Alexandria Snapshot: 'Tis the Season
Members of Girl Scout Troop 2825 from Belle View Elementary School sell cookies in Old Town Feb. 27 as the organization’s cookie drive gets underway across the nation.
Alexandria: Butting Heads on Ramsey Homes
Sudden reversal in saga of Alexandria affordable housing.
After seven hours of debate, the decision not to rezone Ramsey Homes on Saturday was rendered moot when one City Council member announced three days later that he’d changed his mind.
Alexandria: Call a Taxi for the Dog
VIP Pet offers grooming, spa services and a dog taxi. Guzal Arslanova, owner of the pet salon, said, "Some people are so busy and they don't want to deal with traffic. So our dog taxi delivers our clients to doggy school at Olde Towne School for Dogs, to the vet or doggie day care. We have doggie seat belts for very little tiny dogs to big ones. We get a lot of people staring at the van."
Alexandria: Birders Protest Chemical Treatment at Monticello Park
Warbler watch set to begin in this migration spot.
It's almost March 1, the official beginning of this year's warbler watch at Monticello Park in Alexandria.
Alexandria: And Now for Something Different–Consensus
Council and School Board agree on capacity priority.
Here’s how budget sessions go: the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) puts together a list of funding requests. The city puts its budget together and tells the school system to get its numbers lower. There’s some haggling over prices and priorities, with the city eventually transferring a little more money into the schools and the schools announcing cuts to various programs or plans to reach the city’s funding requirements.
Alexandria: Residents Displaced by Church Expansion Assured Housing
The Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley presents affordable housing relocation plan.
“One of our missions is to sustain affordable housing,” said the Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley at a meeting with the local residents on Feb. 11.”This affects people and families. It’s not something we take lightly.”
Alexandria: Presenting Move2Learn Grants
RunningBrooke awards $70,000 to local nonprofits.
Brooke Curran, founder of the RunningBrooke fund, presented $70,000 to 12 local nonprofits Feb. 10 as part of the 2016 Move2Learn grants awards.
Alexandria Obituary: Anne Smith Paul Dies
Devoted preservationist, volunteer.
Anne Paul, a longtime resident devoted to the preservation of Alexandria’s history, died Feb. 14 at her home. She was 75.
Alexandria: Making of a Megachurch
Alfred Street Baptist Church prepares for 181,151-square-foot expansion.
On Sundays, Alfred Street Baptist Church, one of the city’s oldest black churches, is one of the most popular spots in Alexandria’s Historic District. According to Deacon James Garrett, the church has added more than 3,000 new members over the last eight years. If all goes according to plan, it’s going to get a little more spacious inside Alexandria’s historic Alfred Street Baptist Church, but some residents are concerned it comes at the cost of crowding their neighbors.
Alexandria: War of Passive Aggression
South rises again in Alexandria to fight renaming streets and moving memorial.
Speakers at a city meeting compared the potential plans to de-Confederate Alexandria to everything from the backlash against soldiers returning home to Vietnam to ISIS and the Taliban. At the second meeting of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names, a public comment section sparked tensions and highlighted a deep divide in how Alexandrians still view a war over 150 years ended.
Alexandria People At Work: A New Man in Just 10 Minutes
Eden cuts hair for 50 years.
Fred Murphy walks through the door of the barber shop on his way to the post office and sits in the first chair by the window. Barber Don Eden says, "usual trim?"
‘Mercy Street’ Shines Light on Alexandria
PBS series draws attention to Alexandria’s landmarks.
The Office of Historic Alexandria has joined Extraordinary Alexandria to celebrate the spotlight on its heritage and present new visitor experiences for fans of the PBS miniseries, “Mercy Street.”
Alexandria Obituary: Ralph Horatio Grimm
Ralph Horatio Grimm, a lifetime member of Aerie 871 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Old Town, died Feb. 3, 2016 at the age of 89.
Alexandria: Stowe Honored as Officer of the Year
American Legion presents inaugural award.
Alexandria Police officer Carl Stowe Jr. was presented with the 2015 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award Jan. 13 by American Legion Post 24 in Old Town.
Kostbar: Bike Noise Is Epidemic
People at Work
A week after the big snowstorm, a blue and silver Trek Excalibur sits on a bike rack waiting for its one-year warranty tune up and replacement of the chain links for more speed. Garrett Kostbar, service manager of Spokes etc. on Quaker Lane, will check all the bolts to be sure nothing has loosened up, adjust the head set to prevent slop or play in the bearing assembly, check the brake adjustment, make sure the wheels are true since the braided stainless steel cable can stretch out and break.