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Week in Alexandria: June 4

Slip Displeasure

What is the future of pleasure boats on the waterfront? That's a question that has yet to be resolved. It's an uncertainty that's leaving pleasure-boaters, well, displeased.

Week in Alexandria

Rape charge dropped.

Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter won't say why he asked General District Court Judge Donald Haddock to drop the charge of rape against former Alexandria Deputy Sheriff Bryant Duane Pegues, who was fired from his job after evidence emerged that he had sex with an inmate at the city jail last month.

Graduation 2014: Carter Goodwin, Valedictorian

America's High School

Speech given by the valedictorian at the T.C Williams Commencement Ceremony of 2014


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The Sound of Music

Alexandria Singers to present ‘Road Trip’ concert June 20, 21.

The year was 1975, when gas was $.57 a gallon, the top selling car was the Oldsmobile Cutlass and The Captain and Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” topped the Billboard charts. It was also the year that 16 Alexandria residents got together to form the group known today as The Alexandria Singers.

Alexandria Home Sales: May, 2014

In May 2014, 258 Alexandria homes sold between $1,570,000-$129,900.

Alexandria Home Sales: May, 2014

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Coloring Outside the Lines

Mayor: Torpedo Factory is the number one tourist attraction in Alexandria.

On Thursday, June 12, the Torpedo Factory Art Center officially unveiled "Coloring Outside the Lines," the mural that resident artist Rachel Kerwin has been painting in the waterfront entrance.


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Senior Living: Using Technology To Enhance Life

Technology can be intimidating to learn and use, but when you get past the fear, it can enhance your life in many ways. That was the takeaway from Senior Services of Alexandria’s June Speaker Series last week at Beatley Central Library.

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Great Commitment, Greater Outcome

As Space of His Own wraps up its initial year, Ryan Touhill and Walter’s relationship is off to a strong start.

Commentary: Celebrating Champions

Reflections on the T.C. Williams Class of 2014

Since arriving at Alexandria City Public Schools in October, I have enjoyed the exhilarating experience of getting to know this community. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many passionate parents, teachers and students. The commitment and desire to achieve among those involved in this wonderful and diverse school division has instilled me with a great sense of pride.


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Ask about Unsecured Guns

Ask about unsecured guns in homes where children play.

A combined effort between the Brady Campaign to Prevent Violence and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the nation’s first ASK Day encourages parents to keep their children safe by ASKing, “Is there an unlocked gun where my child plays?”

Letter: Titan Pride

Letter to the editor

Letter: Old Town Perspective

Letter to the editor


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Patchwork of Approaches to Affordable Housing in Northern Virginia

Jurisdictions use a variety of strategies to prevent homelessness.

Affordable housing means different things to different people at different times. For government officials, it's a phrase that means that a family spends no more than 30 percent of its income on housing costs, including rent or mortgage as well as taxes and utilities

Food Truck Amuse-Bouche

Draft regulations would allow food trucks to 15 city parks and recreation centers.

Think Alexandria is about to be overrun by food trucks? Think again. Draft regulations now under consideration by the Parks and Recreation Commission would limit the pilot program for food trucks to parks and recreation centers that have 10 or more parking spaces. Only three would be allowed at one place at a time, and they would be limited to vending for four hours at a time. The parking lots must be paved, and the spaces must be designated. Although the city has more than 100 parks and recreation centers, only 15 sites would qualify under the draft regulations now under consideration. The Alexandria City Council is expected to review the recommendation next week. Food trucks could start vending as early as July 1.

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Meals Tax: Tasty or Revolting?

Supervisors digest task force’s final report on hot-button issue.

After hours of simmering debate, the Meals Tax Referendum Task Force’s presentation to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday was a mere amuse-bouche, whetting the appetite of board the for the group’s 170-page multi-course written report.


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Gifts for New Grads

Local tastemakers offer suggestions from the sentimental to the practical.

After the tassels have been turned and the diplomas received, it is usually time for a graduation celebration. Whether you’re shopping for someone who is heading to college or venturing out into the workforce, choosing a present for the graduate in your life can be perplexing, but local tastemakers are here to help, offering suggestions for graduation presents that range from the practical to the sentimental.

After Graduation: Dorm Room Set-Up

Local organizers show how to maximize storage in small spaces.

After graduation comes off-to-college season. Often this means parents making design choices for their children or parents and their soon-to-be-college freshmen searching for supplies that will serve dual purposes, particularly when it comes to storage. For those who find themselves in a dorm room design conundrum, local organizers offer tips and tools for creating stylish yet space-saving designs for new college students.

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Manhunt Ends in Tragedy

Suspicious package prompts search, which ends in suicide and controlled explosions.

Neighbors on Hanson Street knew there was a problem between James Froman and Molly Gimmel. They could hear it from two houses away, the sound of Froman yelling at Gimmel. As their marriage was dissolving at the end of 2012, the fights became more frequent and louder. Froman became increasingly obsessed with military special forces, dressing in military uniform and spending hours at the firing range. Things spiraled out of control one December night in 2012 when he asked her to join him when he went to the shooting range so he could use her as target practice.


Editorial: More Affordable Housing Needed

Anticipated job growth to exacerbate problem.

In Northern Virginia, affordable housing means more than human services or helping those who are less fortunate. It means more than housing the chronically homeless, although that is not optional.

A Dream Come True, Sort Of

Growing up in the 60s, if you loved sports, as I did/still do, you spent hours listening to games on a transistor radio. There certainly wasn’t “Cable” television back then; heck, there wasn’t even color television, let alone “HD,” “interactive,” or whatever else television technology has evolved into. And of course, there were no “big screen” television sets either. We had a 19" Zenith black and white television and we received three channels: 4, 5 and 7 (in Boston), and as much as sports was/is important in Boston/New England, viewing options, given the limited VHF/UHF band frequencies, meant listening to games on radio – AM radio. Games were regularly televised on weekends, more so if the home team was playing on the road. As the decades have passed, so too have transistor radios, black and white televisions and limited viewing on only three channels. Between “Cable,” computers, and more recently, the introduction of hand-held devices, access to and familiarity with sports has grown exponentially. Add in the explosion of sports-talk radio and the abundance of sports-themed content on television (regardless of whether the games are at home or on the road) and one could be in his “man cave” for hours on end “channeling” his – or her – passion, for any team, in any city, at almost any time.