Letter to the Editor: Illusory Benefits
In the March 7 edition of the Gazette Packet, Mayor Euille was quoted saying, “As a lifelong resident of the City, I would not vote for or support a plan that would harm the community, plain and simple.”
Letter to the Editor: Libraries Take Another Hit
Imagine my consternation when once again Alexandria’s libraries are on the hit list. At the same time the BikeShare program is expanded to the tune of $600,000 on top of $360,000 that taxpayers have already forked over.
Column: The BBQ Princess
Frances* has spent all 61 years of her life in Alexandria though she has moved at least eight times over the years. From Patrick Street to Henry, Cameron Valley to Old Town, Fulton Street to Hume Springs … she now owns her home in the Mount Jefferson neighborhood. She has such fond memories of the city, she can’t imagine living anywhere else.
Column: Explaining Waterfront Plan and Petition Process Text Amendments
On Tuesday, March 5, the Alexandria Planning Commission approved two text amendments to Alexandria’s zoning ordinance after public hearings where most of the speakers opposed the amendments.
Column: Join in Battle Against Secondhand Smoke
Kick Butts Day is Wednesday, March 20. It is an annual day of activism, celebrated in more than 2,000 events around the country, empowering youth to raise awareness about the problems of tobacco use in schools and the community.
Column: E-male
My oncologist is a man. He has e-mail. He works for an HMO that encourages/advertises its connectivity and responsiveness – electronically, to its members. If I want to get medical answers in a reasonable amount of time – save for an emergency, typing, “mousing” and clicking is the recommended methodology. No more phone calls, preferably. Though pressing keys on a keyboard rather than pressing buttons on a phone might have felt counter-intuitive at first as a means of receiving prompt replies, it has proven over these past few years to be a fairly reliable and predictable information loop. Not in minutes necessarily, but more often than not during the same day – and almost always by the very next day. In fact, I’ve received e-mails from my oncologist as late as 9:18 p.m. (time-stamped) after a sometime-during-the-day e-mail had been sent.
Letter to the Editor: Protective Role Of Zoning
The original intent of zoning regulation was to protect abutting land owners from detrimental land development, and to preserve property value and quality of life.
Letter to the Editor: So Much for Transparency
No sooner had the Washington Post announced that its two warehouses were for sale than Bingo … council announces that they have had one of their “back room” executive sessions wherein they decided to alter the zoning code on the waterfront.
Letter to the Editor: Help Save Eldercrafters
This is an unabashed plea for someone, perhaps a developer, to help save Eldercrafters, the wonderful store across the street from Gadsby’s Tavern that sells only crafts made by senior citizens.
Letter to the Editor: Responsive Teachers
On Wednesday, Feb. 27 an incident occurred outside Lyles Crouch Traditional Academy. Tragically, Officer Peter Laboy was shot and is fighting to survive.
Letter to the Editor: Rational Compromise
A leader has stepped forward to advance a rational compromise on the Waterfront plan not unlike Councilwoman Del Pepper did last year.
Letter to the Editor: Council Should Discuss Compromise
I am writing to support the compromise which Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg seeks regarding the waterfront plan, a compromise consistent with her campaign reminder that we all serve “as the temporary stewards of this national treasure called Alexandria.”
Letter to the Editor: Competing For Parking
The Burke Library on Seminary Road is a great facility with courteous staff and lots of material. Too bad no one will be able to use it.
Column: Coping with Memory Loss
Senior Services of Alexandria is bringing in March like a lion with our March speaker series and the Generation-to-Generation Gala. You won't want to miss either of these events.
Column: Cracking the Stigma Barrier at College
The bad news confirmed by two recent studies is that mental illnesses, including severe mental illness, are more common among college students than they were at the turn of this century.