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How Sports Shaped US Presidents: VA's Chris Cillizza Dives Deep In New Book How Sports Shaped US Presidents: VA's Chris Cillizza Dives Deep In New Book
How Sports Shaped US Presidents: VA's Chris Cillizza Dives Deep In New Book George H.W. Bush was a baseball player at Yale who met Babe Ruth and was very competitive. Donald Trump used his background in professional wrestling storylines to propel himself to the White House. Chris Cillizza, a Falls Church resident, explores these stories and more in his new book "Power Players: Sports, Politics, and the American Presidency," which uses the sports background of every president since Eisenhower to explore how it shaped their presidency. "Sports is a window into their personalities," Cillizza, who wrote about politics for CNN and now has a Substack, said. "It show…

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by Sam Barron
Obituaries
Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor Sara Kate Moore Of Virginia Dies, 36 Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor Sara Kate Moore Of Virginia Dies, 36
Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor Sara Kate Moore Of Virginia Dies, 36 To put it simply, Sara Kate Moore made the world a better place. The 36-year-old Verona resident combined her passions for horseback riding with helping others, instilling hope and joy as a therapeutic riding instructor. Following her April 4 death at Sentara RMH Medical Center, condolences began pouring in. To our Still Meadows family: Sara Kate Moore, our therapeutic riding instructor, passed away suddenly last evening.... Posted by Still Meadows Enrichment Center and Camp on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 Sara Kate was being remembered for her "unmatched kindness." I am still at…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Knifepoint Robber Finally Arrested After String Of Culmore Assaults Knifepoint Robber Finally Arrested After String Of Culmore Assaults
Knifepoint Robber Finally Arrested After String Of Culmore Assaults A Falls Church man is in custody after being linked to several robberies over the last month, authorities announced. Josue David Argueta-Perez, 23, was arrested on Wednesday, March 29 in the 6000 block of Vista Drive, according to Fairfax County police. Earlier that day, Argueta-Perez reportedly robbed a victim at knifepoint, taking their money.  Police believe that Argueta-Perez is connected to several other robberies in the area. Police say that in the other robberies, a suspect matching Argueta-Perez's description approached the victims and demanded money at knifepoint before mone…

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by Annie DeVoe
News
First Fatal Pedestrian Strike Of 2023 Reported In Fairfax County, Police Say First Fatal Pedestrian Strike Of 2023 Reported In Fairfax County, Police Say
First Fatal Pedestrian Strike Of 2023 Reported In Fairfax County, Police Say Police in Fairfax County are reporting the first fatal pedestrian strike of the new year. Ana Julia Acosta De Ostorga, 58, of Falls Church, has been identified by police as the woman killed attempting to cross Wilson Boulevard in Seven Corners early on Friday, March 24. Detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit say that at approximately 6:20 a.m. on Friday morning, Acosta De Ostorga was attempting to cross Wilson Boulevard near John Marshall Drive near the pedestrian crossing when she was struck by a Honda Accord traveling west on the roadway. The i…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Carjacking Suspect Busted In Same Clothes Going To The Well One Too Many Times In Falls Church Carjacking Suspect Busted In Same Clothes Going To The Well One Too Many Times In Falls Church
Carjacking Suspect Busted In Same Clothes Going To The Well One Too Many Times In Falls Church The driver who hopped a curb and struck a pedestrian walking on a sidewalk before speeding away and committing multiple carjackings has been apprehended, according to officials in Falls Church. Police say that a man arrested on Sunday, March 19 is the same person who was wanted for a stolen vehicle, carjacking, and hit-and-run earlier in the weekend, though they have not yet identified the suspect. The trail of terror began at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Friday, March 17, when officers from the Falls Church Police Department responded to the 1200 block of West Broad Street, where there was …

