Opinion

Our Nation’s Parks are at risk

April 29, 2025

By John P. Flannery We are a local community in a State that cherishes its historic and environmental resources, and we have worked hard to preserve and protect entrusted treasures in land and gardens and streams. We convey what we’ve learned to others, including our children, by our example and by the confidences we share…

Mountain Overlay District’s regulations are intentionally rigid for a reason

April 22, 2025

Dear Editor: I’m extremely concerned about the Board action on April 15 to suspend lawsuit enforcement on the Mountain Overlay District. After careful thought and discussion with County Zoning officials, stricter rewritten ordinances were enacted in the MOD ZOAM in 2023 and approved by the BOS. The MOD Ordinances are intentionally rigid to protect the mountains from…

Education against authoritarianism

April 17, 2025

Dear Editor: The alarming events of the past two and a half months since President Trump’s inauguration in January have no doubt been on everyone’s mind- accentuated by joy or fear. Yet we believe, as juniors in high school, that our view is unique and important. Superimposed on our teenage experiences is an ever present…

Something seems to be amiss in the Purcellville Police Department

April 2, 2025

By Lloyd Harting Several news articles have been published in Loudoun County newspapers reporting on an internal affairs investigation that was recently conducted at the Purcellville Police Department. The newspaper articles identified by name the Purcellville Police Department employee who was the subject of the investigation, Police Officer Carl “Ben” Nett, and also revealed details…

Barcelona, Price Inelasticity and Data Centers

April 2, 2025

By Charles Houston A few days ago, I had lunch with my good friend Robert Rood. Usually, our conversations meander, but this time I had an agenda: vacationing in Barcelona. For my wife and me, it would be a new—and likely delightful—European destination. I wanted to hear more about it from someone with firsthand experience.…

Perhaps America can learn from Martin Luther King’s teacher

February 26, 2025

By Floyd Nelson Shortly after 6 p.m., a single bullet fired from a high-powered, big-game hunting rifle split the early evening air in Memphis, Tennessee and found its intended mark. But it wasn’t a deer, elk or bear that lay mortally wounded on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968, it was…

From Hong Kong to Upperville – A USPS Journey

February 26, 2025

Dear Editor: Employees are the foundation of the Postal Service’s success. We differentiate from competitors thanks to a deep understanding of the communities we serve. Those same communities are as diverse as our workforce which make us one of the most trusted federal agencies in the nation.  As the new Postmaster of Upperville I am…

Doing right by eliminating Loudoun’s $25 vehicle license fee and doing right by Loudoun’s Towns

February 26, 2025

By Loudoun County Catoctin District Supervisor, Caleb A. Kershner  It’s budget season in Loudoun County so you may have heard that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to remove the annoying $25 Vehicle License Fee (VLF) on motor vehicles, motorcycles and any trucks located in the County outside of a Town. Eliminating the county VLF…

A Bunch of Stuff

February 26, 2025

The Missing Billions By Charles Houston How much does the Board plan to spend? It’s hard to know. There’s an adopted budget of $6.9 billion on the County website, but Supervisors now bandy about a much lower budget, $4.7 billion. The $2.2 billion difference needs to be explained. I’ll try. Is the $2.2 billion difference…

Data Center rezoning concerns

February 20, 2025

Dear Editor: The Board of Supervisors has recently increased the number of data centers that can be constructed by-right, effectively allowing developers to bypass the need for a special use exemption. Additionally, all data centers still have the ability to amend their site plans by up to 5% without requiring a special exemption. Supervisor Caleb…