains understaffed

Thu., Jan. 19 | 12:35 PM - The Virginia State Police, or VSP, is primarily responsible for protecting the commonwealth's roadways. Despite reinforcements, they're still understaffed.

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Purcellville town officials create a vision together

Thu., Jan. 19 | 08:00 AM - The Town of Purcellville's first visioning meeting on Jan. 12 left some residents baffled at the lack of public input for the future plans for the town.

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Teacher organization demands salary increase

Wed., Jan. 18 | 05:08 PM - With Superintendent Edgar Hatrick asking for a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for all Loudoun County Public School employees in his proposed fiscal 2013 operating budget, the Loudoun Education Association announced it was time for a salary increase as well at the first public hearing Jan.12.

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Bills would allow deadly force against intruders

Wed., Jan. 18 | 12:55 PM - RICHMOND – Del. Dickie Bell, (R-Staunton), is sponsoring two bills that would empower Virginians to use lethal force against an intruder in their home.

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Washington Redskins wideout Santana Moss, left, sneaks in a stretch before practice during the Redskins training camp in Ashburn Aug. 6, 2011. Times-Mirror File Photo/Beverly Denny

Redskins ‘exploring options’ to move training camp

Wed., Jan. 18 | 12:44 PM - It's that time of the year again. Will the Washington Redskins leave Ashburn's Redskin Park?

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Man and teenager charged in connection with Dec. 31 robbery

Wed., Jan. 18 | 11:31 AM - An Alexandria man and a teenager from Sterling have been charged in connection with the Dec. 31 armed robbery of the Fairfield Inn and Suites located in Dulles.

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Board of Supervisors push back HS-8 due diligence closing to Feb. 17

Tue., Jan. 17 | 07:18 PM - Supervisors extend due diligence for the Lansdowne high school proposal to Feb. 17 after after a barrage of public comments.

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Delgaudio: ‘Human Rights Campaign can’t silence me’

Tue., Jan. 17 | 01:29 PM - Supervisor Delgaudio rails against "Student Non-Discrimination Act" in fundraising email.

Man works while accepting benefits, lies to government

Tue., Jan. 17 | 12:05 PM - A former air traffic controller was convicted by a federal jury on Jan. 13 on mail fraud and false statement charges after working while accepting disability benefits.

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Lawmaker seeks to cut concealed carry ‘red tape’ in Virginia

Mon., Jan. 16 | 04:46 PM - RICHMOND — The Republican-controlled General Assembly may make it legal to carry concealed weapons without a permit, even though gun owners support the current law.

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UPDATE: Ashburn 20-year-old charged with May hit-and-run

Mon., Jan. 16 | 03:16 PM - A 20-year-old Ashburn woman has been charged in connection with a May 12, 2011, hit-and-run.

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Cordell Charleston of Ashburn marches with the Sigma Mu Mu chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and his sons in Leesburg’s 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade Jan. 16. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny

Celebrating a legacy

Mon., Jan. 16 | 02:30 PM - Hundreds take to the frigid temperatures to celebrate King's legacy.

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VA GOP establishment backs Romney; McDonnell still mum

Mon., Jan. 16 | 08:00 AM - RICHMOND — The Virginia GOP establishment Thursday bestowed two more endorsements on Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, but popular Gov. Bob McDonnell, who has expressed interest in a nod for vice president, stayed on the sidelines.

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Cases to watch in 2012

Sun., Jan. 15 | 08:00 AM - While 2011 held a bevy of interesting cases, 2012 features a lineup of murder trials, as drawn out court cases will finally reach resolutions.

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Virginia progressives gear up to battle Republican dominance

Sat., Jan. 14 | 12:00 PM - RICHMOND — As Virginia Republicans grabbed the reins in the state Senate on Wednesday, a coalition of progressive interest groups geared up to fight against expected conservative policy shifts.

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Momentum Builds to Let Schools Open Before Labor Day

Sat., Jan. 14 | 08:00 AM - RICHMOND – Parents should think twice about scheduling a family vacation at the end of August or in early September.

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Marshall tosses GOP hat in Senatorial ring

Fri., Jan. 13 | 04:39 PM - Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) will challenge Gov. George Allen in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in 2012, the Washington Post reported yesterday.

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Torian Seeks to Bring Metrorail to Prince William

Fri., Jan. 13 | 04:19 PM - RICHMOND – Since he was elected to the Virginia House, Del. Luke Torian, (D-Dumfries), has been pushing to bring Metrorail service to Prince William County.

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Alamo Drafthouse set to open at One Loudoun

Fri., Jan. 13 | 10:31 AM - The new development One Loudoun can expect a new tenant to break ground along with them this spring – the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

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Bloom brand grocer to shutter

Thu., Jan. 12 | 04:35 PM - The Bloom grocery stores now anchoring shopping centers in Ashburn and Leesburg are set to close after its parent company, Delhaize America, announced it would be restructuring its holdings.

