Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Unified Prevention Coalition has partnered with the Fairfax County Police Department for an annual "medicine cabinet clean-out" which aims to raise awareness about prescription drug abuse in the county.
Prescription drug abuse is on the rise in Fairfax County and a handful of local organizations are working to put a stop to what the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has classified as an epidemic. Prescription drug abuse is a different problem compared to others in the county, due to its reach and rate of expansion, said Amy Reif, health sector coordinator for the Unified Prevention Coalition (UPC) of Fairfax County, who spoke with reporters Tuesday at the Mason District Governmental Center in Annandale. According to statistics from UPC, there were 51 drug/poison deaths in Fairfax County in 2011 and deaths by prescription drugs such as fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone and oxycodone than by cocaine and heroin. In an effort to curb …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority officials say despite high number, sequestration will cause job growth to slow down.
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) helped bring more than 1,400 jobs from 27 different companies during the first quarter of 2013. Salient Federal Solutions, a company that provides information techonology support to government and commercial customers, created the most opportunity countywide, adding 530 jobs in Fairfax FCEDA officials said Friday. “In today’s environment, any business growth is remarkable,” FCEDA President and CEO Jerry Gordon said in a statement. But the number of new jobs was still down from the first quarter of 2012, when the FCEDA worked with 46 different businesses to bring in nearly 2,000 jobs. Gordon told Patch the slowdown was caused by cold feet from business owners, who hesitated to grow …
Friday, May 10, 2013
But some officials say more funding for job placement, independent living services should come from the state.
The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) is working to secure more federal funding for employment services that could help county residents with intellectual disabilities. The idea comes after months of work with TansCen, a consulting firm hired last summer to help the organization with ongoing budget problems. The cost of enrolling residents in the CSB's employment and day services program, which helps high school graduates with intellectual disabilities find career opportunities and become independent, has become too high for the county to sustain long term. CSB officials are working on short-term solutions to reduce county costs, which would take effect in Fiscal Year 2015. But four recommendations offered this week by …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Fairfax Chamber of Commerce won't support a possible 4 percent tax on meals and beverages in Fairfax County. But some leaders say it's a good way to bring in extra revenue.
A potential meals tax in Fairfax County is already leaving a bad taste in the mouths of some members of the business community. During a meeting of the county’s top economic officials Tuesday, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce (FCCC) said it was opposed to the tax. Christian Deschauer, the FCCC’s vice president of government relations, said the chamber would not support a referendum, a position shared by many restaurant owners, he said. “We’ve never supported state legislation or board action that specifically targets a single industry,” Deschauer said. “I’ve talked to a bunch of restaurants in the past week … and the message has not changed from them – they remain adamantly opposed. That’s just the initial feedback.” Last week …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Trials in other Washington area jurisdictions have residents asking: Why doesn't Fairfax County have text-911 service?
Fairfax County plans to eventually give its residents the ability to text 9-1-1 in emergencies, but it likely won’t be any time soon. In March, Frederick County, Md., launched a pilot program allowing Verizon Wireless customers to text 911 in an emergency. And recent media coverage has Fairfax County residents asking whether the same service will be available to them. During an online chat Monday, county officials said they planned to wait to start any sort of trial program until the service was available on more providers than just Verizon. “Texting to 9-1-1 is one of several new means to contact 9-1-1 that will utilize smart devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.) to communicate,” said Stephen Souder, director of the county’s department of…
Friday, April 26, 2013
Facets has made great strides since 1988, but the vision "is a long way from being realized."
In 2011, Lisa Kennedy lost her job. Along with it, Kennedy, a single mother, lost a way to make ends meet. Soon she couldn't pay the rent. But she tried: For the next year, Kennedy was in a state of flux, hopping from job to job but often finding herself without a paycheck. What Kennedy needed was help on a path to more steady employment — and she got it through Bridging Affordability, a Fairfax County service that helps the area's most in-need residents establish better self-sufficiency, safe housing and a more stable life. Today, Kennedy and her daughter live in a two-bedroom apartment. She has a regular part-time job and is also pursuing a business degree. “The goal, of course, is to be self sufficient, and this program is helping me to…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The Virginia primary is June 11; the general election is Nov. 5.
Are you a registered voter in Virginia and available to work at least half of Election Day? Fairfax County has a job for you. The county’s Office of Elections is recruiting election officers for the June 11 primary election and/or for the Nov. 5 general election. Qualified residents with bilingual language and technology skills are especially needed. "We encourage all qualified residents to become elections officers, especially those with technology skills, diverse language abilities, young adults seeking civic experience and networking opportunities, and recently retired professionals interested in public service," said General Registrar Cameron Quinn in a prepared statement. Election officers are paid $100 for working all of Election …
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Employees have 8.66 percent less purchasing power than they did six years ago, they said, which may cause them to leave for jurisdictions with better compensation plans.
Fairfax County faces a number of budget challenges in Fiscal Year 2014. But top on the minds of county employees, they said at a public hearing with the county Board of Supervisors: better, fairer compensation. County Executive Ed Long's $7 billion FY2014 budget proposal raises real estate taxes and cuts funds to parks and libraries, among other services. It also includes a 2-cent increase in the real estate tax rate from $1.075 per $100 of assessed value to $1.095, expected to raise millions in revenue. But the budget doesn't include market rate adjustments to county employee salaries. The school system hopes to be able to give employees an increase of just under 2 percent. Randy Creller, chairman of the Employees Advisory Council, …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Fairfax County human services officials say more funds are needed for housing and other programs.
Fairfax County officials have said the impacts of sequestration are largely unknown, but for some of the county's low-income residents that's no longer true: Last week, the cuts forced the county to stop issuing Section 8 vouchers for affordable housing to families in need. Officials say that up to 150 families in the county might not be getting housing vouchers that will help them pay their rent. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides funding to the county for the program, but the budget sequester has put that in jeopardy. The county stopped issuing vouchers earlier this month and while some residents were able to get help at the last minute, others might not be so fortunate. These cuts directly impact organizations…
Monday, April 8, 2013
Officials will highlight successes, challenges in full report to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments on April 10.
Fairfax County’s homeless population has declined by 12 percent in the last year and 26 percent since 2007, according to a new report from the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness. The Connection reports that according to agency’s annual “point-in-time” survey, the number of homeless people in the county has decreased by 184, from 1,534 in 2012 to 1,350 in 2013. The number of homeless has also decreased by 463 since 2007, down from 1,813. The count was conducted over a one-day period in January, per requirements from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Only people who are literally homeless and living in shelters, transitional housing or on the street are counted in the survey. This …
Lani Phillips
9:56 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013
So proud of Caitlin - she is a great role model. more ›