Alexandria

39 Pages·2010·10.62 MB·English

Alexandria
Gazette Packet
25 Cents
Vol. CCXXVI, No. 17 Serving Alexandria for over 200 years • A Connection Newspaper April 29, 2010
Last-Minute Changes
City Council members suggest additions and deletes in
final round of budget negotiations.
Celebrating
Earth Day By Michael Lee Pope
Gazette Packet
T
axpayers can expect a
higher tax bill and a C
o
new tax to pay for u
r
stormwater-manage- te
s
ment. Once again, commercial- y o
property owners have dodged a f t
bullet on the possibility they might he
have to pay a higher tax rate than C
it
residential property taxpayers. y
o
Drivers can expect higher fees for f
A
parking. And homeowners are l
e
x
about to get the option of using a
n
tte larger recycling bins. These are dr
ze some of the issues where members ia
a
G of the Alexandria City Council Fixing stormwater problems such as this one are likely
/
ft have come to an agreement. to be funded by a dedicated part of the tax rate rather
f
ra But it ain’t over yet. than a user fee that would be based on the amount of
K
e Many key issues remain unre- impervious surface on a particular property.
s
ui solved, including what is perhaps
o
L the most important action the City entered the final frenzied days of of items to add or delete from City
by Council will take all year — set- negotiation. The horse-trading cul- Manager Jim Hartmann’s pro-
os ting a tax rate. With this year’s minated in a four-hour session posed budget. It ended with a
t
o budget season only days from Monday night, when council mem-
h
P completion, council members have bers arrived at City Hall with a list See Last-Minute, Page 34
Montie Kust ceremoniously plants a Bald Cypress
tree on the hillside at Ben Brenman Park during the Arlandria Daze Police Department cracks
city’s Earth Day activities last Saturday. Kust is the
down on individuals who
recipient of the second annual Ellen Pickering Envi-
ronmental Excellence Award. She was selected by the
are drunk in public.
City of Alexandria’s Environmental Policy Commis- By Michael Lee Pope
sion and the Alexandria Sanitation Authority. Gazette Packet
T
he streets of Arlandria are of crime, and so the crackdown Arlandria’s leading Hispanic advo-
known for many things — was intended to prevent crime by cacy group. “It’s telling because it
a rich and vibrant His- taking the drunks off the street. shows how the city responds dif-
panic community, restaurants spe- Meanwhile, budget cuts have re- ferentially to problems that affect
cializing in Central American cui- duced the substance-abuse treat- different parts of the community,
sine and the annual summertime ment options and expanded and I would argue that they might
Chirilagua festival. But this neigh- waitlists, prompting an expansion have found a different alternative
borhood near the Arlington bor- of last-resort services at the jail. if higher concentrations of arrests
der has a dark side. According to “This speaks to a broader trend were made in other parts of the
the Alexandria Police Department, that tends to criminalize people of city.”
it’s become the central focus of an color,” said Lucero Beebe-Giudice
ongoing effort to crack down on of Tenants and Workers United, See Cracking, Page 22
people charged with being drunk
in public.
In the first three months of 41322 AV ,airdnaxelA
2010, police officials conducted ,.tS gniK 4061 :oT
Jane Yeingst of the Buddy Ford Nature Center detseuqeR ecivreS sserddA
what they call a “suppression de-
brought a few of the nature center residents to the .lairetam
tail” in Arlandria, cracking down
Earth Day festival on Saturday, April 24. Here Yeingst evitisnes-emiT
on public intoxication and increas- :retsamtsoP
is showing a young female American snapping turtle ing arrests for drunk in public 300 noitnettA
to a group of children. When fully grown, the turtle
percent. Police say Arlandria resi- 284# timreP
will weigh-in at 75 pounds. The Buddy Ford Nature AV ,airdnaxelA
dents who are drunk in public are DIAP
Center, is located at 5750 Sanger Avenue. egatsoP .S.U
more likely to become the victims DTS TRSRP
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2 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2010 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
Council Notebook
Bypassing Old Town
Runners who participate in the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half
Marathon Race will take the path of least resistance. According
to a unanimous vote of the Alexandria City Council, that means
bypassing a proposed route through the streets of Old Town. In-
stead, council members approved a plan Tuesday night that will
route runners coming south from Fairfax County directly from
Washington Street to the bridge and into Maryland.
