Alexandria Brief: Lawsuit Filed Against General Registrar of Voters
Anna Leider, the general registrar of voters in the City of Alexandria, is now faced with a lawsuit that alleges she failed to maintain proper voter rolls and refused to permit the plaintiffs to inspect list maintenance records as required by federal laws.
Arlington: Community Leaders and Muslims Discuss Islamophobia
Promoting more than just tolerance.
Nader Hasan remembers riding bikes through Shirlington with his cousin. The two of them grew up in the area and watched fireworks together from one of the nearby hills. But the two boys from Arlington grew up into very different men. When Major Nidal Hasan murdered 13 people in Fort Hood in 2009 as part of an attempt to spread fear and hate, it forced his cousin Nader Hasan to confront extremism on both sides of his community and his country.
Alexandria Business: Teaism Goes Cold
By the end of April, healthy food restaurant Teaism will close.
After four years as part of the first wave of the North Old Town renaissance, the Teaism Restaurant on on N St. Asaph Street will close on April 24.
Alexandria: Uniting for Clean Energy
Rally spotlights climate change’s effects on people.
A rally to support clean power, held in Market Square on April 2, was interrupted by a heckler denouncing climate change as a fraud. For attendees of the rally, it was an unexpected disturbance, but the legislators hosting the event say it’s par for the course.
Inside the Alexandria Police Department: Evidence
An occasional series, drawn from the Alexandria Citizen’s Police Academy.
The Alexandria Citizens’ Police Academy is a 10-week course hosted by the Alexandria Police Department (APD) to offer citizens a better understanding of how the department works. Throughout the course, participants sit in on emergency calls and ride along with police officers on patrol.
Alexandria: Robbery Ends in Murder
Local grandfather remembered as pillar of community.
Melaku Abraha loved walking. It was his favorite way to explore Alexandria, and family and neighbors in particular remember his frequent walks near his home on South Alfred Street. On March 28, at around 9:33 p.m., he was found conscious but badly injured just a block from his home. A robbery and assault left Abraha with serious head injuries. He was hospitalized, but his condition continued to deteriorate and four days later he died.
Arlington: The Undocumented American Story
Dinner with Beyer highlights difficulties facing undocumented immigrants in Northern Virginia.
The Pintos are an all-American family. Jerry Pinto, a 50-year-old man with a thick moustache, works in construction. He says he doesn't speak English and he lets his daughter do most of the translating.
Inside the Alexandria Police Department: Criminal Investigations
“I’d be lying if I said it’s not cool.” — Sgt. John East from APD Vice
The Alexandria Citizens’ Police Academy is a 10-week course hosted by the Alexandria Police Department (APD) to offer citizens a better understanding of how the department works. Throughout the course, participants sit in on emergency calls and ride along with police officers on patrol.
Alexandria: Addressing Business Woes
City Council and state legislators examine Alexandria’s business woes.
Over oatmeal, Alexandria’s City Council and state legislators did their best to reassure local businesses, distressed by a recent spate of closures in Old Town.
Alexandria: Transitway Plan Branches Out
Council approves West End Transitway after argument over tree canopy.
If all goes as planned, implementation is still four years away, but the West End Transitway took a step forward at the March 29 meeting with the City Council unanimously voting in support of guidance for the planning of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route between the Van Dorn Metro Station and the Pentagon.
Arlington: 22 Stories in Pentagon City
Developers ask for height exceptions for Metro Park 6.
Pentagon City is transforming. Tucked away between the Pentagon City Metro Station and Crystal City, the Metropolitan Park area is nearing the end of a complete rebuilding that began in 2004.
Alexandria Brief: King Street Park Revitalized
Beverley Park isn’t the only Alexandria Park looking at major redevelopment. The park at the end of King Street, appropriately named “King Street Park,” could be seeing a temporary boost before Waterfront redevelopment transforms the area. Currently the site hosts a small anchor monument and a bench, but expansion into two nearby sites could turn the park into the missing link between the northern and southern parts of the Alexandria waterfront.
