Opinion

There is no room for special treatment for developers

February 28, 2024

Dear Editor: I am once again compelled to address Mayor Stan Milan’s recent statements regarding the Vineyard Square project. It seems Mayor Milan may have conveniently forgotten his own involvement as a member of the Town Council in crucial discussions surrounding this matter. During a Town Council meeting with Mayor Milan, then Council Member Milan…

Rt. 7/690 Interchange – ‘Measure twice to cut once and the divorce before the marriage’  

February 28, 2024

By Kwasi Fraser Citizens of Purcellville, let me clarify my position on the Rt. 7/690 Interchange. I once supported this proposed project based on the Loudoun County Interchange Justification Report (IJR) design.  I envisioned relief for Hirst Road congestion as documented in the IJR. My endorsement was based on an earlier design presented in the…

Pick your poison – higher real estate taxes or higher electricity bills

February 27, 2024

Dear Editor: Supervisor Kershner (Catoctin) recently circulated a message pledging to hold down the County real estate tax rate. On the surface, that sounds great. But, unless the County also takes serious action to control its spending, his pledge is effectively a call for more data centers, more power lines, and higher electricity bills.  In…

Let us renew our commitment to serve those who serve us

February 22, 2024

Dear Loudoun Community: Loudoun, on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, our community suffered an almost unbearable loss. As the governing body of Loudoun County, every member of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors understands and acknowledges the extent to which the men and women of our Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System and the men…

Del. Srinivasan shuts out parental rights

February 20, 2024

Dear Editor:  Delegate Kannan Srinivasan (HD-26, Brambleton to South Riding area) voted against a bill (HB 480) that would have protected parental rights in medical decisions regarding their children. Specifically, Srinivasan voted against the right of a parent to provide consent before a doctor withdraws life-sustaining treatment or places a Do Not Resuscitate order in…

We deserve access to truth in government

February 17, 2024

Dear Editor: February 17 is the 224 th  anniversary of Virginia native Thomas Jefferson’s election to the Presidency. From his time in the Virginia legislature to his time as President, he consistently defended the Press as an institution, saying in a 1876 letter to fellow Virginian James Currie, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press…

A Eulogy for Bad Larry

January 31, 2024

By Charlie Houston I usually write about the imperative to save western Loudoun and address land use issues. A recurring theme has been populism – the county belongs to its people, not businesses or promoters. This, though, is about a particular person. Quality of Life Everyone seems to know what “quality of life” means, but…

45 days of early voting is excessive

January 31, 2024

Dear Editor: Another commonsense bill was killed by democrats in our state Senate. SB 81 would have reduced our 45 days of early voting (first put into VA law in 2020 due to COVID) down to three weeks.  Our Senators Perry and Subramanyam sit on the Privileges and Elections subcommittee. Both of them, along with all the…

Medical treatment should be focused on treating all patients

January 31, 2024

Dear Editor: I am writing regarding an email written by Sherita Hill Golden, PhD. Chief Diversity Officer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Hill is the Director of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion office at Johns Hopkins. The email was sent to all Johns Hopkins faculty and was also shared online. In the email Dr. Hill…

Stop The Madness: Vote ‘no’ on Belmont Innovation Center Data Center

January 30, 2024

Dear Editor: I was surprised to see an item on the January 10th Board of Supervisors meeting entitled “Belmont Innovation Center.” Sounds innocuous enough, right? Well, the devil is in the details. It turns out that the “Belmont Innovation Center” is the largest data center ever proposed in this country. And it is proposed right here in…