Opinion
By Purcellville Council Member Susan Khalil Virginia’s leaders have a message for their citizens: conserve water. Take shorter showers. Delay watering the lawn. Be mindful of every gallon. The Commonwealth is facing drought conditions, and we are all being asked to do our part. Fair enough. Water is precious. Conservation is prudent. Responsible stewardship of…
By Ken Falke At the entrance of every military base, there are signs, statues, and symbols honoring sacrifice. We rightly celebrate those who raised their right hand and volunteered to serve our nation in uniform. But there is another group of volunteers in this country that rarely receives recognition. They don’t wear medals. They don’t…
By Mayor Chris Bertaut My opponent wrote that “water rates should never be political.” On that, we agree. Reliable water and sewer service is essential. Infrastructure must be maintained, reserves protected, and long-term plans honored. We agree on those duties. We disagree that the only responsible path is to load increasing costs onto our citizens…
By Charlie Houston A friend bemoaned the general ugliness of new County buildings. What set him off was a rendering of the zillion-dollar Western Loudoun Recreation Center. (Leesburg’s government buildings visually reference colonial architecture, though they are modern. Therefore, they look and fit better than Loudoun’s.) His comment made me think comprehensively about local architecture.…
Dear Editor: I am writing this letter to recognize and express my thanks for the excellent work that is being done, behind the scenes at a couple of our local schools. My family and I have seen two generations, our children and recently our grandchildren pass through Blue Ridge Middle School and Waterford Elementary School.…
Dear Editor: In the June 2026 issue of the Blue Ridge Leader & Loudoun Today, there was an article titled “Unlimited Events Debate Exposes Rural Divide at Special BOS Meeting.” It reported on the “two competing visions of rural life” listing them as winery-brewery owners needing private events to survive/thrive and areas residents who are…
By Charlie Houston Nope, that’s not the cost of three new Loudoun County high schools (which would be more than that.) It’s not County spending for six weeks. Nope, IT’s MINE. Yep, it’s all mine. Thank you, Mega Millions. Charlie Houston won! While the prize was broadcast at $1.5 billion, that’s not how it works. …
By David Verhey, President, Friends of Paxson-Airmont The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors recently voted to advance Supervisor Caleb Kershner’s (Catoctin) pro-industry zoning framework to expand event-based commercial activity in western Loudoun. County staff will now draft the ordinance changes needed to implement it. The Board approved the plan despite strong opposition from western Loudoun…
Dear Editor: The Town of Purcellville is facing a difficult but unavoidable reality: utility rates must rise if we are serious about addressing the 21st century water infrastructure challenges facing Western Loudoun County. For many years, Purcellville was able to keep water rates artificially low because of unusually favorable economic conditions. Following the 2008 recession and again…