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Serving Fairfax Areas of Burke Rally In Park News, Page 3 Republican presidential candidate John McCain, right, and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke to 23,000 sup- porters Wednesday at Fairfax’s Van Dyck Park. Classified, Page 19 Classified, ❖ Faith, Page 18 ❖ Sports, Page 16 insideinside Requested in home 9-12-08 /The Connection Time sensitive material. Floods Attention Postmaster: U.S. Postage PRSRT STD PERMIT #322 Easton, MD Close PAID Robbie Hammer Route 50 News, Page 4 Photo by Photo www.connectionnewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com September 11-17, 2008 Volume XXII, Number 37 Fairfax Connection ❖ September 11-17, 2008 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Fairfax Connection ❖ September 11-17, 2008 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Fairfax Connection Editor Michael O’Connell News 703-917-6440 or [email protected] McCain, Palin Visit Fairfax Republican rally draws over 20,000 people. By Julia O’Donoghue Sept. 10 rally. About 23,000 people showed The Connection up in the middle of a Wednesday to hear the candidates speak in the City of Fairfax’s ienna resident Laura Bell and Van Dyck Park. Great Falls resident Joanne “I have never been to a [political rally in VKehrli were having a hard time Fairfax County] that was this big, not in my pumping themselves up about 29 years in elected office. … And I held of- the presidential race this year. fice during the Reagan years,” said U.S. Rep. Bell, who describes herself as an indepen- Tom Davis (R-11). dent-minded Republican, and Kehrli are Davis, who was head of the National Re- pro-life advocates. They had been support- publican Congressional Committee, said ing Republican presidential candidate John Palin had done a lot to energize the base of McCain but not very en- Republican Party. Several thusiastically. times during the event, “I was a bit more on “There is only one the crowd broke into a the fence. I had a very chant of “Sarah, Sarah,” hard time getting excited man in this election alternated with “U.S.A., about McCain,” said Bell. U.S.A.,” and a few “John Then, on Aug. 28, ev- who has ever really McCain, John McCain” erything changed. The cheers. day after the Democratic fought for you.” “They didn’t have this National Convention, — Sarah Palin energy level before,” said McCain announced Davis, who plugged Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin McCain-Palin bumper as his vice presidential pick. Suddenly, ac- stickers in his opening speech. cording to local party activists, many “Frankly, I am tired of looking at those by Photos women felt energized about the Republi- Obama stickers,” said Davis. can ticket. “The choice of Palin was radical and re- McCAIN MAY need an energized Repub- freshing,” said Kehrli, who had a “tearful” lican base in Northern Virginia to help carry Robbie Hammer moment watching Palin talk about children the entire commonwealth. with special needs during the Republican Obama, who has opened over 25 offices National Convention. statewide, is hoping to win Virginia, in part Since the Palin nomination, Bell, who has by driving up voter turnout in the Wash- a McCain sticker on her car, said strangers ington, D.C. suburbs. /The Connection have started approaching her to talk about Virginia has not voted for a Democratic Palin in shopping center parking lots, she presidential candidate since 1964. But said. Obama has devoted at least 10 paid cam- “Women are excited about her. I haven’t paign staff members to Fairfax County heard one negative comment,” said Bell. alone, and is hoping to garner at least 80 Thousands of Northern Virginia residents, percent of the vote in Arlington County. In including Bell and Kehrli, appeared ener- gized about the McCain-Palin ticket at a See McCain, Page 5 Thousands of supporters converged on Van Dyck Park in the City of Fairfax to hear John McCain and Sarah Palin speak. Having traveled from Leesburg to see John McCain and Sarah Palin speak in Fairfax on Wednesday, Mary Alice Patterson and Gale Towery, show how they feel about the Republican nominee for presi- Sarah and Todd Palin and John and Cindy McCain are welcomed by dent. thousands of supporters at Van Dyck Park. www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Fairfax Connection ❖ September 11-17, 2008 ❖ 3 Week in Fairfax News Police Seek Car Vandals City of Fairfax Police are seeking any information on a string of automobile vandalisms that are thought to have occurred sometime Saturday night, Sept. 6. According to City of Fairfax Police release, the suspect or suspects in question used a sharp tool to puncture the tires on 16 vehicles in a parking lot on the 10100 block of Mosby Woods Drive in Fairfax. Anyone with information relating Photo by Photo to the crime is asked to call Crime Solvers at 703-591-8477. Callers may remain anonymous and a cash reward of up to $1,000 is offered if the information