Alexandria Editorial: Be Part of Children's Gazette Packet 2014
Annual edition showcases youth art and writing.
During the last week of each year, The Gazette Packet devotes its entire issue to the creativity of local students and children. The results are always remarkable. It is a keepsake edition for many families.
Alexandria: Correction
In last week’s People at Work column, “Creating a Floral Centrepiece,” The caption for the photo at the top of the article should have read: Scott Marchand adds an accent of circus roses.
Alexandria Commentary: Improving Academic Achievement
Academic achievement is not accidental but rather the result of a sustained focus on rigor, relevance, engagement and coherence. At its best, academic achievement reflects a relentless determination to reach and teach all students.
TC Senior Girma Qualifies for Foot Locker Nationals
T.C. Williams senior Anteneh Girma will compete in the Foot Locker national cross country meet.
Fairfax County Facing More Budget Strain
County Executive and FCPS Superintendent present adverse forecasts.
Days before the traditional loosening of belts for Thanksgiving, Fairfax County officials discussed the need for tightening theirs.
Letter to the Editor: Two Ideas to Address Rape
To the Editor: As many of us recoil from the recent UVA sexual assault article in Rolling Stone, tremendous accusations are being thrown at the university and others like it across the country. While UVA is not innocent and its infamous privileged “party culture” is partly to blame, there are two clear pieces of the story that no one seems to be addressing.
Column: Since It Ain’t Broken...
Apparently, at least in the near term, we’re (meaning my oncologist) not going to fix it. And by fix it, I am referring to my chemotherapy infusion, which will continue to be every three weeks, as it has been for almost six years; save for a year or so when I was able to take pills at home, and on-site infusions were not necessary.
St. Mary’s School in Alexandria Hosts Christmas Bazaar
St. Mary’s School held its annual Christmas Bazaar at the school on Green Street on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Wreaths Across America in Alexandria
For the third year, St. Rita American Heritage Girls Troop VA1381 is participating in Wreaths Across America to honor the nation's veterans and their families on Dec. 13, by laying wreaths on the gravesites in Alexandria National Cemetery for Christmas.
Hope for the Holidays in Alexandria
’Tis the season of giving: of gifts, of parties and of thanks. But what should be a time of hope and happiness too often can be a time of despair for Alexandria’s vulnerable and low income families.
Clarification
Last week’s story, “I Wanted a Better Life,” on the life of Nelson Greene Sr., should have included credit to Sarah Becker for her Living Legends profile of Mr. Greene which was incorporated in the Nov. 20 Gazette Packet article.
Six-Billion Reasons To Persevere in Alexandria
Mentoring
“Can you read me the answer you came up with?” “Six-million …” “Wait … look again.” “Oh yeah! Six-billion…” “Did you ever think you would be able to do a math problem that would have an answer in the billions?”
Commentary: Giving Thanks for Anti-Hunger Programs in Alexandria
Working to keep children fed.
When I was a kid, Thanksgiving meant stuffing myself beyond the point of comfort, flitting gleefully between turkey, casseroles, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, and of course pie. The object was to eat to the point of needing to loosen the belt, and then wait a few hours until there was room to start all over again with leftovers.
Covert Matters: Alexandrians Can Be Thankful
Here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, just to pick an argument with our northern colleagues, the first Thanksgiving between the Pilgrims, colonists, settlers and Indians was held on Dec. 4, 1621 at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County, Va.
Alexandria Domestic Violence Shelters Offer Relief Year-round
Local nonprofits Bethany House and ALIVE face challenges during holiday season.
“I thought if I loved him enough, he would change.” Jasmine Witcher, interim executive director for the Bethany House domestic violence shelter, says she hears these words all the time.
The Great Gadsby in Alexandria
A weekend at Alexandria’s Gadsby Tavern
Supposedly, The Hunt Ball at the historic Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria took place the evening of Nov. 22, 2014. But inside, there was nothing to indicate it was not Nov. 22, 1800.
Alexandria: Lawsuit Over Rezoning Hits City Council
Neighbors oppose change allowing restaurant.
A lawsuit against the City Council by local residents claims that the rezoning of a residence on Princess and Washington streets, allowing it to become a restaurant, deprived the residents of equal protection of the laws.
People At Work: Crafting a Floral Centerpiece in Alexandria
The art of flower arrangement
Scott Marchand puts hanging amaryllis in the green foam oasis rings. “See how it is giving it a kind of cascading look. I put my greens in first, “ he says. “This is going to be an open, airy floral arrangement in fall tones as a centerpiece for a table.
Alexandria Letter to the Editor: Einstein in Old Town
In the dusky early evening hours of Nov. 19, no fewer than four parallel universes collided on the corner of Pitt and Cameron in an astronomically rare incident, known informally as a “multi-modal mash-up.”
Alexandria Letter to the Editor: Education, Not Facilities
Mr. Roberts is right [“Bullies in High Office,” Letters, Gazette packet, Nov. 20]. “The bullies running Alexandria … have recruited another member to their cabal: School Board President Karen Graf….”