By TEO ARMUS,
Washington Post
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Alexandria Mayor Justin M. Wilson (D) will not seek reelection next year, he announced Friday, capping off two terms in which he pushed to embrace urban development and steered the Northern Virginia city through the coronavirus pandemic — and opening up what will likely be a hotly contested primary race in June.
Wilson, 44, made the announcement in the lengthy, often wonky newsletter he sends out on the first of every month — a hallmark of the plugged-in, tech-savvy style he employed in more than a decade in local government.
By DREW WILDER,
WRC-TV
Alexandria, Virginia’s housing authority mailed out a warning about the city’s ski mask ban last week, and some recipients say it feels prejudicial.
The law has been on the books for years though it’s rarely enforced and was entirely disregarded during the pandemic.
The letter notified residents that effective immediately, Alexandria police will arrest anyone over 16 who is caught wearing a ski mask, but it only went to residents of public housing.
By EVAN GOODENOW,
Loudoun Times
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As the Loudoun County School Board prepares to vote on the rules for the election that will determine which union will represent employees in contract bargaining talks, some teachers and union representatives say some of the terms are unfair. … The new draft of the certification resolution removes a requirement for 50% of eligible employees to vote in the election, a threshold the union and some board members said was undemocratic. Neighboring Fairfax County has no threshold, while Prince William County has a 50% threshold.
By ALEXIS GUSTIN,
Loudoun Now
Ramifications of the Israel-Hamas war were brought to the School Board meeting room Nov. 28 as over a dozen students and parents mounted objections to an email sent by Superintendent Aaron Spence about language used in recent peaceful walkouts by student protesters.
Comments by school critics aimed at the Palestinian speakers in the room brought a warning from Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge) and broader discussion about what the division was doing to protect all students.
By EVAN GOODENOW,
Loudoun Times
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Saying they've been censored and smeared, several Palestinian-American students, their parents, and supporters denounced Loudoun County Public Schools administrators and Superintendent Aaron C. Spence for their handling of student protests calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. ... about 1,000 Loudoun students at eight of the school division's 18 high schools have protested outside their schools during school hours, according to LCPS. But after the first protests, speakers said students' speeches at the protests have been censored and at least one protest was shut down after LCPS administrators said some of the students' remarks were antisemitic.
By EMILY SEYMOUR,
Inside NOVA
Plans are set for the new Occoquan Elementary School to replace the 97-year-old original elementary building, becoming the county’s first net-zero school.
The new structure will have several design features enabling it to produce as much energy as it uses, making it net-zero. County officials presented the plans for the building at a Prince William County School Board meeting earlier this month.
By NED OLIVER,
Axios
The field of potential mayoral candidates is starting to take shape in Richmond.
With the election less than a year away and Mayor Stoney term-limited and eyeing the Executive Mansion, the field is still wide open.
So far, three current and former members of City Council are weighing runs or have announced campaigns.
By JONATHAN SPIERS,
Richmond BizSense
While concerns remain among some neighboring businesses, city leaders are celebrating the opening today of a long-term home for Richmond’s cold-weather shelter in Northside, as well as a new family shelter downtown.
Mayor Levar Stoney and members of Richmond City Council joined officials with homeless services providers Salvation Army and HomeAgain in a news conference Thursday to mark the opening of new and larger capacity shelters at 1900 Chamberlayne Ave. and at 7 N. Second St.
By LYNDON GERMAN AND MEGHIN MOORE,
WCVE-FM
As rates of unhoused people have risen in the City of Richmond, elected officials have begun to answer public demands to provide more permanent housing solutions for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
On Thursday, Nov. 30, Richmond officials announced that a 150-bed inclement weather shelter in Northside operated by the Salvation Army would be opening on Dec. 1, after City Council allocated $1.3 million to renovate two housing shelters earlier in November.
By NATALIE ANDERSON,
Virginian-Pilot
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City Council voted 8-0 this week to revoke a conditional use permit from a solid waste handling facility after city staff cited years of violations and noncompliance. The revocation came after City Council tasked the Planning Commission in September with reviewing the use permit for Recycled Properties LLC, operating as Dominion Recycling Center at 5444 Bainbridge Blvd. City staff said the property had been cited multiple times over the last few years for zoning violations ...
By LEXIE STADLER,
Cavalier Daily
Charlottesville City School Board’s ongoing efforts to update its public school naming policy by disallowing schools to be named after individual people has sparked debate among some community members. As the Board considers its policy, Charlottesville grapples with balancing the legacies of revered educators and addressing historical controversies while also considering public opinion.
By ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION,
Culpeper Star Exponent
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Another large data center application in the technology zone area just east of the town of Culpeper is headed to the County Board of Supervisors. The county planning commission unanimously recommended approval at its Nov. 9 meeting of an application from Cielo Digital Infrastructure to rezone 121 acres from Rural Area to Light Industrial along Nalles Mill Road at U.S. Route 15/29, and next to the town’s sewer treatment plant.
