Leesburg Now Collecting Yard Debris Twice a Week

The change applies to all residential customers receiving curbside trash and recycling service.

The Town of Leesburg now collects yard debris twice each week from residential customers within the corporate limits of the town who receive curbside trash and recycling service. The extra collection day continues through September. Yard waste will be collected from customers in the Southeast and Southwest quadrants on Mondays and Thursdays through Sept. 30. Customers in the Northeast and Northwest quadrants will have pickups on Tuesdays and Fridays through Sept. 24. Items accepted in the yard waste collection includes grass clippings, leaves, weeds and small twigs only. It must be left at the curb by 6 a.m. on collections days in brown paper bags or in cans marked with Town of Leesburg Yard Waste stickers. To obtain a sticker, contact the…

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Pie in the Face Puts Spotlight on Relay for Life

For a sixth year, the Town of Leesburg has offered residents the opportunity to smash a pie into a town official's face in advance of the cancer research fundraiser.

For six years now, members of the Leesburg Town Council and town government employees have taken pies in the face to draw attention to the annual Relay for Life of Western Loudoun, which takes place June 1-2 at Heritage High School. While the event fell short of the $1,875 donated for pies a year ago, but primarily serves the purpose of putting more eyes on the Relay for Life, which far has promised contributions of more than $90,000. This year, the Pie in the Face event raised $275. Relay for Life:

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Heritage High Tree Planted in Recognition of Arbor Day

An Earth Day planting at the school in Leesburg aims at educating residents about the importance of trees.

Town of Leesburg and Loudoun County Public Schools representatives gathered with students at Heritage High School Monday to plant a London Plane tree in recognition of Arbor Day. Arbor Day falls on the last Friday in April, but the celebration came a little early to accommodate the students’ schedules. Earth Day seemed just as appropriate a day for the ceremony. Tom Seeman, chairman of the Leesburg Tree Commission offered a few words about the importance of trees. “They shade our environment. They absorb pollution,” he said, adding that the goal of the annual planting is to “enhance, protect and expand the tree canopy in Leesburg.” The Tree Commission participated in the Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival over the weekend, giving away about…

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Get Out: Spring Musicals, Flower & Garden Show, Concerts

If you are looking for things to do this weekend, here are a few fun events happening in Leesburg.

J.L. Simpson Middle School Presents “Barnum - The Musical.” Fri. 7:30 p.m., Sat. 7:30 p.m. and Sun. 2:30 p.m. 490 Evergreen Mill Rd, Leesburg.  Westmain Concert. Doors open: 7:30 p.m. Show: 8:00 p.m. Tickets $10 Adv - $15 day of show. Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W Market St, Leesburg.  Tallyholeesburg.com. Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival. Sat and Sun.  10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Historic Downtown Leesburg.  2nd Annual Autism Awareness 5K and Kids Fun Run. Registration begins at 7 a.m., race time is 8 a.m. Belmont Ridge MS, Upper Belmont Pl, Lansdowne.  History for Kids at the Loudoun Museum.  11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Join children’s author Sharon Solomon as she presents her new book on Christopher Newport, one of the founders of the Jamestown settlement. Free…

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Corrections Dept. Returns to Loudoun Street in Leesburg

Authorities continue to seek information regarding the alleged arson that forced the employees from the location.

The Loudoun County Department of Community Corrections employees have returned to 107 Loudoun Street in Leesburg after a fire, deemed arson by the fire marshal, forced them out in November. Substance abuse groups that meet Mondays and Tuesdays at the Shenandoah Building on Heritage Way NE in Leesburg, also will return to Loudoun Street, beginning April 22. The fire at the office broke out early Nov. 14. No one was injured. A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible. Anyone with information can contact Loudoun County Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919. More information about the programs and services offered by the Department of Community Corrections is available online: www.loudoun.gov/…

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Loudoun Public Safety: Stay Off Roads

As heavy snow continues to fall on Loudoun, the sheriff asks that residents to avoid driving if possible.

Many Loudoun County roads have become dangerous as the snowstorm sets in and public safety officials are advising people to stay off the roads if possible. Anyone who must drive today should use extreme caution. Vehicles will likely not respond well to rapid stops. Those who do venture out should have a well-stocked winter driving kit. More than 300 residents are without power and several traffic signals lost power or were malfunctioning earlier today. Motorists are reminded that when approaching an intersection where no law enforcement is present and the traffic signals are off due to power failure, that intersection must be treated as a four-way stop. Please be patient as widespread power outages are expected for our region and the …

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Leesburg Man Charged in Sterling Stabbing

The arrest was made following a weekend incident in eastern Loudoun that left a Leesburg man wounded.

A Leesburg, Virginia man was arrested Monday in connection with a stabbing reported on February 23rd in Sterling. Authorities on Monday arrested Santos A. Romero-Aguilar, 49, of Leesburg, and charged him with aggravated malicious wounding related to a stabbing that occurred in Sterling. Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office deputies initially responded to a home on the 21700 block of Leatherleaf Circle shortly before midnight after the homeowner reported a stabbing victim came to their door. The victim, a 22-year-old Leesburg man, reported that he was walking in the area when an unknown subject assaulted him with a knife. The victim was unable to provide further details as to suspect information or where the incident occurred. LCSO detectives …

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It’s Official: Leesburg Is Virginia’s Largest Town

Councilwoman Hammler makes the announcement during the council meeting Tuesday.

The Town of Leesburg has surpassed Blacksburg as Virginia’s largest town. Leesburg Councilwoman Katie Sheldon Hammler made the announcement Tuesday at the end of the Town Council’s regular meeting. She learned the news during a recent Virginia Municipal League conference. "It was disclosed that Leesburg is now officially the largest town in Virginia," Hammler said, adding that Leesburg's population of 44,400 edged out Blacksburg's 42,600. "So we're significantly larger." Loudoun County's 2012 population was estimated at 328,533.

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Letter to the Editor

LTE: Atheists Actions Nothing Short of Hypocrisy

A reader makes his thoughts about Loudoun’s courthouse holiday display clear.

So now Rick Wingrove, head of the Beltway (NOVA) Atheists, is rounding up his troops so-to-speak (hope this is a non-offensive word) to speak at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors’ Business Meeting against Supervisor Reid’s recent remark, as quoted in the Washington Times, in which he characterized the actions of this group as it pertains to the Loudoun County Courthouse seasonal displays as akin to those of “terrorist.” While it is obvious that Mr. Reid‘s choice of words was somewhat over the top, and one that he has already expressed his regrets about using, and which pales in comparison to the behavior of the Atheists themselves, the Atheists will take hold of this opportunity to move their agenda forward in the public arena, by …

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Nurse's Letters Come Full Circle

Correspondence from county health nurse completes a long journey back to Leesburg.

Last week I began the tale of a dozen letters that Miss Bess Ott sent to her teenage niece over a six-year period, beginning in 1937. Miss Ott was living in Leesburg, where she was working as the new Loudoun County Health Department’s first public health nurse. Miss Ott never imagined that the letters, which provide a glimpse into life in Leesburg and Loudoun County in the middle of the 20th century, would find their way back to Leesburg more than seven decades later. On February 23, 1941, Miss Ott wrote that her landlady’s sister, Miss Nan McIntosh, had been operated on. She was getting along quite well, but would not be able to go out for some time. Miss Ellen Metzger had been ill in bed with the flu for several days. Miss Ott stayed …

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