All results / Stories / Michael Lee Pope
Alexandria School Board Standing By Embattled Superintendent
Members regret what happened, but feel confident superintendent took decisive action.
Members of the Alexandria School Board are standing by embattled school superintendent Morton Sherman, despite calls for him to step down in the wake of a scathing auditor's report.
West End Worries
Beauregard small-area plan raises concerns about displacing poor residents.
Like the street that bears his name, Confederate Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was difficult to manage.
Week in Alexandria
Councilman Paul Smedberg and Councilwoman Alicia Hughes clashed repeatedly this week about when and how council members should consider a proposal to add Sunday deliveries for Meals on Wheels.
Business Matters
City leaders may be taking on more debt than Alexandria can handle. That’s the conclusion of the Budget and Fiscal Advisory Commission, which presented its annual report Tuesday night.
Changes Coming to Penn-Daw
ow that comprehensive plan has been amended, development application is imminent.
Now that the county’s comprehensive plan has been changed to allow for higher density at the Penn-Daw Shopping Plaza, Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay says he expects Combined Properties to file an application for redevelopment any day.
Week in Alexandria
This week marked the first day of school at Mount Vernon Community School, which has about 100 more students than last year. It was also the first day of school at Tucker Elementary School, which has about 100 more students than last year. When the rest of the city’s schools open after Labor Day, Alexandria is preparing for a massive crunch.
Week in Alexandria
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is weighing into the debate about school takeover with a surprising move this week, announcing that his office will not be defending the Opportunity Educational Institution.
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.
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.
Hybrid Outrage at the Department of Motor Vehicles
Two legislators vow to introduce effort to repeal new tax on hybrid vehicles.
Suzanne Cleary has owned a hybrid vehicle since 2006, making her an early adopter and a proselytizer to her friends and neighbors.
Coalition Wages War on Brick Sidewalks in Old Town
Group calls for action now, before more brick sidewalks are installed in new development.
They may be charming, but many people say Alexandria's brick sidewalks have become a dangerous burden. Now they are asking City Hall to do something about it.
On the Campaign Trail
Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell may not have received the vice presidential nomination, but he got a great consolation prize this week — a prime-time speaking slot this year at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
On the Campaign Trail
What happens to City Councilman Rob Krupicka’s seat if he is elected to the House of Delegates next month? Fortunately for Democrats, it’s too late to have yet another special election.
Arlington Streetcar: Desire or Disaster?
County residents are divided on the value of installing streetcars on Columbia Pike.
The $250 million Arlington streetcar is moving full speed ahead, with federal officials on the verge of announcing whether or not the project will be partially funded by Uncle Sam.
Competition For Streetcars?
Debate about public-private partnerships will have lasting consequences in Arlington.
Arlington County will make "best efforts to promote robust competition" and "strive to have more than one proposal" under consideration for the public-private partnership to construct a streetcar on Columbia Pike. But opponents fear that guidelines, approved after a contentious County Board meeting last year, do not require competition.
Debate About Public-Private Partnerships Will Have Lasting Consequences in Arlington
Second bid not required by guidelines adopted by Arlington County Board members last year.
Arlington County will make "best efforts to promote robust competition" and "strive to have more than one proposal" under consideration for the public-private partnership to construct a streetcar on Columbia Pike.
Week in Alexandria
Alexandria's historically black American Legion Hall may be headed for the wrecking ball soon.
Alexandria Paramedic Remembered for Perpetual Optimism and Wry Humor
Joshua Weissman, 33, dies while responding to a car fire on Interstate 395.
Joshua Weissman, a popular and optimistic Alexandria paramedic with a wry sense of humor, died last week after receiving a head injury while responding to a fire on Interstate 395. He was 33.
City officials and Neighbors Look to Future After Coal-Fired Power Plant Shuts Down
Lines of communication are created to avoid mistakes of the waterfront plan.
Seeking to avoid the problems that emerged on the waterfront earlier this year, city officials have taken an early lead meeting with residents in North Old Town to start planning for the future of a now-shuttered coal-fired power plant.
Jefferson-Houston Challenges Denial of Accreditation
Troubled elementary adds hour-and-a-half to school day as part of transformation effort.
Standing in the lobby of Jefferson-Houston Elementary School, Bea Porter is frustrated and angry. She sent her children to the school, and now her grandson is enrolled. But that may change unless the school makes drastic improvements soon.