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LTM Editorial: A candle for Bethany

Fri., Feb. 3 | 10:30 AM - A sad anniversary silently passed last week. Jan. 29 marked the one-year anniversary of the last time anyone saw 21-year-old Bethany Decker. There were no tearful pleas from the family, no solemn reminder from the Sheriff’s Office and no candlelight vigils praying for this young mother to return home.

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Virginia still without state song

Thu., Feb. 2 | 10:30 PM - Members of the General Assembly pass on bluegrass tune, "At Home in Virginia," for state song.

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Chemical spill at Middleburg Academy cancels school, one adult hospitalized

Thu., Feb. 2 | 03:38 PM - Loudoun Fire and Rescue received a call this morning regarding a chemical spill at Middleburg Academy. Two adults were possibly exposed to the chemicals, and one woman was sent to the hospital.

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McCormick, GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, stops in Loudoun

Thu., Feb. 2 | 02:30 PM - Campaigning for the Republican nomination in the 2012 Virginia senatorial election, David McCormick is fighting the likes of former Gov. George Allen and Del. Bob Marshall (R-13th) for a spot on the general ticket

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Senate-hopeful Allen swings through Loudoun

Thu., Feb. 2 | 11:24 AM - Former governor and well-known political commodity George Allen passed through Loudoun County Jan. 13, first touring the Prototype Productions facility in Ashburn then sitting down for a brief interview in Leesburg.

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The 2012 Washington Auto Show celebrates the design and engineering excellence of the global auto industry.Times-Mirror Photo/Paul Jean

Ruling the road in 2012

Thu., Feb. 2 | 09:30 AM - Hundreds zoom in to the D.C. Car Show

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Sterling woman pleads guilty to murder for hire plot

Wed., Feb. 1 | 02:35 PM - Ann Jenene Cinnamon, or Ann Jenene Greer, 41, of Sterling, plead guilty Feb. 1 to hiring a hit-man to kill her boyfriend’s “mistress.”

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Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny
Cathy Cleveland, manager of Altar’d State at the Village of Leesburg, stands in the clothing store Jan. 27.

A new state of mind

Wed., Feb. 1 | 12:00 PM - Altar’d State, a new women’s clothing boutique in The Village at Leesburg, sells clothes with a Christian aesthetic, but store manager Cathy Cleveland wants everyone to feel comfortable in her business.

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UPDATE: Supervisors nixing opening prayer?

Wed., Feb. 1 | 09:39 AM - Supervisor Suzanne Volpe (R-Algonkian), when asked whether she intentionally skipped an invocation, said the prayer by Supervisor Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn) at the start of the Jan. 31 meeting served as an invocation for both meetings.

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One bill’s aim: Ashes to ashes, dust to stardust

Wed., Feb. 1 | 08:00 AM - RICHMOND – For the average person, the sky is no longer the limit, but you just might have to be dead first. Del. Terry Kilgore, (R-Gate City), is proposing legislation to provide tax breaks to Virginia residents who send their cremated remains into outer space.

Supervisors analyze McDonnell’s transportation package

Wed., Feb. 1 | 01:21 AM - The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday examined broad pieces of legislation being considered in the 2012 General Assembly session.

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Photo Courtesy/Facebook
Jenni Schick

A Loudoun tune to “American Idol”

Tue., Jan. 31 | 06:26 PM - Sterling resident Jenni Schick, 24, appeared on "American Idol" on Jan. 18 singing Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker" during auditions in Aspen, Colo. Schick was showcased on the popular reality show not only for her singing talent, but her wish to kiss judge and legendary rocker Steven Tyler – and her wish came true. Schick received one ticket to get a chance to vie for the "American Idol" top spot in Hollywood and a smooch on the lips from Tyler.

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UPDATE: Bus drivers consider walkout over benefit changes

Tue., Jan. 31 | 05:36 PM - The school boardroom was scattered with residents and LCPS employees on Jan. 31 wearing black and red in protest of proposed cuts in the budget that would affect part-time employees. More than 400 people gathered with more than 80 who had signed up to speak.

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Judge recuses himself from capital murder case

Tue., Jan. 31 | 04:47 PM - Motions made by attorneys in the capital murder case of Darwin Bowman are on hold after Judge James Chamblin recused himself from the case on Jan. 30.

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Roy pleads guilty to 2001 murder

Tue., Jan. 31 | 11:10 AM - Robert E. Roy, 49, took the glasses that had been hanging from his collar, put them on and carefully peered down at the plea agreement before his defense attorney Joseph T. Flood presented it to the judge.

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Officials fight for human trafficking victims

Tue., Jan. 31 | 09:07 AM - RICHMOND – A bipartisan coalition, including legislators and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, urged the General Assembly on Monday to increase penalties for human trafficking in general and underage sex trafficking in particular.

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House passes bill lifting HPV vaccine rule

Mon., Jan. 30 | 07:30 PM - The Virginia House of Delegates has voted to repeal the law requiring girls to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine before entering the sixth grade.

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Training day: Volunteer firefighters congregated in Ashburn for the opportunity to train in a variety of unique situations Jan. 29, including fighting a blaze on donated property. Courtesy photo/Sarah Pixley

In Photos: Volunteers battle controlled blaze

Mon., Jan. 30 | 02:32 PM - Volunteers of local fire stations got a special training treat on Jan. 29 – the chance to fight a home-engulfing fire.

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Democrats mindful of Sen. Black’s activity

Mon., Jan. 30 | 12:59 PM - Loudoun County Democrats draw attention to state Sen. Dick Black's activity thus far in the 2012 General Assembly session.

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Marshall’s bill would let professors carry guns

Mon., Jan. 30 | 07:05 AM - House Bill 91 would ban policies by public institutions of higher education that prohibit full-time faculty members with Virginia concealed handgun permits from holding firearms on campus.

Public speaks out on proposed school budget

Sat., Jan. 28 | 08:00 AM - With the public hearing portion of the School Operating Budget adoption process complete, the Loudoun County School Board will now begin to make changes to the proposed budget before presenting it to the Board of Supervisors.

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Lorena Patricio feeds 9-month-old Kathryn Burns as mom Stephanie Burns feeds Kathryn’s twin brother Connor and dad Robert eats next to their 2-year-old son Tyler at their Sterling home Jan. 22. Patricio has been living with the family for five months as an au pair. She is on duty when the couple is at work but they typically eat together when they’re all at home. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny

Au Pair program bridges cultures

Sat., Jan. 28 | 08:00 AM - Lorena Da Silva Patricio came to Loudoun County for a taste of Northern Virginia culture, and for three children in Sterling.

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Full day kindergarten could be delayed due to budget constraints

Fri., Jan. 27 | 04:15 PM - The Loudoun County School Board spent a good amount of their scheduled work session Jan. 26 discussing programs and compensation that could be cut in the fiscal 2013 school operating budget.

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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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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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Supervisors nixing opening prayer?

Wed., Feb. 1 | 09:40 AM - The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors opted to not give an invocation Wednesday after repeated requests to separate religion and government.

Marshall’s bill would let professors carry guns

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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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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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with video

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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