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Delegate Ken Plum received his new license plate for 2012. Ken's number "2" represents his seniority in the 100-member House of Delegates. Only one other person currently in the Virginia House has served longer than Delegate Ken Plum. |
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Commentary
Life in Richmond
Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
I now live and work in Richmond weekdays for the annual General Assembly session. I will be in the Capital City until at least March 11. Joining me and the other 99 delegates and 40 senators will be an entourage of nearly a thousand lobbyists, many of whom live in the Richmond area year-round. Some have likened our quick movement into the city and our sudden departure two months later to be like a circus that comes to town. While I do not particularly like the imagery such a comparison evokes, I do have to admit that we do come and go pretty quickly with some entertainment in the meantime.
My trip to Richmond each Sunday evening or early Monday morning takes two hours. It is a reverse commute going opposite the thousands of cars that creep up I-95 in the mornings. My return to Northern Virginia late Friday evening is also against the heavy traffic of people who commute to Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. for employment but who live in Woodbridge, Dale City, Stafford, and other areas further south with more affordable living. My leaving and returning via the Fairfax County Parkway and Route 123 to I-95 takes me out of some of the worst traffic in the corridor.
The state provides a per diem for legislators who live outside the capital region to pay living expenses. This year I am staying in the former John Marshall Hotel that has been renovated into apartments. In the middle of the last century the John Marshall was the scene for social events in Richmond. As the center of the city declined, its business along with that of Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimer's department stores went to the suburbs. The Hotel had been closed for many years before the conversion to apartments that just came on the market. I walk the couple of blocks to the General Assembly Building located at the corner of 8th and Broad Streets. I am generally in my office before 8:00 a.m. daily.
There are many more social events in the evenings hosted by interest groups and lobbyists than anyone could ever attend. There is little or no hard lobbying that takes place at these events. They are viewed more as opportunities to meet and greet. They are scheduled around breakfast or dinner as being times that legislators might be available from office hours, committee meetings, and floor sessions. No lunch time events are scheduled, as the General Assembly goes into session at noon most days.
Please call my office with your concerns and questions. My local office number, 703-758-9733, rings in my Richmond office with no additional charge to you. Or send an e-mail to me at kenplum@aol.com; hardly anyone uses snail mail any more. If your schedule permits, please visit me any weekday; I would be pleased to show you around as time permits. The historic Capitol has been restored to Jefferson's original design and has been expanded with underground meeting spaces. Come experience some of the legislator's life in Richmond! |
"Virginia Report" on Comcast Channel 28
Tune in to Reston Comcast Channel 28 for a 30-minute weekly television program hosted by Delegate Ken Plum. Ken covers topics of interest to us all as he interviews people from our own community, Fairfax County, and around the Commonwealth to talk about important issues of the day. Not a Comcast viewer? Visit www.rctv28.com/VirginiaReport.html and watch Ken's "Virginia Report" on your computer or iPad. Tonight - Wednesday, January 10 at 10:30 p.m. - Commissioner Richard Holcomb, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles - "Your DMV - Changing with the Times" Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15 at 11:00 a.m. - "Pre-Session Public Hearing with Delegate Ken Plum and Senator Janet Howell" - held last week at the Reston Community Center. Hear what 60 of your friends and neighbors had to say about state government issues of interest to them. This can also be viewed online. |
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 Announcements 2012 General Assembly Convenes Today The General Assembly goes into session at Noon today, January 11, beginning with the swearing in of the 100 Delegates and 40 State Senators. Contact Delegate Ken Plum at kenplum@aol.com or call 703.758.9733. Ken's Reston phone will ring in his Richmond office through March 11. Follow the action at http://legis.virginia.gov. