Car Show Today

>>>Happy Labor Day Weekend

Another Year for School, More Honor Rolls Ahead

I have attended a neighborhood picnic and a dozen yard sales today. Let's not forget school starts up and hope this year is as good as last year with the honor rolls. To help with that let's also thank and encourage the students and families.

If you know someone who would like to give a donation from his or her business to the rewards program let me know. Sterling companies have made $30,000 in contributions and we are looking for help again.

Here's the "honor roll" of companies that donated gifts to all the students who made the honor roll at Sterling Middle School, Park View High School and area homeschoolers: Jerry's Pizza of Sterling, Lazer Tag of Sterling, Ashburn Ice House, Chick Filet of Sterling, Pacific Restaurant and Blockbuster Video.

Please thank them for their donations last year. The students, the parents, the teachers, the administrators and these generous donors are making a difference as the test averages reported in the newspaper last week show an increase.

>>> TODAY, SUNDAY, BIG CAR SHOW IN STERLING

Former Redskin defensive back Darrell Green is scheduled to be the guest speaker at the 14th Annual Sterling Classic Car Show today, Sunday, September 5 at Northern Virginia Community College. Gates open at 10 a.m. with a spectator fee of $3, children under 12 free. All proceeds benefit Muscular Dystrophy. A patriotic ceremony is at 11 a.m. with an award ceremony at 4 p.m. Rain date is September 6. More information is available at www.sterlingclassic.com

>>> Irish Bands at Knights of Columbus, Sept. 10 and Sept. 11

The Celtic Crossings & Knights of Columbus 6175 will present an evening of Irish Music with TríÓ. A portion of the proceeds from these concerts will go towards establishing a Widows and Orphans Fund which will help the survivors of those who die in the line of duty.

Ticket Information Event Information ***Tickets are limited, so order yours soon*** Concerts will be held Friday, September 10, 2004 (cost is $25 per ticket) and Saturday, September 11, 2004. Cash Bar and appetizers available 8:00 PM concert begins. Tickets or Information on Location call Neil McDonnell 703.627.5360 or write [email protected] Knights of Columbus Council Hall "The Barn" 401 W. Holly Ave., Sterling, VA

>>>>Board of Supervisors "WORKSESSION"

The board meets Tuesday, September 7. But there will also be a Board of Supervisors Worksession at Algonkian (Regional Park) Meeting Center with the start time on Thursday, September 9th being 6:30 p.m. and the start time on Friday, September 10th at 9:30 a.m.

There will be accommodations for the public. The exact number of seats will be determined by how the room is set up, which hasn't been decided yet. There will be at least 25 to 30 seats for the public, with the possibility of as many as 55, depending on how the room is configured.

>>>>2004 TAX INCREASES TAKE EFFECT September 1st, this past Wednesday >>>>Were these tax increases really necessary?

During this year's session of the Virginia General Assembly, lawmakers approved the largest tax increase in the history of Virginia. Key components of this tax increase took effect this past Wednesday, September 1st. But politicians, business leaders and citizens continue to debate whether or not these tax increases were really necessary.

Beginning last Wednesday, the state sales tax will increase from 4.5% to 5%. The cigarette tax will increase from 2.5 cents per pack to 20 cents per pack, and the real estate recordation tax will increase from 14 cents to 25 cents per $100 of a house's cost.

These tax increases, and increases in several other "fees" imposed by the state, will net the Commonwealth an additional $1.4 billion.

I was against this sales tax and have been proven right, now that Virginia has announced a $324 million budget surplus in the current fiscal year. This huge budget surplus indicates that the Commonwealth's fiscal condition was better than anticipated, even before the tax increases approved by the General Assembly take effect.

Senator Bill Bolling, a Republican candidate for Lt. Governor, tells me "if economic growth continues at its current pace it is possible that the budget surpluses we saw this year, combined with those we will see in 2005 and 2006, will equal or exceed the $1.4 billion in tax increases that will take effect this week."

