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Historic Huntley To Open at Last
Hybla Valley villa to become Fairfax County’s newest public park next month.
After decades of waiting, Historic Huntley will finally open its doors to the public next month. Officials with the Fairfax County Park Authority are planning a May 19 launch, a long-awaited opening for a historic property built in the 1820s by Alexandria Mayor Thomson Mason. The old house has been boarded up since being purchased by the Fairfax County Park Authority in 1989, when county leaders set out to restore the villa overlooking Hybla Valley. Since then, county voters have approved two bond referendum ballot items worth $3 million.
First-time Candidate Takes on Longtime Congressman
Former Navy pilot hopes to defeat Moran with charges of conflict of interest.
Former Navy pilot Bruce Shuttleworth’s campaign to oust U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8) in the Democratic primary is fashioned as an indictment, a campaign in which the issues are framed as an attack on the incumbent. The first-time candidate hopes to knock off the 10-term congressman by describing him an insider who uses his power to help campaign contributors and himself.
Alexandria's Debt Has More Than Doubled Over Last Decade
City officials are on the verge of violating their own debt ceiling.
In the last decade, the city's debt has more than doubled from $200 million to more than $500 million — a burden that is becoming increasingly difficult for the city to manage, especially considering plans for Alexandria to finance the construction of a new Metrorail station at Potomac Yard.
How Will West Rosslyn Be Won?
Neighborhood finds itself at center of conflicting interests.
Neighbors want open space. A developer wants density. Arlington County wants a new fire station. School officials want a new facility. And nonprofit leaders want affordable housing. And all this will happen on about six acres of highly prized land hugging the western edge of Rosslyn, an increasingly urban part of the county that some have taken to calling "Manhattan on the Potomac."
Alexandria Food Truck Task Force Prepares to Issue Recommendations
A movable feast through Old Town, Del Ray and Carlyle?
This spring, advocates for food trucks will engage in a battle with brick-and-mortar restaurants.
In Session: Virginia Assembly Briefs
The backlog of untested rape kits has received a lot of media attention in recent years, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been working to find ways to process all that evidence. But that’s not the only problem with rape kits. Many of them are them are simply thrown away.
Republican Requiem
Democrats take General Assembly, sweep Fairfax School Board; Republicans hold Springfield.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Northern Virginia had its own breed of Republicanism. People like U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-11), U.S. Sen. John Warner and Del. Dave Albo (R-42). Now, after a series of stunning defeats since the election of Donald Trump to the White House, Northern Virginia Republicans are a dying breed, with moderates bowing out or being voted out.
Four Northern Virginia Senators Targeted
Redistricting effort puts Fairfax County seats in the spotlight.
Four Northern Virginia state Senators are targets of a Republican-led effort to draw new districts — Sen. George Barker (D-39), Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37), Sen. Toddy Puller (D-36) and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34). Democrats say the redistricting effort is a cynical attempt to take advantage of the absence of Sen. Henry Marsh (D-16), a prominent civil rights veteran, who was in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration on Monday. But state Sen. John Watkins (R-10) of Powhatan defended the effort as a way to create a sixth majority black Senate district in Southside. It passed the Senate on a 20-to-19 vote.
First-time Candidate Versus Longtime Congressman
Former Navy pilot hopes to defeat Moran with charges of conflict of interest.
Former Navy pilot Bruce Shuttleworth’s campaign to oust U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8) in the Democratic primary is fashioned as an indictment, a campaign in which the issues are framed as an attack on the incumbent.
Should Some Businesses Be Taxed at a Higher Rates Than Others?
Lee District Supervisor clashes with his own advisory group over BPOL taxes.
Why should consultants be taxed at a higher rate than contractors? Is it fair to hit up businesses that do research and development for twice as much as retail merchants?
City Officials Clash with Descendants of Long-Neglected Graves at Fort Ward
African-American burials may never be discovered as city prepares management plan.
Two years ago, city officials aimed a high-powered radar from California at the ground in various spots at Fort Ward.
Use of Food Stamps Skyrocketing in Northern Virginia
Program doubles in Arlington, triples in Fairfax and quadruples in Alexandria.
The use of food stamps is skyrocketing in Northern Virginia, and the spike isn’t just about the recession.
Alexandria and Arlington at odds Over Streetcars Versus Bus-Rapid Transit
Transit riders could have to get off the Arlington streetcar to board an Alexandria bus.
Arlington and Alexandria planning officials are moving in different directions along Route One.
Arlington Officials Release Previously Secret Construction Bids
County leaders change position on secrecy of bids; refuse to reveal expectations.
New documents released by Arlington County officials show the four bids for the new aquatics center at Long Bridge Park range from $81.9 million to $82.8 million.
Era of the Iron Fist: How Did Democrats Rule the House of Delegates?
Democrats complain about Republican heavy-handedness, but were they any better?
Democrats complain that Republicans are sidelining their bills without much consideration. But were Democrats any better when they had control of the House of Delegates?
Alexandria Reckoning
Police launch formal inquiry into why Black people make up majority of arrests.
Black people are 23 percent of the population in Alexandria, and yet most arrests in the city are of African Americans. Most cases when police use force are against Black people. Most drug arrests are of Black people. And almost half of the inmates at the Alexandria jail are Black people.
Personality Conflict on the Richmond Highway Corridor
Do residents want to be suburban, exurban or urban?
This summer, residents in Mount Vernon will welcome a new Costco to the Richmond Highway corridor — a big-box retailer with a huge parking lot that will exemplify the kind of suburban and exurban development that has dominated far-flung reaches of the metropolitan region.
Study Shows $54 Million Retail Gap Along Richmond Highway Corridor
Supply is not meeting demand in Mount Vernon.
Supply is not matching demand along Richmond Highway, according to a new study from the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation.
City Attorney Determines No Impediment to Hensley Lease, But Record Remains Unclear
State officials are still digging through archive to trace federal funds from 1970s.
The history of Hensley Park has become a battlefield in recent weeks, as city leaders clash with opponents of a proposal to hand over open space to a developer who wants to build a sports complex.
Thousands of Families are Living with Uncertainty on the West End
City Council to consider plan that would demolish hundreds of low-end garden apartments.
On the windswept streets of the city's West End, many poor and Latino residents say they are living with a sense of uncertainty.