George Mason High School senior Andrew Finein produced at 60 second PSA about drunk driving. The video stars Falls Church City Public Schools school resource officer Steve Rau and George Mason High School student Jake Acosta.

Alicia Lannes was a Fairfax County high school honor student and athlete who died of a drug overdose in her home on March 5, 2008. Her parents, Donna and Greg Lannes, related Alicia’s tragedy at a substance abuse forum at George Mason High School on January 4, 2012. Others featured in this video are Jennifer Lewis-Cooper, coordinator of a Fairfax drug abuse prevention organization, and Karen Case, a Falls Church City Public Schools drug abuse prevention specialist. The video is 56 minutes long.

George Mason High School hosted this forum on the International Baccalaureate program on January 5, 2012. The forum features former Mason students discussing the program and how it prepared them for college. The video is an hour long.

Saturday morning was cold and rainy – like the rest of the month has been. Chef Bertrand Chemel and his team showed up at the Falls Church Farmers Market looking at the skies and the early morning crowd wondering what the demonstration was going to be like and if they should have made the effort to come out this morning. Within a few moments of setting up, a crowd started to form and from then on Bertrand Chemel spoke for two hours straight showing the very eager crowd how to smoke Savoy cabbage, create blue cheese marshmallows, roll out butternut squash ravioli and how to warm body and spirit with great local and seasonal food on such a dreary morning.

At times throughout the morning rain pelted the onlookers, many crowded around with their umbrellas, but Bertrand just kept on demonstrating and talking to the crowd, answering questions and showing the Farmers Market customers how easy these difficult looking recipes could be. While many people protested not wanting to try beets, several takers of the skewers of roasted beet and blue cheese marshmallow with pistachio were blown away with the sweet taste of the roasted beets. As Bertrand smoked the Savoy cabbage over the fruit wood chips the aroma brought more folks over to the demonstration area.  His team of Dylan and Kelsey boiled up the ravioli and created the roasted beet salad skewers. They were also besieged with eager questions on cooking preparations.

Watch the Chef smoking the savoy cabbage. Video from Kathleen Nixon.

Bertrand was in his element – interacting with customers who want to know more about local food. He rolled out pasta, stuff the pillows with butternut squash filling and voila! Ravioli! He showcased how to roast beets on a bed of kosher salt so they won’t burn and how to easily rub off the skins so they wouldn’t stain your hands. The team provided more than 800 tastings of ravioli and beet salad and once done they headed back to 2941 to prepare for the lunch crowd of 200.

A rave review of the Chef’s presentation. Video from Kathleen Nixon.

In this interview on FCC-TV’s Falls Church Forum, local author Sara Fitzgerald discusses her new book, Elly Peterson:  “Mother” of the Moderates.  Peterson, a Republican from Michigan, was active in state and national politics from 1961-1982 as a groundbreaking woman leader of the party. She was a contemporary of Michigan Governor George Romney and knew current presidential candidate Mitt Romney as a teenager.  Although never elected to political office herself, Peterson rose to prominence as the first woman to head a state Republican party.

In the interview, author Fitzgerald discusses Peterson’s efforts to moderate the Republican Party in the face of influential conservative figures like presidential nominee Barry Goldwater and anti-Equal Rights Amendment activist Phyllis Schlafly.  Fitzgerald goes on to discuss the role of moderate Republicans today at a time of Tea Party dominance.

The interviewer is Falls Church Times’ Stan Fendley.  The video is 37 minutes long.

[Editor's Note:  The League of Women Voters of Falls Church will host a book talk with Fitzgerald at local bookstore One More  Page, 2200 N. Westmoreland Street #101, Arlington, on Thursday, September 15, 7pm.  The event is free and open to the public. ]

We all know a new atmosphere can take a bit of getting use to, but in this video, George Mason High School staff members give advice to the rising eighth graders, and students Dan Dusenberry and Raheem Lawal say what they are looking forward to this upcoming school year. For the full article, visit Lasso Online.

As Hurricane Irene is set to impact this area Saturday night into Sunday morning, Falls Church area residents are rushing to local stores and gas stations to prepare for the worst. Batteries, bread, and water are some of the first items to disappear from the shelves at the Falls Plazza Giant in Falls Church.

Officials recommend stocking up with 2-3 days of food and water, as well as plenty of batteries to power those TVs and radios.  They also suggest filling gas tanks in case of an emergency. As always, residents should check local news and radio stations for updates. Falls Church City will issue email and text alerts through alert.fallschurchva.gov and post on the City’s Facebook page.

Here are some important numbers that you may need during the upcoming storm:

• Dominion Power: 866-366-4357
• City Water Service: 703-248-5071
• City InfoLine, manned starting at 6 a.m. on Sunday: 703-248-5200