Race organizer Endurance Enterprises president Steve
Nearman hoped to persuade the elected leaders to route 4,000
runners through several south Old Town streets before hopping
on the bridge and heading toward National Harbor. But he hit
the wall Tuesday night at City Hall. Although Councilwoman Ali-
cia Hughes trotted out a motion to approve the Old Town route,
none of her colleagues were willing to follow her lead.
“I don’t really see the benefit to the city,” said Councilman
Paul Smedberg. “It’s not starting here, and it’s not ending
here.”
Smedberg said he was particularly disappointed that the race
organizer failed to reach out to individual council members in an
effort to explain the request. And City Manager Jim Hartmann
said he was concerned that high-end grocer Balducci’s might lose
business. As the finish line approached, it was clear that council
members were more concerned about inconveniencing Old Town Welcome
drivers than offering a route for thousands of runners.
“We want to participate,” said Councilwoman Del Pepper. “But The parking lot behind
we need to do it in a way that’s the least intrusive.” the Tenants Workers
United on Mount Vernon
Rejecting Advice
Avenue overflowed with
residents waiting for the
Few advisory bodies have the clout of the Budget and Fiscal
arrival of Gaby, Luis,
Affairs Advisory Committee — a body that’s probably better known
Felipe and Carlos and the
by its meaty acronym BFAAC (pronounced BEEF-ack). But that
delegation of the “Trail
doesn’t mean that elected leaders who appoint its members al-
of Dreams” on Monday
ways take their advice.
evening, April 26.
Take this year, for example. The advisory body suggested that
council members support an “add-on tax” that would create a
commercial tax rate three cents higher than the residential tax
rate. In their annual report, committee members explained they Photos by Louise Krafft/
felt this would fund needed transportation projects and reduce Gazette Gaby, Luis, Felipe and Carlos — undocumented students
the burden on residential taxpayers. But council members are
— introduce themselves to the crowd and describe
certain to ignore that advice, according to the council’s prelimi-
their trip walking from Florida and their hopes for
nary add/delete session Monday night.
immigration reform.
Then there’s the matter of paying for stormwater projects. Mem-
bers of the advisory committee supported a plan that would raise
money through a user-fee approach designed to reflect the rela-
Railroad construction project
tive proportion of impervious surface area located on the prop- Whistle Stop
erty. But City Council members indicated this week that they are
prompts train whistle.
more likely to dedicate a portion of the tax rate for this purpose.
Yet again, score one against BFAAC.
“Well,” shrugged vice chairman Jim Butler. “Them’s the By Michael Lee Pope tracks. That means a whole lot of Day.”
breaks.” Gazette Packet whistling is going on in Alexan- The expanded capacity is
A dria. needed to facilitate more frequent
Back to the Future
lexandria has become a “The neighborhood is really up- and reliable service for Amtrak
whistle stop town — in set about it,” said Mindy Lyle, and Virginia Railway Express. Rail-
Just when you thought it was safe to celebrate Confederate
more ways than one. president of the Cameron Civic road workers are working to re-
History Month, Alexandria officials are plotting their strategy for
Trains have been a regular feature Association. “During the day it’s place an existing one-track bridge
commemorating the Civil War. Or is that the War Between the
of city life here since before the fine, but people who live near the built in 1904 with a new double-
States? Perhaps it’s the War of Northern Aggression.
Civil War. But lately they’ve been train tracks are losing sleep over track bridge constructed with two
Yes, the South is rising again.
making a ruckus. All over Alexan- this.” million pounds of steel and 12,000
But at the old Union artillery fort along Braddock Road, an-
dria, the sound of train whistles The project is part of a larger bolts. The new bridge is being as-
other story is just beginning to be unearthed. The gravesites of
has been heard at all hours of the effort to construct a third “main- sembled on the construction site
long-forgotten African-Americans, long desecrated by a mainte-
night and day. line” railroad track between adjacent to the existing bridge,
nance yard where city vehicles parked, have now been cleared.
