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Delegate Ken Plum's
Virginia e-News
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Commentary
A Silver Line Train for the Holidays!
Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
As I drove across the Wiehle Avenue Bridge over the Dulles Access Road a couple of weeks ago, I was sure I saw a Metro railcar on the brand new Silver Line tracks. I hurried to the post office and returned to the scene, parked my car in a nearby lot, and walked to the bridge to record the historic moment. By then it was dusk, and search as I might I could not find a railcar. I began to doubt myself. Had I worked on the project so long that I was seeing things? It was a day later that I saw a photograph someone had taken from his car on the Toll Road that showed the mystery railcar. I was right all along that a Metro railcar had indeed been on the tracks. The engineers tell me it was a "clearance car" to check construction to ensure that as the train moves and sways it will not hit anything.
There are going to be more sightings of railcars in the future as construction of the rail line is expected to be completed late next summer with the actual opening date to be set by WMATA for late 2013 or early 2014, depending on the completion of its operational tests. We can always hope for a real train next Christmas.
Of course, the opening of the Silver Line to Wiehle Avenue is but Phase One of a rail line that will go to a stop at Reston Town Center and beyond to Dulles International Airport and two stops into Loudoun County. While the engineering and construction of Phase One has been a marvel, even more remarkable might be the coming together of jurisdictions and a financial plan for Phase Two that took an extreme amount of effort and is itself a marvel.
Central to making Phase Two happen was the leadership of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. At the recent annual meeting of the Dulles Corridor Rail Association I was pleased on behalf of the Board to recognize the leadership of Secretary LaHood in bringing together the leaders of local governments and the state to agree on moving the project forward with additional state and federal monies. Secretary LaHood kept the parties at the table until an agreement was reached.
Recently the Secretary wrote about the Silver Line Project, "When it comes to transportation, there is no time like the present to invest in the future. Transportation projects take time to complete, and they endure for generations. Because the impacts of these projects extend so far into the future, the infrastructure choices we make today have huge consequences for our nation's ability to reduce oil consumption, increase safety, preserve air quality, improve public health, and keep more money in people's wallets...The Silver Line will be a gateway to enormous opportunity and will help us meet the needs of 21st century residents, workers, and visitors for years to come. In fact, earlier this year Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell called this rail transit line, 'one of the most important, if not the most important, project in the country.' And last month, the Silver Line was endorsed by the Sierra Club as one of the best projects in America."
The Silver Line is quite a holiday present for the region!
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The Sorrow at Sandy Hook
Elementary School 
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of Newtown, Connecticut. Their tragedy is shared by all of us. I pledge to do all I can to end the violence in our country.
Ken Plum |
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Virginia Report on
Comcast Channel 28
Tune in to Ken's weekly television program, Virginia Report, on Reston Comcast Channel 28 for public service programming. Ken interviews state and local leaders who are making news by making a difference. Watch these upcoming programs:
TONIGHT - Wednesday, December 19 at 10:30 p.m.,
George Braunstein, Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, "Closure of the State Training Centers"
Tuesday, December 25 at 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday, December 26 at 10:30 p.m. - Jeff Connor-Naylor, "Updates from The Commonwealth Institute"
"Virginia Report" is also available online at www.rctv28.com/virginiareport.html for viewing on your computer or iPad.
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Bulletin Board
Join in to petition the Obama Administration to immediately address the issue of gun control through the introduction of legislation in Congress. The goal of this petition is to force the Obama Adminstration to produce legislation that limits access to guns. While a national dialogue is critical, laws are the only means in which we can reduce the number of people murdered in gun-related deaths. The signatures on the petition represent a collective demand for a bipartisan discussion resulting in a set of laws that regulates how a citizen obtains a gun. To add your name to the petition, go to add my name.
Make a significant difference in the quality of life for many families in your community by volunteering just three to six hours per week during tax season. Volunteers are needed from January to April 2013 to prepare tax returns or to serve as greeter/screeners, IT support, translators, site coordinators. Flexible hours are available at convenient locations throughout Northern Virginia. Free training is provided and required for TaxWise and Tax Law software. You will be certified as a tax preparer by the IRS upon successful completion. The Fairfax County Department of Family Services is leading the Northern Virginia effort to mobilize a coalition of public agencies, businesses, libraries, faith and community-based groups to operate the tax assistance program at sites throughout the Northern Virginia area beginning in 2013. Get more information on volunteering and the VITA program by visiting the VITA website or contact James Do at 571-749-7838; TTY 711 or Thea Frisby 703-533-5702; TTY 711.
