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Tag: burke

  • This DC-area nonprofit is seeing fewer donations this holiday season. Here’s how you can help – WTOP News

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    A local nonprofit is working to keep its tradition of serving holiday meals to unhoused people in the D.C. region, even as donations have slowed this season.

    A local nonprofit is working to keep its tradition of serving holiday meals to unhoused people in the D.C. region, even as donations have slowed this season.

    “Our goal for this year would be 2,500 meals on Thanksgiving, and then 2,500 meals again a month later on Christmas Day,” said Jay Herriott, founder of The 25th Project, a D.C.-area nonprofit that donates meals on the 25th of every month.

    Herriott said the organization has noticed a slowdown in donations compared to last year. He suspects that is because of the recent 43-day government shutdown, which was the longest in U.S. history.

    Volunteers have been signing up, but those at The 25th Project have noticed “less food … less protein, less ham, less turkey, from what has been in years past,” Herriott said.

    Still, he remains hopeful that donations will rebound. “We anticipate it picking up as everybody’s going back to work,” he told WTOP.

    To donate food items or to volunteer, register on The 25th Project’s website. In addition to proteins, the organization is in need of side dishes and desserts. “We have a whole pie-cutting station,” Herriott said.

    All food items must be fully cooked and brought to Burke Community Church on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. Volunteers can reheat food at the church, so items prepared in advance are acceptable. “As long as it’s completely cooked, then we can use it,” Herriott said.

    Food plating begins at 8 a.m. on both holidays.

    Burke Community Church is located at 9900 Old Key Mill Road in Burke, Virginia.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Liz Anderson

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  • Burke man shot by Fairfax Co. police officer – WTOP News

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    A Burke, Virginia, man is recovering from injuries after being shot by a Fairfax County police officer Sunday night.

    A Burke, Virginia, man is recovering from injuries after being shot by a Fairfax County police officer Sunday night.

    Police officers, including “a co-responder team with a clinician,” responded to the 9700 block of Church Way, near the intersection of Covered Bridge Road, for a person in crisis at 10:13 p.m., according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

    Police said when officers arrived on scene, they encountered a man outside a home.

    At various points during negotiations between the man and Crisis Intervention Trained officers and Co-responder Units, police said he presented a firearm and “armed himself with chain saws, an ax, and a blowtorch.”

    Officers eventually fired, what police described as two “less-than-lethal beanbag projectiles” at the man before an officer used their firearm, striking the man in his lower body. 

    After being shot, the man was transported to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

    The officer who shot him was placed on restricted duty status, which is routine after a shooting.

    A map of where the shooting happened is below.

    (Courtesy Google Maps)

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Matt Small

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  • Why a Fairfax Co. man is advocating to change the name of Burke – WTOP News

    Why a Fairfax Co. man is advocating to change the name of Burke – WTOP News

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    David Martosko is advocating to change the name of the Virginia town Burke to Fenton after discovering the town’s namesake, Silas Burke, owned a boy named Fenton.

    A document recording Silas Burke’s purchase of “one negro boy Fenton” for $206.(Courtesy David Martosko)

    As part of his work with a makerspace in Fairfax County, Virginia, David Martosko was asked to make a poster for a Juneteenth picnic last year.

    That prompted him to wonder what Northern Virginia residents do to celebrate Juneteenth. So, he started researching various things about the African American community in Burke, where he lives. He kept coming across the name Silas Burke, and ultimately learned the town is named after the 19th century slaveholder.

    Now, Martosko is leading an effort to change the name of the town from Burke to “Fenton.” Fenton was one of several children Burke owned, and the first one he bought, Martosko said.

    “At the end of the exercise, I said, ‘I’ve discovered too many just awful things for me to just say well, that’s interesting, and I’m not going to do anything about it,’” Martosko told WTOP.

    While researching more about Burke, Martosko learned Burke oversaw slave auctions while he was a judge and school board member. Burke owned 14 people when he died, Martosko said, and at the time of the 1850 census, there were nine children at his house recorded as enslaved.

    An auction notice published in the Alexandria Gazette on Nov. 9, 1840, advertising “Negroes For Sale.” At the bottom, Silas Burke is referenced as the man to contact for information.

    Many people, Martosko said, are unaware of Burke’s past. Even the local historical society told him that “Silas Burke was sort of an enigma to them.”

    Because Burke isn’t incorporated under Virginia’s laws, Martosko is going to have to petition the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to make the change. Before then, though, he’s hosting public meetings about the possible name switch. The first meeting is scheduled in less than two weeks, he said.

    Martosko has also met with local and state lawmakers, and “nobody has told me this is a bad idea.”

    After the public sessions, Martosko said he will “write the official proposal in a way that I think reflects what the community thinks. It’s not just me. This is not about me. This is about my neighbors and friends, all of whom I believe act on their consciences.”

    Burke’s name also appears on 15 streets, several shopping centers, public parks, churches and residential developments, Martosko said. However, he’s focusing on changing just the town’s name for now.

    “What I want to happen is for some kids to say, ‘Hey Dad, we live in Fenton. How come all these things are named Burke? Oh, let me tell you,’” Martosko said. “The juxtaposition creates teachable moments, and that’s the whole point.”

    Changing the name to Fenton, Martosko said, “is absolutely perfect, because we’re forced to face the truth, that not all the slaves were adults who could run away. Not all slaves were men and women. A lot of them were boys and girls.”

    More information about Martosko’s efforts is available online.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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