The reason for the noise is Fredericksburg and Washington, and it will be rolled into place
Archeological investigation has identified at least 38 potential
simple — construction. D.C. The Alexandria railroad when assembly is complete.
burials, and more could be discovered as the project moves for-
For months, CSX workers have bridge replacement is the link be- “The whistling doesn’t bother
ward. By the time, the sesquesentiallial begins next year, Fort
been constructing a new bridge tween seven miles of new “main- me so much,” said Dak Hardwik,
Ward could have a counter-narrative for the story of Johnny
over the Norfolk Southern line line” beginning at the Franconia- who lives near the construction
Reb and Billy Yank. Meanwhile, Office of Historic Alexandria
near Cameron Run Regional Park. Springfield VRE station in Fairfax site. “What keeps me up at night
director Lance Mallamo has cordoned potential gravesites with
The construction project involved County and continuing to is all the noise coming from Nor-
old fence posts from his former home in New York.
workers on site, which means that Alexandria’s Union Station. folk Southern’s ethanol
“It’s a completely green solution,” he told City Council mem-
people are around when the trains “They’re about a month behind transloading operation.”
bers Tuesday night. “And it didn’t cost the city a penny.”
barrel though the area. According schedule because of the snow- The whistling will stop soon. But
to federal regulation, engineers storm,” said city spokesman Tony the ethanol operation — and all
— Michael Lee Pope
are required to blow the whistle Castrilli. “The goal is to have the the related noise — is expected to
when they see people near the new bridge in place by Memorial continue indefinitely.
www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2010 ❖ 3
News
Bagpiper Marsha Bell leads off the 2008 Walkathon. She will be at the
head of the line again this year.
Walkathon This Sunday
Achievement Recognized
The Alexandria Detention Center hosted a GED graduation cer-
emony on April 22. Fundraiser benefits Blankenship, director of ALIVE! CDC, the
Center’s mission is to provide high-qual-
Photos by LaShawn Avery/The Gazette
ALIVE! Child
ity, affordable early education and care to
the children of Alexandria’s working fami-
Development Center.
lies.
“Our program has just three classrooms
and a maximum enrollment of 38 children,”
By Sandy Levitz Lunner Blankenship said. “Because of our small
Gazette Packet size, staff, children, parents, and volunteers
I
get to know each other and appreciate each
t’s time for Alexandrians to put on other’s gifts.”
their walking shoes for the 29th an- Walkers will gather at the First Christian
nual Step ALIVE! Walkathon this Sun- Church, 2723 King Street, at 1:30 p.m. for
day, May 2. ALIVE! (ALexandrians the 5-mile walk through Old Town. The
InVolved Ecumenically), is a nonprofit or- event includes entertainment on the Mar-
ganization of volunteers from more than 40 ket Square Plaza during the walk and a pic-
religious congregations and the community nic immediately following the walk back at
working together to help those in need in First Christian Church.
Alexandria. Registration fees are $10 for adults, $5
Step ALIVE! Walkathon benefits the for seniors and youth and no fee for chil-
ALIVE! Child Development Center (CDC) dren under 12. Walkers are encouraged to
which was recently awarded a four-star raise additional funds through pledges of
Guest speaker Police Chief Earl rating from Virginia’s new early childhood support from friends, family and associates.
Cook talks to the inmates before education rating program — the highest For more information call 703-837-9321, or
the GED certificates are pre- Melvin Parks receives his GED rating awarded to date. According to Pam visit the website at www.alive-inc.org.
sented. certificate.
Krista Sofonia, adult education coordinator, stands with the in-
mates before the GED ceremony begins at the Alexandria Detention New Mode Grass, a bluegrass band that played in the rain at Market
Center on Thursday, April 22. Square during last year’s Walkathon, will be featured again at this year’s
event.
4 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2010 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2010 ❖ 5
Alexandria/Old Town
121 N. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
703-549-8700
www.weichert.com
THINKING OF A REAL ESTATE CAREER? Call Kim Farina at the Alexandria/Old Town Office.
SE MIRINDAGREY W AVIRLWLIACGKE
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6 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2010 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
In Response to
Your Requests…
ALEXANDRIA
LIGHTING & SUPPLY
... is making some
changes!
