Opinion
Dear Editor, I am writing to you in support of Sheriff Chapman’s proposed budget request to phase in School Resource Officers (SRO’s) over the next four years for every elementary school in Loudoun County. I am a father of three LCPS graduates and I currently have four grandchildren in Loudoun County Public Schools. This is…
By Ron Rise Sr. When government is healthy, its laws are simple: general rules, openly debated, applied evenly, and restrained by due process. When government is sick, its laws grow clever: written for a moment, for a place, for a conflict—and justified by urgency. Senate Bill 648 looks like the second kind. Thomas Paine would…
By Ken Falke Over the last several years, I have noticed a peculiar verbal habit spreading through meetings, podcasts, classrooms, and news studios across America. It sneaks in quietly, usually at the end of an otherwise complete thought. It sounds harmless. Even friendly. But it’s not. It’s the reflexive, unnecessary, credibility-eroding habit of ending sentences…
What follows is a personal reflection that gradually gives way to satire—a speculative look at where current civic habits, if left unchecked, could lead. By Charlie Houston Retrospection can bring warm memories or cold anger. I’ve experienced both since moving here thirty years ago. Memory is generous; the present, less so—and often deserving of a…
By Valerie Cury Using modern tools to explore options, gather insight, and shape decisions is not controversial—it’s essential. Tens of millions of people rely on AI, colleagues, advisors, English professors, attorneys, friends, and consultants every day to test ideas, challenge assumptions, and strengthen outcomes. Public servants are no different. Rarely does anyone work in a…
Dear Senator Perry, Thank you for taking an active interest in our Town. I was grateful that you traveled from Richmond to speak at our recent Town Council meeting. I am writing to strongly encourage you to follow through on your commitment to help Purcellville. My wife Becky and I have lived in Purcellville since…
By Lloyd Harting In July of 2025 Purcellville Town Manager Kwasi Fraser and Purcellville Vice Mayor Carl “Ben” Nett were arrested and each was criminally charged by the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney with one felony charge of violating Code of Virginia Section 59.1-68.1 (Combinations to Rig Bids) and one felony charge of violating Code of…
The Ratchet and the Economy By Charlie Houston Old fashioned car jacks are ratchets: They allow continued upward movement, but downward movement will be one slow notch at a time. That tool lends its name to an economics concept called, naturally, the ratchet effect: Prices can rise quickly in inflationary times, but fall slowly. That’s…