CHRISTMAS-ELECTION!

>>> SENATOR MIMS RESIGNS

It is Christmas Time but it is also Election Time in Loudoun!

Here's some breaking news and then the usual exciting stuff in Sterling
follows. Thank you.

>>> (REPEAT)SENATOR MIMS RESIGNS

Senator Bill Mims has resigned his Senate seat in order to take the job
of top deputy to newly elected Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell.
We all wish Bill Mims and his family well in this new job. He has served
Loudoun for a long time. Thank you.

>>>> SENATOR MICK STATON?

I am not running for this Senate vacancy. Thank you to those of you who
have called for me to be a candidate for this State Senate seat. I
appreciate it and am honored that you would consider me for higher
office. Earlier this year, I announced my intention to run for
re-election in 2007 as Supervisor and am keeping to that. Thank you again.

>>> MICK STATON AKA SANTA STATON

I am supporting Sugarland Run District Supervisor Mick Staton for state
senator.

He did me and you a big favor by running, and defeating the "Lord of
Darkness", Bill Bogard who had proposed an end to Christmas lighting in
Loudoun, and eventually, the entire world. That was 2003.

Staton also has helped me save you millions. In the Saint Patrick's Day
Tax Reduction Miracle at the beginning of 2005, Staton moved and I
seconded a reduction in the tax rate from $1.17 to $1.04, reducing
planned spending by over $50 million. Abstaining or absent supervisors
then joined him and I in this "tax reduction miracle". I had worked for
five years without success. Staton's Irish Fortune became your Irish Luck.

Mick has done a lot and you will hear more.

>>> WHY IS STATON ALSO SANTA STATON?

During Christmas, he produced a motion to return $165 in a tax refund to
each Loudoun homeowner. I call this the Christmas Tax Refund Proposal.

Pray for the grinches and scrooges who oppose this refund. Back when we
pushed the Saint Patrick's Day Tax Reduction Miracle with a $1.04 rate,
we planned for a balanced budget.

When $21 million in surplus shows up several months later, it seems
honest to return the money from the current budget.

>>> ZURN AS THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS TAX REFUND

Grinches like Roger Zurn, the cranky and lovable former Sterling
Supervisor, need sympathy when he "doubts" you will not appreciate money
being returned as a refund. Treasurer Zurn needs to hear from you if you
want your Christmas Tax Refund. We vote on this Christmas Tax Refund
Proposal on January 3rd, 2006. Then it will become the 2006 New Year's
Tax Refund. Its take courage on the part of Mick Staton, and four more
votes on the Board.

>>> KOOKY LIBERAL SENATOR BLUNDERBUST?

This is the kind of State Senator you want in Richmond. Or would you
like another Russell Potts who ran to the left of Jerry Kilgore ranting
and raving about how you are UNDERTAXED and that you (yes, YOU) need to
"invest" thousands more in state income taxes for numerous liberal schemes.

>>>> FILL LIBERAL STOCKINGS OR GET TAX REFUNDS?

Men like Mark Herring and Chuck Harris have filed for the State Senate
seat. These nice guys saddled you with dozens of multi-million
boondoggles each week as Loudoun County Supervisors. If either Herring
or Harris get in, look for billion dollar boondoggles regularly to be
passed and signed by their big spending liberal Governor buddy.

>>>> LOOK FOR DETAILS COMING SOON

So, stand by for now, as details are forthcoming. The election will take
place in the Sterling area before the new legislative session in just a
few days.

NOW BACK TO REGULAR STERLING NEWS.

>>>> IN THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS IS WINNING IN STERLING.

Sterling is awash with Christmas decorations. More than ever before.

As I reported last week, Scrooge was run out on a rail.

Every day, even more houses put up lights, open their front windows to
display decorated trees or just pack the stores and attend special
services at the churches in large numbers.

I note the extra large number of out of town cars and know the large
number of strangers are just visitors to Sterling families. Welcome them.

The number of homes with decorations has now doubled in my estimate. As
you know, I went out and counted 1,438 homes in my "Christmas Decoration
Census". Now double that.

Juniper Avenue has 35 houses with decorations. Juniper Avenue is the
special street 3 blocks east of Sterling Blvd. and Church Road where all
the houses have holiday decorations and, a spotlighted large box for
canned goods for the poor. They have been doing it for 28 years.

You have really gone to town. Thank you for making Christmas in Sterling
very special.

Regarding Christmas Time in Sterling: special greetings to everyone of
Christian faith and non-Christian faith. The ADAMS center where the
muslim faith is practiced and the new Synagogue in Leesburg is packed as
they celebrate their holiday as well. We all respect any religious
celebration at this time.

>>>>HEROS AMONG US, THANK THEM IF YOU CAN

No, I am not referring to the husbands or siblings who climb onto the
roof or up up up a tree and put up the Christmas lights. They are brave
and we see their work all over. Thank you to them.

