Opinion
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…
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…
Dear Editor: The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors’ resolution last week urging Delegate Dave LaRock to resign was a purely political stunt, a direct violation by the Democrats of their individually signed Ethics Policy, and two violations of their own Rules of Order, which each one of them agreed to at their first meeting in…
Dear Editor: I’m writing this from the perspective of two days after a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol, resulting in several deaths, significant damage to our Capitol building, and irreparable damage to the stature of the United States. This mob was driven by the spread of lies. Lies that were spread intentionally, for…
Loudoun County’s rural villages are irreplaceable, and yet, somehow, we seem determined to let the present destroy their past. “Their buildings and settings document Loudoun County’s history, through war and peace, growth and decline, changes in commerce, agriculture, and transportation. The social and cultural heritage they represent, and their vitality today, make them a vital…
By Charles Houston Every publication will have a lengthy year-end retrospective on COVID and on 2020. This is a different story. Bubba was my father’s first cousin, and hence my second. Bubba had no siblings, no wife, no children. As a bachelor, his closest relations were my two brothers and me. We were very close.…
By Joe Lafiandra If you are a Democrat or Trump hater, don’t bother reading any further; this piece doesn’t apply to you. If you are a Conservative, Republican, or independently minded person who wants to see and hear the truth from the press and visual media, read on. Freedom of the press is guaranteed in the First Amendment to…
Dear Editor: At a recent Loudoun County Board of Supervisors meeting earlier this month, a motion was passed to rename Rt. 50 John Singleton Mosby Highway to another name which does not celebrate a “traitor” as stated by Vice Chairman Koran T. Saines. It seems as though the members of the board have been “Cherry-picking”…
By Andrea Gaines Life in a small Town. As with life on an old farm, it can be both beautiful and sad. The beautiful part is represented by the things that many of us recognize as “the way it used to be.” Old farms, cows mooing at you over the fence, homes, walkable communities, people…
By Charles Houston Earlier this month I wrote this story about my memories of the Blue Ridge for the Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountain’s newsletter. FBRM is a great conservation group with an arrow-like mission: protecting the Blue Ridge in our region. I couldn’t talk about trekking the Appalachian Trail since I haven’t and…