Alexandria City Council Rezones Waterfront Despite Massive Opposition
Six-to-one vote opens the door to higher density and overturns longstanding ban on hotels.
Members of the Alexandria City Council cast what may become one of the most important votes in their career last weekend, approving a controversial zoning change that would triple density at three sites slated for redevelopment compared to what’s there now.
Arlington County to Reconsider Financial Commitment to Artisphere
A new sphere of influence at the government-owned arts center.
The future of Artisphere will be either a masterpiece or a dud — opening up the Rosslyn space to an uncertain future.
Alexandria Elementary School Administrator Salries
Annual salaries of elementary school administrators.
Alexandria Middle School Administrator Salaries
Salaries of middle school administrators.
Alexandria High School Administrator Salaries
Salaries of high school administrators.
List of Rejected Budget Cuts Reveals Thinking Behind Budget Proposal
Cuts that were cut may become key as budget season moves forward.
Imagine a world without school crossing guards or security screening at the courthouse — a city so strapped for cash it closes one of its fire stations and eliminates life insurance for its retired workers.
Week in Alexandria
What’s the difference between a map amendment and a text amendment?
Council Notebook
Want to know how much city officials are going to charge you for the privilege of living in Alexandria? Check the advertisements.
EPA Will Not Appeal Court Decision on Accotink Watershed
EPA regulations could have cost county $300 million.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) effectively ended a two-year legal battle with Fairfax County when the agency announced last week it will not appeal a federal court decision favoring Fairfax County’s handling of the Accotink Creek watershed.
Party Animals
Mardi Growl raises $50,000 for AWLA.
Supporters of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria celebrated their own version of Mardi Gras with the third annual “Mardi Growl” bash March 8 at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. “This is an incredible evening,” said former City Manager Vola Lawson, for whom the AWLA shelter building is named.
Letter: Preserving Electoral Board Integrity
The integrity of our elections administration is too important to be trusted in the hands of someone who may have ulterior motives or seek partisan advantage. For that reason I am pleased that Hans von Spakovsky will no longer be on the Fairfax County Electoral Board.
Two Historic Measures Mark Assembly Session
Q&A with Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41).
Transportation funding was one of the big stories to come out of Richmond during the 45-day “short session,” but it wasn’t the only one. Unlike Congressional gridlock, where lobbyists, special-interest groups and political aspirations converge to slow down legislation, the pace in Virginia’s capitol is fast and furious. Legislation gets passed in the blink of an eye. It’s a pace Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn, the second-term Democrat representing nearly 90,000 residents in Burke, Fairfax and West Springfield, knows well.
Local Leaders Praise Transportation Funding Bill
State Senator Chap Petersen wants you to curb your enthusiasm.
Politics makes strange bedfellows, and sometimes estranged ones as well. On Saturday, the last day of the Virginia General Assembly, state legislators struck a bipartisan 11th hour deal to pass a comprehensive transportation funding plan—the first long-term plan in 27 years.
Column: All’s Well That Ends Well
Not only did the 2013 session of the General Assembly end on time last Saturday, but it also ended on a high note. Having sat through a couple of decades of failed efforts to pass meaningful legislation addressing our transportation needs, I was not optimistic that we would be successful this year.
Delegate Tom Rust Contributes Key Provision to Texting While Driving Bills
Last week, the General Assembly passed two pieces of legislation—SB 1222 and HB1907—which would change the offense of texting while driving from a secondary offense to a primary one. Earlier in the 2013 session, Delegate Tom Rust (R-Herndon) introduced a bill (HB1357) which, on its own, would change the status of the offense, and receiving wide bipartisan support, the bill was incorporated into HB1907.