Op-Ed
By Charles Houston Eons ago in Asa Minor, King Midas was in his rose garden when he came across the wise satyr Silenus, badly hungover and still somewhat drunk. Midas helped Silenus clear his head, fed him and returned him to the Greek god Dionysos, the satyr’s master. (Satyrs had the body of a man,…
Read more...By Kwasi FraserFormer Mayor, Town of Purcellville It’s crucial to address the concerns raised regarding the allocation of taxpayers’ funds towards the proposed floodplain mitigation project tied to the construction of the Rt. 7/690 Interchange. The decision-making process regarding this initiative demands precision and a broader perspective on both the immediate and long-term implications to the citizens…
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By Tim Stinnette There is a saying about other people’s money and it goes like this: “Three groups spend other people’s money: children, thieves, and politicians. All three need supervision.” “OPM” is the shorthand for “other people’s money” and when it comes to OPM it is the decisions of those who manage OPM that drive…
Read more...By Adam Stevenson I imagine that every place has its own comparative advantages and pleasures, both subtle and obvious, that let it grow up in a person’s affections until one’s identity is inseparable from the beauty and bounty of the place one knows best. This is both simple and complicated. It’s simple in how natural…
Read more...By Charles Houston No more candidate mailers clogging my mailbox. No more questionable ads on social media. No more candidate photos popping up when I use Google. Rejoice Yes, be happy those irritants are gone, but rejoicing at the election results is up to your opinion about the results. The most notable thing is that…
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By Ron Rise Sr. On the northwest edge of the Town of Purcellville quietly rests a 14.2 acre-green open space with forested wetlands with life-giving waters of the South Fork Catoctin Creek, all nestled quietly along N 21st Street. In 1996, Bruce Brownell approached the Town of Purcellville during the design and development of his…
Read more...By Charles Houston Many simple ideas would make our lives more pleasant, and I’ve listed some. I also delve into politics and land use issues, inter alia. I’ve ignored practicality and difficulty, so this list is aspirational. I’ll start with a slam dunk: Daily Life Call centers must be located within the US, preferably in…
Read more...By Charles Houston Right now, I don’t have time to write a proper column myself, so I’ve cheated, putting ChatGPT to work on two related topics: Sprawl, and the benefits of rural living. I’ve never fiddled with artificial intelligence until now. An intriguing thing about ChatGPT is that you can adjust the reading levels of…
Read more...Voters’ choice: who will stand up for western Loudoun? By John Ellis, candidate for Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Catoctin District The majority of western Loudoun’s citizens want to preserve the unique, historical charm and character of western Loudoun’s small towns, villages, and countryside. They do not want more development. But that is not what…
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By Charles Houston Some of the residents in new subdivisions off Old Wheatland Road have signed a petition asking that the road be paved. There are 100 or so signatures, but only 59 addresses. The latter figure is the one to use. Paving Old Wheatland is a very bad idea for many reasons. A Defective…
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