Politics

Learning about Immigration Reform

Forum provides information about a national debate.

As Congress tries to tackle immigration reform, residents gathered in an auditorium at Kenmore Middle School on Tuesday, May 14, to learn about the various and complex parts of this issue. U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8) started the forum off by speaking of one area of common ground between both sides of the immigration reform debate.

Uncertainty Haunts Jefferson-Houston Groundbreaking

Questions linger as officials prepare ceremonial shovels.

City leaders and school officials are about to break out the ceremonial shovels and turn the earth at Jefferson-Houston School, the long-troubled facility near the King Street Metro station.

Council Notebook

It's official. The Alexandria City Council is against expanding operations at a hazardous materials facility on the West End of the city near the Van Dorn Metro station and just a few hundred feet from Tucker Elementary School.

Office Vacancy Hits Historic High in Alexandria

City officials blame Base Closure and Realignment Commission.

The crush of rush hour traffic at Mark Center is not the only headache caused by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

Opposition Heats Up over City's Plans for Founders Park

Council to be asked to amend current restrictions on special events.

The proposed amendment to allow special events in Founders Park took center stage at the May 10 annual meeting of the Founders Park Community Association. “I can't believe the city is proposing this,” said one attendee who asked to remain anonymous. “There should be more respect for Ellen Pickering, Chuck Hamel and Patricia Golubin for saving this land. The park would not exist at all if it weren't for their efforts back in the '70s.”

Tejada on State of the County

Arlington County Board Chair J. Walter Tejada will present an overview of the economic and developmental status of Arlington County at the 12th annual State of the County on Tuesday, June 11 from 7:30 until 9:30 a.m. at the Crystal Gateway Marriott. State of the County is co-hosted by Leadership Arlington and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.

Will Arlington Food Trucks Be Able to Park Longer Than Two Hours or After 8 p.m.?

County officials to consider creation of vending zones that would allow more flexibility.

It's shortly after 1 p.m. on a beautiful spring day in Rosslyn.

Incumbents Retain Town Council Seats

Standing under umbrellas, the four candidates running for three Vienna Town Council seats greeted voters in a rain steady throughout most of the morning and early afternoon. The rain wasn’t torrential but neither was voter turnout throughout much of the day.

Hyland: Let People Vote on Meals Tax

Troubled by the Board of Supervisors’ recent decision to increase the property tax rate and its over-reliance on that source to make up for shortfalls in the county’s growing financial needs, Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland once again urged his board colleagues to support placing on the fall election ballot a referendum to approve a meals tax, which he calls more fair than the real estate tax.

McDevitt, Yeh to Speak at GOP Women Meeting

The Republican Women of Clifton (RWC) May meeting will feature Tom McDevitt, chairman of The Washington Times, who will speak about current media trends, and Steven Yeh, a strategic management consultant and senior economic advisor, who will present a view on how to shape US domestic, fiscal and monetary policy.

Democratic Women’s Groups Host Candidate Forum

Annual family picnic on Sunday, May 19, at Occoquan Regional Park.

On Saturday, April 27, from 3-5:30 p.m., a standing-room-only crowd of approximately 150 people gathered at the Clifton Community Hall for the 2013 Democratic Candidate Forum sponsored by the Democratic Women of Clifton and Northern Virginia (DWCNV) and the Democratic Women of Lake Ridge (DWLR).

Commentary: Forging a Future Path

Over the next couple of decades Virginia will have many more job openings for educated professionals and skilled technicians than there are persons in the pipeline to fill them, according to Northern Virginia Community College President Robert Templin speaking at “Blueprint Virginia,” an annual economic summit in Northern Virginia last week.

Reston Accessibility Committee—Award and Leadership

Last Tuesday, I went to the Fairfax County Government Center or “Taj Mahal,” as it is called by some, to watch the Board of Supervisors present citizen awards and issue grand proclamations. I was there to applaud presentation of the Community Partnership Award to an especially deserving Reston group, the Reston Accessibility Committee (RAC) of the Reston Citizens Association.

School Board to Reconsider Middle School Reorganization

Members ask superintendent to evaluate four years of middle school data.

When students arrived at Hammond Middle School for the first day of classes in the fall of 2009, they were stepping into three different schools: Hammond 1, Hammond 2 and Hammond 3.

Alexandria City Council Approves Historic Tax Increase

After ousting two Republicans, all Democratic council hikes tax rate four cents.

Members of the Alexandria City Council unanimously supported a historic four-cent hike in the tax rate this week, raising the average residential property tax bill $314 to $4,888.

The Connection