Stories for August 2021

Volunteering Can Give Seniors Purpose

Seniors and retirees can stay active and have a positive impact on the community.

Every Tuesday this summer, Esther Rosenberg has welcomed two elementary school-aged students into her Potomac, Md. home.

Opinion: Column: “Enough Already”

As my late mother would have suggested after reading four consecutive weeks of Kenny's column being on the same subject: the second degree burns on my feet, I am finally moving on.

Overcoming Mental Health Stigma

Suicide Walk-a-Thon brings awareness

The pandemic's psychological and socioeconomic fallout may be driving an accelerated trend in depressive symptoms and suicide ideation, attempts, and deaths in Fairfax County, reported experts in mental health at the "Fight Suicide" Walk-a-Thon at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston held Aug. 21.

Potomac Riverkeeper Has Hands Full of Plastics

Plus storm drains are portals for pet waste and excess fertilizer.

Potomac Riverkeeper

Senior Olympics Profile Orienteering

Which way is north again?

Grab a compass and detailed topographical map and head out over unfamiliar terrain to navigate a set course in the fastest time.

Obituary: Carlyle ‘Connie’ Ring

Former City Councilman dies at 90

For decades, Connie Ring was a stalwart of public service.

Connecting the Unconnected

Less than 3 percent of broadband spending to help low-income people gain internet access

About 15 percent of Alexandria students did not have access to the internet when the pandemic began last year, a statistic that reveals how many households in Alexandria are locked out of the modern economy.

Celebrating 75 years of AWLA and a Pet-friendly Alexandria

Alexandria’s approach toward pets and their care has changed drastically over the last 75 years.

Alexandria to Honor Suffragists Tortured at Occoquan Workhouse

Landmark Suffragist Court Case was Decided in Alexandria

Thursday, Aug. 26 9-9:30 a.m.

‘I Will Always Refuse’

Display chronicles historic library protest

It was a peaceful protest, virtually ignored by newspapers across the country.

New Law Could Help Save Turtles

Wild turtles need protection; enjoy them by seeing them, but leave them be.

From scratchy ancient petroglyphs to the children’s book heroine, Myrtle the turtle, to fictional superheroes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, turtles have long fascinated people.

Appetite: Off the Menu: 4 Alexandria Restaurants With Weather-Resistant Outdoor Dining

In the Before Times, it was easy to know what to do in the face of extreme weather: Dine indoors.

Whistle Stop

McAuliffe launches DNC bus tour at Port City, dodges question about labor

The Build Back Better Bus caused quite a stir last week at Port City Brewing, and not just because of the alliteration.

Opinion: Column: Hopping and Hoping

As I approach my four-week anniversary of "the burning," I do so with cautious optimism that one day soon, I'll be walking upright once again and doing so without the assistance of my walker.

Universities Measure Heat Disparities in Virginia

Marymount professor and student join ‘Heat Watch’ effort.

Enduring dangerously high temperatures, Marymount University student Bader Hakami and biology professor Susan Agolini spent a day working as community scientists.

Obituary: Thomas “Tommy” Lacey Jr.

Recent T.C. graduate dies at 18

Tommy Lacey was a towering figure.

Appetite: Dine In, Out or at Home During This Summer Alexandria Restaurant Week

Like an old friend that you know you can rely on year after year, Alexandria’s summer Restaurant Week is almost here once more.

Opinion: Commentary: Virginia Legislature Decides on Funds, Addresses Needs

On Aug. 10, the General Assembly completed work in a special session to appropriate federal pandemic funds and elect judges.

Paving and Warm Weather are in Tandem This Year in Northern Virginia

There is a map and system to where the paving goes.

August is hot, and the drivers trying to get back to a normal routine have probably hit a pothole or two out on the roads, but VDOT is out there with the paving crews, putting down pavement on 1,145 lane miles throughout the paving season, which goes until November.

Design Ideas to Welcome Fall

Small changes in home accessories can transform a space.

When it comes to interior design, attention to even the smallest of details took on new importance over the past year.

Big Money for Big Biz, Not as Much for Poor

Lawmakers go on a spending spree with billions of dollars from Uncle Sam.