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Honorees Named Reston Association president Kathleen Driscoll McKee and community volunteers Gillian Sescoe and Lynn Lilienthal are the 2011 recipients of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Awards, the Reston Community Center announced last week. The awards will be presented on Monday, January 16, in a ceremony at RCC Hunters Woods as part of the Reston Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration. "Each of this year's Community Service Award winners embodies the ideals of service, tolerance and respect for all people that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in," said RCC Executive Director Leila Gordon. "Their contributions make our community better for all and show the powerful impact of individuals who are committed to making a difference." Award winners exemplify the ideals of Dr. King by making meaningful contributions to the Reston community through leadership, service, and education. Winners are chosen based on contributions to the community in support of tolerance and equal opportunities, efforts that reduce poverty, and promotion of non-violence and conflict resolution. RA Employee of the Year Congratulations to Mohamed "Mo" Ali, IT Specialist II, who was recently named Reston Association's Employee of the Year. As a member of the construction crew in 2011, Ali was recognized as part of the team that made repairs to a decorative bridge at the Walker Nature Education Center. He was also recognized for his work in helping to replace the roof on the North Hills picnic pavilion and created a "tot lot database" for his team that enables them to monitor and track repairs and construction projects. Beginning in May of 2011, Ali became an integral part of RA's Information Technology team. Since that time, he has created three new custom Microsoft Access Database programs to help both the IT department and CSF track a variety of projects including remote inspections, CSF work orders, and IT ticketing. His work on developing these programs has saved Reston Association money by not having to hire an outside developer. Our best wishes to you, Mo! Volunteers Needed to Help Improve English Speaking, Reading, and Writing Skills More than 75 new volunteer English for speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutors are needed to help area immigrant adults learn to speak, read, and write English. Currently on a waiting list to be matched with tutors, these adult students are eager to improve their English skills by working one-to-one with a trained volunteer. ESOL Tutor Training Workshops will be held on three consecutive Saturdays (all three sessions are required) on January 21, 28, and February 4, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church. Fee is $40 for books and materials. Contact volunteers@lcnv.org or call 703.237.0866 x 111 for more information. Eldercare Locator Program The Eldercare Locator is a web-based search engine that helps older adults and their families and caregivers find their way through the maze of services provided to older citizens. The goal is to provide users with the information and resources that will help older persons live independently and safety in their homes and communities for as long as possible. To contact the Eldercare Locator, call 1-800-677-1166, go to www.eldercare.gov, or email eldercarelocator@n4a.org. You can speak with an information specialist at the Eldercare Locator from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Messages left with the Eldercare Locator will be returned the next business day. Bilingual Volunteers Sought Fairfax County's Office for Women & Domestic and Sexual Violence Services is looking for bilingual English/Spanish volunteers to facilitate the Anger and Domestic Abuse Prevention and Treatment program and the Compassion Training for Couples in Conflict, now offered in Spanish. Volunteers are trained to facilitate groups to teach clients a compassionate approach to anger and conflict and safe ways of regulating emotions. For more information on how you can help, call 703.324.9495, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ofw, or email Larissa.Jackson@fairfaxcounty.gov. |
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Calendar of Events
The MLK Community Service Awards will be presented at the 2012 Reston Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration to be held January 14-16, 2012, in Reston. Visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com for more information.
The Reston Community Orchestra will perform its sixth annual musical salute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Saturday, January 14, 6:00 p.m., at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods. An integral part of Reston's weekend of celebration and remembrance, the concert features the works of African American composers. Orchestral highlights include the "Petite Suite de Concert" by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and "A Dream of Conscience" by Maryland-based contemporary composer Eric Lacy. The orchestra will be joined by the Heritage Signature Chorale under the direciton of Stanley J. Thurston, a spectacular choir dedicated to performing and preserving traditional spiritual music and choral works of African American composers. Also joining the orchestra is song stylist and "Best of Reston" favorite, Beverly Cosham. Admission is free; donations are appreciated. For more information, call 571.449.7095, or visit www.restoncommunityorchestra.org.
The Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council has scheduled a public hearing to solicit comments on the state of the environment in Fairfax County. The public hearing will be held on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. in the Board Auditorium of the Fairfax County Government Center. The public is encouraged to attend EQAC's public hearing to share views on the state of the environment and to identify environmental issues applicable to Fairfax County. Environmental issues considered by EQAC include water quality, air quality, noise, hazardous materials, solid waste, stream valley protection, wildlife management, light pollution, visual pollution, climate change response and adaptation, energy conservation, land use, transportation, and the use and preservation of ecological resources. EQAC welcomes written and/or verbal testimony.
Local historian Karen Washburn and Assistant Professor Ted McCord of George Mason University will present a program about the early history of the Reston area that includes a discussion of King Charles II and the Northern Neck proprietary grants, how they limited settlement in comparison with the rest of Colonial Virginia, and how the land transferred from the Culpeper family to the Fairfax family. Hear this wonderful presentation on Thursday, January 19, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Reston Community Center Lake Anne, 1609 Washington Plaza, Reston.
The environmental film, Taking Root, will be shown on Friday, January 20, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Walker Nature Education Center, 11450 Glade Drive. Reservations are required by January 17 by calling 703.476.9689 or emailing naturecenter@reston.org. Suggested donation is $5. This film is appropriate for adults. Taking Root tells the dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights, and defend democracy - a movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration. After the film, there will be a short discussion. The film is brought in partnership with Sustainable Reston.
Aging adults wishing to remain in their family home as they mature but who are concerned about whether the home will accommodate changing physical needs will want to attend "Designs for Life" on Tuesday, January 24, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Reston Community Cetner Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. Tony Schaffer, a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, will lead this seminar for homeowners featuring home modifications and accessibility design options, the overall process of these tyeps of projects, including length of time for each renovation, and general pricing parameters. Call 703.476.4500 for more information.
Safety Seat Saturday is on January 28, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., sponsored by Fairfax County Public Safety Center Public Parking Garage, 10550 Page Avenue, Fairfax, VA. Specially trained and certified sheriff's deputies will help parents and caregivers ensure that a child fits securely in the safety seat and that the safety seat fits securely in the vehicle seat. Bring your vehicle and safety seats(s). Bring your child, too, if he or she is available. Virginia law requires that ALL children up to age 8 must be in a child restraint device (which includes a booster seat).
The Mothers Milk Bank of Virginia will celebrate the move to its new offices at 209 Elden Street, Suite #200, Herndon, with a ribbon cutting on Saturday, January 28, 11:00 a.m. and an open house following until 3:00 p.m. The Mothers Milk Bank provides donor milk to premature babies whose mothers are not able to make enough milk for various reasons. Delegate Ken Plum and Senator Janet Howell will be on hand for the ribbon cutting. For more information about MMBVA and how you can help, visit www.mothersmilkbankofvirginia.org.
Join REACT - Reston Environmental Action - and meet fellow members on Saturday, January 28, 2:00 p.m. at Greenberry's Coffee and Tea Company (located in the Home Depot shopping center). Learn all about how Reston is making a commitment to environmentally-friendly practices.
The next Electric Sunday TV and Computer Recycling Event is on Sunday, January 29, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road, Fairfax. For updates, cancellations, and notifications of events, call 703.324.5052.
Join Delegate Ken Plum, Senator Janet Howell, and Fairfax County Board Chairman Sharon Bulova at the V.O.I.C.E. Dental Campaign Rally on Sunday, January 29, 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston. This campaign will raise matching funds and enable the Sterling Northern Virginia Dental Clinic to hire a dentist to provide affordable dental services for families in our community who would otherwise go without needed dental care.
Artists, curators, and educators will guide you through an in-depth viewing of the current exhibition at Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE), "Appetite for Art: Contemporary Art," on Monday, February 6, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon at GRACE, 12001 Market Street, Suite 103. This event is for ages 55 and older. Fee is $10 Reston residents, $20 non-residents. Enjoy related documentary films and provocative discussions of trends and influences in current cultural life. Mid-morning treats will fuel the artful dialog. Contact Karen Brutsche at 703.476.4500 for more information. |
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Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia e-News is authorized by Kenneth R. Plum
and paid for by Friends of Delegate Ken Plum. |
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