So, at present, the liberals who supported this state tax increase look like they were mistaken in their presumptions and raising taxes has turned into simply increasing government for no reason since there will be no deficit or shortfall as claimed 24 hours a day 7 days a week for a six month period last Summer 2003.

>>>RESOLUTION OF COMMENDATION FOR >>>FIRE & ICE GIRLS SOFTBALL TEAM

Supervisor Delgaudio and Chairman York have together introduced a Resolution of Commendation for the Fire & Ice 12U Girls Fastpitch Softball Team, the 2004 12-Under PONY National Softball Champions. The national tournament was held July 18-25 at Claude Moore Park in Sterling. It will be considered Tuesday, September 7, 2004.

>>>>National GOP Committeman In the News >>>>Republican Delegate Wears 'Purple Heart' Bandages

From the Associated Press wire services: A GOP delegate, Morton Blackwell, handed out bandages with purple hearts on them Monday night at the Republican National Convention in a swipe at Democratic nominee John Kerry (news - web sites)'s war record, but national GOP officials have asked him to stop.

The bandages were handed out by Morton Blackwell, a longtime GOP activist from Virginia, with the message: "It was just a self-inflicted scratch, but you see I got a Purple Heart for it."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040831/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_purple_heart_bandages

>>>>Back to School Means Drive Carefully

As school-aged-children return from summer break next week, Tuesday, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office would like to remind all drivers to watch for children walking to and from school as they may forget to watch for you. Warning: The deputies will be out in force and on the streets using various methods to remind all drivers.

>>>BAND THIS SUNDAY, CHILDREN UNDER 12 AND UNDER ARE FREE

The Sunday concert to benefit Good Shepard Alliance, and others, starts with an opening act at 6:15 p.m. and the headliner band performing at 7:15 p.m., and will be held rain or shine at Belmont Country Club in Ashburn, VA. Usually 1,000 close personal friends attend. September 5th, The Wailers - www.wailers.com

>>>>>Confessions of a Western Loudoun Liberal

For years, Eugene Delgaudio has exposed Western Loudoun Liberals who hate Sterling. Here is the Loudoun Extra front page interview that has shaken the Sterling Community. The published interview proves there are people in Loudoun that dislike how we live and how most of Loudoun lives. And they openly say this, quite enthusiastically. Will Sterling residents actually be putting their money in the Middleburg Bank, Sterling Branch?

>>>>"Keeping Her Eye on the Green" Article Exposes "Conflict"

Excerpts from Article By Bill Brubaker Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, August 29, 2004; Page LZ01

(Quote) Millicent West, 83, is a self-described preservationist, like many of her neighbors in Upperville in Virginia's fabled and moneyed hunt country......

West cringes as she ponders the look-alike townhouse developments that have taken over huge tracts of farmland in Loudoun County.

"They are awfully ugly," she said in the back yard of her 170-year-old stone house, overlooking green pastureland and the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.....

As a major shareholder and longtime director of Middleburg Bank, she has encouraged the financial institution to take full advantage of the population surge.....

She's talking a bit faster now. "We don't make the people build houses. We are just there to serve after they have built the houses. I mean, once they are there, you can't let people starve. They have to find a place to put their money."...........

"I'm very pleased and proud," said West, who owns about 450,000 shares, the most, by far, of any board member (of Middleburg Bank), according to a regulatory filing by the bank......

For many years, the bank's core customer base was the fox-hunting crowd.....

"If you've been to Purcellville lately, it's an absolute. . . . " She doesn't finish the sentence. But she tries again. "Oh, it's an absolute -- you just can't believe it! They have a Giant there now that's a block long. And then they have developed lots of these great big houses that are two feet apart from each other. That's not good."......

"In a way, all of this growth is very exciting for the bank," she said.......(unquote)

For full text of article: visit (or wait for me to post it!) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40379-2004Aug27.html