AlexandriaNews

To the Editor: The Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center (NVJDC) is a 70 bed secure juvenile detention facility located in Alexandria serving the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church and the County of Arlington.

Letter to the Editor: At tomorrow night's City Council meeting, Tuesday, May 14, Mayor Euille and all members of the Council will be voting on a resolution to oppose the increase in ethanol transloading at the Norfolk Southern facility located in the West End of Alexandria. Is this resolution really that important and necessary?

Opinion: Democratic Virginia State Delegate Delegate Rob Krupicka (D-45) We read about the tragic results of untreated mental illness everyday. The mass shootings at Newtown, Tucson, Aurora and Virginia Tech were all perpetuated by students or young people with reported mental health issues. The effects of mental illness are not always so high profile – most people with mental illness are non-violent – but for the 1 in 17 Americans living with a serious mental illness the consequences are significant.

To the Editor I would like to make all Alexandrians aware of two dedicated, home-grown candidates running for constitutional offices in Alexandria– Dana Lawhorne for Sheriff and Bryan Porter for Commonwealth’s Attorney. They represent the very best of bright, dedicated, and effective Democratic candidates, and I am pleased to support both of them.

To the Editor: Well, it’s that time of year again when Mayor Euille and City Council members will vote to adopt the 2014 budget presented by City Manager Rashad Young on May 6, 2013. This is Mr. Young’s first budget since he became Alexandria City Manager in 2011. I would like to address several issues in this budget that I believe warrants further discussion by our elected officials. First and foremost is the question of why Alexandria has a $60 million dollar deficit and a proposed budget for 2014 in the amount of $626.6 million dollars with ...

To the Editor: Perhaps you are one of the 5,872 donors who contributed to Spring2ACTion, Alexandria’s Giving Day, on April 17. If so, you have made dreams possible for thousands of children, families in need and low-income micro-entrepreneur women in our community.

To the Editor: The 2006-2009 Alexandria City School Board was a strong advocate for environmentally sustainable school facilities and operations. It revised Board policies on facility development and energy-conserving construction. One of the five underlying principles of the strategic plan adopted in 2009 stated “We Believe In Environmental Stewardship. A healthy environment is critical to our future. We think green, build green, teach green, and live green.”

Dear Editor: With the momentum of Earth Day and the arrival of spring, our thoughts turn to small ways that we can help the environment. Fill our recycling bin; turn off lights when leaving a room; set the air conditioning thermostat a few degrees higher, take out the trash…. take out the trash? Yes, that’s right. For better or worse, trash, an inevitable byproduct of human civilization, could potentially join wind, solar, and hydro power as a renewable energy source.

To The Editor: The Virginia School Board Association publication “Virginia School Boards - A Manual for Virginia School Board Members” provides valuable guidance on school board relationships with the local board of supervisors or city council. During my term on the Alexandria City School Board, I found the following excerpt to be a useful benchmark during the budget process.

Dear Editor: Monday night's meeting of the Del Ray Citizens Association (7:30 p.m. Reingold offices, 433 E. Monroe Ave.) will explore a major reason why the City's tax rate and your taxes are going up again this year and why they probably will continue to go up in the future.