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.
Tensions Rising Between Arlington and Alexandria Over Transit Corridor
Alexandria leaders lash out at Arlington officials for backing out of an environmental analysis.
Tensions between Alexandria and Arlington are growing along Route 1, where city and county leaders are moving in different directions about how the jurisdictions want to create a high-capacity transit corridor.
Business Matters
Say goodbye to the Alexandria Sanitation Authority. Say hello to Alexandria Renew Enterprises, and get ready to pay two bills instead of one.
Tall Order For Smart Growth Near Braddock Road Metro
City Council members set aside commercial land-use and height limit in Parker Gray.
Remember that commercial building that was approved near the Braddock Road Metro station? Well forget about it.
Gunston Hall Museum Director Ousted by Regents After Year of Controversy
David Reese is out; Mark Whatford to serve as acting director.
After surviving more than a year of calls for his resignation, Gunston Hall museum director has been removed as head of the historic house site.
New Leadership At Gunston Hall
Museum director ousted by regents after year of controversy.
After surviving more than a year of calls for his resignation, Gunston Hall museum director has been removed as head of the historic house site. In a meeting last week, the Board of Regents voted to replace David Reese, effective immediately. Mark Whatford, a senior staff member, will serve as acting director until a permanent replacement is hired. The decision comes after harsh criticism of financial mismanagement and unprofessional behavior.
Virginia Supreme Court Hears Boat Club Case Against City and Restaurant
Old Dominion objects to City Council lease of public alley for private use.
Does Alexandria have the right to close Wales Alley? That’s an issue now before justices of the Virginia Supreme Court, who heard oral arguments in a case that’s divided Alexandria for years.
Week in Alexandria
The Alexandria Police Department is charging three California men with conspiracy to import marijuana into Virginia.
Business Matters
Remember that commercial building that was approved near the Braddock Road Metro station? Well forget about it.
Board of Zoning Appeals Overturns Planning Director's Determination on Waterfront Plan
City officials vow to appeal ruling to Circuit Court in dramatic turn of events.
The waterfront plan is dead, at least for now.
What Will Happen to Hundreds of Workforce Units at Southern Edge of Old Town?
Fate of Hunting Towers is at stake as VDOT considers sale on the open market.
After almost a decade as a reluctant landlord, the Virginia Department of Transportation is getting out of the property rental game.
Business Matters
The city’s latest round of business and professional license taxes, which were due in March, reveal a city on the rebound.
Council Notebook
Del Ray is sometimes called “the little neighborhood that could,” a reference to the area’s history as a residential spot for railroad workers at Potomac Yard.
School System Presents Site Plan to City Hall for Jefferson-Houston
Old school would be demolished; new school to be constructed in its place.
After years of failing test scores and faltering attendance, school officials now have a plan to demolish the existing Jefferson-Houston School and build a new one.
Federal Prosecutors Uncover Schoolyard Prostitution Ring in Suburban Fairfax County
U.S. Attorney: Underground Gangster Crips led prostitution ring that spanned Northern Virginia.
The high school girls were threatened with violence if they attempted to leave. They were sexually exploited by customers of the sex trafficking operation as well as the men who ran the prostitution ring.
Alexandria and Arlington at odds Over Streetcars Versus Bus-Rapid Transit
Transit riders could have to get off the Arlington streetcar to board an Alexandria bus.
Arlington and Alexandria planning officials are moving in different directions along Route One.
Week in Alexandria
In an emotional speech to the Alexandria Democratic Committee Monday night, four-term Del. David Englin (D-45) said he will not seek reelection to the House of Delegates next year.
Alexandria City Council Campaign Shifts Westward As Two New Candidates Enter Race
Displacement of poor and Latino citizens to be central issue in upcoming campaign.
With two more candidates entering the race for Alexandria City Council, the lines of combat are moving west.
Business Matters
Alexandria's chief tourism promoter Stephanie Pace Brown is leaving a city her organization calls “Charm-ville.”
Video: Englin Admits to Being Unfaithful in Marriage; Announces He Will Not Seek Fifth Term
Delegate makes announcement in emotional speech to Alexandria Democratic Committee
In an emotional speech to the Alexandria Democratic Committee Del. David Englin (D-45) announced he will not seek a fifth term to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Council Notebook
For years, city leaders have thought the surface parking lot at the King Street Metro is just too suburban.
Census Records Show Alexandria is Getting Older and More Educated
New report shows shifting black population and an increase in African-born residents.
Alexandria is getting older and more educated, and its residents are increasingly likely to take public transportation to work.
Business Matters
The Old Town Farmers Market is about to get a little later.
Struggling Nonprofit Fights Against Cuts to At-Risk Children
City Council members consider elimination of Urban League program for troubled youth.
Since 1981, the city of Alexandria has been funding an Urban League program to help at-risk youth.
Week in Alexandria
Everybody knows that Baltimore is Charm City. But what is Alexandria?
Business Matters
The metaphor usually used for governing is making sausage. Although you might appreciate the final product, you don’t want to see it being made.
Alexandria School Board Standing By Embattled Superintendent
Members regret what happened, but feel confident superintendent took decisive action.
