Lady Margaret
Margaret Morton was never one to mince words, nor does it appear that she's ever at a loss for just the right one. When told she'd be the principal in this story casting her as a beloved institution in Loudoun journalism, a pronounced snort preceded a succinct assessment: "Bull----."
The 72-year-old Englishwoman picked up both brevity and profanity, she says, over almost two decades as a reporter and editor for the weekly community newspaper Leesburg Today. Hired by newspaper founder Brett Phillips at first to write about calendar items and community affairs, "Margaret blossomed into a tough, reliable reporter whose coverage of Purcellville and other western Loudoun towns matched the standards we had established for coverage of the county government and that of the County Seat after whom the newspaper was named," says Phillips, who also was CEO of its parent company, Amendment I Inc. from its inception in 1988 until its sale in March 2006 to American Community Newspapers. "She had no truck with those who curried favor, or those stricken with a case of self-importance, who tried to bluster or bully her."
That steadfast impartiality has earned Morton a reputation as a journalist who reports and writes without a personal agenda. "Margaret has always been fair in her reporting. She comes to the story with a straight tack: Here are the questions, what are the issues," Purcellville Mayor Robert "Bob" Lazaro Jr. says, adding that with her depth of knowledge about the county, "she gives reader a good flavor of what's going on."
"I try to put in both sides," Morton explains, "and if it's a very contentious issue, I know I've done my job when I piss off both sides. Because when it's really contentious, each side wants you to put their view and only their view. And I try really hard not to do that.
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Makes Cents to Me
Ladies and gents, we all know retail therapy is good for the soul, but did you also know that it could be good for the community?
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It is, at least at downtown Leesburg shop Madisonbelle, where owner Kim Dziabas specializes in unique contemporary clothing, jewelry and accessories. The hip and fashionable Dziabas has been giving to area charitable organizations since she opened Madisonbelle's doors almost five years ago.
She does it through a program she's named Fashion Cents, in which customers are asked if they want to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar, with the change going to a different organization about every three months. In addition to the amount collected from customers over the three months, Dziabas herself writes a check for $150 to the organization. |
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"When I opened the store, I felt that it was important for me to stay grounded in the fact that as much as I love clothing and jewelry, there are things that are more important,"Dziabas says. " I thought that if we had a consistent way to reach into the community and part of the mission, Madisonbelle, I would enjoy all the fun things that Madisonbelle has to offer, but at the same time feel like we are doing something for the community."
And even though business has been challenging over the past six or seven months, she says, "never did I question my committment to Fashion Cents, nor have any of my customers not been willing to donate to it"
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Exec Pets
From time to time Talk Loudoun will highlight an executive with his or hers' greatest ally-their pet(s)! This feature will appear in our Behind the Brand issue, with these photos taken by award winning, renowned people/pet photographer Kathy Kupka-kathykupka.com This is the first in that series. |
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Chloe, Phoebe...and oh yes, their pop Larry
In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semi-human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.
~Edward Hoagland
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Larry Rosenstrauch is a busy guy. Since 1996, he has served as the director of Loudoun County's Economic Development Department. He leads a team of 18 professionals working closely with members of the Economic Development Commission in their quest to help attract and keep businesses in fast-growing Loudoun County. It's a big job-on any given week, Larry might average 1,000 e-mails.
The pace could be enough to drive anyone a little crazy. But Larry just walks it out, following the lead of his two dogs, Phoebe and Chloe. About five years ago, he and his wife, Kate, adopted the two German Shepherd/Border Collie mixes as "pound puppies" from the Loudoun Animal Shelter.
"They are my mental and physical health program. They love long walks," he explained. "But I don't really walk my dogs. They walk me - in the morning, later in the evening, and sometimes at noon. The dogs don't let you be self-centered."
Larry has identified about 10 separate walking routes he can take from his house in the Manors of Leesburg. "Some of them are downtown, some are over by the Ida Lee Rec Center, some are in Exeter. It depends on the length of walk they want to go on and the position of the sun." The three companions can sometimes cover six miles a day on their two or three walks. "It's a good 'don't become a couch potato' workout," Larry said.
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Past e-zines:
Behind the Brand
Rendezvous
Total Health
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Coming Soon:
Rendezvous Destination & Total Health Destination
Take 3 - From time to time Talk Loudoun will dedicate an entire Rendezvous or Total Health issue to a great destination getaway within 3 hours of Loudoun County. That's 3 hours by plane, train, Bolt Bus or car.
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