Starting WEDNESDAY APRIL 7th,
Photos by Sandy Levitz Lunner/Gazette Packet
The cast of “Chicago” performs “All That Jazz.” Senior Madeline Bryan as Velma Kelly
we are Open Every Wednesday!
(center).
7:30AM - 7:00PM
T.C. Ready To Razzle Dazzle
ALEXANDRIA LIGHTING & SUPPLY
Drama department added that she and her colleague, Executive Producer
701 No. Henry St., Alexandria, VA
Hope E. Bachman-Miller are proud of their Drama
presents musical “Chicago” Department students. 703-548-2320
“They are young, talented, and eager to learn and www.alexandrialighting.com
this weekend and next.
grow as actors and actresses that can also sing and Ample Free Parking
dance. They are what we call a ‘Triple Threat’ in the
theatre business. I can’t wait to challenge these ac-
By Sandy Levitz Lunner tors to bigger and better things in future T.C. Will-
Gazette Packet iams Productions,” Jones said.
S
The cast includes: Seniors Madeline Bryan as Velma
ix-time Tony Award-winning Broadway mu- Kelly and Kyle Travers, Student Director; Juniors
sical, “Chicago” is a tale of fame, fortune, Zachary Frank as Billy Flynn, Dafna Bliss, Student
and “all that jazz.” And Alexandrians have Stage Manager; Sophomores Kirby Porterfield as
an opportunity to hear the show-stopping Roxie Hart, Brielle Welch as Matron Mama Morton,
songs and see amazing dancing in their own back- and Samuel Jones as Amos.
yard when the musical opens this Friday at T.C. Wil- “Chicago” opens this Friday, April 30 with shows
liams High School. on Saturday, May 1, Friday, May 7, and Saturday,
Executive Director for “Chicago” and T.C. Williams May 8 which is the performance that will be judged
drama teacher Leslie A. Jones says she is excited for The Cappies, a high school critics and awards
about directing her second dance musical at T.C. program involving more than 50 schools in the Vir-
Williams. Her dance musical directing debut was ginia, Maryland and D.C. areas.
“Little Shop of Horrors.” All shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults
“The students have been great to work with and I and $6 for ACPS employees, students, and senior
know they are enjoying themselves,” said Jones. She citizens.
T.C. Williams students perform “He Had It Coming” from the musical, “Chicago.”
www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2010 ❖ 7
People
Surviving Against All Odds
Metro crash victim tells her story. was OK, she replied yes but
pointed to the ground and said, ‘I
don’t think she is.’ I moved around
By Gale Curcio vilian employee I work with the debris, and heard someone
Gazette Packet named Marty Griffith,” said yelling at me that the line was still
A
Oglesby. “We boarded the Red Line ‘hot’ [referring to the power rail
manda Breeding re- coming out of Silver Springs, Md., for the train] and to ‘stay the f***
members flying after a site visit of a location where away from it.’ I assured him that I
through the air. She we are holding a function for our was OK and needed to get to the
does not remember upcoming PR Conference in Au- girl on the ground. He told me to
landing. Breeding also doesn’t re- gust. We loaded the Metro in ‘be careful.’
member the first seven operations Takoma and were headed for con- “Once I got around the debris I
she had following the Metro crash necting lines at Union Station. saw a young woman, mid 20’s ly-
on June 22, 2009. There were six cars and we en- ing flat on her back. Obvious
Living in Maryland at the time, tered the fifth car at the station, wounds were evisceration of the
Breeding had originally planned to initially standing, we both decided upper portion of her right leg with
visit her parents, Jim and Dorothy that it would be better to sit. We minimal bleeding. A large avulsion
Breeding, that day. Her parents stopped a couple of times and the wound over her left breast (but no
live in Del Ray and own Breeding conductor announced that we had sign of puncture), and her left arm
Construction, Inc. to wait for some maintenance was cut in a spiral from her wrist
However, her father was recov- problems but would be moving to her elbow. She was losing a lot
ering from surgery for kidney shortly. After a third stop the con- of blood, possibly arterial from this
stones and her mother suggested ductor didn’t say anything and as wound. I talked with her and con-
that she come another day. She we were slowly starting to move tinued my assessment while apply-
decided to visit a friend in Virginia, forward we were plowed from ing pressure to her arm to keep it
and boarded the Red Line in Mary- behind by another Metro [car]. pressed against her stomach.