Members of the Alexandria School Board are standing by embattled school superintendent Morton Sherman, despite calls for him to step down in the wake of a scathing auditor's report.
Virginia Officials Deliberately Moving Slowly on Health Care Exchange
If Supreme Court upholds health-care reform, governor would have to call special session.
Virginia has eight months to create a certification plan for how it plans to create a health-care exchange, a legal requirement of President Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Week in Alexandria
The budget standoff in Richmond could have dramatic consequences in Alexandria, where every service from education services to transportation funding is on the line.
Business Matters
How far did the empire of Orange Julius reach? What’s the capital of Banana Republic? Is Aeropostale aerodynamic?
Dysfunctional Budgeting Prompts Crisis at Alexandria City Public Schools
Independent audit rips school system; vice mayor calls for superintendent to step down.
An independent auditor has concluded that the budget office at Alexandria City Public Schools suffers from a “dysfunctional environment," approving contracts that had not been budgeted and providing inaccurate information to School Board members.
Stakes Are High in Virginia Budget Standoff
Lawmakers flee Capitol, where partisan gridlock reigns.
The budget standoff in Richmond could have drastic consequences in Northern Virginia, where every service from education to transportation is on the line.
How Would City Council Candidates Have Voted on the Waterfront Plan?
Candidates for office take sides in debate on controversial waterfront proposal.
The waterfront is no longer a partisan issue. As more candidates throw their hat into the ring to run in the election for Alexandria City Council, a broader field of possibilities is opening up to voters.
Local Governments Enjoy Record Spending
Bucking national trend, local governments here expand while others are contracting.
As local governments across America are laying off firefighters and teachers, governments in Northern Virginia are experiencing record levels of spending and an all-time-high number of employees.
Business Matters
Facing his first difficult decision as the new president and CEO of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, John Long is already in a no-win situation. Where to live?
Democrats Crowd City Council Field
Twelve candidates have announced for six seats, and one more is likely to join.
As the campaign season heats up, the Democratic field is getting more crowded. Four new candidates gave their first pitch to members of the Alexandria Democratic Committee Monday night.
Not-So-Super Tuesday
Turnout for Virginia's presidential preference primary was lowest in recent memory.
With two of the major candidates in the Republican presidential contest failing to qualify for the ballot in Virginia, Super Tuesday was anything but super.
City Council Members Warned of Affliction and Loss in West End
A Proverb for the Beauregard small-area plan.
Yea, though members of the City Council walk through the valley of the shadow of Beauregard, they seem to fear no evil.
Andrew Macdonald ‘Seriously Considering’ Independent Campaign for Mayor
Former Democratic elected official appears before Republicans to ask for support.
Former Democratic Vice Mayor Andrew Macdonald says he is “seriously considering” an independent campaign for mayor, and he’s asking Republicans for support.
State Senate Committee Kills Effort to Overturn King's Dominion Law
School boards were encouraged by support from governor, but couldn't win over Senate committee.
The Senate Committee on Education and Health voted today to kill an effort overturning the King's Dominion Law, which mandates that school divisions across Virginia begin classes after Labor Day.
Council Notebook
Yea, though members of the City Council walk through the valley of the shadow of Beauregard, they seem to fear no evil.
Governments Across Virginia Hope to Kill Local Aid to the State Program
Jurisdictions hope to kill funding scheme created at height of recession.
In the darkest days of the global financial crisis, leaders in Richmond were willing to do almost anything to balance the budget.
In Session
What happens if a jury finds a murderer guilty but comes to an impasse on sentencing?
Changes to Waterfront Zoning Put on Hold While Challenges Are Considered
As challenges to small-area plan multiply, upzoning has been put on hold.
Think the waterfront plan passed? Think again.
Council to Consider Waterfront Master Plan Without Making Zoning Change
Two appeals and a court challenge have put the brakes on zoning changes.
During today's public hearing, members of the Alexandria City Council are set to consider an ordinance officially incorporating the controversial waterfront small-area plan into the city’s master plan.
Voters to Have Final Say on Eminent Domain Amendment
Opinions are divided as to what kind of influence the amendment could have if passed.
This fall, voters across Virginia will be confronted with a hotly debated amendment to the Virginia Constitution that seeks to limit the ability of local governments to use the power of eminent domain.
Week in Alexandria
This weekend, members of the Alexandria City Council are set to conduct a public hearing on an ordinance officially incorporating the controversial waterfront small-area plan into the city’s master plan.
In Session
Alexandria’s Senate delegation is divided on the King’s Dominion Law, the 30-year-old mandate that prevents school systems from opening before Labor Day.
Block by Block, 1940s Concentrated Public Housing in Alexandria is Being Demolished
All the units will be replaced, but will scattered-site housing work?
For more than half a century, the Parker Gray neighborhood has been home to blocks of public housing.
Waterfront Rezoning Put On Hold As Appeals Are Considered
Two challenges in Board of Zoning Appeals, another in Circuit Court.
The Fat Lady has yet to sing an aria for the waterfront plan, and now the controversial upzoning has been put on hold. At least for now.