All results / Stories / Michael Lee Pope
On the Campaign Trail
Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe is not the standard candidate for higher office.
Voters to Have Final Say on Waterfront Plan as Legal Challenges Linger
Boat Club occupies the Strand as tensions mount over controversial small-area plan.
Last weekend, members of the Old Dominion Boat Club staged an annual ritual that’s something of a cross between a tailgating party and Occupy Wall Street. Every year, members shut down a section of the Strand for several hours to make sure everybody knows that the land is officially Boat Club property. The yearly affirmation usually goes without much notice.
Rob Krupicka Wins Special Election In Landslide Victory
Councilman wins every precinct in special election for 45th District of House of Delegates.
Back in 2003, a former AOL executive named Rob Krupicka launched his campaign for Alexandria City Council at Fireflies — a popular Del Ray restaurant a stone’s throw from the Krupicka house on East Nelson Avenue.
Northern Virginia Democrat Takes Aim at the Gun Show Loophole
Arlington delegates wants to require background checks for all private firearms sales.
Legislators will be dueling over guns this year at the Capitol, with gun-rights advocates set to oppose efforts to close Virginia’s gun-show loophole.
Money on the Shelves: Jurisdictions Take Variety of Approaches to Funding Libraries
Some have recovered from the recession, others are still struggling.
What is the future of the neighborhood library?
More Clang Coming to Del Ray
New free service along Mount Vernon Avenue to cost $1 million a year.
Del Ray is sometimes called the “little neighborhood that could,” a reference to its history as a home for railroad workers at Potomac Yard.
Contaminated Legacy
From slave plantation to industrial pollution, a hidden history of North Old Town.
The shuttered power plant dominating the landscape in North Old Town has layers of industrial pollution, a hidden history buried under the contaminated soil of the Potomac River Generating Station. Even before the coal-fired power plant was constructed in 1949, the property was home to the American Chlorophyll Company and Potomac River Clay Works. That means the long and complicated task known as "remediating" the property could mean removing everything from coal ash and mercury to industrial fertilizer and hazardous metals.
Griffin’s Final Budget
Outgoing county executive proposes 6.1 percent budget increase compared to last year.
Appearing before members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for the last time, outgoing county executive Anthony Griffin had the luxury of taking the long view. When considering the challenges that currently confront the county, Griffin reminded the elected officials that it wasn’t all that long ago that Fairfax County has essentially a rural backwater of the capital.
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.
Voters to Determine Direction of City
Republican Annetta Catchings challenges incumbent Democrat Justin Wilson for mayor.
The race for mayor comes down to a simple question: Are Alexandria voters happy with the direction of the city or not?
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.