Ben Cook, 14, of Lorton now has the title role in the national touring production of the hit musical "Billy Elliot." (Glen Cook) Ben Cook of Lorton has been dancing and singing in the big time since he was 9 years old and played Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Carol” at Ford’s Theatre. He first reached Broadway at 11 as an understudy in “Ragtime,” and he has performed supporting roles in both the Broadway and national touring productions of the musical “Billy Elliot.”

And now, at 14, Cook is “Billy.” He is one of five boys who alternate the starring role of the young English boxer who’s just gotta dance, and sing songs written by Elton John, in a show that will hit 11 cities over the next six months. He had been playing the role of Michael, which won him a Helen Hayes nomination for best supporting actor when the show stopped at the Kennedy Center [he lost to Hugo Weaving in “Uncle Vanya”!], and he became one of the five “Billys” in late June. The show will be in Baltimore at Christmastime.

Ben Cook, 14, assumed the lead role in the touring musical "Billy Elliot” in June 2012. (Glen Cook) Keith Loria in the Fairfax County Times interviewed Cook, who also played the young Alec Baldwin in an episode of “30 Rock” in 2010. Cook was first discovered as a second grader at Lorton Station Elementary School, dancing at the Metropolitan Fine Arts Center in Fairfax Station.

“It was pretty evident from the moment I first saw him that he had something spectacular,” Melissa Dobbs, Ben’s first teacher at MFAC told Loria. “Not just talented, but amazing.”

Cook said he could “really relate to the character” of Billy Elliot. “The thing I like about ‘Billy’ is that we both have the same kind of passion and dreams, and no matter what, we both try as hard as we can to accomplish what we want to in our lives.”

The rest of this great story is here, and here is a story The Post did on the five touring “Billys” last year when the show was headed for the Kennedy Center.

Cmdr. Michael P. Ward II departs the brow after relieving Cmdr. Michael K. Savageaux as commanding officer of the USS Pittsburgh on Aug. 3. Ward said he had realized his dream and was extremely proud to take command of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine. He was relieved of command on Aug. 10. (Jason J. Perry - U.S. Navy)

For the past four years, Navy Cmdr. Michael P. Ward II lived with his wife and children in the Burke area of Fairfax County, just off Rolling Road. Ward and his family sold their house last month and moved to Connecticut when Ward was awarded command of the submarine USS Pittsburgh, based in Groton, Conn., which he assumed on Aug. 3.

Seven days later, he relinquished command of the USS Pittsburgh, which, if it isn’t a record, has to be in the top five shortest commands. A woman from Chesapeake came forward and said she’d had an affair with Ward after meeting him on an online dating Web site, The Day newspaper of New London, Conn., reported Monday. That is not the worst part.

The woman said Ward told her he was separated from his wife and was assigned to ”special ops.” And on July 6, the woman said she received an e-mail from Ward’s address, but written by a man named Bob. “He asked me to contact you if this ever happened,” The Day reported the e-mail said. ”I am extremely sorry to tell you that he is gone. We tried everything we could to save him him. I cannot say more. I am sorry it has to be this way...He loved you very much.” And technically, he was “gone.” From Burke.

So the woman drove to Burke on July 9 to pay her respects, and learned that Ward was alive and well — in Connecticut. She told The Day she became ill, found out she was pregnant, and then miscarried.

The woman contacted the Navy, which issued a statement on Friday, Aug. 10, saying Ward had been relieved of command “due to lack of confidence in Ward’s ability to command based upon allegations of personal misconduct on the part of Ward.”

Ward declined to comment to The Day. He has served in the Navy since 1987 and had been assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. The rest of the article is here.

I remain a sucker for fun and unusual flash mob videos, and here’s one: A group of senior citizens busting some well-choreographed moves to the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling,” unleashed on the perhaps suspecting crowd at the Arlington County Fair on Friday afternoon.

As always, the news hounds at ARLnow.com broke this story. They report that the mob was corralled by Arlington’s Office of Senior Adult Programs and choreographed by Ms. Senior Virginia 2012, Kathy Fanelli. “We are still hip and happy,” Fanelli says in the video. No doubt.

Matt McLean looks at his time after winning his men's semifinal in the 200m freestyle during the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha in June. His performance during the trials won him a spot on the relay team, and ultimately a gold medal. (JEFF HAYNES - REUTERS) Matt McLean of Potomac Falls High School in Sterling will bring a gold medal back to Northern Virginia for swimming, and Terrence Jennings of T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria notched a bronze in taekwondo at the recently concluded Summer Olympics in London.

McLean swam a 200-meter leg of the 800-meter freestyle relay in the preliminary round, finishing almost 2.5 seconds ahead of the second-best team, setting up the Americans as the top seed in the finals. He was then replaced by some guys named Phelps and Lochte and did not swim in the finals, but he got gold for his key part.

In 68 kg taekwondo, Jennings lost his first match to eventual gold medalist Servet Tazegul of Turkey, but he came back to win his next two matches and snare the bronze.

Here is how the rest of NoVa’s Olympic delegation came out:

Shannon Curtis, an ecologist with Fairfax County, at a monitoring site in the South Fork of Little Difficult Run. (Donna Peterson - Special to The Washington Post) Early this month, Arlington County took the lead in devising a plan to revamp and reduce discharges into the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. The county, through the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, submitted its proposal to the federal Environmental Protection Agency and it could be the template for other jurisdictions in Northern Virginia.

 In Northern Virginia, ground runoff and discharges from stormwater systems are the second largest contributors of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollutants to streams and rivers feeding into the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District are required under the Chesapeake Bay Program to reduce pollutants by 60 percent in 2025.

“Because of the Chesapeake Bay, specific cleanup requirements are now in effect,” said Jason Papacosma, watershed programs manager for Arlington. “Each state set a schedule to meet requirements.  For the first time, a set amount is to be reduced in three permit cycles.”

Three, five-year Multiple Separate Stormwater Sewer System (MS4) permits will be issued by the EPA for each jurisdiction in the bay watershed with a pollution reduction target tied to each cycle.  A five percent reduction needs to be met in the first five years, then another 35 percent cut, and a final 20 percent cut in year 15 in cycle three.