Michael Lee Pope is an award-winning journalist who lives in Old Town Alexandria. He has reported for NPR, the New York Daily News and Northern Virginia Magazine. He has a master's degree in American Studies from Florida State University, and he is a former adjunct professor at Tallahassee Community College. Pope is the author of four books.
Recent Stories
Republican Sweep
Democrats lose statewide for the first time since 2009.
Virginia has a long tradition of offering a counterpoint to presidential elections starting after the election of Democrat Jimmy Carter for president in 1976.
Virginia at a Crossroads
Voters to determine direction of state government.
Two years ago, Democrats seized control of the General Assembly for the first time in a generation. Now Republicans are hoping this is their moment to "Take Back Virginia," the name of a recent rally in support of the GOP statewide ticket that featured a call-in appearance from former President Donald Trump, who used the opportunity to repeat baseless claims about widespread election fraud.
Voters to Determine Direction of City
Republican Annetta Catchings challenges incumbent Democrat Justin Wilson for mayor.
The race for mayor comes down to a simple question: Are Alexandria voters happy with the direction of the city or not?
House Seat Shuffle
Former CIA branch chief J.D. Maddox to face Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker.
In Richmond, the 45th House District is known as a cursed seat because of its dizzying turnover. After the retirement of longtime Del. Marian Van Landingham (D-45) in 2006, the district has blazed through three delegates in rapid succession. Now the seat is open once again after the incumbent, former radio talk show host Mark Levine, lost the primary when his name appeared on the ballot twice because he was trying to simultaneously win reelection to the House while also snagging the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.
Contaminated Legacy
From slave plantation to industrial pollution, a hidden history of North Old Town.
The shuttered power plant dominating the landscape in North Old Town has layers of industrial pollution, a hidden history buried under the contaminated soil of the Potomac River Generating Station. Even before the coal-fired power plant was constructed in 1949, the property was home to the American Chlorophyll Company and Potomac River Clay Works. That means the long and complicated task known as "remediating" the property could mean removing everything from coal ash and mercury to industrial fertilizer and hazardous metals.
Transforming Potomac Yard
Virginia Tech breaks ground for Innovation Campus in Alexandria.
Potomac Yard Groundbreaking
Reform Is in the Bag
City Council to consider new five-cent tax for each plastic bag.
Alexandria started pressing for a plastic bag tax when George W. Bush was in the White House and Virginia was a red state. Now the years of advocacy have finally paid off, and state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-30) has been able to pass a bill giving City Hall authority to impose a five-cent tax on each and every plastic bag that's used in grocery stores and convenience stores.
Facing Eviction
Virginia has new protections for renters, but temporary measures expire next year.
The clock is ticking for renters across Virginia who are in danger of being evicted. People of color and low-income Virginians are most at risk.
Connecting the Unconnected
Less than 3 percent of broadband spending to help low-income people gain internet access
About 15 percent of Alexandria students did not have access to the internet when the pandemic began last year, a statistic that reveals how many households in Alexandria are locked out of the modern economy.