Commentary: Congress Must Act on the Growing Opioid Epidemic
Our nation is in the midst of an exploding opioid epidemic.
Commentary: Progress on Ad Hoc Commission Recommendations
Thoughtfulness and deliberation should not be construed as resistance or foot dragging.
A tremendous amount of progress has already taken place to implement many of these recommendations.
Fairfax Connector Considering Service Changes, Seeks Public Input
Fairfax Connector is proposing service changes for implementation in June 2016.
Sex Trafficking Young Victims in Northern Virginia
Federal funds for gang task force expire April 1.
The first article in an occasional series on human sexual trafficking in Northern Virginia.
Eating Smart
Profile: Jean Janssen, force behind area’s Smart Markets.
Food shoppers should take their collective hats off to Jean Janssen. She is the motivating spirit behind the area’s Smart Markets
Letter: Where is Civilian review Panel?
To the Editor
Last October, the 40 strong Ad Hoc Commission to Review Police Procedures, set up by Chairman Bulova and her Board of Supervisors (BOS), unanimously adopted a large number of recommendations, which they submitted to the BOS.
Centreville Snapshot: Southwestern Youth Association Honors Volunteers
On March 5, 2016, the Southwestern Youth Association (SYA) held its annual Volunteer of the Year Awards Casino Night at the Chantilly National Golf and Country Club. The Executive Board of Directors presented the awards.
Alexandria Snapshot: Generation to Generation Gala
Senior Services of Alexandria hosted its annual Generation to Generation Gala March 12 at the Hilton Mark Center Alexandria. The 2016 honorees included Sue Goodhart and Allison Goodhart DuShuttle, and Kitty, Mike, Kirby and Keely Porterfield. H. Arthur Sauer was awarded with SSA’s first Special Service Award. For more information about SSA’s programs and services go to seniorservicesalex.org.
Alexandria: Wiggle Toes Plié Through the Morning
People at Work
The warm up music begins from the corner. "Are you ready?" Jessica Petchenick, instructor at Tiny Dancers on S. Washington Street, asks, "Can you dance with your eyes?" Moms and leotard-bedecked children blink at each other. "Can you dance with your nose?" Noses wiggle including five mothers and one father who has accompanied his daughter to today's Wiggle Toes class for 2-3 year olds. After wiggling ears and patting tummies, at last the answer is "You dance with your feet."
Alexandria/Mount Vernon Weekend Fun: March 25-April 3
Entertainment
Events in Alexandria and Mount Vernon, Va.
Alexandria: Abed Takes Over as TC Head Boys’ Soccer Coach
Titans improve to 2-0 with victory over Gar-Field.
The T.C. Williams boys' soccer team is off to a 2-0 start.
Alexandria Snapshot: Fighting Fire
Flames were visible Sunday night at 5845 Monticello Road near Huntington Station in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. The fire was held fast on neighborhood fences by firemen of the Pen Daw Fire Station led by Captain Pitman.
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.
Mount Vernon Brief: Park Board Approves Mastenbrook Grant for Little League
The Fairfax County Park Authority Board approved a Mastenbrook grant at its meeting on March 9, that will help support Little League in Northern Virginia.
Alexandria Brief: King Street Park Revitalized
Beverley Park isn’t the only Alexandria Park looking at major redevelopment. The park at the end of King Street, appropriately named “King Street Park,” could be seeing a temporary boost before Waterfront redevelopment transforms the area. Currently the site hosts a small anchor monument and a bench, but expansion into two nearby sites could turn the park into the missing link between the northern and southern parts of the Alexandria waterfront.
Alexandria: Old Town North Development Approved
The empty lot in North Old Town, formerly home to Giant, will soon be home for 232-units of residential development. Local citizens protested the traffic and parking impact of the new building, and while City Council did tighten the on-street parking requirement, City Council approved the development at the March 12 public hearing.
Alexandria: Hidden Consequences to Lighting the Landscape
Lights may not be an ideal crime-deterrent.
Beverley Park is a fairly inconspicuous park at the heart of one of Alexandria’s northern residential neighborhoods, but locally it has a somewhat more ominous name: the Pit.
Alexandria Snapshot: Celebrating 100 Years
Friends and family gathered to celebrate William Charity’s 100th birthday. The party was held on Saturday, March 12, at the Elks lodge at 227 N. Henry St.
Alexandria: Local Breweries Bring in Kitchens on Wheels
Working together to serve customers.
At Port City Brewing in western Alexandria, the “pearl,” a layered dish of macaroni and cheese, baked beans and barbecue meat, is downed with a micro beer so it’s known to bring on a “food coma,” of sorts. Port City is one of the many microbreweries that serve no food but rely on independent food trucks that pull up outside for their food source.
Alexandria: Local Church Members Travel to Flint
The water crisis affecting residents in Flint, Mich., captured local attention at Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria. Through a partnership made possible with Lott Carey, a missions-based convention, Alfred Street Baptist Church is sending teams to Flint to help distribute water to residents in need and to serve as eye-witnesses to the tragedy. “I wasn’t anticipating the complexity of the problem in Flint,” said Aaron Watson, a church member and volunteer on one of the teams.