Matt Lawson's arms are covered in scrapes and cuts. Eventually, the redness will fade and the injuries will disappear.

This week, Judge Patricia Kelly dismissed the simple assault charge against Loudoun County Public Schools bus driver Lavangila McKissic. McKissic had been charged with simple assault after allegedly striking a youth during a dispute over an MP3 player.

The new Indie is the result of countless hours of planning, research and old-fashioned hard work. We're very proud of it. The merger between the Loudoun Independent and the Loudoun Times-Mirror has resulted in a lot of changes. In addition to improving the quality of news provided in our Leesburg newsroom, the cooperation between the members of the new team has resulted in the evolution of the Loudoun Independent into a new format ... now known as the Indie.

Column Left by John Flannery Column Right by Barbara Munsey

There were some notable concerns followingthe recent approval of Kincora by the Board of Supervisors last week. Those opposed to the project on slow-growth grounds asked:we just developing for development’s sake?

The Indie is the renamed and redesigned Loudoun Independent. Look for it every Friday for an investigative and entertaining look at the area's top news and entertainment stories.