Alexandria: Old Town North Development Approved
The empty lot in North Old Town, formerly home to Giant, will soon be home for 232-units of residential development. Local citizens protested the traffic and parking impact of the new building, and while City Council did tighten the on-street parking requirement, City Council approved the development at the March 12 public hearing.
Arlington: Better Buses
Arlington County applies for funding to improve its public transit.
From better bus stops to shorter waiting times, if a series of grant applications from the regional and state authorities go through, Arlington’s public transit could see some new improvements.
Alexandria: Ramsey Resolved
Despite approvals, Ramsey Homes redevelopment pushed back until 2017.
The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority has agreed to a work plan with the city. One of the core tenets of this plan, number 3 on the list, is “no surprises.”
Alexandria: Euille Meets with Inmates
Former mayor discusses need for jobs to curb recidivism.
“Before we start, I want you to know that I can’t do anything to get you out sooner,” said former Mayor William Euille to inmates at the Alexandria Detention Center on March 10. Euille spoke about his own experiences with successes and defeats throughout his life, including his recent loss to Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg.
Alexandria: Make Eisenhower Great Again
City Manager Mark Jinks lays out plans for Eisenhower area.
While the city makes adjustments to local transit and fosters more cultural activities in the Carlyle and Eisenhower area, there’s been no word yet on the biggest issue affecting the Eisenhower Valley: whether or not the Transportation Safety Administration will move into the long-vacant Victory Center. At the March 10 meeting of the Eisenhower Partnership, City Manager Mark Jinks said that the city’s been hearing that they’ll find out whether or not Alexandria will be the new TSA home “any day now” since a judge voided the contract in November 2015.
Rosslyn Overhaul
Largest redevelopment on-record approved for Arlington’s Rosslyn neighborhood.
With five phases of development spread across 25 years, the newly approved Rosslyn Plaza will be the single largest redevelopment in the Rosslyn neighborhood. At the March 12 County Board meeting, the board unanimously approved five new buildings along the Rosslyn waterfront. The new project, proposed by Vornado/Charles E. Smith and Gould Property Company, will include 2.5 million square feet in office, residential, retail, and hotel space. However, while the County Board approved the project, some local residents were not as enthusiastic.
Alexandria: Ramsey Reconsidered
Rebuilding the strained “special relationship.”
Rezoning a piece of property without having an approved plan — for what will replace it — is highly unusual, but it doesn’t mean the City Council won’t do it.
What City Can Do To Help Businesses Succeed
Small business owners offer suggestions.
It might not sound like much for the average Alexandrian, but a zoning community meeting could be the first step towards making Alexandria a better home for small businesses. On March 19, the city will host a Small Business Zoning Community Meeting, starting at 10 a.m. in the Sister Cities room at City Hall.
Arlington County Board To Consider Rosslyn Redevelopment Plan
Rezoning and phased development to be reviewed.
The aging Rosslyn Plaza Park could be undergoing a massive overhaul after the upcoming March 12 County Board meeting.
Arlington: High-Occupancy Discussion
Arlingtonians share concerns about upcoming I-66 expansion.
After a year of meetings and hearings, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is beginning to move into the final phase of outreach for the I-66 transformation projects. At a regional level, most of the criticism was centered around the new tolling and extended High Occupancy Vehicle restrictions. For Arlington, the concerns are a little different.
Alexandria Votes Moderate
City residents favor Clinton, Rubio, and Kasich.
The ballots are hidden, but when he went to the polls at Lyles-Crouch Elementary School early on Super Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner made no secret of whom he was supporting.
Alexandria: Building on Giant’s Bones
Despite traffic concerns, Planning Commission green lights North Old Town development.
Currently, the city block between in North Old Town that formerly housed the Giant grocery store sits empty except for a lone ABC store.
Opportunities for Alexandrians
City job fair centers around entry level positions.
