Alexandria: Former Deputy Fire Chief Dies
Michael Conner dies at 68.
Each October during National Fire Prevention Week, a solemn ceremony takes place at Ivy Hill Cemetery where a Roll Call of the Fallen is taken to honor firefighters who have given their lives protecting the citizens of Alexandria. This year’s ceremony will take on new meaning when the toll of a bell rings out for Michael Conner, the former deputy fire chief whose recruit class first dedicated Ivy Hill’s Circle of Honor in 1970.
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.
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 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: Thanking United Way
The City Council recognizes a $100,000 grant from United Way of the National Capital Area to local nonprofits: Family Matters, New Hope Housing, the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys & Girls Clubs, Alive!, Offender Aid and Restoration of Arlington County, Senior Services of Alexandria, Carpenter’s Shelter, Bethany House of Northern Virginia, and the Ethiopian Community Development Council.
Alexandria: Ramsey Resolved
Despite approvals, Ramsey Homes redevelopment pushed back until 2017.
The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority has agreed to a work plan with the city. One of the core tenets of this plan, number 3 on the list, is “no surprises.”
Alexandria: Euille Meets with Inmates
Former mayor discusses need for jobs to curb recidivism.
“Before we start, I want you to know that I can’t do anything to get you out sooner,” said former Mayor William Euille to inmates at the Alexandria Detention Center on March 10. Euille spoke about his own experiences with successes and defeats throughout his life, including his recent loss to Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg.
Alexandria: Make Eisenhower Great Again
City Manager Mark Jinks lays out plans for Eisenhower area.
While the city makes adjustments to local transit and fosters more cultural activities in the Carlyle and Eisenhower area, there’s been no word yet on the biggest issue affecting the Eisenhower Valley: whether or not the Transportation Safety Administration will move into the long-vacant Victory Center. At the March 10 meeting of the Eisenhower Partnership, City Manager Mark Jinks said that the city’s been hearing that they’ll find out whether or not Alexandria will be the new TSA home “any day now” since a judge voided the contract in November 2015.
Alexandria: Church Offers Grants to Nonprofits
For the fifth year in a row, Westminster Presbyterian Church opened its call for local grant applications as part of its local mission program. The grant program seeks to award $25,000 to local non-profits in 2016 who aid children, hunger, education, shelter or self-sufficiency for Northern Virginia residents. To date, the Westminster Community Grant Program has awarded 23 grants totaling more than $85,000 to local community programs.
Alexandria Snapshot: ‘March for Meals’ Month
At a recent City Council meeting, the month of March was proclaimed as “March for Meals” to bring awareness around the topic of senior isolation and hunger. Councilwoman Del Pepper read the proclamation signed by Mayor Allison Silberberg that establishes the March for Meals Campaign and recognizes the importance of the Older American Act Nutrition Programs.
Alexandria Snapshot: Read Across America
To celebrate Read Across America, Cora Kelly School invited Sheriff Dana Lawhorne, Deputy Valarie Wright and other guest readers from the community to read books to their students. The Read Across America campaign is held annually during the anniversary of the birth of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as children’s author Dr. Seuss. Lawhorne and Wright visited Cora Kelly on March 2 and read to students in a classroom and in the library. Lawhorne wore a “Cat in the Hat” hat as he read “Miss Nelson is Missing” and Wright, wearing a big green and white hat, read “The Lady with the Alligator Purse” to the students.
Alexandria Snapshot: Grant to SCAN
SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia has received a $5,000 grant from The Rite Aid Foundation, thanks to local supporters who enrolled in Rite Aid’s wellness+ program in January and designated SCAN as their nonprofit of choice.
Alexandria Snapshot: Honored for Crisis Intervention Work
The Alexandria Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) honored five CIT members at its annual awards luncheon at police headquarters on Tuesday, March 15.