Greetings from the White House: The White House will send greeting cards signed by the President to commemorate special events, accomplishments, or milestones free of charge to U.S. citizens only. It may take several months for cards to be mailed due to high volume. It is advisable to send your request as far in advance as possible. The special occasion greetings are for:
--Anniversaries: Anniversary greetings are sent only to those couples who are celebrating their 50th (and subsequent) wedding anniversary.
--Birthdays: Birthday greetings will be sent only to individuals 80 years of age and above.
--Weddings: Send the request after the event and include the couple's married names and current or new address.
--Baby's birth or adoption of a child;
--Retirement after at least 30 years in the same job;
--Eagle Scout Award, Girl Scout Gold Award;
--Bar/Bat mitzvah or equivalent religious occasion.
Required information: Send a written request to:
The White House, Attn: Greetings Office, Washington, DC 20502-0039. Include the name and home address of the honoree; form of address (Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., Miss, etc.); exact date of occasion (month, day, year); age (birthdays); or number of years if marriage; your (the requestor's) name and daytime phone number; and any specific mailing instructions if other than to honoree's address.
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Calendar of Events
Tonight, Wednesday, December 19, Virginia's Office on Intermodal Planning and Investment will hold an open house meeting in Manassas to receive public input on the Northern Virginia North-South Corridor Master Plan, one of 12 "Corridors of Statewide Significance" recently established by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB). The corridor is defined as the area generally east and west of: Route 234 (Dumfries Road) between I-95 and I-66; the CTB approved location of the Tri-County Parkway between I-66 and Route 50; connections to the Dulles Greenway and Route 7 along Northstar Boulevard and Route 659 (Belmont Ridge Road). Tonight's meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Four Points Sheraton, 10800 Vandor Lane, Manassas. More information on the study is available at www.vtrans.org.
Let your elected officials know about the state government issues that are most important to you at a Public Meeting hosted by Delegate Ken Plum and Senator Janet Howell on Thursday, January 3, 2013, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. Bring your comments for Ken and Janet. This will be their annual pre-session meeting prior to the General Assembly going into session on January 9, 2013.
The House Appropriation and Senate Finance Committees will hold hearings on the 2013 budget actions, as follows:
Manassas: Friday, January 4, 2013, 10:00 a.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, George Mason University, Prince William Campus. Middletown: Friday, January 4, 2013, 12:00 noon at Lord Fairfax Community College, Corron Community Development Center.
General Assembly members representing districts in Fairfax County will hold a Fairfax County Delegation Pre-General Assembly Public Hearing on Saturday, January 5, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. in the Board Auditorium of the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Individuals wishing to speak should call the Office of the Clerk to the Board of Supervisors at 703.324.3151 by noon on Friday, January 4. Point of contact for other questions is Katie Boyle at 703.324.2649. The Clerk's staff asks that those signed up to speak provide an email address and their House or Senate District.
Winter Concert: The Reston Community Orchestra presents a musical program honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Saturday, January 19, 4:00 p.m. at Reston Community Center at Hunter's Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston.
Are you a woman who is currently experiencing or has previously experienced domestic abuse? The Office for Women & Domestic and Sexual Violence Services offers a free, confidential support group for adult women who are currently experiencing or have previously experienced domestic abuse (physical, emotional, or verbal). The group meets for eight weeks and promotes understanding and healing from abuse trauma and builds a sense of community with other survivors.
When: Wednesdays starting Jan. 30, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Where: Annandale Area. For more information or to join call Heather McMillen at: 703-704-6729
Men's Survivors' Group: A support group for men who were sexually abused as children meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. at the Pohick Regional Library (private conference room) 6450 Sydenstricker Road, Burke, VA 22015. For more info, call: Chris Davies at 703-704-6727.
2013 Signature Conference The American Civil War at Home, Saturday, April 20, 2013, at the College of William and Mary. This Signature Conference--the fifth in an annual series--brings together noted Civil War historians to consider how the Civil War changed Virginia and the nation 150 years ago in the year of the war's turning point, 1863. For more information on the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, visit www.VirginiaCivilWar.org.
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