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by Zak Failla
Business
Group On The Loose After $500K Jewelry Store Heist In Virginia, Police Say Group On The Loose After $500K Jewelry Store Heist In Virginia, Police Say
Group On The Loose After $500K Jewelry Store Heist In Virginia, Police Say The search is on for a ragtag group of men and women who are suspected of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Fairfax County jewelry store. Surveillance photos have been released by police investigators in Falls Church as they attempt to locate three men and four women who are believed to have stolen approximately $500,000 worth of goods from Tri State Jewelers on Broad Street last week. City of Falls Church Police request help in identifying grand larceny suspects. Anyone with information should contact Detective Clyde Gandionko at 703-248-5284 (TTY 711) or cgandionko@fall…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Car Of Missing Man Found In VA, Linked To PA Killer: Police Car Of Missing Man Found In VA, Linked To PA Killer: Police
Car Of Missing Man Found In VA, Linked To PA Killer: Police The vehicle of a Pennsylvania man missing since 2021 was found in Virginia, and evidence inside of it helped detectives link it to his suspected killer, authorities said. Michael Allen Stark, 49, of Royersford, PA is believed to have kidnapped Matthew James Branning, after a shift at his Silverdale job in October 2021, took him to withdraw money at an ATM and then fled in Brannging's car to New Jersey, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said. The kidnapping happened on Oct. 15, 2021, when Stark forced Branning to make the withdrawal before disposing of his body, which has…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Instructional Assistant At Virginia ES Caught Assaulting Special Needs Student, Police Say Instructional Assistant At Virginia ES Caught Assaulting Special Needs Student, Police Say
Instructional Assistant At Virginia ES Caught Assaulting Special Needs Student, Police Say An instructional assistant at Glen Forest Elementary School in Fairfax County is facing charges after being caught allegedly assaulting a student with special needs last month. The Fairfax County Police Department announced that Meredith Capets, 36, of Alexandria, was served a warrant for simple assault and turned herself in on Tuesday, Jan. 3 to face the charge. Investigators say that on Thursday, Dec. 8, an employee at the elementary school in Falls Church spotted Capets assaulting a student with disabilities, which was then immediately reported to school administrators. Following a near…

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by Zak Failla
News
Police ID Teen Who Plunged Through Frozen Pond Leading To Icy Death In Virginia Police ID Teen Who Plunged Through Frozen Pond Leading To Icy Death In Virginia
Police ID Teen Who Plunged Through Frozen Pond Leading To Icy Death In Virginia Police have identified the Virginia teenager who fell to his death through an icy pond in Prince William County on Christmas Eve. Falls Church resident Shahzada Zadran, 19, was playing on a pond in the 60000 block of Erinblair Loop in Haymarket with a group of others when he went through the ice, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators say that shortly after 10 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24, first responders were called to the pond when Zadran and a 20-year-old friend both fell through broken ice and plunged into the frozen water. The 20-year-old was able to g…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Police ID Pedestrian Struck, Killed Crossing Virginia Roadway Police ID Pedestrian Struck, Killed Crossing Virginia Roadway
Police ID Pedestrian Struck, Killed Crossing Virginia Roadway Authorities say that the man involved in an early-morning weekend crash in Fairfax County has died from his injuries in Virginia. Tomas Escudero Machado, 76, of Falls Church, was struck by a driver shortly before 6 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18 near the intersection of Arlington Boulevard and Westmoreland Boulevard in his hometown neighborhood, according to police. The preliminary investigation into the crash determined that Machado was attempting to cross Arlington Boulevard when he was struck by a 2003 Honda Accord that was traveling eastbound on the roadway. Police say that the driver struck …

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by Zak Failla
News
Immigrant Living In VA Accused Of Car Attack Near Pentagon Shouted 'I Hate America," Docs Say Immigrant Living In VA Accused Of Car Attack Near Pentagon Shouted 'I Hate America," Docs Say
Immigrant Living In VA Accused Of Car Attack Near Pentagon Shouted 'I Hate America," Docs Say An Ethiopian citizen living in Virginia accused of yelling obscenities and driving through security checkpoints outside the Pentagon on Friday, Oct. 28 has been arrested, federal court documents show. Tamirat Yehualawork, 36, was behind the wheel of a black Ford Expedition when he sped through a security checkpoint and struck and broke off a drop arm, according to an affidavit. Pentagon police officers tried to raise a second barrier to block the vehicle, but "he was moving too fast and drove over the barrier before it could raise," they said. "As he crossed the bridge into the SouthS…

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by Nicole Acosta
News
Five MS-13 Gang Members Sentenced For Brutally Murdering, Dismembering Teens In Virginia: DOJ Five MS-13 Gang Members Sentenced For Brutally Murdering, Dismembering Teens In Virginia: DOJ
Five MS-13 Gang Members Sentenced For Brutally Murdering, Dismembering Teens In Virginia: DOJ Five members of the MS-13 transnational street gang will spend life in prison for their roles in the kidnapping and violent murder of two boys in Virginia in 2016. Federal authorities announced on Wednesday, Nov. 2, that gang members Elmer Zelaya Martinez, 31, Ronald Herrera Contreras, 24, Henry Zelaya Martinez, 28, Pablo Velasco Barrera, 24, and Duglas Ramirez Ferrera, 26, all from El Salvador, have received multiple life sentences. Specifically, each was sentenced to six terms of life in prison, and two terms of 120 months behind bars, all of which will run concurrently. Prosecutors say…

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by Zak Failla