Alexandria: What’s Shaking Old Town?
Neighbors rattled by Robinson Terminal South demolition.
Robinson Terminal South is going through demolition, and neighbors say they can feel it. While developer EYA proved that the vibrations from construction work falls within the standard set by City Council, local residents argued that a stricter standard be put in place.
Expanding Scope of Alexandria’s Public Art Projects
“We’re looking at things like traffic boxes, but do we want to do more or look at other projects?”
Traffic Control boxes are metal containers. They help make sure the traffic lights run smoothly, but they’ve never been accused of being beautiful.
Upcoming Trials in Alexandria
Commonwealth Attorney's Office braces for a flurry of murder trials.
Fall 2016 and early 2017 are scheduled to be a busy time for the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.
Alexandria: Solar Panel Program Continues
Alexandria kicks off second year of its Solarize program.
three goals: to highlight the city priorities and for solar energy, so educate consumers on the price accessibility of greener energy options, and to help Alexandria citizens through the often technical and sometimes foreboding process of adding solar panels to a home.
Alexandria: City Schools’ Testing Scores on the Rise
Despite a few fumbles.
The Standards of Learning (SOL) test results are in, and for the most part, Alexandria City Public Schools has passed. The Virginia Department of Education released the data for the testing results in Alexandria over three years, showing a steady increase in both reading and science categories.
Alexandria: ‘Play Ball’ Initiative
Alexandria Summer Camp ends with baseball event.
Mac Slover, the regional program director for Alexandria’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Activities, loves baseball.
Alexandria: Virtuosos for Veterans
The Medical Musical Group and actor Michael York perform celebration of America’s veterans.
The performance had a mix of themes, from Shakespeare to Star Wars to Downton Abbey, but through it all the Medical Orchestra and hosts kept the key focus on celebrating America’s veterans. On Aug. 14, the Medical Musical Group (MMG) came together with actor Michael York and others to perform a salute to veterans and their families at the Schlesinger Concert Hall.
Alexandria Brief: Hearing Set for Arrested WMATA Officer
Nicholas Young, a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority officer, was arrested Aug. 3 for allegedly providing material support to ISIS. Young, a Fairfax resident, appeared briefly in Alexandria’s Eastern District Courthouse where his defense waived his preliminary hearing. Young’s next court date is scheduled for Aug. 11 at 2 p.m.
Alexandria: Paws to Read
Encouraging confidence in reading through puppies.
Maggie doesn’t talk back. Caroline Schofield, a second grader, can read to Maggie without judgment or being corrected. Maggie lays next to Caroline, occasionally wagging her tail and resting her head against the girl’s left while Caroline reads from a book.
Alexandria: Seniors at the Wheel
Accident highlights need for alternative travel options for elderly.
According to police, at 10 a.m. on Aug. 2, Leonard Wainstein, a 92-year-old Fairfax resident, was looking for a parking spot at a bank in Old Town Alexandria.
Alexandria: Robinson Terminal North Reconsidered
Developers say plans for Old Town warehouse no longer economically viable.
Rooney Properties and CityInterests are reconsidering their options at Robinson Terminal North.
Alexandria Celebrates National Night Out
Law enforcement and community come together for a night of celebration.
There was a tense moment between law enforcement and a member of the local community on National Night Out in Alexandria.
Alexandria Survives Metro Mayhem
Reviewing a month of metro-shutdowns.
July was rough for the metro in Alexandria, but the city has emerged through the worst of it. Between July 5 and 18, Surges 3 and 4 involved complete line shutdowns between Reagan National Airport and Braddock Road, then in the other direction between Reagan National Airport and Pentagon City. The latter didn’t take place in Alexandria, but kept commuters from using the Metro to get to Washington D.C.
Alexandria: Teen’s Presidential Business
One hundred years of American elections at one Alexandria table.
It’s election season in America, but Trump and Hillary aren’t the only campaign pins showing up in Old Town Alexandria. Outside Big Wheel Bikes on The Strand, 14-year-old Diego Antonio Moore has a table full of election pins promoting candidates from Eisenhower to Obama.
Alexandria: Local Red Cross Blood Supplies Critically Low
Donate now.
Blood has a shelf life of 42 days, but in the Washington D.C. area, all available units are being snatched up within five days.
Alexandria: Resurrecting Fort Ward
Committee pieces together the controversial history of historic Alexandria site.
Alexandria’s Fort Ward has a long history, but resources to commemorate that history are limited.
A Mother’s Grief: Arrest in Hall Homicide
An arrest in Saquan Hall homicide brings cycle of revenge to a close, but no satisfaction.