Big business cleaned up this week, taking home the biggest prizes in the special session to spend $3 billion in stimulus cash. Meanwhile, low-income Virginians didn't fare quite as well.

Snakeheads Are Thriving in Area Waters

Snakeheads taste like a tender pork chop, some say.

They lurk in the murky, sluggish shallows, their elongated bodies and splotchy, brown skin camouflaged in the shoreline’s woody detritus and dense vegetation.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: How Enslaved People Came to be Called “Contrabands”

We much appreciated Jeanne Theismann’s front-page article regarding an historic first for the Commonwealth: the inclusion of Alexandria’s Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery, the burial place of about 1,800 African Americans, in the national African American Civil Rights Network.

Feed Hungry Children in Alexandria

ALIVE! resumes food donations

ALIVE! resumes its food collection from the community.

Noah Lyles Takes Bronze

Chance for gold in 4x100m final Aug. 6

Alexandria’s Noah Lyles, one of the most talked about athletes leading up to the Tokyo Olympic Games, left the world’s biggest athletic stage with a bronze medal in the men’s 200-meter final Aug. 4 at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.

‘Service Above Self’: De Candio takes helm of Alexandria Rotary Club

After more than a year of virtual meetings, the Rotary Club of Alexandria gathered in person to formally install Pam De Candio as the 93rd club president at the organization’s July 27 meeting at Belle Haven Country Club.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Adequate Healthcare Needed for All

Concern for the unvaccinated resonates rather hollowly in the absence of adequate healthcare for millions of Americans.

Living Legends of Alexandria: Sister Act

Lindsey Swanson and Katey Halasz honored as Living Legends

When 18-year-old Kelley Swanson died just a few weeks after her graduation from T.C. Williams High School in 2005, her family wanted her spirit of giving and desire to help others to continue.

Opinion: Commentary: Stop To Remember Benjamin Thomas

The teenager was lynched across from Market Square on Aug. 8, 1899.

On Sunday, Aug. 8 at Market Square, Alexandria citizens will stop and remember Benjamin Thomas who was lynched across the street from the plaza on that date in 1899.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Class Action Lawsuits Are Repugnant

Recall my letter from a couple years ago challenging Va. Sen. Scott Surovell's call for allowing state class action lawsuits:

Spending Spree

General Assembly returns to Richmond to appropriate federal stimulus cash

In the 1985 hit movie "Brewster's Millions," Richard Pryor is given the task of spending $30 million in 30 days.

Opinion: Commentary: Biden Can Do More to Keep Guns Out of Unsafe Hands

How badly do we want to reduce gun violence in America, whether from suicides, mass shootings, domestic violence or some combination of the above?

Northern Virginia Senior Olympics Opens 39th Year in September

Step up and claim your Olympic medal awarded after each event.

Pressure for Athletic Success Can Lead to Stress

Balancing the need for athletic achievement with emotional wellbeing

Practicing with her club track team three days each week, training with a private coach on the other four days and balancing a challenging academic workload led to a stressful school year for Alexandria high school senior Alexis McCormick.

Quick Thinking and a Blanket Save Cat Out on a Ledge

No one would have imagined that a moment of supervised balcony playtime would have turned into a precarious situation for a feline friend this past week.

The Sound of Silence in Alexandria

New barking ordinance provides clear specification about dog noise.

For many years, when Alexandria residents inquired about a loud dog in their neighborhood, their first question was “Isn’t there a law against it?”

Alexandria Aces Advance to Championship Series

Brook leads 10-0 shutout of Thunderbolts

The Alexandria Aces have advanced to the finals of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League with a two-game sweep of the Silver Spring Thunderbolts in the semi final playoffs.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: This Year’s Crop of Potholes in Alexandria

As I drive around Old Town, I continually come upon numerous potholes and ruts that have obviously developed over the winter.

Man Found Dead in Alexandria Apartment; Apparent Shooting

Detectives from Fairfax County Police Department Major Crimes Bureau continue to investigate after a 19-year-old man was found deceased Tuesday night, July 27, inside an apartment in the 3100 block of Southgate Drive in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. Officers responded at 7:12 p.m. after a family member found Ronald Worthy Jr., of Alexandria, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to the upper body.

Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery is the first Virginia site added to African American Civil Rights Network

They were fleeing the bondage of slavery.