I am referring to the men and women who serve our country, our state
or our county.

The armed forces of the U.S. (Marines, Navy, Army, US Air Forces and
Coast Guard).The State police, county fire and rescue volunteers,
deputies and crossing guards. Anyone who risks their life for you and me.

You might see them wearing the uniform of our country, of our state or
of our county. You might thank them. We have a holiday free of threat
due to them while they are on duty or "off duty". (Anyone wearing a
uniform, even on a break, is "on duty".)

You might hear of someone coming home for 2 weeks from the Iraq War.
Make sure you thank them.

>>> MORE HEROS

I will nominate Paul O'Brien of Sterling to the Youth Commission in
January. Paul volunteers for Sterling Fire Rescue for the past 13 years
and crawled under a fallen tree to rescue a small girl under it. He
drives an non-emergency ambulance as his real job. Now he is headed to
"saving" the youth of Loudoun in another capacity.

>>>GOOD SHEPARD ALLIANCE AND LINK

The LINK food program has successfully completed several major events
distributing clothing, food and toys to over a thousand families. Thank
you to the churches and volunteers who made that happen. Here's a recent
story. Mark Gunderman works hard.

http://connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=60126&paper=66&cat=104

>>>> LOCAL STERLING COMPANY DELIVERS 1500 POUNDS OF MEAT TO POOR

Blue Ridge Meats of Sterling donated 500 lbs of Deer meat to the LINK
Thanksgiving Program on 19 November. The meat was cut into steaks,
roasts, tenderloins and venison burger. Blue Ridge Meats will again
donate 1,000 lbs of meat to support the LINK Christmas Program on 17
December at Christ the Redeemer Catholic in Sterling and Trinity
Presbyterian in Herndon. Over 400 families (comprising 2,000 people)
are expected to register for this event.

Blue Ridge Meats has been in business since 1990, and is owned by Doug
and Lois Aylestock. Doug and Lois became partners with Hunters for the
Hungry in 1991 and have processed venison for the area food banks (Seven
Loaves, Middleburg, Interfaith Relief, Leesburg, Messiah's Market,
Sterling, the Good Shepherd Alliance, Sterling and Food for Others,
Fairfax) to assist those who might need some extra assistance in Loudoun
and Fairfax counties.

I am grateful to Doug and Lois and the Hunters for the Hungry program.
They are wonderful to do this. This is a significant effort due to the
many factors that go into coordinating this. I have worked with them for
years on a small scale. To see this type of effort result in such a
large scale accomplishment is something special and unique.

>>>Two Heros Brave Fire and Pull Victim From Burning Car

Four people were injured in a two vehicle collision Thursday and two
Loudoun men are being lauded for pulling one of the victims from a
burning vehicle.

The crash occurred shortly after 3:15 PM, Dec. 9, on Old Ox Road near
Mercure
Circle in Sterling. In the collision two cars, a southbound 2004
Maserati driven by Robert Ray Schermerhorn, Jr., 32, of Lansdowne and a
northbound Pontiac four-door driven by Martha Gomez, 23, of Reston
struck head-on.

The Maserati caught fire and would become fully involved. Two witnesses,
Oscar Merida of Leesburg and Christopher Johnson of Ashburn were able to
pull Mr. Schermerhorn from the burning vehicle. Personnel from the
Loudoun County Department of Fire-Rescue Services arrived on the scene
and extinguished the fire.

>>> 3 HEROS JUMP IN THE WATER
>>>>>Mother & Two Children Rescued from Overturned SUV in Pond

An Ashburn Mother and her two children were rescued, December 23, by
three men after the woman lost control of her SUV and the vehicle rolled
over onto its roof landing in a sediment pond.

Shortly after 12:30 PM, December 23, Sheriff's Deputies responded to a
report of an overturned vehicle in the area of Rt. 659 just north of
Ryan Road, near Briar Woods High School. The SUV was on its roof in a
pond that was three to four foot deep and water was coming into the
vehicle. Prior to the arrival of emergency personnel three passers-by
entered the water and were able to roll the vehicle onto its side and
pull the driver and her two and three year-old children to safety from
the partially submerged SUV.

Iana Lombardo, 37, of Ashburn was northbound on Rt. 659 in the right
hand lane operating a 1998 Honda SUV when she looked back at her 3-year
old child who was in the passenger side rear seat playing with a toy.
The Honda ran off the right side of the road when, Lombardo attempted to
unsuccessfully correct the vehicle which then ran off the left side of
the road and overturned into the iced-over sediment pond just north of
the high school.
Three men on their way to work, Richard Salvatierra-Pena, 30, of
Sterling, Oscar A. Rodas-Mejia, 40, of Fairfax, and Henry J.
Nunez-Samaniego, 20, of Herndon stopped and assisted Lombardo and her
two children from the SUV. Lombardo reported attempting to free the
children herself, but was unable to. Both children were in approved
child restraint seats, which appeared to have been installed correctly.