If you host it, they will come. While 3.4 percent unemployment in Alexandria is slightly below the 3.9 percent average for Northern Virginia, it still leaves 3,381 Alexandrians unemployed.
Arlington: County Board Clashes Over Playground Construction
If there’s one place in Arlington where you're likely to see more arguments than at a playground, it's the County Board. An argument between neighborhood residents against their civic association and the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee escalated to a disagreement between members of the County Board, but one that ended with unanimous approval.
Arlington: Minding the Budget Gap
Quick look at the Arlington County Schools budget.
Arlington County has a revenue sharing agreement with the school system, where the schools automatically receive 46.5 percent of the local taxes revenue.
Alexandria: Butting Heads on Ramsey Homes
Sudden reversal in saga of Alexandria affordable housing.
After seven hours of debate, the decision not to rezone Ramsey Homes on Saturday was rendered moot when one City Council member announced three days later that he’d changed his mind.
Alexandria: Jinks Presents Budget Plan
2017 proposed budget focuses on funding schools, but sets aside pre-k programs.
With Fairfax County looking at raising its real estate tax rate by 3 cents and Arlington County lowering it by a half cent, the main theme of City Manager Mark Jinks’ FY 2017 budget was surviving somewhere in the middle while providing funding to enhance schools, the fire department, and parking.
Alexandria: TC Honors Its Titans
Hall of Fame inductees include serviceman killed in Iraq and “Remember the Titans” coach Herman Boone.
For one of T.C. Williams High School’s biggest celebrities, Coach Herman Boone made a quiet entrance to the Alexandria City Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony. He worked his way apart from the crowd, finding and greeting some of the men he used to coach in football. Boone was among the athletes inducted and coaches honorarily inducted into the ACPS Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Feb. 12.
Alexandria: And Now for Something Different–Consensus
Council and School Board agree on capacity priority.
Here’s how budget sessions go: the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) puts together a list of funding requests. The city puts its budget together and tells the school system to get its numbers lower. There’s some haggling over prices and priorities, with the city eventually transferring a little more money into the schools and the schools announcing cuts to various programs or plans to reach the city’s funding requirements.
Alexandria: Residents Displaced by Church Expansion Assured Housing
The Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley presents affordable housing relocation plan.
“One of our missions is to sustain affordable housing,” said the Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley at a meeting with the local residents on Feb. 11.”This affects people and families. It’s not something we take lightly.”
Arlington Budget Season Blooms
Looking at the basics of the 2016 Arlington budget.
The birds will be singing, the snow will be melting, and throughout spring, Arlington County staff and board members will spend most of their afternoons haggling over finances. On Feb. 23, the County Board will vote on County Manager Mark Schwartz’s proposed FY 2017 budget, and 2016’s budget session will officially kick off.
Arlington: Screening of 'Princess Bride' Draws Full House
Annual “Princess Bride” Valentine’s Day screening at Arlington Drafthouse.
Love. Revenge. A clever hero. A beautiful princess. Sword fights. “The Princess Bride” has everything anyone could want in a Valentine’s Day movie, which is how the classic film became an annual tradition at the Arlington Drafthouse, which shows the movie, along with a magic show or stand up, every Feb. 14.
Alexandria: Making of a Megachurch
Alfred Street Baptist Church prepares for 181,151-square-foot expansion.
On Sundays, Alfred Street Baptist Church, one of the city’s oldest black churches, is one of the most popular spots in Alexandria’s Historic District. According to Deacon James Garrett, the church has added more than 3,000 new members over the last eight years. If all goes according to plan, it’s going to get a little more spacious inside Alexandria’s historic Alfred Street Baptist Church, but some residents are concerned it comes at the cost of crowding their neighbors.
Alexandria: War of Passive Aggression
South rises again in Alexandria to fight renaming streets and moving memorial.
Speakers at a city meeting compared the potential plans to de-Confederate Alexandria to everything from the backlash against soldiers returning home to Vietnam to ISIS and the Taliban. At the second meeting of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names, a public comment section sparked tensions and highlighted a deep divide in how Alexandrians still view a war over 150 years ended.
