Politics

Editorial: Bad Bills

General Assembly has potential to do lots of damage in a short period.

From pressing for use of a barbaric form of execution, the electric chair, to codifying discrimination, to stripping localities of the major tool for ensuring infrastructure is in place for new development, to hiding more and more critical public information from the public, the Virginia General Assembly is poised to do harm to the Commonwealth.

Burke, Fairfax: Filler-Corn Promotes Child Care Safety in the General Assembly

In the 2016 General Assembly Session, Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41) has offered two bipartisan bills continuing her work in making child care safer in Virginia.

Alexandria: And Now for Something Different–Consensus

Council and School Board agree on capacity priority.

Here’s how budget sessions go: the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) puts together a list of funding requests. The city puts its budget together and tells the school system to get its numbers lower. There’s some haggling over prices and priorities, with the city eventually transferring a little more money into the schools and the schools announcing cuts to various programs or plans to reach the city’s funding requirements.

Oil Spill Reaches Roaches Run, Potomac

Dominion Power working on remediation.

The unraveling of the oil sheen mystery on the Potomac River took Federal, state and Arlington County officials, the Coast Guard, multiple lab tests and days of speculation.

Burke and Fairfax: House Passes Filler-Corn Legislation Helping Pediatric Cancer Survivors

Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn’s (D-41) bill, HB 475 passed the House of Delegates unanimously on Monday. The bipartisan bill requires the Department of Education to review regulations and suggest revisions to existing guidelines relating to a return to learn protocol for students who have been treated for pediatric cancer.

Campaign Spending in Alexandria Election

The Virginia Public Access Project compiled the finance reports from the last City Council and mayoral races, giving the public a view of how much running for an office in the city can cost.

Arlington: Completing the Street

Public feedback potentially left on the roadside.

How’s your sidewalk? If you live near a road where there’s no sidewalk on either side of the street, or the sidewalk is incomplete, your street might be be receiving a makeover courtesy of Arlington County. The new Neighborhood Complete Streets Program, approved by the County Board at its Jan. 28 meeting, could have a radical impact on the lives of some Arlingtonians.

Proffers in Danger?

Richmond caught the attention of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week specifically with House Bill 770 (Gilbert) and Senate B 549 (Obenshain), bills Sharon Bulova says will place “significant restrictions” on development, specifically citing “unreasonable proffers.”

Arlington: Consultants Unveil Draft Plan for Lee Highway

Residents indicate approval of direction but concern about unintended consequences.

The concepts of “Complete Streets,” “New Urbanism,” pop up parks, and TDR’s were new to many of the 183 residents gathered at Yorktown High School on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Alexandria: Ethics Reform Roils Council

Progressive transparency or potential witch hunt?

One month into her term as mayor, Allison Silberberg got the process started on enacting a new set of ethics reforms. At its Jan. 28 meeting, the City Council voted to approve an Ad Hoc Study Group to examine ethics reform. It’s the first legislative step forward on an issue Silberberg had put forward as a centerpiece of her election last year. But on the rest of the council, feelings toward the new committee were a little more tepid, some even drawing parallels between Silberberg’s ethics reform and McCarthyism.

Alexandria: Two Republicans Enter Race Against Beyer

Incumbent gains Republican opponents.

It’s been a little over a year since U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) took office, and both the first term congressman and his political opposition have been busy in that time.

Arlington: Gondola Project Gets Off the Ground

Board approves feasibility study for Rosslyn-Georgetown Gondola.

It's crazy enough that it just might work.

Alexandria Digs Out From Epic Snowstorm

"Obviously this was a historic event that pushed us to the brink."–Yon Lambert

After days of being at a standstill, Alexandria is slowly recovering after nearly two feet of snow paralyzed the city in the worst single storm to hit the area since the Knickerbocker Storm of 1922.

Arlington: Beyer Reviews His Work in Congress

And gains Republican opponent in Mike Webb.