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House District 40 Shows Republicans Still Competitive in Clinton Districts
Democratic newcomer Donte Tanner faces uphill climb against incumbent Tim Hugo.
Democrats are energized, and they’re targeting Republican-held House districts that Hillary Clinton won last year. But House District 40 shows what an uphill climb this year will be for them.
In Session
With the fresh tragedy of Newtown, Conn., haunting the Virginia General Assembly, the issue of gun control is certain to be one of the most emotional topics on the docket.
In Session
Although he hasn’t been reading them while driving, state Sen. George Barker (D-39) has been receiving a flood of emails about distracted driving.
Arlington Election Officials Prepare for Record Breaking Number of Absentee Ballots
Last two presidential cycles have seen dramatic spike in absentee voting.
Election officials in Arlington are predicting another record-breaking turnout for absentee ballots, which have been dramatically increasing in recent years.
Do Backyard Hens Pose Threat to Public Health in Arlington?
Here's the scoop on potential hazards of proposed zoning change.
Do backyard hens pose a risk to public health in Arlington? That question will be at the center of a debate now taking place in the county.
Shifting Political Battlefield for Virginia General Assembly
Solid blue urban areas separated by political beltway from solid red exurbs.
Northern Virginia has more competitive seats than any other part of the commonwealth, a ring of districts that forms a beltway of sorts separating the inner solid blue in Arlington and Alexandria from the solid red in rural and exurban seats in Loudoun and Prince William. That puts Fairfax County squarely in the driver’s seat this November, when Democrats hope to pick up seats in an election that has balanced local issues like schools and roads with the ongoing reaction to President Donald Trump.
Wasteful Spending: Alexandria Faces Difficult Decision on Raw Sewage
Cleaning out of Hunting Creek could cost $100 million to $300 million.
Every year, Alexandria dumps 10 million gallons of raw sewage into Hunting Creek.
Alexandria Goes to War (Again)
City planning a number of activities to commemorate forgotten conflict.
The War of 1812 was the first war that America lost, a bitter conflict that began with an ill-planned invasion of Canada that ended when the British burned the Capitol and the executive mansion.
Reinvigorating the Arlington Way
Mary Hynes elected chairwoman of County Board.
One day, about 30 years ago, Mary Hynes became concerned when she learned that one of the school system’s programs was about to be cancelled.
Is Richmond Highway Improving?
New survey says attitudes are improving, but critics say change is too slow.
Is Richmond Highway improving? A new survey of 900 consumers shows that the vast majority of respondents thinks so, and by a two-to-one margin. Others say progress along the Route 1 corridor lags far behind other parts of Northern Virginia.
Concerned Parents Win, For Now
School Board members restore one-time funding for autism program.
When parents of special-education students learned about Superintendent Patrick Murphy's proposal to cut a program for autistic students, they jumped into action. They organized a press conference and began lobbying School Board members to save the program, which allows middle and high school students with autism to learn in regular education classrooms. They wrote emails and spoke out at public hearings.
Divided Government in an Off-Off Year
Democrats want to take the House; Republicans want to take the Senate.
"I think there's a sense that people want one house to check the other. They don't want total control in both Houses." — Former Gov. Doug Wilder
Thanksgiving Through the Years
From war and pandemic to claptrap and taffeta, the evolution of the holiday in Alexandria.
The story of Thanksgiving is fake news riddled with misinformation and fraud.
Uneasy Easement: 1789 Deed at Issue as City Hall Takes on Boat Club
Virginia Supreme Court justices say city is putting one private interest ahead of another.
John Adams was president of the United States when two land owners on Wales Alley secured a deed that gave them private use to a 30-foot easement in the alley.
Dangling Liberty
Lawmakers to consider putting pretextual stops in the rearview mirror.
Do you have a parking pass dangling from your rearview mirror? What about rosary beads or a graduation tassel? Police officers can use that as a pretext to pull you over and ask to search your car.
Dropping Out of the Electoral College
Lawmakers to consider joining National Popular Vote Compact
Virginia may be on the verge of dropping out of the Electoral College, joining a National Popular Vote Compact in an effort to ditch a presidential election system critics say is outdated and undemocratic.
Business Matters
Facing his first difficult decision as the new president and CEO of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, John Long is already in a no-win situation. Where to live?
In Session
Alexandria’s Senate delegation is divided on the King’s Dominion Law, the 30-year-old mandate that prevents school systems from opening before Labor Day.
Generational Divide
Senior conservative Democratic senators from Fairfax undermine labor agenda.
When Democrats won both chambers of the General Assembly in November, hopes were high that the new majorities in the House and Senate would move forward with a progressive agenda that had been rejected when Republicans were in power. Labor groups were particularly excited about the prospect of passing a $15 minimum wage, collective bargaining for public employees and a requirement that all employers offer five paid sick days. But the General Assembly session ended this week without fully accomplishing these goals.
Jim Moran: The $15 Million Congressman
During his years in Congress, Moran raised and spent about $1 million each campaign cycle.
One of the first things that happened after U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8) announced he would not be running for reelection this year was that he cancelled a fundraising event.