Arlington: Completing the Street
Public feedback potentially left on the roadside.
How’s your sidewalk? If you live near a road where there’s no sidewalk on either side of the street, or the sidewalk is incomplete, your street might be be receiving a makeover courtesy of Arlington County. The new Neighborhood Complete Streets Program, approved by the County Board at its Jan. 28 meeting, could have a radical impact on the lives of some Arlingtonians.
Alexandria: Ethics Reform Roils Council
Progressive transparency or potential witch hunt?
One month into her term as mayor, Allison Silberberg got the process started on enacting a new set of ethics reforms. At its Jan. 28 meeting, the City Council voted to approve an Ad Hoc Study Group to examine ethics reform. It’s the first legislative step forward on an issue Silberberg had put forward as a centerpiece of her election last year. But on the rest of the council, feelings toward the new committee were a little more tepid, some even drawing parallels between Silberberg’s ethics reform and McCarthyism.
Alexandria: Two Republicans Enter Race Against Beyer
Incumbent gains Republican opponents.
It’s been a little over a year since U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) took office, and both the first term congressman and his political opposition have been busy in that time.
Arlington: Gondola Project Gets Off the Ground
Board approves feasibility study for Rosslyn-Georgetown Gondola.
It's crazy enough that it just might work.
Arlington Enters Final Snow-Clearing Phase
The fallout of the 2016 massive snowstorm is coming to a close for Arlington.
Alexandria: Tragedy and Charity For Deputy Sheriff
Hardships continue for deputy sheriff, while family and coworkers help.
People at the Alexandria Sheriff’s Department say good things about Sergeant Chris O’Dell, but one of the most telling stories about O’Dell is when he saved an inmate’s life in August 2014.
Alexandria: Achieving ‘Passable’ Roads
On Wednesday morning, Jan. 27, the city announced that all streets in Alexandria were passable for emergency vehicles, but warned that “passable” may mean only one lane is clear.
Alexandria Neighborhood Outlook: Developments Underway for Oakville, Eisenhower, Landmark
Incremental steps require time and negotiations.
With the approval of the Oakville Small Area Plan by the City Council in late 2015, that small corner of Alexandria is receiving a major facelift. The area referred to in council discussions as the “Gateway to Alexandria” will see expanded density and retail as the city braces for the opening of the nearby Potomac Yard Metro Station.
Arlington: Beyer Reviews His Work in Congress
And gains Republican opponent in Mike Webb.
It’s been a little over a year since U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) took office, and both the first term congressman and his political opposition have been busy in that time.
Arlington: Transforming Four Mile Run
Neighborhood Outlook
Columbia Pike is the fastest growing area of Arlington. The Columbia Pike corridor is estimated to experience a 21 percent population growth, twice Arlington County’s anticipated 11 percent growth.
Alexandria: Murders Spotlight Gang Presence
MS-13 gang members in custody over Beverley Park and Four Mile Run homicides.
After months of investigating, two of Alexandria’s 2015 homicide cases may have been solved. Police announced on Jan. 13 that suspects were in custody for the murders of Jose Luis Ferman Perez and Eduardo David Chandias Almendarez.
Arlington: Keeping King’s Legacy Alive
Arlington celebrates its 47th annual Martin Luther King Jr. tribute.
The audience in the auditorium at Wakefield High School got to its feet, hands joined and sang. From hundreds of Arlingtonians — diverse in age and race — came the chorus of “We Shall Overcome” at the end of the 47th annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday, Jan. 17.
Treating Arlington
How Virginia’s decision not to expand Medicaid impacts Arlingtonians.
Where do you go when you’re sick?
Alexandria: Big Trouble in Little Businesses
Why Not closing, Old Town Coffee Tea and Spice hanging in the balance, and questions surround future of small business in Old Town.
Within the next few months, Old Town Alexandria will be losing one of its small business institutions and a second one remains at risk for closure.