Alexandria People Notes
Emily Haughton is one of 31 students welcomed by the Kennedy Center to participate in the 21st annual Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell.
Poem: Winds on High
Music through the breeze of coolness Hot summer days of high winds Old Glory dances Twisting and twirling Pausing through the breeze Tree pollen twirling like little snowflakes Of winter days afar For summer it is Refreshing coolness of summer breeze And shower of rain that is pure.
Letter to the Editor: Use Hensley For Robinson?
The St. James unsolicited proposal to build a sports and entertainment complex where Hensley Park exists today may have been unsolicited, but it was neither a new idea nor one lacking proponents at city hall. In 2005, Alexandrians for an All City Sports Facility approached the city with a similar request to build expansive sports facilities on Hensley Park. Kerry Donley, David Speck, and other community leaders, then and now, promoted this plan. Funding shortfalls stymied this idea, in the end.
Letter to the Editor: Much To Consider
It is important to note that the "Stand Your Ground" argument was not used in the Trayvon Martin case. It was decided on other grounds.
Letter to the Editor: Ensure Healthy City Parks
On Sunday I tended a small pocket park in the heart of Old Town and for the first time found a syringe among the cigarette butts. This park is poorly lit at night, the azaleas are diseased, and were it not for some attention, would be covered in weedy vines. This park has been a collective effort of the neighborhood florist, the city and myself, which after three years is finally a space that people kindly remark on and relax in.
Letter to the Editor: Passion and Caring For Officer Laboy
The words “passion and caring for the community” can best describe the effort put forth by Arlington resident Karen L. Bune. Ms. Bune has been in the forefront of a region- wide fund raising campaign to provide relief and support for Alexandria Police Officer Peter Laboy and his family. Earlier this year, Officer Laboy made a traffic stop after a report of a person acting suspiciously in the Old Town section of Alexandria. Before he could even get off his motorcycle, he was shot in the head by the suspect. Fortunately, due to the rapid response and quick assistance from Alexandria Fire/EMS units on the scene, Laboy survived. However, his life and that of his family will never be the same. He has had to undergo myriad and expensive medical procedures. In the aftermath of this terrible incident, many public safety agencies and the community in general have bonded together to provide support and financial assistance to Officer Laboy.
Letter to the Editor: Problem: Cars, Not Bicycles
Bicycles are not the problem. I was stunned when I observed the debate over bicycles in socially "progressive" Old Town Alexandria. Let me get to the point: cars and the failed — not best practices — city parking policies are the problem, not bicycles.
Letter to the Editor: Give Citizens Recall Power
The Alexandria Gazette Packet got to the heart of the matter when it pointed out that City Council’s decision to put aside its established priorities to consider a public-private partnership proposal shows that, city hall’s diversionary rhetoric to the contrary, this deal to give public land to a private for-profit entity is already a “done deal” not necessarily because the deal has already been cut, but because most of the current incumbents (other than Councillors Silberberg and Smedberg) are favorably disposed toward doing business this way. Did, for example, City Council recently discontinue earmarking funding for open space precisely because city hall wanted to signal that open space would no longer be a priority to pave the way to erase 15 acres of open space for the right price?
Letter to the Editor: Failure of ‘What Next Alexandria’
I originally welcomed the opportunity to participate in a series of meetings to improve public participation in city governance. The “What’s Next Alexandria” initiative was billed as a conversation on civic engagement, how Alexandrians can best participate in public decisions that shape the city and reach agreement on principles that will guide civic engagement
City Attorney Determines No Impediment to Hensley Lease, But Record Remains Unclear
State officials are still digging through archive to trace federal funds from 1970s.
The history of Hensley Park has become a battlefield in recent weeks, as city leaders clash with opponents of a proposal to hand over open space to a developer who wants to build a sports complex.
“Chemo-Nosabe”
Although I’ve not seen the current “The Lone Ranger” theatrical release, I am of a certain age and generation who grew up watching – on black and white television with no remote control and only three watchable channels – the original “The Lone Ranger” (starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels), along with other weekday-afternoon and Saturday-morning classics like “The Rifleman,” “Roy Rogers,” “Sky King,” “Superman,” “Leave It To Beaver” and “Ozzie and Harriet” – in my house, anyway. And though the “effects” weren’t nearly as “special” as they are in today’s movie/television productions/versions, nevertheless, the effects on me, personally, were far greater. Can you say wholesome goodness? The Golden Rule? Do unto others…
A Delicate Balance – At Home
How appropriate is it to tell a cancer patient something negative (that he likely doesn’t want to hear) – yet needs to know, and which might ultimately quash his fighting spirit and adversely affect his day – and night? Moreover, would withholding certain discouraging observations intermittently along the cancer-treatment way, in order for said patient to feel good and positive about himself – and better prepare him for any and all news/results which might upset his precariously imperfect life and moreover, likely chip away at his emotional wherewithal as well – cause more harm than 100-percent honesty all the time?
Puppets for Puppies
LTA musical to benefit local animal charities.
With an abundant use of profanity and episodes of "full puppet nudity," the Tony Award-winning musical “Avenue Q” is not the usual fare from The Little Theatre of Alexandria. But when the storied theater company debuts the Sesame Street-style show July 27, each performance will serve as a fundraiser for several local animal charities.
T.C. Alumni Celebrate 40 Years
TC’s Class of 1973 gathers this weekend.
This week marks the 40th year reunion of T.C. William’s class of 1973. Coming right out of the tumultuous ‘60s, the class of 1973 was part of T.C. Williams during some of its most transformative years. With both national and local changes taking place, the students had a high school experience that involved more than classes.
Silence of the Court: Virginia Supreme Court Denies Access to Audio Recordings
Lack of transparency is explained as effort to shield personal conversations.
The Virginia Supreme Court operates in silence, denying public access to audio recordings of its oral arguments.
Video
- NewsTalk Segment 25 comments
- County Council President Roger Berliner Faces Angry Crowd in Potomac 17 comments