By KYLE SWENSON,
Washington Post
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The note was a surprise. Roxanne Davis had just arrived at Arlington Public Library’s Central Library location with a car loaded with donated food. But before she could begin filling the shelves of the free pantry located outside the main entrance, she saw the message from library staff. “As of September 29, 2023, the Little Free Food Pantry located at Central Library will close,” it read, before offering information on alternative food distribution sites in the area.
By VERNON MILES,
Alx Now
At a town hall meeting last Sunday, most City Council members said — in no uncertain terms — that they are opposed to a ward system in Alexandra.
Currently, all City Council leaders are elected in an at-large system. Each Council member represents the city as a whole. D.C., on the other hand, had a City Council that’s a mix of at-large members and ward members — representatives of specific areas of the city.
City Council members said switching to a ward system would give leaders less appreciation for city-wide issues, would make it harder to address neighborhood-specific issues like flooding, and would make it harder for Council members from less affluent areas to fundraise.
By ANGELA WOOLSEY,
FFXnow
A 17-year veteran of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department has been arrested for allegedly stealing drugs stored at two stations for her personal use, police announced today (Friday).
Aleksandra Olegoyna Kazmar, 40, of Front Royal faces one felony charge of obtaining drugs by fraud after investigators determined that she had tampered with or stolen vials of morphine and fentanyl from the Frying Pan and North Point stations, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
By FATIMAH WASEEM,
FFXnow
Terms for Herndon Town Council members will remain unchanged after the council unanimously agreed to drop a proposal to increase the term from two to four years.
The council voted on Tuesday (Sept. 26) to remove consideration of the item from its legislative program for the Virginia General Assembly’s 2024 session. A similar effort came up almost a decade ago but was dropped by a previous council after lack of public support.
Changing term limits would require an amendment to the town charter and the state’s constitution. Councilmember Clark Hedrick described the proposal as “self-indulgent.”
By EVAN GOODENOW,
Loudoun Times
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Ex-Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Alan Ziegler has been convicted of wrongfully firing a special education teacher. The same jury acquitted him of retaliating against the teacher because she testified before a special grand jury.
After 6 1/2 hours of deliberations over two days in Loudoun Circuit Court, the one-man, six-woman jury on Sept. 29 found Ziegler guilty of retaliation/prohibited conduct by a public employee and not guilty of penalizing an employee for a court appearance or service on a jury panel. Both charges are misdemeanors.
By ALEXIS GUSTIN,
Loudoun Now
A Loudoun Circuit Court jury returned a guilty verdict against fired Loudoun Superintendent Scott Ziegler Friday for a charge that he retaliated against an employee. He was found not guilty of penalizing the same employee for making a court appearance. With the conviction on the charge of retaliating or threatening retaliation against a person for publicly expressing their views on a matter of public concern, a class one misdemeanor, Ziegler faces a sentence of up to 12 months in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500.
By ANYA SCZERZENIE,
Prince William Times
Now that the Prince William County teachers’ union and school division officials are at an impasse in contract negotiations and heading toward mediation, there’s been little change in position on either side.
The school division says funding the Prince William Education Association’s requested raise will take a third of its total salary budget. As a result, the school division sent the union a counter proposal for 5% and 9% raises it says are more affordable.
By EM HOLTER,
Richmond Times-Dispatch
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The casino developers hoping to win the referendum in November are going all-in. In a few short months, the project has funneled dollars into various campaign efforts, including opening an office in Shockoe Bottom, hosting several press conferences in a new command post and putting 75 boots on the ground every day in a citywide door-to-door effort. A series of well-produced television commercials is airing on local channels.
By IAN MUNRO,
Virginian-Pilot
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Among the goals of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority this fiscal year is improving its ability to respond to work order requests from tenants.
Interim Director Michael Clark said construction and maintenance continue to be challenges for the authority given the age of many of the city’s public housing complexes. At a July NRHA board of commissioners meeting, Clark floated the idea of establishing a centralized call center.
By ELIZA NOE,
Virginian-Pilot
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The first time Hon. Thomas Patrick met Ken Stolle in 1976, he was in the middle of a fight. Stolle, who was working for the Virginia Beach Police Department at the time, called for backup after a large fight had broken out on Atlantic Avenue. When Patrick arrived, Stolle was attempting to arrest someone while several dozen “unruly drunk people” were fighting around him, Patrick said. “I counseled him, and I thought when I was finished, ‘This guy is not going to make it,'” Patrick said. “After a while, I really warmed up to him because it turned out, he was an exceptional police officer.
By KATHERINE HAFNER,
WHRO
The city of Virginia Beach is weighing the future of its recycling program, the latest local government to grapple with market changes that have driven up the cost of recycling in recent years.
The city’s contract with Chesapeake-based TFC Recycling expires at the end of June. Officials say they want to hear from residents about what to do next. That could include raising fees to support the program, eliminating curbside service or allowing people to opt in and out.
By NOUR HABIB,
Virginian-Pilot
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A $5 million lawsuit was filed against the Hampton City School Board this summer by the parents of a young girl who claim their daughter was physically and sexually assaulted by another student at an elementary school.
Nikia and Richard Miller, identified in the claim using initials, filed the lawsuit in Hampton Circuit Court. Nikia Miller confirmed it during an interview Friday.
The filing claims that when their daughter was in first and second grade at John Tyler Elementary School, another female student repeatedly assaulted her, urinated on her and forced her to perform oral sex.
By JULIE CAREY AND TAYLOR EDWARDS,
WRC-TV
Candidates handing out sample ballots at polling places is common, but in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, some voters are calling out a clerk of circuit court candidate for handing out a sample ballot that’s confusing.
Nick Ignacio created a sample ballot claiming that he’s a preferred Republican candidate on one side but the preferred Democrat on the other side. Ignacio did not get an endorsement from either party.
One voter confronted him outside, saying that he was misleading people before they got the chance to vote.
By EMMA COLEMAN,
Roanoke Times
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About two weeks after a court filing alleged that he had traded legal help for sex, Judge Onzlee Ware stopped hearing cases in Roanoke Circuit Court. No public record or public official has explained his absence. Ware last appeared in court to hear cases Sept. 12, according to court records. That was 12 days after the allegations were laid out in a public court document and six days after The Roanoke Times published a story about it.
By MOLLY HUNTER,
Roanoke Times
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Roanoke leaders continue to say that affordable housing is a major challenge. It’s also one that may be holding back progress in reducing homelessness. The Roanoke Valley’s annual counts show homelessness declined more than 60% between 2012 and 2022. But from 2022 to 2023 the annual homelessness count spiked, up 55%, from 216 homeless counted to 334. Affordable housing is one of the factors cited for the increase.
