Alexandria Politics

Alexandria Politics

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Uncertainty Haunts Jefferson-Houston Groundbreaking

Questions linger as officials prepare ceremonial shovels.

City leaders and school officials are about to break out the ceremonial shovels and turn the earth at Jefferson-Houston School, the long-troubled facility near the King Street Metro station.

Council Notebook

It's official. The Alexandria City Council is against expanding operations at a hazardous materials facility on the West End of the city near the Van Dorn Metro station and just a few hundred feet from Tucker Elementary School.

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Office Vacancy Hits Historic High in Alexandria

City officials blame Base Closure and Realignment Commission.

The crush of rush hour traffic at Mark Center is not the only headache caused by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

Opposition Heats Up over City's Plans for Founders Park

Council to be asked to amend current restrictions on special events.

The proposed amendment to allow special events in Founders Park took center stage at the May 10 annual meeting of the Founders Park Community Association. “I can't believe the city is proposing this,” said one attendee who asked to remain anonymous. “There should be more respect for Ellen Pickering, Chuck Hamel and Patricia Golubin for saving this land. The park would not exist at all if it weren't for their efforts back in the '70s.”

Hyland: Let People Vote on Meals Tax

Troubled by the Board of Supervisors’ recent decision to increase the property tax rate and its over-reliance on that source to make up for shortfalls in the county’s growing financial needs, Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland once again urged his board colleagues to support placing on the fall election ballot a referendum to approve a meals tax, which he calls more fair than the real estate tax.

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School Board to Reconsider Middle School Reorganization

Members ask superintendent to evaluate four years of middle school data.

When students arrived at Hammond Middle School for the first day of classes in the fall of 2009, they were stepping into three different schools: Hammond 1, Hammond 2 and Hammond 3.

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Alexandria City Council Approves Historic Tax Increase

After ousting two Republicans, all Democratic council hikes tax rate four cents.

Members of the Alexandria City Council unanimously supported a historic four-cent hike in the tax rate this week, raising the average residential property tax bill $314 to $4,888.

Absentee Voting Starts Now for Democratic Primaries

Primaries held for lieutenant governor and attorney general.

The State Board of Elections reported Monday, May 6, that absentee voting began for the June 11, 2013 primary and all localities met the required 45-day deadline for mailing absentee ballots to voters.

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Governor McDonnell Endorses Springfield Site for FBI Headquarters

In letter to FBI director, McDonnell says Fairfax County site will advance “national security mission.”

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has publicly endorsed the Springfield warehouse site for the new FBI building headquarters. In an April 30 letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller and Dan Tangherlini, the acting administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration, McDonnell said the federally owned warehouse is the best choice for a number of reasons.

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Federal Officials Audit T.C. Williams to Follow $6 Million in Federal Funds

Three-year program dubbed school 'persistently lowest achieving.'

For two days this week, a team of federal officials from the U.S. Department of Education were in Alexandria to follow the money.

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Horse Trading at City Hall as Council Members Approach Budget Deadline

Warwick Pool to remain open for the short term; holiday lights to stay dim during the summer.

The Warwick Pool is likely to stay open for another year, although what happens beyond that is a mystery. But the holiday lights along King Street will likely go dark during the summer months, despite one councilwoman's longtime quest to persuade her colleagues otherwise.

Council Notebook

Once upon a midnight dreary, while Alexandria Poet Laureate Amy Young pondered weak and weary.

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Alexandria Set to Exceed Debt Ceiling, Raising Concerns About Bond Rating

City leaders say borrowing is necessary to finance future of Alexandria.

Alexandria is about to hit the roof, literally.

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Newly Elected School Board Members Clash Over Raises for Teachers

Now budget heads to City Hall, where council members will determine appropriation.

School Board members traditionally try to present a unified front to City Hall, where members of the Alexandria City Council have the final say over how much money is transferred to the Beauregard Street headquarters of Alexandria City Public Schools.

West End Rezoned

Council approves plan to demolish thousands of garden apartments.

Like many of the residents who live along Beauregard Street, Salam Jawad is unsure about the future. Since he came to America last year, he's been trying to find his way in a new culture and a new environment.

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