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Community-Supported News. Free to all.
VOL. 10, NO. 13
25
FEBRUARY 6, 2025
Fearful, Angry Federal Workers Fill Town Hall BY HANNA PAMPALONI
hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
Hundreds of concerned residents filled the county Government Center on Monday night to share their thoughts on President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to fire or push out federal employees during a town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10). Subramanyam led off the meeting by saying he had received many emails, messages and calls from constituents who are afraid that their jobs will be affected by the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by Elon Musk and has focused on cutting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. “I think the idea was DEI is about not getting the best people but getting people of certain races. That’s not how I’ve seen it work in the federal government,” Subramanyam said. Subramanyam also said many federal employees had received a “fork in the road” email. “It’s kind of worded as a buyout, but it’s not actually a buyout. It’s basically telling you to resign in the next six to eight months, and that if you take this option, you don’t have to come into work anymore,” he said. “… You should talk to a lawyer. If you’re part of a union, talk to a union. I’ll say that I don’t know if I trust this offer. I don’t know if I trust TOWN HALL continues on page 39
William Timme/Loudoun Now
A memorial of flowers and stuffed animals is growing in the lobby of the Ashburn Ice House following the crash of American Eagle Flight 5342 on Jan. 29 at National Airport. At least seven members of the ice rink's skating community, including a coach, skaters and parents, were killed in the crash.
‘Tragic. Unimaginable. Devastating.’
Loudoun Skating Community Mourns Flight 5342 Crash Victims BY NORMAN K. STYER AND WILLIAM TIMME nstyer@loudounnow.org wtimme@loudounnow.org
The worst U.S. air disaster in more than two decades, quickly hit the Loudoun community as word spread that American Eagle Flight 5342 inbound from Wichita,
KS, was carrying young local figure skaters, family members and coaches returning from the U.S. Figure Skating’s elite National Development Camp. The Jan. 29 mid-air collision between the commercial airliner and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter at the edge of Reagan National Airport took the lives all 67 people aboard. It was not until Tuesday,
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six days later, that rescue crews retrieved the last of the bodies from the icy waters of the Potomac River. While the full roster of victims has not been released, more than a dozen people associated with the local skating FLIGHT 5342 continues on page 38
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