In the days after Saquan Hall’s murder, his mother, Patrice Hall, learned details about the shooting. She learned how he was shot once, stumbled, fell, and how the man who killed her son came up and shot him again in the head. The details, Patrice Hall says, that no mother should ever have to learn about her son.
New Heights for Alexandria
Impending 355 foot residential tower is just the start for Carlyle’s upward growth.
While arguments rage in Old Town over three- and four-story buildings, at the western end of Eisenhower Avenue the city is moving forward with plans for some of the tallest buildings in Northern Virginia.
Alexandria: The Band Plays On
Students, parents, and teachers reflect on music camp experience before Friday’s concert.
On Friday, the George Washington Middle will host a student orchestra and jazz concert. For attendees, the concert will be a free hour of live music. But for the performers, the concert is the culmination of a week of practice and learning at the Alexandria City Public Schools’ music camp.
Alexandria: Market Affordable Homes in Freefall
Tax increases push rent increases; rent increases push out residents.
Alexandria has lost of 8,000 market affordable homes since 2010. Most weren’t lost to dramatic demolitions or fires. They were lost in moments like the one Clifford Wilkening is facing; where an increase in property taxes is forcing the owner of 31 buildings housing 200 city residents to consider his first rent increase in around eight years.
Alexandria: Cora Kelly Pre-Testing Irregularity Under State Review
Administration takes disciplinary action against principal.
A pre-Standards of Learning test irregularity at Cora Kelly School for Math, Science, and Technology resulted in disciplinary action against Principal Brandon Davis and an ongoing investigation by the Virginia Department of Education.
Alexandria: Changes Coming to Victory Center
Planning approves three additions.
The Victory Center has sat empty and untouched for a decade, but after a controversy over the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) potential move to the site, developers are working to make the complex more appealing.
Alexandria: Transit Improvements Arriving
Governor announces road and rail projects.
The Atlantic Gateway is underway. Gov. Terry McAuliffe discussed the details of the $1.4 billion plan to reform regional road and rail projects at Alexandria’s Union Station on July 8. For Northern Virginia, the program means road expansions and more express lanes, but for Alexandria a big piece of the proposed improvements could be the rebuilding of the Long Bridge parallel to the 14th Street Bridge.
Alexandria: Residents React to Revenge Killing
Police chief says July 2 murder was “street justice.”
The July 2 murder of Saquan Hall in the 1000 block of First Street comes only weeks after the murder of Pierre Clark less than a block away. At a community meeting on July 6, local residents urged the audience to come together. But many said they couldn’t escape the sense that these same pleas and plans had been spoken again and again at these meetings but the violence keeps occurring.
Alexandria: Governor Discusses Voting Rights Restoration
Ex-convicts meet with governor to discuss voting rights restoration.
The right to vote is one of the most fundamental American freedoms, and one denied to many Virginians released from prison on felony charges. On June 29, Gov. Terry McAuliffe met in Alexandria’s Northern Virginia Urban League with advocates for the restoration of ex-inmate’s rights.
Portner Brewing Returns to Alexandria
Great, great granddaughters of Robert Portner plan to resurrect family legacy in the city.
Though separated by a century and a half, Robert Portner and his great, great granddaughters Catherine and Margaret Portner have a few things in common.
Alexandria: Bikeshare Installation Draws Local Ire
“I’m not happy when the city is acting as though they are above the law.”
The Capital Bikeshare’s journey into Old Town is off to a bumpy start. While city officials say the Capital Bikeshare has been a success so far, one particular station has incensed local residents who say the city isn’t following its own implementation rules. Residents say their objection to the South Royal Street Bikeshare station has nothing to do with the bikeshare or bikes in the city, but anger over the city installing a colorful sign without any type of approval or public outreach.
Alexandria: ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ of Ramsey Redevelopment
Council weighs options for Ramsey redevelopment.
Three of Alexandria’s top priorities are historic preservation, open space, and affordable housing. At the June 28 City Council meeting, a decision over the future of Ramsey Homes found these interests, and the council, pitted against each other.
Alexandria: Two Guilty Pleas in MS-13 Homicides
Love triangle and gangland hit go to court.
The two murders were unrelated, happening a month apart, but they share similarities.
Alexandria Snapshot: New Bus Line Planned to National Harbor
Starting in October, a new bus route could make it easier for Alexandrians to get to and from National Harbor and the new MGM Casino.
Alexandria: Class of 2016 Bids Farewell to T.C. Williams
Class of 2016 Graduation marks the school’s 50th anniversary and the end of Principal Dingle’s first year.
According to Principal Dr. Jesse Dingle, life at T.C. Williams High School is a kaleidoscope. It’s constantly moving and shifting, full of every imaginable form of diversity.
