Reponse to Commissioner's HCA Decision
In a response to Living in Loco blogger Erica Garman's report on the Virginia Commissioner of Health granting a COPN to HCA's proposed Broadlands Medical Center, blogger Ric James at Hoodathunk? writes, "What this means is that the Commissioner understands perfectly well that the public need for a new hospital, deemed necessary in 2003, hasn’t gotten any less applicable today." He continues, "Even if others are focused on some arbitrary pin-on-the-map discussion, the Commissioner has focused on the real question: do we have the population to warrant the hospital and where is that population centered (if at all.)"

ESL Enrollment Slows
The Washington Post has a story about how Loudoun County's English as a Second Language program, and the tremendous growth the program has shown in the past 10 years, is now showing signs of slowing. The article attempts to determine the possible reasons for the slow-down and the subsequent budget cuts.

Foreclosures Hit Sterling
Yesterday, the Loudoun Times-Mirror reported on the number of homes being sold or foreclosed in Sterling, which has been hit harder by the current downturn in the housing market than other communities in Loudoun. One of the biggest reasons this could be, according to the article, is that the homes in Sterling are generally lower in price, which attract the first-time homeowners that subprime lenders tend to target.