Michael Lee Pope is an award-winning journalist who lives in Old Town Alexandria. He has reported for NPR, the New York Daily News and Northern Virginia Magazine. He has a master's degree in American Studies from Florida State University, and he is a former adjunct professor at Tallahassee Community College. Pope is the author of four books.
Recent Stories
Budget in Transition in Alexandria
$881 million budget proposal unionizes firefighters, ditches Confederates, maintains tax rate.
Budget
Rolling the Dice on Casinos
Lawmakers to consider location of fifth and final casino.
Lawmakers to consider location of fifth and final casino.
Fear-mongering Fail
New poll shows Virginians feel safe after criminal justice reforms.
Poll on Crime
Nickel and Dimed Behind Bars
Lawmakers take a look at fines and fees charged to inmates at jails across Virginia.
People who were locked up in the Alexandria jail are not staying there for free, and taxpayers are paying only part of the bill.
Tax Code Thunderstruck in Alexandria
Lawmakers consider easing bracket creep by making tax code more progressive.
Taxes
Inclusionary Dreams
What if Alexandria could force developers to build affordable housing?
If Alexandria wanted to take a carrot-and-stick approach to development, city officials would soon run into a problem. The lure of density is a big fat carrot, which seems to be getting larger each year. But officials in Richmond are holding all the sticks. Chief among them is the idea of inclusionary zoning, which would require the General Assembly to give Alexandria permission to force developers to build affordable housing.
Young Turk from Alexandria
Armistead Boothe led war vets in General Assembly who took on Byrd Machine.
In some ways, Alexandria was the home of the forces who worked against the conservative political organization that ran Virginia politics for most of the 20th century. Starting after the conclusion of World War II, the city was represented in the House of Delegates by a young war vet by the name of Armistead Boothe.
School Stabbing Cast Long Shadow
Did Alexandria’s tough-on-crime approach in the 1990s work?
Stabbing
Student Growth Outpaces Staffing
Number of new teachers hasn't kept pace with surge in enrollment.
Since 2008, Alexandria schools have added more than 4,000 new students. But a new report from the Commonwealth Institute shows staffing has not kept pace. City schools have added only 100 new teachers during that time, and the number of teacher aides has actually declined by 10 positions.