Home Care In Ashburn, VA

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A school shooting is something parents hope they will never have to deal with. In Loudoun County, authorities are training at two Ashburn schools on how to respond if one does happen at one of its schools.

The training exercise by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and Loudoun County Public Schools will focus on reunification of students with families in the scenario of a school shooting. The exercise will be held at Newton-Lee Elementary School and Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn on April 5, which is a student holiday. No students will be involved in the training exercise, and it will be closed to the public and news media, according to LCPS. The Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System will also participate in the exercise.

The reunification exercise will be the first of its kind in Northern Virginia.

"No school in our nation is immune from violence, and we must do everything possible to protect our children and those who work to educate and support them," said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman in a statement. "The LCSO has been at the forefront of active shooter incident training, and part of that is the extraction and reunification of those impacted with their loved ones."

During the half-day training, personnel will simulate the aftermath of a shooting, including rescuing students and transporting them to a nearby school to reunite them with families. Role players provided by LCPS staff and school security officers will be involved in the exercise.

Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We are proud for LCPS to be at the forefront of efforts such as these," said LCPS Superintendent Aaron Spence in a statement. "We take the safety and security of our students and staff very seriously. This training is an invaluable opportunity to engage in and learn from a scenario we hope we never have to face."

Newton-Lee Elementary and Stone Bridge High Schools will host the exercise from early morning to after noon on April 5. Message boards will be posted in the area of the schools ahead of the exercise to inform the community. Principals at the two schools will inform families about how the training exercise will impact access to the campuses.

A data center and drive-thru restaurant are among the matters the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will consider.

Patch Staff

ASHBURN, VA — Several notable proposals are headed to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Wednesday, including a data center, drive-thru restaurant and residential development.

One of the notable actions will be on a data center campus on about 70 acres west of Belmont Ridge Road south of Route 7 in Ashburn. Loudoun County is home to the largest concentration of data centers, earning it the nickname of "Data Center Alley."

The proposal up for board review calls for rezoning about 70 acres to allow development of a data center. The data center campus would be across Belmont Ridge Road from homes to the east and borders Goose Creek to the west. Data centers are considered conditional uses in these suburban employment place type areas due to impacts on surrounding residences.

During a Jan. 10 public hearing, nine of 13 public speakers were opposed, citing concerns like noise, visual impacts power line locations, power requirements and infrastructure requirements for data centers. The remaining speakers were supportive, pointing to protection of Goose creek, surrounding buffers and removing the Gloucester Parkway extension.

Since the public hearing, the applicant submitted a revised proposal to accommodate the future Gloucester Parkway extension, decrease the density of the data center campus by 20 percent, increase use of glass for exterior building facades by 10 percent, and commit to 10,000 square feet of solar panels per data center building.

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SEE ALSO: Loudoun's Data Center Process Setting Standards, Locations To Begin

Here are the other proposals in Ashburn the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will consider Wednesday.

Goose Creek Village Drive-Thru Restaurant

The board will consider approval of a drive-thru restaurant at Goose Creek Village, a mixed-use community in Ashburn. The applicant, Goose Creek Retail, has not named a specific restaurant that would open in the drive-thru restaurant space at 42810 Creek View Plaza. The space is currently a vacant open lawn.

The restaurant would have a dual drive-thru lane and outdoor seating area. The drive-thru entrance width was previously revised to ensure handicap accessible parking spaces have enough room to exit. During a Feb. 14 board public hearing, three opposed public speakers raised concerns about trash control and traffic circulation in the shopping center.

Tillett's View Residential Development

A proposal for a residential development at 42550 Waxpool Road in Ashburn returns to the board. The Tillett's View proposal calls for rezoning of about 49.6 acres to allow up to 397 homes. This includes 103 single-family homes, 184 single-family attached homes and 110 multifamily stacked units with a density of 8 dwelling units per acre.

The proposal is recommended to be rejected by the Planning Commission and county staff. County staff said the proposal's "proposed transportation commitments do not align with the Loudoun County 2019 Countywide Transportation Plan." Public speakers at Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors meetings shared concerns about impacts on surrounding residential areas, traffic and walkability.

The Board of Supervisors will meet for a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the Board Room at the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., SE, Leesburg, VA.

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Updated at 4:15 p.m.

VIRGINIA — Odds for heavy rainfall late Friday into Saturday are increasing, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for the weekend. Dry conditions that caused brush fire in Prince William County will be doused as up to 2.5 inches of rain is expected to drop on parts of Northern Virginia.

Thursday afternoon the NWS said parts of D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland could see flooding caused by excessive rainfall. The flood watch starts at 2 a.m. Saturday and runs until 2 p.m. Saturday.

Areas included in the flood watch are: the District of Columbia, Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, Chantilly, Reston, Franconia, McLean, Centreville, Annandale, and Herndon.

Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations, the NWS said. Low-water crossings may be flooded.

Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rainfall of 1.5 to 2.5 inches is most likely late Friday night through Saturday morning, with rain expected to end Saturday afternoon. The bulk of this rain is expected to fall in a six-hour period, and may result in flooding of urban and poor drainage areas, as well as on small streams.

Visit www.weather.gov/safety/flood for flood safety and preparedness information.

Another round of rain is predicted for Tuesday night through Thursday, the weather service said.

"Widespread rain arrives from the south late Friday into Saturday as an area of low pressure lifts north from the Gulf Coast and cold front approaches from the Ohio River Valley," the National Weather Service said.

The steadiest/heaviest rainfall looks to be along and east of the Blue Ridge where 1 to 2 inches of rain can be expected. Locally higher amounts are possible along and east of the I-95 corridor, the NWS said.

Coastal flooding during high tide is possible along the mid-Atlantic coast, AccuWeather said. The heavy surf action can lead to considerable beach erosion, especially from the Carolinas to New Jersey.

Two storm systems will merge to generate drenching rain with increasing winds, building seas and rough surf from Florida to the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey from Friday to Saturday, AccuWeather said.

The mix of low clouds, rain and stiff breezes may result in airline delays, AccuWeather noted.

Here's the latest Northern Virginia forecast from the National Weather Service:

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 47. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Northeast wind around 6 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Northeast wind 5 to 13 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.

Friday Night: Rain, mainly after 11pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Low around 46. Southeast wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible..

Saturday: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Patchy fog before 8am. High near 56. East wind 8 to 14 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Saturday Night: Rain likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Breezy, with a north wind around 22 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 52. Breezy.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 56.

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Loudoun County schools will be closed on Friday, Jan. 16 due to expected inclement weather.

another round of snow will blanket the Northern Virginia and DC region Friday. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory.

The winter weather advisory from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday applies to much of the region, including the District of Columbia, Fairfax County, Arlington County, Falls Church, Alexandria, Stafford County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, northwest, southeast and central Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park.

Snow between 1 to 3 inches is forecast north of US-50 and Interstate 66, and areas to the south could get 1 inch.

AccuWeather predicts the winter storm will hit much of the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Impacts may differ by area, as the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England could receive 1 to 3 inches, while parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, northern Maryland and central New Jersey could see 3 to 6 inches fall.

Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"This will be a colder storm than most have grown accustomed to in much of the Midwest and the Northeast in that the lower ground and air temperatures combined with the fluffy or grainy nature of the snow will quickly accumulate on streets and highways," said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson.

National Weather Service forecasters warn that the winter weather could make the Friday morning commute hazardous in the DC region. Drivers should expect slippery road conditions and are urged to slow down and use caution. On sidewalks, steps and driveways, pedestrians should look out for slippery and icy surfaces.

While temperatures could remain in the 30s during the snow, more frigid weather will follow. The Capital Weather Gang expects Friday night temperatures in the mid or high 10s. Saturday's high temperatures could reach the 20s before returning to the 10s at night. Sunday brings highs in the upper 20s and low 30s. By Monday, temperatures as high as the lower 40s will seem like a relief from the cold.

Here is the upcoming forecast for DC from the National Weather Service:

Friday: Snow before 10 a.m., then snow, possibly mixed with rain between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., then a chance of snow after 1 p.m. High near 34. The chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. At night, a slight chance of snow showers before 1 a.m. and mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent at night.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 27. Northwest wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. At night, mostly clear, with a low around 18.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 32. At night, mostly clear, with a low around 17.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. At night, partly cloudy, with a low around 27.

LANSDOWNE, VA — A school in Loudoun County will be the first place in Virginia to bring the magic of the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" to life.

Riverside High School in the Lansdowne area of Loudoun County was the first and only school in Virginia chosen to perform the high school version of the Broadway play. Through the "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child High School Edition: Wands at the Ready" competition, schools in each U.S. state were selected.

The play is scheduled for performances in fall 2024 under the leadership of theater teacher Marilyn Gilligan.

"You know anything's possible if you've got enough nerve. You went for it, and now the journey has only just begun," said Superintendent Aaron Spence in a video announcement. "Congratulations, Riverside High School, and I can't wait to see this theatrical production in the fall of 2024."

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is a Broadway play based on a story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. The play follows Harry Potter's son Albus, who makes friends with the son of rival Draco Malfoy at Hogwarts. According to the high school competition's website, the high school version was designed for schools of different sizes and technical capabilities.

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To enter the competition, teachers or administrators had to submit a video demonstrating why their school should be the first to perform the play and explaining their commitment to the arts, support of inclusion and diversity and how they will promote the performance.

In the submission video, students discuss why they'd like to perform the play. Several students mention that their teacher loves "Harry Potter" and the Broadway play, and they want to give back to her for the opportunities she gave them.

Schools selected to perform the play may schedule performances between Oct. 15 and Nov. 10. Due to the demand for the show and capacity limits in the 999-seat auditorium, Riverside High School expects sold-out shows. Sponsors are being sought now for the production.