Blue Ridge Leader
By Samuel Moore-Sobel When I was in college, I heard author Dr. Shane Lopez talk about his book, Making Hope Happen. In his talk, he spoke about the need for a good leader to both anticipate problems and to spread hope. Years later, I heard Gen. Colin Powell speak about how inspiration was more important than motivation, and that to be…
It’s time to create or update, estate plans If you, your adult children, or other family members haven’t created an estate plan or have one but the documents may be outdated, today’s unprecedented times are a reminder of how vital having an up-to-date plan can be, particularly a health care directive that you may need…
Tangled in real estate deals between Loudoun County and developers, the fates of two small rural villages—St. Louis and Aldie—are now in the hands of the County’s five-member finance committee. From Supervisors’ comments at the Board’s Jan. 13 public hearing on the developers’ proposal, it’s not unreasonable to ask whether Aldie will have a fair…
By Charles Houston ZOC – pronounced “zock” – is the County’s new Zoning Ordinance Committee, which is charged with helping to write a new zoning ordinance for the county. It’s important to you and I’ll explain why. Zoning Matters Zoning is generally a vague concept for people. They might be totally unaware of Loudoun’s 1,025-page…
Twenty-five years of love, wonder, and reverence By Joe Colman In spite of the pandemic, 110 observers came out for the 24th Central Loudoun Christmas Bird Count as 2020 came to a close. Sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (LWC), the bird count will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. My, my, my what an…
Romance is what you make it. Get going. We think of Valentine’s Day as a day of love. And, although the day might actually have had some pretty unloving origins – two Roman dissidents met their demise at the hands of Emperor Claudius II on this day – my view is that we all have…
As we celebrate Black History month, look around you. Loudoun County is a rich, rich, rich depository for African American historic sites and activity. You’ll find special places in Leesburg (including the Thomas Balch Library and Underground Railroad sites), Middleburg, Purcellville, Waterford, the Village of Lincoln, Aldie, and other places. Lots of self-guided tours,…
By Joe LaFiandra The new president has implemented a series of progressive executive orders. Other actions are in the wings, including asking Congress to enact an increased minimum wage of $15 an hour, from the $7.25 (in Virginia) an hour presently in effect. What I am going to present in this article are the consequences…
Pretty much everyone can relate to the idea of being hungry for a few hours. But, when hunger is chronic, causes you to worry, and leaves you thinking that you are failing your family, it is referred to as food insecurity. And, it’s no joke. About 10 percent of Americans experience this on a daily basis. In Loudoun,…
By Valerie Cury At the Jan. 12 Purcellville Town Council meeting, the council voted 7-0 to start the process of selling the Pullen House – by sealed bid at a base bid of $330,000. The Pullen house is located at 301 S. 20th Street, across from the Bush Tabernacle. The Town, under the Lazaro administration,…