Stories for March 2021

Green Summer

Alexandria delegation works with the governor to legalize marijuana on July 1.

Alexandria is about to become the capital of marijuana in Virginia. The city's legislative delegation is at the center of an effort poised to legalize weed this summer, years ahead of an agreement that was struck behind closed doors at the end of the General Assembly session in February.

Opinion: Column: Time Will Tell

Ordinarily, I'd be writing this column this weekend – after this week's events.

Donated Football Practice Gear Gets Players Jumping at Hayfield

Parent turns a donation into a lesson on positivity for others.

football equipment

Ethicist on the Bench

Prosecutor of bad lawyers to take a seat on the Alexandria Circuit Court

Prosecuting unethical lawyers is not a great way to win friends and influence people. Yet somehow Kathleen Uston has been able to figure out a way to trade her job as assistant bar counsel at the Virginia State Bar for a seat on the Alexandria Circuit Court. She'll be installed on the court next week, the culmination of a career that has given Uston an inside look at some of the worst lawyering in Virginia while also giving her a special insight into the role ethics plays in the law. — Yvonne Weight Callahan

Welcome Back in Alexandria

T.C. students resume in-person classes.

One year after classes were abruptly suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students at T.C. Williams High School returned for in-person studies March 16 with social distancing practices now the new normal at the King Street campus.

Happy 90th Birthday, Charles Nelson

On March 11, it was official: Charles Nelson became a nonagenarian, celebrating his 90th birthday with family at his home in Alexandria.

Opinion: Editorial: We Still Need Your Help

We all need community newspapers; community newspapers need your help.

You need local newspapers.

Appetite: Off the Menu: Restaurant News and Notes

This week marks a year since Alexandria’s Covid-19 lockdown rules went into effect, sparking a year of pivoting, changing and adapting.

Opinion: Commentary: Getting My Covid Shot: Proud To Be an Alexandrian

The Republican in me was ready for everything to be screwed up.

Opinion: Commentary: Hard to Overstate Accomplishments

The General Assembly officially adjourned “sine die” on Monday, March 1, wrapping up a high-pressure session which caps one of the most progressive, accomplishment-filled two year legislative cycles in Virginia’s history.

The Other Alexandria: Passing The History On – Lois Diggs Davis

Many African American families in Alexandria have family ties back to the pre- and post-Civil War era. One of these families is the Diggs family.

Back in 2014, the City of Alexandria honored the descendants of the Freedmen’s Cemetery, located at Washington and Church Street.

Opinion: Commentary: Beyer Highlights American Rescue Plan Benefits

Last week, Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) voted to pass the landmark American Rescue Plan and send it to President Biden’s desk for signature.

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria Transports 50 Cats

Rescue mission helps overwhelmed Texas shelters seeing a surge of surrendered pets

On Saturday, March 13, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) brought in 50 cats from eight individual animal shelters in Texas, still recovering from the devastating February snowstorms and subsequent power outages.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Bill Cleveland For Anything

In the event that William "Bill" Cleveland announces his candidacy for any local office in Alexandria, I want to share this.

Murder Victim in Southern Fairfax County Never Identified

Body found in Giles Run creek remains a mystery since 1972 as does the exact location of his burial plot in a Mount Vernon graveyard.

Murder mystery

Opinion: Column: A Shot in the Arm

Literally and figuratively.

Opinion: Editorial: We Still Need Your Help

We all need community newspapers; community newspapers need your help.

A year later, Covid continues to be the most compelling, most local issue that we face.

Creating Healthy Mother-Daughter Relationships

Local authors and therapists offer thoughts and guidance.

As a middle school student, Sofie Jacobs was at times mocked by other girls for her fastidious study habits and the good grades she received as a result.

Seeing Double

Alexandria delegate is one of four House members whose name will be on the ballot twice.

The ballot for the Democratic primary in June might cause you to do a double take. Del. Mark Levine (D-45) will be on the ballot twice, once running for reelection against primary challenger Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and then again against seven other candidates for lieutenant governor. Levine and three other House members will be doing double duty, asking voters to reject their primary opponents for seats they would vacate if they win stateside office.

Trickling Back Into the Classroom in Alexandria

Last week, certain young students arrived for their first day of school in Alexandria Public Schools.

Sheriff Lawhorne Announces Retirement

To end 43-year career in law enforcement

Sheriff Dana Lawhorne, a life-long Alexandrian with 43 years in law enforcement, has announced his retirement effective Dec. 31, when his current term expires.

Alexandria Police Foundation Scam Call Alert

Calls targeting residents on behalf of police youth camp

The Alexandria Police Foundation is asking residents to be aware of solicitation phone calls purported to be on behalf of the foundation’s youth camp.

Victory Center in Alexandria Transformed for Vaccines

High-capacity Covid-19 vaccination site to open in Alexandria as the one-year mark in the pandemic passes

A large-scale vaccination center for Northern Virginia is slated to open by the end of March at the long-vacant Victory Center, with the ability to provide upwards of 6,000 doses per day of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Alexandria Police Department Investigates After Vehicle Was Briefly Stolen With A Child Inside

The Alexandria Police Department is conducting an investigation into a stolen auto and a firearm brandishing incident.

Alexandria Republicans Expect Candidates to Declare Soon

Local Republican efforts to recruit candidates to challenge Democrats in the November elections are proving successful, according to party Chairman Pete Benavage.

