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Mount Vernon Letter: Cell Phone Dead Zone
Letter to the Editor
Trivial though this might seem in comparison to the ugly ongoing slugfest over who will next occupy the White House, I’d like to point out that, a full decade and a half into the 21st century, my wife and I are still living in a cell phone dead zone.
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Mount Vernon Column: Bills Becoming Law as Session Ends
Commentary
The eighth week of the General Assembly session brought a few vetoes and heated debates as the most contentious bills of the session moved toward final passage.
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How Nancy Reagan Put Clifton on the Map
First Lady’s visits to Heart in Hand restaurant still remembered.
A quaint village in Western Fairfax County enjoyed anonymity until the day former first lady Nancy Reagan came to town.
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Mount Vernon Column: Pedaling Toward Finish Line
Commentary
I had the opportunity to support two bills both in committee and on the floor that will make traveling around Mount Vernon a little safer for bicyclists. Senate Bill 117 imposes a penalty for “dooring” bikers, including creating a cause of action for lawsuits and the ability to file an insurance claim.
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Mount Vernon: Raising an Assistance Dog Only To Say Goodbye
Volunteers play key role in Canine Companions for Independence.
For 40 years, the nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) has been raising and training service dogs for people with a broad spectrum of disabilities. CCI enlists both volunteers and professionals to raise dogs so that they can improve lives all over America — from wounded veterans to people affected by other physical setbacks, the only exception being blindness. And, when all is said and done, CCI ensures that these prepared, caring dogs go to their new owners at no cost.
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Alexandria Letter: Careful About History
Letter to the Editor
At the Feb. 8 public hearing of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names, a speaker said that George Mason IV of Gunston Hall had decapitated four slaves and put their heads on display upon the chimneys of City Hall.
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Alexandria Letter: Ramsey Homes Deserve Better
Letter to the Editor
I am a neighbor of Ramsey Homes, and am one of the signers of the protest petition. Over 75 properties nearby to Ramsey were represented in the petition; this is not an example of a few individuals protesting a redevelopment proposal. I am writing to articulate the concerns of many of the neighbors of Ramsey, and to make clear our objections to the current proposal.
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Alexandria Letter: Renaming Streets
Letter to the Editor
I was dismayed to learn [“War of Passive Aggression” Feb. 11] that of the eight white residents who addressed the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names at the Feb. 8 meeting, every one of them spoke against renaming the streets and moving the memorial.
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Alexandria Letter: Insightful Article
Letter to the Editor
This article ["Reynes Shares Something Sweet," March 3, Gazette Packet] provides wonderful insight on the beauty of passion, hard work, and interdependence in one’s own community.
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Alexandria Letter: Stick to Braddock Plans
Letter to the Editor
How curious! Twenty-two of the existing affordable housing units adjacent to the Alfred Street Baptist Church will be demolished so the church can expand its sanctuary. In another forum Councilman John Taylor Chapman demanded the city violate two of its plans rather than forgo loss.
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Column: Focus on Family, Starting at Home
Commentary–Rebuilding Together Alexandria
Family is a central focus for Tamir, who lives with his wife and two teenage children in Alexandria. He was laid off in the fall and started working as an Uber driver to make ends meet while he seeks a new job. Making matters worse, his refrigerator broke the week before Thanksgiving. With money tight, he did not know how he was going to replace it.
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Column: Countdown to Gadsby’s Ball
Commentary–Gadsby's Tavern Museum Society Board
The top 10 things about Gadsby’s Tavern that you may not know and why you should go to its Best Bib & Tucker Ball:
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Column: True Grit–Two Stories of the Value of AmeriCorps Experience
Commentary-Community Lodgings
Cristina O'Brien, 25, grew up in Long Island, N.Y., and knew that one day she would work with Spanish-speaking immigrants. She heard about AmeriCorps, a national service program that offers a stipend and college tuition reimbursement, while majoring in Spanish at American University. She searched for a position that would allow her to work with Spanish-speaking and immigrant children, and when she was placed at Community Lodgings in 2013, it was the perfect fit.
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Column: Governor’s First Vetoes and Ongoing Supreme Court Battle
Commentary
The 2016 General Assembly will be wrapping up its work this week, and of the more than 3,200 bills and resolutions that were introduced, over 1,350 pieces of legislation have passed both chambers.
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Meet the Chef: Frantz of Majestic
Chef Frantz discovers her sweet spot in the kitchen.
Wedges of lemon, squares of unsalted butter, curly green onion slivers, low country gravy and blackened shrimp sit mise en place in the prep kitchen at The Majestic on King Street. Lisa Marie Frantz, executive chef at The Majestic, is preparing shrimp and grits made to order for each customer.
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Alexandria People at Work: Getting Back on Track
Something's always happening at FireFlies on Mount Vernon. It might be Pick a Pasta Night on Tuesday, Build Your Own Omelet or Quiche Brunch on Sunday, live comedy on Monday Burger Night, local musicians on the weekend or children dancing on the stage when it's not otherwise occupied. Marylisa Lichens, owner with her husband Dan, says, "We wanted it to be a place where families could bring their children and have dinner a couple of times a week. We wanted it to become an extension of the neighborhood."
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Letter: Hug Your Dog
To the Editor
Dogs have always been a huge part of my life. My first dog, Leroy, was here before I was, and would follow me around the house to keep me out of trouble.
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Musings from the Maestro: ‘Lushness & Lyrical’
Alexandria Symphony Orchestra
Alexandria Symphony Orchestra will present “Lushness & Lyrical” on Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3.
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Alexandria Appetite: Hank’s Pasta Bar Brings Little Italy to Old Town
Newcomer to the neighborhood has already gained solid following.
North Old Town has a new hotspot in the neighborhood. Hank’s Pasta Bar, the kid sister to the venerable Hank’s Oyster Bar on King Street, has taken the area by storm since opening about five weeks ago. And the newness hasn’t worn off yet. From the two fully booked soft openings to a recent Monday night that found the dining room out of space for the evening by 7 p.m., it’s clear that residents have a hankering for pasta. And Hank’s stands at the ready to accommodate.
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Alexandria: Ramsey Reconsidered
Rebuilding the strained “special relationship.”
Rezoning a piece of property without having an approved plan — for what will replace it — is highly unusual, but it doesn’t mean the City Council won’t do it.