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Photo Courtesy/Maria White
Maria White, a professional organizer who owns Enuff with the Stuff in Ashburn, is collecting shoes for Soles4Souls, a nonprofit that provides shoes for the less fortunate.

Maria White: A professional organizer with a purpose

Thu., Jan. 12 | 10:49 AM - Maria White, an Ashburn resident who owns Enuff With the Stuff, is using her job as a professional organizer to not only help her clients get in order but also to help the less fortunate around the world. White is one of many professional organizers in the National Association of Professional Organizers Washington, D.C., chapter who are collecting gently used shoes for Soles4Souls. She describes the effort and its rewards.

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Gender identity, staggered terms eliminated from schools’ legislative agenda

Wed., Jan. 11 | 03:28 PM - It took only one day for the new Loudoun County School Board to begin changing the 2012 Legislative Program that had been established by the previous board.

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Bill Weir, and insurance broker who moonlights as an authentic George Washington speaker for kids, often gives autographs and hugs after his speeches. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Matt Vecchio

A visit from a founding father

Wed., Jan. 11 | 11:44 AM - Sixth graders at J. Michael Lunsford Middle School received a special treat Jan. 5-6, when a famous president visited to teach them about our nation's War on Independence.

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UPDATE: Council votes to move activation date for form-based code

Tue., Jan. 10 | 08:48 PM - Leesburg Town Council voted to move the official zoning map and zoning ordinance for the Crescent Form-Based District to the date on or before July 31, 2013 in order to develop the plan for the area with a 6-0-1 vote with Council member Tom Dunn absent.

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Claude Moore Foundation confirms distributions for 2012

Tue., Jan. 10 | 07:23 PM - The Claude Moore Foundation Board of Trustees have concluded their grant cycle for 2012 and will pledge $957,000 to Loudoun-based charities and organizations.

Self-imposed ethics code unlikely for new supervisors

Tue., Jan. 10 | 03:51 PM - No plans for the new Loudoun County Board of Supervisors -- all Republicans -- to take ethical pledge.

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Woman stabbed in Sterling shopping center

Tue., Jan. 10 | 10:42 AM - Deputies from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office responded to the Cedar Lake Plaza shopping center in sterling at around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 for reports of a stabbing.

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Ramadan cuts own salary, ‘shares the sacrifice’

Mon., Jan. 9 | 12:56 PM - Delegate-elect David Ramadan (R-87th) will take a voluntary 20 percent pay cut from his state salary, he announced Monday.

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VA tries to dodge fed ban on incandescent lightbulbs

Sun., Jan. 8 | 08:00 AM - ALEXANDRIA — Delegate Bob Marshall hopes to do for lightbulbs in Virginia what California did for marijuana and Arizona did for guns. But he faces an uphill climb.

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Former Blue Ridge Supervisor Jim Burton on Dec. 30 from his Aldie home talks about his departure from office and the future. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Laura Peters

Burton reflects on time with Board

Sat., Jan. 7 | 08:00 AM - With less than 48 hours left in his term, Supervisor Jim Burton pushes back from the dining room table in his Aldie home, contemplating his next move. What started more than 16 years ago with a knock from a sheriff's deputy on Burton's back door was about to end, and the veteran politician was already sure another challenge was bound to find its way to him. It always does.

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Governor OKs Dulles rail funds

Fri., Jan. 6 | 12:43 PM - Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) has signed off on an agreement with the other funding partners of the Dulles rail project that includes a promise of $150 million in additional state funding.

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Six students found intoxicated in Loudoun Middle School

Fri., Jan. 6 | 10:01 AM - Six students consumed alcohol prior to the school day at a Chantilly middle school, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

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UPDATE: Regional transportation lobbying proposal fades

Thu., Jan. 5 | 02:21 PM - The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) lobbying proposal was not introduced Thursday during the board meeting, according to Del. Tom Rust (R-86th). Rust, an NVTC commissioner, said the consistent negative feedback from the various NVTC jurisdictions essentially killed the $250,000 proposal for “legislative advocacy and public outreach.”

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Lovettsville congregation “devastated” by shooting death of National Park Ranger

Thu., Jan. 5 | 08:00 AM - Members and friends of New Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Lovettsville are devastated after learning that a former member of their congregation, 34-year-old Margaret Anderson, a National Park Service ranger, had been shot and killed by a lone gunman on the morning of Jan. 1 while she was on duty in Mount Rainier National Park.

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UPDATE: Hatrick presents fiscal 2013 school budget

Wed., Jan. 4 | 10:25 PM - For newly-elected Loudoun County School Board members who were elected on a platform of fiscal conservatism, their first challenge arrived in the form of a proposed school budget 10 percent higher than the funding allotted for fiscal 2012.

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Former council member appointed to Reid’s position

Wed., Jan. 4 | 08:24 PM - Leesburg Town Council by a 4-2 vote on Jan. 4 appointed former 1970s Council member Terry Titus to fill Loudoun County Supervisor Ken Reid's vacant seat.

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