Alexandria Power Plant Redevelopment Includes Bike Improvements

The north end Small Area Plan does not leave bike trail users high and dry.

Bicyclists won’t be left out of the plans when the GenOn Energy plant is redeveloped as a major part of the Old Town North Small Area Plan, originally adopted by the city in 2017.

‘Better Than I Deserve’: Roy Gravatte Dies at 84

For most people, the cursory greeting “How are you?” elicits a cursory “Fine, and you?” But for Roy Gravatte, it was a chance to show his gratitude in life with his signature response to anyone who asked: “Better than I deserve.”

McAuliffe to Pick Up Support in Alexandria

Former governor to receive key endorsements from prominent city officials.

As the spring campaign season heats up, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe is about to receive endorsements from prominent Alexandria elected officials in the hotly contested Democratic primary for governor.

Opinion: Column: “Cancerversary”

I realize I'm cancer-centric, especially in these columns, but for some reason that centricity didn't acknowledge my February 27th cancer anniversary.

Opinion: Commentary: What is ‘Fair’?

Equity costs - and paying that price will not be fair, but it will be just.

If Black people had a dollar for every individual, organization, and company that publicly professed a commitment to antiracism and racial equity while holding up progress in the name of “fairness,” we could have closed the racial wealth gap ten times over.

Opinion: Commentary: Step into Nature for Improved Health

New research into the health benefits of being in nature prompted the Wall Street Journal reporter Betsy Morris to do a story titled, "For Better Health During the Pandemic, Is Two hours Outdoors the New 10,000 Steps?"

Starting from a Clean Slate

Compromise on expungement: automatic for some misdemeanors, petition for some felonies.

Marijuana convictions will be automatically expunged under a bill now under consideration by Gov. Ralph Northam, although convictions for crack cocaine will require missing a day of work and probably hiring a lawyer to go to court and seal the record. The legislation is a compromise crafted late in the General Assembly session by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring of Alexandria and state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36), who clashed repeatedly over the last year about how the process should work.

Vice President Harris Visits Fibre Space in Alexandria

Vice President Kamala Harris visited Fibre Space, a woman-owned small business in Alexandria on Wednesday, March 3, to talk about passing the American Rescue Plan, getting the pandemic under control, getting relief to those who need it, and supporting women in the workforce.

Inside Guest House in Alexandria

Challenges posed by Covid add to tough road to recovery

Kari Galloway, Executive Director of Friends of Guest House in Alexandria, says “It’s hard. Our clients feel like they just got out of prison and then they come here and get quarantined for two weeks in their room.”

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Density: Source of Problems

Many people think that density is really good for Alexandria, but in my opinion, almost every major problem within our community can be traced to over-densification.

Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Overfunding Alexandria’s Stream Projects by Several Million

According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing stream construction projects throughout the Commonwealth, DEQ no longer allows default calculations for phosphorus to be used in pollution reduction crediting.

Register Now for the Spring “Virtual” Senior Academy

Session Begins Wednesday, April 7

Spring is in the air and Senior Services of Alexandria is excited to be hosting its Spring Senior Academy virtually via Zoom starting in April.

Celebrating Purim in Alexandria

Observance marks the saving of Jews from execution in Persia.

Students at Agudas Achim Congregation donned their best costumes on Feb. 26 to celebrate Purim, the holiday marking the saving from execution of the Jewish people in 5th century BC in Persia.

They’re Back in Alexandria!

ACPS begins return to in-person classes

After nearly a year of virtual learning, Alexandria City Public Schools began the process of returning students to the classroom with a hybrid learning plan that began March 2.

Appetite: Plant-Based Cottage Bakery Coming to Del Ray

Ah, the smell of pastries – there’s really nothing like it.

Opinion: Commentary: Marijuana Legalization Can Reduce School Inequity

Marijuana legalization, which was just passed by the General Assembly, presents a rare opportunity for society to right decades of wrongs.

The Other Alexandria: His Name Lives On – Charles Hamilton Houston

Before 1965, Alexandria, Va. had separate schools for African Americans in the Alexandria school system.

Alexandria Police Arrest One for High-Speed Race on I-495

The Alexandria Police Department arrested one driver in connection with a high-speed vehicle race this weekend on I-495.

Alexandria Republicans to Hold Candidate Information Session

Local Republican party Chairman Pete Benavage announced that the party is planning an information session on March 6 for local Republicans interested in running for office.

Opinion: Column: Back to Abnormal

Well, those last two weeks were kind of fun, (comparatively speaking) to the dozen or so previous weeks.

Wellbeing: A Schedule Can Anchor Your Day

How creating a daily routine can ease anxiety during times of uncertainty

Her days were overwhelmingly stressful.

Opinion: Editorial: Brain Injury Awareness: A Personal Story

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month.

In 2007, my kids and I were at a fireworks show in Vienna that was so grand we were in awe of each burst.

High Time for Legalization?

Advocates call on the governor to legalize marijuana as soon as possible.

The debate over legalizing marijuana is about to light up, putting Gov. Ralph Northam at the center of a budding controversy. At issue is a question of timing. Should he agree with lawmakers that legalization should wait until New Years Day 2024, giving the commonwealth enough time to stand up the new Cannabis Control Authority? Or should he amend the bill the General Assembly put on his desk to legalize weed now to prevent communities of color from being overpoliced in the interim?