Opinion

Eighth Inning, Down 3-0

January 4, 2023

By Charles Houston Start at the Beginning Western Loudoun is a special place, starting with its geography: rolling hills, forests, rivers and mountains. For almost three hundred years since it was first explored by European adventurers, the hand of man was gentle. Early settlers cleared land for crops and livestock and built attractive small homes…

What is hate speech?

January 1, 2023

Dear Editor: Loudoun County is once again in the national news. This time it’s for a petition by people who want to stop “hate speech” at our School Board meetings. Who gets to define what is and what isn’t “hate speech?”  If someone says something that you strongly disagree with and makes you feel uncomfortable…

Addressing Loudoun County’s False Narrative on Rt. 7/690 Interchange Project

December 28, 2022

Dear Editor: I am writing to address the false narrative in recent articles in other papers about Loudoun County’s Rt. 7/690 Interchange project in the Town of Purcellville. It is disappointing to see other papers selectively obtaining feedback from the County Administrator and the County’s Blue Ridge District Supervisor Tony Buffington, while failing to reach…

The Tallest Building in America

November 30, 2022

By Charles Houston Years ago, I was a young project manager for a major Atlanta developer and one day was invited to join the partners’ meeting to report on my first big project. I kept it short: The infrastructure was almost finished, the first six-story building was halfway complete. That project is now UPS’s world…

Loudounia, Quo Plus Minus Est

November 17, 2022

By Charles Houston That translates to “Loudoun, where more is less” and refers to its government. I’m interested in the bureaucratic nature of entities as they get larger and attempt to do more and more things. This is a fantasy about an alternative way of doing things, using Loudoun as a template. My thoughts are…

Protect our moutain resources from over-development

November 12, 2022

Dear Editor: The current Loudoun Zoning Ordinance does not adequately protect our mountain resources from over-development. Following careful analysis of the draft ordinance, which was circulated for public comment in the spring/summer of 2022, we have four major concerns: During the public review process that concluded on July 18, 2022, our organizations and members, as…

What is Joe Biden’s economic illiteracy costing you?

November 3, 2022

Dear Editor: If you’re a mother, he’s literally taking food from your baby’s mouth. Imagine you need a new car because your first child is on the way. Before Biden took office you could have purchased a Subaru Crosstrek with an automatic transmission and heated seats and a more efficient engine.  Today thanks to skyrocketing…

Follow the money

November 2, 2022

Dear Editor: Team Grewe’s donations come mostly from the development community to the tune of over $25,000. The majority of the donations, this go around, are being donated to Erin Rayner’s campaign. Her largest donors are from the developers of Vineyard Square on 21st Street, and employees of their relatives.  To date the amount of…

Let’s vote for Hung Cao our next representative in Congress

November 2, 2022

Dear Editor: If you like the fun of bowling, you’re really going to love what can happen if you vote for Hung Cao to represent Loudoun County in the US Congress. In bowling, you know you can roll a strike by knocking down all ten pins, but first you must knock down the headpin to…

Why I cannot support a fellow Naval Academy Alumnus 

November 2, 2022

Dear Editor: I am a 1969 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Like Hung Cao, I made a career of the Navy, although I never served in combat. CAPT (Ret.) Hung Cao has an impressive resume and is owed the gratitude of the nation for the service, sacrifice, and risk he undertook to serve…