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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.
New Book Chronicles African-American History in Alexandria
Story is told through narrative of 63 biographical sketches.
Alexandria currently has its first black mayor, its first black city manager, its first black city attorney, its first black Circuit Court judge and its first black police chief — not to mention the first black president in the White House. But the strains of race relations continue to haunt the city.
Uneasy Easement: 1789 Deed at Issue as City Hall Takes on Boat Club
Virginia Supreme Court justices say city is putting one private interest ahead of another.
John Adams was president of the United States when two land owners on Wales Alley secured a deed that gave them private use to a 30-foot easement in the alley.
Advocates for Affordable Housing In Arlington Battle Over WIsdom of Ballot Initiative
Green Party advocates take issue with opposition from Democrats.
Arlington County is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis, a sweeping demographic change that has wiped away more than half of affordable housing units for the poorest residents in the last decade according to a recent report.
Making Schools Safer
Two Northern Virginia Democrats take part in panel to consider school security.
Do Virginia schools need more guns? That question is at the heart of a debate that’s now reaching a fever pitch in the commonwealth, especially after a man with a Bushmaster assault rifle blasted his way into a Connecticut elementary school and killed 20 children and six adults before killing himself. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell responded to the tragedy by creating a School Safety Task Force, which is considering a proposal for every school in Virginia to have an armed school resource officer.
Redevelopment Spotlight Moves to Alexandria's West End
Developers stand to gain a fortune, but what about low-income residents?
Ever since city officials annexed the half of Alexandria west of Quaker Lane in 1952, the West End has had to fight for a place at the table.
The Fixer: Mame Reiley Remembered as Political Force of Nature
Democratic insider was mastermind behind Jim Moran's 1990 campaign for Congress.
When Mame Reiley decided a young guy by the name of Jim Moran could knock off an incumbent congressman, people thought she was crazy. U.S. Rep. Stanford Parris (R-8) had been in Congress more than a decade, and he had the kind of financial support that the mayor of Alexandria could only hope to assemble. But Reiley knew it could be done, and she put together a dream team to make it happen.
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.
Despite Advances, Many Virginians Remain Uninsured
Affordable Care Act expands coverage, but more than 800,000 still have no health insurance.
What is the state of the uninsured in Virginia?
Senate Panel Approves Crackdown on Internet Lenders in Virginia
Bill would subject unregulated loans to rules that apply to consumer-finance loans.
The Wild West of online lending is about to become a little tamer. That’s because a state Senate panel narrowly approved a bill that would subject internet loans to the same restrictions that currently exist for consumer finance loans, a move that would cramp the anything-goes culture of online loans in Virginia.
Boysko Wins Wexton Seat
Democrats enter the new year with a fresh victory and a full head of steam.
.Virginia’s 33rd state Senate District was once a solidly Republican seat, a place where conservative voters repeatedly rewarded Bill Mims for opposing same-sex marriage and championing homeschooling. But ever since Mims resigned to take a job in the McDonnell administration, the seat has been held by a succession of Democrats on their way to bigger and better things.
Financing the Rampage
Economic toll of gun violence is more than $14 billion a year for Virginia.
All those school security measures to harden your local elementary school add up. So do trips to the emergency room and the multiple surgeries needed to address gunshot wounds. While the human tragedy of gun violence often grabs headlines, the economic toll continues to mount with each mass shooting. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, the annual cost to Virginia is more than $14 billion a year.
Demanding Better Budgets
School Board rejects budget document, calls for comprehensive audit.
Demanding Better Budgets
Opposing Factions of Democrats Emerge in Hotly Contested City Council Primary
Four different political action committees endorse rival slates of candidates.
With four weeks until the Democratic primary for Alexandria City Council, the city’s Democrats are forming opposing factions in the hotly contested race.
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?
Decline in Sales Tax Threatens Ability of Local Governments to Balance Books
Sequester looms large over revenues across Northern Virginia.
Sales tax revenues are down across Northern Virginia, leading to concerns that balancing the books for the coming fiscal year could be even more of a challenge for budget officials and elected officials in the coming months.
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.