Community Corner

Good News: Navy Yard Victim Support, Holiday Surprise, Robot Investment and Retiring Shop Owner Smiles at Road Ahead

Plus, a new business is a dream come true for 'Lindsay the Barber.'

By Patch Staff

Editor's Note: Patch has 31 sites in Virginia and D.C., and not a day goes by that we don’t have an inspirational or encouraging story somewhere in the area. Here's a look back at some good news over the past week.

Navy Yard Shooting Victim Recovering. Scott Williams, a Metropolitan Police Department officer who was shot while responding to the Navy Yard shooting in September, reached out to Patch in response to increased community support on his GoFundMe page after an article was published earlier this month. "I’d like to say thank you to everybody who’s been so thoughtful to me," Williams said. "Going through this, it’s nice that people were being so generous and thoughtful." Read more about Williams’ progress.

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Lindsay the Barber.
 A Fredericksburg area barber at Harrison Crossing, “Lindsay the Barber” broke out on her own recently and opened The Stache Barber Shop. “I had a long standing dream to one day own a barber shop of my own. I finally made it,” said Lindsay Jones-Gupta. “I never wanted to compete with anyone but myself.” Read about the atmosphere in the barber shop and more.Do you have “good news” about a budding entrepreneur? Tell us about it in the comments section below!


Holiday Surprise. Local officials and volunteers played Santa this season at Hutchison Elementary in Herndon, and delivered an assortment of presents to the school. Gifts included an assortment of brand new pairs of shoes and gift cards, which were donated by local residents and members of the Council for the Arts. Read about who supported the drive and more about the event.

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


$62,000 Science Investment. Manassas City Public Schools celebrated a year of big donations to the district’s education foundation. The schools used the $62,000 raised to fund science projects and events at every school, including a LEGO league, robotics challenge, SeaPerch underwater robotics and VEX robotics. See the two big donors for this projects and more about the program.


Ready for Retirement. The closing of a small shop can be a sad occasion, but Christine Finnie is excited about the possibilities after closing Whimsical Galerie in Old Town Manassas earlier this month. Finnie told Patch that she was ready to visit family for Christmas — something she hasn’t done while running the business since 2008. She’s also considering opening a shop online. See more about Finnie’s thoughts on small business ownership and the history of the Whimsical Galerie.


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