CIRS Mold Toxicity Treatment in Manassas Park, VA

Darnell Greene has served as a teacher, mentor, and coach for more than 21 years.

MANASSAS, Va. — A Manassas Park Middle School math teacher got a big surprise during a school assembly on Thursday. Darnell Greene was named Regional Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Department of Education.

"Mr. Greene is an exemplary educator who has dedicated his life's work to teaching," said Manassas Park Middle School Principal Kip Gansneder Tuttle. "He possesses an innate ability to inspire and guide students of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve their very best."

Greene has served as a teacher, mentor, and coach for more than 21 years. He wanted to be a teacher from a young age. After a challenging start to high school, his life forever changed when the new varsity football coach met with him and asked if he wanted to make a positive difference in the world. That meeting was the beginning of Greene's journey in helping positively shape the future of Manassas Park Middle School students by sharing his stories and experiences.

"Virginia is blessed with outstanding educators," said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons. "Mr. Greene challenges middle school math students every day by giving them real world math problems, mentors students as a track coach, and has mentored many new teachers in Manassas Park. I am honored I could come celebrate Mr. Greene with the leaders, colleagues, and students in Manassas Park as well as recognize him with this well-deserved award."

Greene had a word of advice for his fellow teachers after the award ceremony.

"Just keep at it. Keep with your faith and belief. You are changing and going to have an impact on the future generations. Don't give up," he said.

All eight regional Teacher of the Year winners are nominees for the 2025 Mary V. Bicouvaris Virginia Teacher of the Year Award. The final Virginia Teacher of the Year Award will be announced later this spring.

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Darnell Greene is one of eight regional winners, one of whom will be named Virginia’s teacher of the year by the state education department.

A math teacher in Manassas Park City has been named one of the commonwealth’s top teachers.

Darnell Greene, who teaches eighth grade math at Manassas Park Middle School, was named the regional teacher of the year by the Virginia Department of Education for Region 4. He’s one of eight regional winners, one of whom will be named teacher of the year for 2025 later in the spring, the education department said in a statement.

Greene has been a teacher for more than 21 years, and was the teacher of the year in his school and the Manassas Park City school system this year, the department said. He has also been on the coaching staffs of the boys’ and girls’ basketball and track teams.

He wanted to be a teacher from a young age, the department said, and was influenced by a high school football coach who asked him whether “he wanted to make a positive difference in the world.”

In his teaching process, the department said, Greene shares “his stories and experiences” to make “meaningful connections with students, parents, and his peers every day.” He’s been a Mentor Teacher since 2015.

“Mr. Greene challenges middle school math students every day by giving them real-world math problems, mentors students as a track coach, and has mentored many new teachers in Manassas Park,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons said at the surprise ceremony at the school last week. “I am honored I could come celebrate Mr. Greene with the leaders, colleagues, and students in Manassas Park, as well as recognize him with this well-deserved award.”

“Mr. Greene is an exemplary educator who has dedicated his life’s work to teaching,” Principal Kip Gansneder Tuttle said in the statement. “He possesses an innate ability to inspire and guide students of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve their very best.”

In Spotsylvania County, Beth Marshall, a French teacher at Riverbend High School, has been named regional teacher of the year for Region 3.

In other education news, Eva Irwin, an English teacher at Alexandria’s Alexandria City High School, received the Milken Educator Award in March. It’s an award that recognizes the impact teachers have had on children while in the early to mid-stages of their careers. The award came with an unrestricted $25,000 cash award.

Featured image courtesy Virginia Department of Education/Facebook

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Fairfax City Council approved an employment agreement with Laszlo Palko for the soon-to-be vacant city manager position.

Michael O'Connell, Patch Staff

|Updated Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 8:47 am ET

Press release from the City of Fairfax :

Laszlo Palko has been selected by the City of Fairfax City Council as their new city manager with their approval tonight of an employment agreement. Mr. Palko will begin his employment with the city on or about April 29.

“When City Manager Rob Stalzer notified City Council last year of his plans to retire March 1, we began a nationwide search,” said Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read. “We were fortunate to have a great field of candidates from which to choose. Laszlo Palko is a good fit for our urbanizing community and we look forward to his leadership as we navigate unprecedented opportunities ahead here in our city.”

Mr. Palko comes to Fairfax after serving since June 2017 as the city manager of Manassas Park, Va. In Manassas Park, Mr. Palko was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day and strategic executive management of city departments and developing and recommending policies, strategies, annual budget, and ordinances for the governing body’s approval, as well as managing the execution of the city budget and capital improvement program. Manassas Park was in fiscal distress watch when he arrived, and he helped lead its financial turnaround from a negative fund balance and no credit rating to a $16M+ fund balance (25%+ of operating revenues) and a AA credit rating.

Prior to joining Manassas Park, Mr. Palko had more than 10 years of public and private sector management experience including previously serving as the Town Manager of Lovettsville, Va., as a financial consultant for IBM, and as a management consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton. Mr. Palko began his career serving as an Army officer from 2005-2010. He earned the rank of captain and was awarded the Bronze Star serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan as part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

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

"I am honored and grateful to the Fairfax City Council for giving me the opportunity to serve as city manager for such a wonderful community with such a great and talented team of professionals on city staff,” said Mr. Palko. “I look forward to working for the city council and helping them achieve their goals for the community. I am eager to engage with and provide high quality service to city residents and cannot wait to provide my support to an amazing city staff as we work collectively to accomplish our shared mission to serve our great city."

