Loudoun Rag Review Jan. 14th

We read, so you don't have to...and quite a pile this week it was. Local business appears pretty healthy, judging from the volume of paid advertising interfering with actual news and stories.

We start with The Easterner, which checks in a little late with the rattle about election candidates, but nicely informs us of an upcoming public hearing regarding the Dulles Toll Road proposed toll increase http://www.scc.virginia.gov/caseinfo. Nice process, but tolls WILL be raised, regardless of citizen advocate efforts. Lori Water's got competition (Phyllis Randall), interestingly, from someone focused very much on the OTHER issues around Loudoun (i.e. NOT transportation, growth and rezonings). Nice review of the transportation bills winding around the General Assembly by the Easterner's Editor - including references to Bob Marshall's impact fee-laced bills...promising news for smart growth-ers, bad news for businesses and by right'ers, but altogether progress. Best quote is from Jey Jeyanathan (Steve Snow's competitor); saying he'd give Republicans an alternative "rooted in....limited good government"). Mostly what, therefore? Joe in River Creek gives us the weather and a Daffodil Ball, Cascades Action with Suzanne relays a Recreation Expo at the Dulles Town Center on 1/20-21, Sugarland Running is all about animals this week, the South Riding girls (Stefani and Donna) check in with a call for volunteerism, Inside Countryside is basically empty and Tim of All Around Sterling is very busy repeating Suzanne and reviewing the new Claude Moore Center and a movie.

The Loudoun Connection has a new Principal in Arcola, a great review of Geocaching, with the Crime review up next (page 5, vs. page 48 in the Easterner). The news is all about Mark Herring and Bruce Tulloch, and their respective views on transporation and what's good for the area. Quick read, lots of local events and notices, nice lite paper this week.

The Leesburg Today published the yearly "best of everything" in the "Loudoun Living" section - we're disheartened none of our blogs or websites made the list - this most impressive, awe-inspiring list of great things pulled together by very good-looking editors. (note -save this for next year!). Also news, teleworking and home office use appears to be making gains in 2006 (um, that's why I'm typing this at home already). The main Leesburg Today section illustrates just what can happen when traffic issues spill over into business strategy - it appears the new Janelia Farm (HHMI Research Center in Ashburn) can't attract enough persons to slog through the are traffic to work. Other news includes the full spectrum of hot-button issues including the Power Line, a direct airline route to China from Dulles, and oodles of park and school boundary issues. Six of the top 10 crash sites of 2006 are intersections with Rt. 7, near Ashburn and Sterling. Great reading for a very local audience, but set aside a lot of time to wade through nearly 100 pages!.

The Loudoun Independent, another quick and easy read, provides similar overview of the growing Loudoun ticket plus a few digs at the transportation mess in Richmond. Jennifer and Heather in Ashburn give us a toy store and library event update, and Karen and Elaine of Countryside and Cascades respectively, offer some more fun civic and library activies. (We really need to keep track of overlapping community updates between these papers - note that http://www.dullessouthonline.com aggregates all regional business, transportation and development news!) Kari in Lansdowne has a Belmont Ridge Middle School Talent Show (watch out, American Idol!), and Stephanie Smith in South Riding truly wins the battle of community reviews, with a plug for residential involvement, upcoming 2007 issues and events, new assessment info and a Dulles South Community Meeting with Steve Snow on 1/18. Another quick 'n easy read - hopefully LoudounI gets more advertising, or it'll fold into the Connection!

Washington Post Loudoun Extra - well, subscribe and read....the view from DC on what's going on out here tends to be a bit dry for my reading taste, and definitely not as entertaining!