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Housing Market: ‘Sell and Buy’ 4/24/2013
Sustained low interest rates and rising prices have energized the marketplace.
The local real estate market is thriving, with Realtors reporting multiple offers on homes in some areas and dwindling inventory of homes for sale. At least two things are contributing to this change in the market.
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Neighborhood
Taylor Run
KEIRA MORAN Our neighbor Keira Moran has decided to accept a scholarship to the music industries program at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. 1, 243 musicians entered videos of their performing original music to Frost. Fifty of those students were called down to audition; Keira was one of the 12 who were chosen for the program.
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Editorial: Connection Guide to Parks Wins ‘Best in Show’
Investigative reporting, in depth coverage, education writing, photography, art, design, sports, garner Virginia Press Association honors.
The Connection Newspapers won dozens of awards from the Virginia Press Association, with winners announced on Saturday, April 20, in Norfolk.
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Letter: Prepare for Park Meeting
To the Editor: The Westgrove Park Off-Leash Dog Area (OLDA) has been the subject of numerous articles and letters in the Gazette over the past two years. Last November, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) agreed to establish the OLDA on an interim basis pending the outcome of the Master Planning process.
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Housing Market: ‘Sell and Buy’
Sustained low interest rates and rising prices have energized the marketplace.
The local real estate market is thriving, with Realtors reporting multiple offers on homes in some areas and dwindling inventory of homes for sale. At least two things are contributing to this change in the market. First, interest rates have been in the basement: Freddie Mac reported a 30-year fixed-rate of 3.57 percent for March this year, as opposed to 3.95 percent in March 2012 and 4.84 percent in 2011 (for reference, March 2005 was 5.93 percent).
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Roundups
Sexual Assault and Burglary Fairfax County Police are investigating the sexual assault of a 27-year-old Centreville woman. The incident occurred Sunday, April 21, around 3 a.m. Police say the woman was asleep inside her home in the 13000 block of Winding Oak Circle when she was awoken by a man sexually assaulting her. But she fought him off and he fled on foot. Investigation also revealed that electronic equipment had been stolen from her residence. Entry was apparently gained through an unlocked door. The suspect was described as possibly Hispanic, 25-35, about 5 feet 7 inches, with a medium build and wearing a dark hoodie and dark pants. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org, text “TIP187” plus a message to CRIMES/274637 or call police at 703-691-2131.
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Athenaeum Wants Your Vote to Fund Restoration in Online Contest
Leaders at the Old Town landmark suggest voting early and often.
Do you love the Athenaeum? If the answer is yes, executive director Catherine Aselford is asking for your vote.
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Celebrating Creative Spirit, Sharing Experiences
Commentary
For the third year in a row, Alexandria will celebrate the connection between the creative spirit and mental health by displaying the art works of people whose lives have been affected by mental illness, substance abuse disorders or intellectual disabilities. Some of these works of art are playful, some stark, some beautiful, and some so sad and disturbing, they stop the viewer in his or her tracks. Through their pieces, these artists are sharing not only their hopes and dreams, but their pain and fear and their own personal stories. The telling of their stories is just part of what should be a community-wide conversation about mental health and the often long and bumpy road to recovery.
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Bulletin Board
Absentee Voting Opens On Tuesday June 11, there will be a Democratic Primary for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. Absentee voting for the primary begins on Friday, April 26. Many Alexandria voters are eligible to vote absentee, but relatively few take advantage of this option. Qualifying circumstances: commute and work for 11 of the 13 hours the polls are open; caregiver for a confined family member; unable to go to the polls in person on Election Day because of an illness or disability; or will be absent from Alexandria on Election Day because of personal business, work, school, or vacation. To learn more about these, and other circumstances in which absentee voting is an appropriate option, visit alexandriava.gov/Elections and click on “Absentee Voting,” or call 703-746-4050.
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Songs, Dances and a Message
Westfield High presents ‘Urinetown: The Musical.’
