Politics

Summer STEM Academy at NOVA

High school juniors and seniors are invited to apply for a weeklong summer STEM academy at Northern Virginia Community College. Selected students will unravel a forensics mystery by conducting various STEM experiments in a college setting.

Transitway Comes to Arlington

Ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the launch of joint Arlington-Alexandria bus service.

“This is Arlington,” said Sandra Borden from the Crystal City Civic Association as she points across Glebe Road, “and over there, that’s Alexandria.”

Arlington County Acknowledges Fire Station Could Remain on Hall’s Hill Site

Other changes will have to occur for county response time to improve.

“After two years of saying the current site was not adequate for a bigger fire station on the Station 8 site, the county reversed its position and provided site drawings last week indicating the current site was feasible,” said Nancy Williams of the Old Dominion Civic Association. “It would be interesting to know why that took so long,” she said, “but the most important thing is that local citizens were able to get the county to go back review the facts, with a different result.”

Alexandria: McAuliffe Visits City Hall for Veto

Mayor and Domestic Violence specialists back Governor’s stance.

On paper, giving domestic violence victims under protective orders access to concealed weapons without permits or training may have appeared sound, but with his veto of a series of bills out of the Virginia legislature, Gov. Terry McAuliffe and others argued that adding more guns would only put more lives at risk.

Alexandria: Council Hears Ethics Recommendation

A pledge for city’s elected and appointed officials.

The ethics pledge makes no changes to the law, increases no reporting qualifications, and includes no complaint process, but after months of City Council fights over its necessity and implications, the draft presented by the Code of Conduct Review Committee at the April 12 City Council meeting was received with relatively little fanfare.

Alexandria: Civil War Still Reverberates

Indecision and conflict continues over Confederate street names and statues.

After four tumultuous meetings, the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names has not managed to settle the 150-year-old conflict over the legacy of the Confederacy in Alexandria.

Planning Commission, Community Honors Litzenberger

“He’s someone who’s willing to invest the time and make people understand the land-use process.” — Michael Frey, former Sully District Supervisor

After Michael Frey retired as Sully District supervisor, Kathy Smith succeeded him and made her own appointments to various Fairfax County boards and commissions. So after serving eight years as Sully’s planning commissioner, John Litzenberger was replaced by Karen Keys-Gamarra.

Alexandria: Uniting for Clean Energy

Rally spotlights climate change’s effects on people.

A rally to support clean power, held in Market Square on April 2, was interrupted by a heckler denouncing climate change as a fraud. For attendees of the rally, it was an unexpected disturbance, but the legislators hosting the event say it’s par for the course.

Alexandria Snapshot: Welcome

Mayor Allison Silberberg, center, and members of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce were on hand March 31 as Long and Foster welcomed Victoria KilCullen and Christie’s Real Estate to their firm. Kilcullen will launch the Christie’s line, a division of Long and Foster Luxury brand, in Alexandria and cover the Northern Virginia region. Shown at the March 31 reception at Principle Gallery are: Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, Christie’s International senior vice president Kathleen Coumou, Chamber of Commerce CEO Joe Haggerty, Silberberg, Long and Foster President Boomer Foster, Kilcullen, Councilwoman Del Pepper and Chamber of Commerce Vice President Shari Simmans.

Lawmakers Wrap-up Richmond Legislative Session

Unspent TANF grant money, prisoner rights among social issues discussed.

On average, low income families in Virginia who are eligible and sign up for funds from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant receive $269 monthly and are cut off after five years. But lawmakers say there’s a lot more unexpended money available in the federal grant that, if it remains unused, could one day be taken back.

Inside the Alexandria Police Department: Criminal Investigations

“I’d be lying if I said it’s not cool.” — Sgt. John East from APD Vice

The Alexandria Citizens’ Police Academy is a 10-week course hosted by the Alexandria Police Department (APD) to offer citizens a better understanding of how the department works. Throughout the course, participants sit in on emergency calls and ride along with police officers on patrol.

Alexandria: Addressing Business Woes

City Council and state legislators examine Alexandria’s business woes.

Over oatmeal, Alexandria’s City Council and state legislators did their best to reassure local businesses, distressed by a recent spate of closures in Old Town.

Lidl Grocery for Chantilly?

Potential traffic problems have to be ironed out.

If all goes well, a little bit of Europe may someday come to Chantilly. It would do so in the form of a Lidl grocery store in the Chantilly Crossing Shopping Center.

Potomac Brief: Early Voting

Early voting starts April 14. For those registered to vote, the Montgomery County Board of Elections is mailing a personalized sample ballot, along with all of the information needed to vote in the 2016 Presidential Election, depending on which political party one is registered with and where one lives.

Mount Vernon Column: The State Budget – More for Schools, the Disabled, State Troopers

Commentary

Last week, I covered the good news in the state budget for the 36th Senate District. This week, I am detailing some of the important features of the state budget that help the entire state.

The Connection