Council Member Jeff Greenfield, the longest serving member of the Fairfax City Council, is enthusiastic about the skills and experience Mr. Palko brings to the position. “He’s got a passion for the budget process that is impressive, and he is the first bilingual city manager we have hired. His fluent Spanish will be valued in our community and he is committed to being out in our city meeting people where they are.”

Mr. Palko earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University where he concentrated on local government administration.

Fairfax City Deputy City Manager Valmarie Turner has been named acting city manager until Mr. Palko steps into his new role.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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Snowfall amounts ranged from 2 inches in Washington, D.C., to 5 inches in the Reston area. See Jan. 16 snow totals across DC, Northern VA.

Deb Belt, Patch Staff

NORTHERN VIRGINIA — Winter weather returned to Northern Virginia and DC with the biggest snowfall in more than two years that left many cities covered in 4 to 5 inches of snow by Tuesday morning, and bitter cold will soon follow the storm into the state.

Low temperatures will drop into the teens the next two nights, the National Weather Service said. A warmup Friday will bring more snow, followed by another drop in temperatures with overnight lows in the teens this weekend.

Many school districts in Northern Virginia canceled classes Tuesday.

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

City of Alexandria (three locations) Alexandria 4.0 Alexandria 3.6 Alexandria 3.2 National Harbor 1.8

City of Fairfax Fairfax 4.0

City of Falls Church Falls Church 3.5

City of Fredericksburg

Dunavant 3.0 Fredericksburg 2.2

City of Manassas Manassas 3.0

Fairfax County Centreville 5.0 Reston 5.0 Chantilly 4.9 Herndon 4.8 Vienna 4.1 McLean 4.1 Falls Church 4.0 Oakton 3.9 West Springfield 3.5 Annandale 3.5 Mount Vernon 3.5 Alexandria 2.8 Lorton 2.8

Fauquier County Broken Hill 4.0 Broad Run 3.2 Warrenton 3.0

Loudoun County Ashburn 4.5 Dulles International 4.4 Leesburg 4.0 Purcellville 4.0

Prince William County

Gainesville 4.0 Haymarket 4.0 Manassas Park 4.0 Manassas 3.4 Dale City 2.8 Dumfries 2.8

Spotsylvania County Fredericksburg 2.3 Spotsylvania Court 2.0

Stafford County

Fredericksburg 2.3 Stafford 2.3

District of Columbia Washington NE 4.1 National Arboretum 3.0 Adams Morgan 3.0 Anacostia 2.0

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

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 13. Northwest wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 29. West wind 7 to 13 mph.

Wednesday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 18. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Thursday: Cloudy, with a high near 38. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: A chance of snow after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 30. Northeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday: Snow, mainly before 1pm. High near 33. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 19.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 26. Blustery.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 17.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 32.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 40.

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Virginia’s "newest downtown" is getting its much sought-after parking garage.

Officials broke ground Thursday on Manassas Park’s Virginia Railway Express station parking garage, a 540-space structure adjacent to the train stop that will serve commuters as well as business patrons in the city’s growing downtown. It’s expected to open in 2025.

The fanfare Thursday morning – a full groundbreaking ceremony with speakers from across the region's transportation body – was beyond what one might expect for a parking garage, but city officials say the new lot will be a linchpin for its downtown development, what’s being dubbed Park Central.

With the new city hall and library building complete, and as the 300 new Stanley Martin townhomes go up nearby, developer Norton Scott is waiting for work on the garage to gain steam before building its eight-screen movie theater next door to serve as an entertainment anchor for the area. Once the theater is completed, coffeeshop Jirani’s and Mexican restaurant La Finca are expected to open their new locations in the city hall building.

“That’s how you get the right parking numbers for the theater and all the restaurants, is through the garage,” City Manager Laszlo Palko told InsideNoVa. “The theater is the most important part from an anchor standpoint, but they need each other. The theater needs the garage to be able to make it here.”

The 540 spots in the garage will be complemented by another roughly 200 spots on surface lots nearby, doubling in use for both rail commuters and nearby business patrons, satisfying a need that Palko said hobbled earlier retail and restaurant hopes for prior iterations of the city center plan.

But while much of the attention Thursday morning was on what the garage would do for the downtown development, transportation officials are also hoping it will achieve its stated goal: adding parking capacity for rail commuters when more ridership returns.

The garage and attached pedestrian bridge over the train tracks will cost over $34.6 million, with funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, the city, I-66 Outside the Beltway concessionaire payments, the I-66 Commuter Choice program from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Virginia Department of Rail and Transportation.

VRE ridership has continued to bounce back from its losses during the pandemic, but still remains well below pre-COVID levels. Average daily ridership has remained steady at over 6,000 throughout the year, a significant year-over-year jump but still only about one-third of the system’s 2019 ridership.

“The folks that commute on VRE, they love VRE. It’s consistent, it’s clean, it’s convenient, it’s a great option to help meet your transportation needs,” DRPT Director Jennifer DeBruhl said Thursday morning. “And here in Manassas Park, … the parking expansion is a big step forward into the future. It will help us increase ridership and add to the many reasons why people do love the VRE.”

Transportation officials around the region are hopeful that trains will keep filling up as more workers return to offices and that ridership will really take off as evening, weekend and bi-directional service begins as part of the Transforming Rail in Virginia project.

Manassas Park leaders, meanwhile, hope that the increased service will make their city more attractive to live and play in, and that the new garage will fix a pre-COVID problem, when cars would park along side streets and pathways when the lot would fill up.

“We are now at the beginning of what we hope will be more transportation options for folks to choose from. At some future date, the downtown will become 100% transit-oriented, when the VRE service is bi-directional and when increased bus service adds to the connectivity across more communities,” Mayor Jeanette Rishell said.