Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Help Patch build a huge virtual card to the Newtown, Conn. community and let them know they are in your heart and on your mind.
When unthinkable tragedy strikes, we grapple for a way to come to terms with the how and the why. We search for ways to make sense of what happened, even when it doesn't make sense. The horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Friday stunned a nation as the news broke that not one child, but 20 six- and seven-year-old children and six of their teachers had been shot and killed by a gunman who then took his own life. Most communities can only begin to imagine sorrow washing over this Connecticut town described as close-knit and quiet, a suburban community just 60 miles outside of New York City. It is something we've never imagined, so many lives cut so unbelievably and inexplicably short. Patch is in more than …
Monday, December 17, 2012
In wake of Newtown shooting, Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to look at all resources to keep campuses from kindergarten through college safe.
In the wake of Friday's school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has announced a state plan to review school safety in Virginia at all levels. McDonnell said Monday he plans to identify statewide and locality, school division, college and university resource needs to "ensure that we are doing everything humanly possible to keep our children, young people and educators safe while they are in the classroom." "Just as public safety is the bedrock responsibility of government, the safety of our young people must continue to be the top priority in our schools and our campuses," McDonnell said in a statement. In Fairfax County, there are regular safety and lockdown drills, and there was increased …
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Church of the Good Shepherd plans event for 7 p.m. Sunday for those lost in the Sandy Hook Elementary School Tragedy.
The Church of the Good Shepherd on Hunter Mill Road is opening its doors Sunday night so its community can pray and write messages for those impacted by the Friday shootings in Newtown, Conn. The community prayer will begin at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary and prayer room. Messages and notes written Sunday night will be sent to the Newtown United Methodist Church, "which has been serving as a response center in Connecticut," the church wrote in a statement. "We invite anyone to please come join us in the face of this tragic loss,” Rev. Mark Burgess, the church's pastor, wrote in a statement. The church is located at 2351 Hunter Mill Road. For more information visit the church’s website at www.GoodShepherdVA.com
Beth Lawton
6:59 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Hi all, We are shutting down comments on this thread. We hoped that people would take this opportunity to upload positive images and leave comments supporting those in Newtown who have lost loved ones right at the holidays without turning this into a political debate. Unfortunately, we aren't seeing that sentiment from some of our readers. Thanks to those who followed the spirit of this post. … more ›