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Panel to Evaluate Middle Schools
School Board creates committee to take a look at reorganization.
Consider the scenario: Two eight-grade students get into a fight in the cafeteria of Hammond Middle School.
Tensions Rising Between Arlington and Alexandria Over Transit Corridor
Alexandria leaders lash out at Arlington officials for backing out of an environmental analysis.
Tensions between Alexandria and Arlington are growing along Route 1, where city and county leaders are moving in different directions about how the jurisdictions want to create a high-capacity transit corridor.
Virginia Laws Help Local Governments Conceal 911 Calls from Public
Police agencies refuse to release audio from 911 calls, prompting questions about transparency.
When city officials in Alexandria released the audio of a 911 call in a high-profile murder case, many people interpreted the move as a step forward for transparency in a commonwealth known for opaque government.
The New New Deal
Uncle Sam is about to make it rain.
Not since the days of the New Deal in the 1930s has the federal government showered so much stimulus cash on Virginia, and Alexandria is about to receive millions of dollars for everything from guaranteed basic income and flash flooding improvements to staffing at the Freedom House and planters to make the King Street pedestrian plaza look more inviting.
Business Matters
How far did the empire of Orange Julius reach? What’s the capital of Banana Republic? Is Aeropostale aerodynamic?
Shackled and Secret: Legislators Consider Availability of Documents on Pregnant Inmates
Should jails be able to suppress information from the public?
Virginia already has a reputation for tightly controlling the availability of law-enforcement documents. Now that reputation may be re-affirmed in the upcoming General Assembly session, when the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association will oppose efforts to share documents about when and how pregnant inmates are restrained.
Alexandria Police Shield Information on Officer-Involved Shooting
Law-enforcement officials use exemption to withhold incident report.
Why did Alexandria police officers kill Taft Sellars?
Scooting into 2020
City Council considers extending dockless mobility pilot program.
Alexandria is bitterly divided over scooters, and a recent survey showed that the city is just about evenly split between people who hate the dockless mobility program and people who love it. That’s the backdrop for members of the Alexandria City Council, who are now considering extending the pilot into next year. A public hearing on the issue is scheduled for Dec. 14.
Two independents and a Libertarian Offer Variety for Voters in City Council Race
Three candidates hoping to land seats at City Hall without major party labels.
Alexandria politics has long been dominated by Democrats, although Republicans have been successful from time to time.
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.
Newly Elected School Board Members Clash Over Raises for Teachers
Now budget heads to City Hall, where council members will determine appropriation.
School Board members traditionally try to present a unified front to City Hall, where members of the Alexandria City Council have the final say over how much money is transferred to the Beauregard Street headquarters of Alexandria City Public Schools.
Alexandria City Council Campaign Shifts Westward As Two New Candidates Enter Race
Displacement of poor and Latino citizens to be central issue in upcoming campaign.
With two more candidates entering the race for Alexandria City Council, the lines of combat are moving west.
New Superintendent Hopes to Cut the Numbers of Suspensions in Half
Black male students suspended at disproportionate rates.
Less than a month into office, new Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Alvin Crawley is taking on the challenge of reducing the number of suspensions by half.
Starting from a Clean Slate
Compromise on expungement: automatic for some misdemeanors, petition for some felonies.
Marijuana convictions will be automatically expunged under a bill now under consideration by Gov. Ralph Northam, although convictions for crack cocaine will require missing a day of work and probably hiring a lawyer to go to court and seal the record. The legislation is a compromise crafted late in the General Assembly session by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring of Alexandria and state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36), who clashed repeatedly over the last year about how the process should work.
Council Notebook
The story about how the Potomac River Generating Station closed its doors this month is an Erin Brockovich story with an Old Town twist.
Bipartisan Agreement Forged in House Panel on Reducing Suspended Driver’s Licenses
Republicans work with Cabinet officials to craft changes to let more people keep drivers licenses.
After Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe called on lawmakers to find a way to restore driver's licenses to people charged with crimes that had nothing to do with driving, Republicans responded. Now both sides are crafting a compromise that could end up being a hallmark of the 2017 session.
Alexandria Leaders Consider Lawsuit Challenging Takeover of Long-Troubled School
Unless courts intervene, new statewide division will take control of Jefferson-Houston next year.
Is Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell's effort to take over Jefferson-Houston School constitutional?
Arlington and Alexandria Agree to Move in Different Directions on Corridor
Street car to move forward in Arlington; its future is uncertain in Alexandria.
Some say time heals all wounds. For leaders in Arlington and Alexandria, it may also be the solution to a disagreement about how to move forward with a regional transit system.
Sandy Leaves Clean-up Behind
The hybrid hurricane and nor’easter known as Sandy smashed into Alexandria Monday night, packing wind gusts of up to 60 miles an hour.