Westfield High’s new show, “Urinetown: The Musical,” is about a future time when a severe water shortage forces citizens to pay to pee. And, no pun intended, Director Susie Pike says her actors are “rarin’ to go.”
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Songs, Dances and a Message 4/24/2013
Westfield High presents ‘Urinetown: The Musical.’
Westfield High’s new show, “Urinetown: The Musical,” is about a future time when a severe water shortage forces citizens to pay to pee. And, no pun intended, Director Susie Pike says her actors are “rarin’ to go.”
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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.
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Council Notebook
Once upon a midnight dreary, while Alexandria Poet Laureate Amy Young pondered weak and weary.
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Business Matters
Del Ray is known as the place where Main Street still exists. Now it's also a place where adults can eat sushi without the threat of hearing a crying baby.
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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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Bulletin Board P 4/24/2013
Saturday/April 27 Free Workshop. “Clicker Train Your Dog to Behave” from 10 a.m.-noon at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 6030 Grosvenor Lane. Speaker Laurie Luck, trainer and instructor at Karen Pryor Academy, will teach you all the ins and outs of how to use the clicker. We will also do some myth-busting. Come see just how fast (and easy) clicker training works and how you can use it with your dog to teach manners or change a behavior. Leave your dog at home. To register, go to http://yourdogsfriend.org/blog/free-workshops/or call 301-983-5913.
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Entertainment P 4/24/2013
Traditional, Folk Dance at Strathmore Choreographer Asanga Domask brings a collection of Sri Lankan traditional and folk dance to the CityDance Studio Theater at Strathmore on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 28 at 6 p.m. Nruthya Manjarie will premiere original choreography of several group and solo works that are dedicated to the preservation of Sri Lanka's traditional Kandyan, low country, and folk dance. To purchase Tickets, visit www.strathmore.org, call 301-581-5100 or stop by the Music Center at Strathmore Ticket Office at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD. All tickets are $25.
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Entertainment ARL 4/24/2013
Calendar
Move Me Bowen McCauley Dance presents the 4th Annual Move Me Festival on Saturday, April 27, 2-5 p.m. at Kenmore Middle School, with the support of The JBG Companies, honorary hosts Senator Barbara Favola and Delegate Patrick Hope, and master of ceremony WUSA9 evening anchor Anita Brikman. Move Me is a free family-friendly celebration of the arts and culture, promoting healthy lifestyles through movement and the arts, and featuring performances and artistic activities by local arts partners. This year, the festival focuses on the need to “Get Active, Get Creative, Get Involved.” Participating arts partners will offer performances, demonstrations, and activities including Latin dance, clogging, theater workshops, orchestra performances, an instrument petting zoo, yoga, face painting, magic tricks, arts and crafts and more. Visit www.bmdc.org.
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Bullis Fills Manna Truck with 1,367 Boxes of Cereal
With need so great, that’s a week’s worth.
Twenty-six 4th grade students at Bullis received hands-on knowledge April 17 of how powerful a group can be if each one just gives a little. They were responsible for loading 1,367 boxes of cereal donated by the students and families of Bullis onto the Manna truck — and those 1,367 boxes nearly filled the truck to capacity. When working out the math, the students realized that it only required each Bullis student to bring in two boxes of cereal to fill the truck and stock the Manna shelves. “That’s enough cereal to feed my family forever,” one student said. “How long do you think it will last at Manna?” asked their teacher, Kate Powell. “Maybe a week — or maybe two,” the students answered. Manna’s Development Manager Allison Krumsiek Anderson verified that the amount of donated cereal would last at least a week. “We give out 192 boxes of cereal every day,” she said. “We rely on community donations to help us provide 20,000 pounds of food a day. It is so important to provide breakfast to families. Studies show that kids who don’t eat breakfast can’t learn. They have better behavior and can function much better, particularly when the breakfast has high nutritional value. We are truly grateful to Bullis for such a huge donation.”