provided leads to an arrest. Michael O'Connell Police Get $19,000 in Grants The City of Fairfax Police Department received over $19,000 in grants from the federal government to fund vari- ous traffic safety programs, such as Checkpoint Strikeforce, a program designed to set up sobriety checkpoints and de- /The Connection ter driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Accord- ing to a City of Fairfax Police release, most of the money will be used to purchase field breathalyzer equipment, along with enforcement and educational programs with the Vir- ginia DMV. Learn about HOT Lanes A truck plows through water on Fairfax Boulevard near the intersection of Draper Drive. Deep water closed off the section of Fairfax Boulevard through most of Satur- A public information meeting about the Beltway High Oc- day. cupancy Toll Lanes project will take place Wednesday, Sept. 17 at the City Hall Annex on Armstrong Street. The 7:30 p.m. meeting will concern construction details and updates for the Interstate 495 and Route 236/Little River Hanna Pummels Region Turnpike interchange. Members of the Fairfax City Council will be in attendance as they receive a briefing of the project from experts who will give an overview of the project’s de- Heavy rain floods streets, the integrity of the entire structure. tails and congestion management plans and public safety “We started monitoring the storm and all the fa- issues. The project, known as the Capital Beltway HOT Lanes, tests mettle of two area cilities early that morning, and we watched it all day is scheduled to open in 2013. long,” said Bartlett. For more information, visit www.virginiahotlanes.com or dams. A precautionary evacuation was implemented for call 877-495-8368. By Derek B. Johnson the town home community on Lakepointe Court, & Michael O’Connell which was located in the water’s likely path had it Association Picks Rappoport The Connection topped the spillway. Residents were relocated to Col. Richard J. Rappoport, police chief for the City of South Run Recreation Center in Springfield where Fairfax, was elected president of the Virginia Association of eavy rains from Hurricane Hanna they awaited further word. Public works officials Chiefs of Police on Aug. 19 at the Valor Awards Banquet pounded the Fairfax area Saturday addressed the erosion problem by opening up an- during its Annual Conference in Hot Springs, Va. H afternoon, Sept. 6. Water swelled other channel in the spillway, easing the burden. Rappoport has served as City of Fairfax Chief of Police for Accotink Creek in the City of Fairfax, “The concern was that if it continued to erode along eight years and prior to that spent 24 years with the Fairfax then thundered down the length the toe of the dam, it could even- County Police Department. of the Accotink watershed, filling tually undermine the dam itself,” Rappoport received a bachelor of arts degree in justice Lake Accotink in Springfield with “The concern was said Bartlett. “At the time we were from American University in Washington, D.C. and is a debris and overrunning the lake’s dealing with it, it was still raining graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico. In 2000, seawall. that if it continued and we didn’t know exactly when he served as president of the Virginia Chapter of the FBI Already undergoing construc- the rain was going to stop.” National Academy Associates of Virginia. He also served as tion to reinforce its protections for to erode along the As the storm slowly began to the chairman of the Metropolitan Washington Council of heavy rains, the Royal Lake dam peter off, the fear of the spillway Governments (COG) Police Chiefs Committee in 2003 and in Fairfax, was also pummeled by toe of the dam, it overflowing diminished and resi- 2004. the storm. After the dam’s water dents were able to return to their level rose to the point where it could eventually homes. began flowing over into the dam’s Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D- Corrections auxiliary spillway, county officials undermine the dam Braddock) said she was at her The story “Volunteers Clean Up Marshall Cemetery” [Con- from the Department of Public itself.” stepdaughter’s wedding shower nection, Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2008] included incorrect informa- Works and Environmental Services when she received news of Lake tion. Marshall Cemetery is located near the intersection of and employees from Angler spent — Randy Bartlett, director of Royal’s situation. According to Burke and Burke Lake roads. Also, volunteers would use most of the afternoon working to Storm Water, Fairfax County Bulova, water levels had never nail polish remover to remove graffiti from the vandalized stem the overflow. Department of Public Works risen high enough to activate the monuments only after receiving a consensus from experts According to Randy Bartlett, di- and Environmental Services spillway in the 30-year history of at the National Park Service.