Alexandria Gazette Packet

Uranium Money Spreads Across Virginia in Radioactive Debate

Upcoming General Assembly session to feature effort to lift ban on uranium mining.

The uranium deposits under the farmlands of Pittsylvania County are miles away from Northern Virginia, but the debate about what happens there is shaping up to be one of the hottest issues of the upcoming General Assembly session.

Chairman Moran Steps Down, Endorses Herring to Succeed Him

Former Alexandria delegate hands torch to current Alexandria delegate.

As chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, Brian Moran couldn’t have had a better year.

Caring for Seniors

Just a few years ago, one phone call changed our lives forever. As parents of two young girls, we were busy with our lives — work, preschool, plans for summer vacation: the usual daily routine. The call that turned our lives upside down came from the neighbor of my mother-in-law in Florida. They were concerned that she had been getting lost while driving to the store, and wanted to be sure we knew there was a serious problem. Just a few weeks later, I found myself visiting assisted living and retirement communities in Alexandria and helping her move back up north. Together, we navigated a whole new world of estate planning, Medicare, military benefits and memory loss. Increasingly, we turned to friends who had been through similar experiences with their parents for advice, guidance and support. We learned that we live in a great area for seniors and uncovered many resources available to our family. It took a lot of time and patience, but eventually we felt like “experts” in the field.

The Importance of Giving Back

It’s hard to believe that 140 years have passed since Julia Johns brought together a group of forward-thinking women to open a hospital in Alexandria. Much has changed over the last century and a half, but one thing remains constant: the overwhelming support Inova Alexandria Hospital has received from our dedicated community. Giving back is both a privilege and a perpetuation of the good we see all around us. Whether it is programs within our hospital, or partnering with local organizations on community health and wellness initiatives, we are involved in a wide range of opportunities to advance healthcare for those who need it most. With Thanksgiving approaching, it’s a good time to take stock of some of the ways we brought this commitment to life in 2012: * October’s Walk to Fight Breast Cancer, which we sponsor in partnership with the City of Alexandria and the Inova Alexandria Hospital Foundation, attracted 900 participants. Proceeds benefit the Alexandria Breast Cancer Walk Fund at Inova Alexandria Hospital, which provides mammograms to uninsured women or those in financial need. Since the walk began in 1994, more than 7,000 women have been helped thanks to the generous support of sponsors, walkers and their pledges.

Help Scouts Collect Food for Needy

A Scouting for Food collection will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10. In 2011, 2,620 Scouts in the area collected mor than 64,000 pounds of canned and non-perishable food and delivered it to ALIVE, UCM and Koinonia for distribution among people in need locally. This year, each Scout unit is assigned a local neighborhood for collection; the unit will drop off Scouting for Food bags on Saturday, Nov. 3 and pick them up on Saturday, Nov. 10.

As Sandy Rolls In, Still Plan to Vote

Variety of choices in political landscape.

Hurricane Sandy means that the week preceding the election will not be what we were expecting. This editorial is being written Sunday night, Oct. 28, as forecasters predict five inches of rain and 65-mile-per-hour winds over the next two days. With some predicting that power could take a week or more to restore, we have to worry about the likely condition of the Eastern seaboard will be on Election Day, Nov. 6. Absentee voting in person had been cancelled for Monday, and most government offices were closed in anticipation of the storm. What will this mean for voter turnout, for access to voting places on Election Day? We don't believe that there are significant numbers of undecided voters in Northern Virginia. There are voters who know who they would vote for if they did vote, but they might not be committed to voting if circumstances are difficult. The outcome of the national election, both who will be president and which party controls the U.S. Senate and by what margin, could depend on voter turnout in Virginia. Make a commitment to have your vote counted, no matter how many days you might be without electricity. We are not endorsing candidates for elected office this year. We do recommend that voters support local bond questions for investments in libraries, schools, transportation, parks, stormwater management and public safety.

Alexandria Home Sales: October, 2012

In October 2012, 144 Alexandria homes sold between $1,730,000-$86,500.

Alexandria Home Sales in October, 2012

Week in Alexandria

Looking for the perfect holiday gift? King Street Gardens Park Foundation chairman Rodger Digilio has an idea — buy a brick.

What the Dickens?

MetroStage continues ‘Broadway Christmas Carol’ tradition.

Oh come, all ye faithful fans of musical theater. For the third year running, MetroStage is staging the wickedly funny “A Broadway Christmas Carol,” an irreverent musical take on the classic novel by Charles Dickens.

A magical time of year

Magicians to entertain children with free show Dec. 5 while helping the Alexandria branch of the Salvation Army.

There's something special about the holiday season, between the sparkling lights, frosted windows, endless baked goodies and the wonder that anything is possible. That same feeling of awe makes it the perfect time of year for a magic show, and that's precisely the sentiment that led Ring 50, the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, to host a magic show for area children.

Alexandria Calendar: Nov. 21, 2012

Upcoming events and activities

Sustainability in Action

Annual Students for Sustainability Conference offers ways to improve environment.

About 150 students from 21 high schools and middle schools in the D.C. area, Baltimore and Richmond, along with 33 students visiting from Asia who were traveling with the East-West Exchange Center in American schools, participated in the fifth annual Students for Sustainability Conference (S4S) hosted by St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School on Thursday, Nov. 13.

Alexandria Gazette Packet