Alexandria: Puppy Boat
Animal Welfare League celebrates 70 years.
It was all paws on deck Sunday, June 12, as staff and supporters of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria were joined by dogs and a kitten for a trip up the Potomac on the Potomac Riverboat Company’s “Cherry Blossom.”
Alexandria: Cutting Out City Council?
Backlash follows proposed changes to city’s charter.
In the span of one docket item, City Council voted to yield more approval powers to city staff, but were more wary of a proposal that would give final approval powers to the Planning Commission.
Alexandria is Hemorrhaging Affordable Housing
Alexandria continues to lose affordable housing.
Living in Alexandria isn’t cheap and for many locals who need affordable housing, it seems to be getting more expensive by the day.
Alexandria: Police Investigate Murder of Pierre Clark
A father reforming his life was killed less than one month after jail release.
The idea was to live big and double the stakes.
Alexandria: A Peace Plan
Confederate Memorials and Street Names Advisory Group completes recommendations.
The Civil War is over. The bitter, year-long argument over what to do about the Confederacy’s legacy in Alexandria seems to have ended with a report from the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names.
Potomac Yard Metro Project Moves Forward
Lingering doubts around parking surround Potomac Yard approval.
After years of planning, Potomac Yard Metro is starting to come together. But for many local residents, the arrival of the new Metro station comes with some remaining hurdles.
City Takes Control of Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory
Temporary measure met with cautious optimism by artists.
On the surface of Alexandria’s arts community, but in the depths of city bureaucracy, major changes are underway at the Torpedo Factory, the arts facility right at the heart of Alexandria’s waterfront.
Alexandria: Trial of City Council Underway
City faces allegations of corruption in rezoning case.
329 N. Washington St. is a quintessential Old Town mansion. It’s a historic, four-story home facing the George Washington Parkway on one side and the the cobblestone Princess Street on the other. Unlike most Old Town homes, however, the property is currently at the heart of a lawsuit against the City Council with allegations of corruption within City Hall.
Alexandria Veterans Honor Fallen Comrades and Retiring Commander
Lost but not forgotten.
There’s some laughter and chatting around the American Legion headquarters under Gatsby’s Tavern, but a heavy mood still weighs over the room.
Alexandria: Board Decides Last Minute Reversal for Patrick Henry
School Board rejects advisory group’s recommendation and approves controversial design.
A few weeks ago, it seemed almost certain that the controversy over Patrick Henry Elementary School had been settled.
Inside the Alexandria Police Department: Graduation
An occasional series, drawn from the Alexandria Citizen’s Police Academy.
After 10 weeks of education in the role of the Alexandria Citizens’ Police Academy, 16 students graduated from the program.
Alexandria Resident Visited by Police After Redevelopment Criticism
After speaking out about Old Colony Inn, Marston visited by police.
Morrill “Bud” Marston is one of the residents who’d expressed dissatisfaction with the Old Colony Inn redevelopment, sometimes more vocally than his neighbors, but that’s never been uncommon at meetings surrounding new development in Old Town Alexandria.
Alexandria: Ethics Pledge Passes
Limited Code of Conduct and ethics reform.
For now, the Ethics Pledge battle is over. City Council received the Code of Conduct revisions and the proposed Ethics Pledge at its May 18 meeting, to be reviewed and to determine the next steps. But while Mayor Allison Silberberg had struggled for months to get reform pushed through opposition on the council, there was one last surprise: passing it.
Inside the Alexandria Police Department: Self Defense
An occasional series, drawn from the Alexandria Citizen’s Police Academy.
The man arrives at the door. One second passes.
Alexandria: Remembering Ronald Kirby
Alexandria honors slain transportation expert.
Originally, the Woodrow Wilson bridge was going to be a car only bridge, like the old drawbridge it replaced.
Alexandria: Four Mile Run Restored
Natural habitats slowly return to Alexandria’s northern creek.
In the 1970s, Alexandria was desperate. Throughout the ’60s and ’70s, Four Mile Run along the city’s northern border with Arlington was flooding.
Alexandria: Gearing Up for Bike to Work Day
Local cyclists share tips for new riders.
On May 20, expect to see more Alexandria commuters leaving the cars in the garage. The annual “Bike to Work” day encourages commuters to try out a car-free lifestyle, and some local experts are ready with tips for new riders.
Inside AlexRenew
Early June eyed for AlexRenew field opening.
On the surface, the nearly completed park near the east end of Eisenhower Avenue looks like any soccer field.
Alexandria Brief: Food Truck Locations Approved
After a long battle at the Parking and Traffic Board, the proposed locations for Alexandria’s Food Trucks made it’s way to City Council on May 10 with the two locations in North Old Town removed.