land. The train was unusually “We were knocked around in our “Marty returned with two shirts
crowded that day, so instead of seats along with everyone else and that he got from other passengers.
boarding one of the middle cars, after getting to our feet I asked I used one to loosely bandage her
she headed up to the first train. Marty if he was OK; he nodded leg and the other to apply pres-
She chose a seat near the front of and I said ‘let’s go help.’ We made sure on the arm. Her name was
the train, but gave it up when an our way through the connecting Amanda. She was alert, responsive
older woman and her husband doors asking and moving people but complaining of difficulty
boarded. Breeding later claimed along and directing them to the breathing. I moved between the
the seat right behind the train con- front of the train. Upon arriving victims several times to check on
ductor. to the end of the last car there was everyone but knew I had to focus
“I was sitting there. The train one gentleman dazed and wander- my attention to the girl Amanda.
came to a complete stop and I re- ing around. He had blood on him Upon returning she asked me not
member flying through the air,” and I asked if he was OK, he said to leave again. I noticed that she Courtesy photo
Breeding said. “I went through the it wasn’t his blood. We all looked was starting to close her eyes more This was what was left of the first rail car of the second
Plexiglas and hit the ground.” up and noticed that blood was and seemed to be having increas- train lifted upward.
The next thing she remembers dripping through the top of the car. ing difficulty breathing.”
is lying on the ground next to the I told the man to get to the front Breeding said that she wasn’t to help me try and get Amanda prepare the site for putting her on
train. “I heard a bunch of people of the train and get out. I looked panicking at this point. “When I bandaged up a bit better. I put a a backboard and to give room at
screaming and crying. I heard out the north side of the car doors tried to move [and couldn’t] — roll of gauze at the joint of her el- her head to facilitate putting on
somebody yelling, ‘My mom’s foot and didn’t see anyone then looked that’s when I panicked.” bow in order to help slow the the neck brace.”
is stuck.’ I knew that the trains had out the south side, where I noticed Oglesby tended to Breeding, but bleeding. I also applied bandages
crashed and I could just smell several bodies on the ground that also kept triaging and assessing to her leg and while doing so de- “I REMEMBER being put on the
burning around me.” were yelling and crying. I tried to the other people. He remembers bris was falling on my back from helicopter and people talking to
She remembers two men and a pry open the doors and Marty lo- Breeding saying, “Don’t leave me.” the Fire Department trying to get me, but I don’t remember the he-
girl talking to her as she lay on the cated and activated the emergency He estimates that emergency victims off the roof of the rail car licopter ride or getting to the hos-
ground. One of those men was door locks.” personnel arrived on the scene next to us. Someone was yelling pital,” said Breeding.
Dennis Oglesby, who had been about 24 minutes after the crash. for them to stop when a large pipe With the help of a couple of
riding on the car that was struck TRAINED AS A MEDIC while in Oglesby and the injured passen- fell at some point and hit me and firefighters and some of the pas-
by the train that Breeding was Special Ops, Oglesby immediately gers were in a tight area between Amanda. sengers, they got Breeding on the
traveling in. He and Marty Griffith went into action and started a wire fence and the Metro car. A “Chris arrived with oxygen and board and passed through to
were headed back to the Pentagon triaging and assessing the injured. firefighter named Chris ap- a mask which we put on Amanda, emergency personnel. Oglesby
from a site visit. It was the first All the while, Griffith was there proached Oglesby and asked who who was becoming increasingly and Griffith continued to assist
time he had ever taken the Red helping him, as were other passen- he was. more unresponsive and was going other passengers. After about two
Line. gers. A young couple was sitting “I told him my name was Den- in and out of consciousnesses. and a half hours, they headed
As soon as he felt the impact, he near the fence with some injuries nis, and he said, ‘No who are you, Chris was still searching for a neck through the fence that had been
knew that something had hap- and he attended to them. He saw what do you do?’ I told him I was brace and backboard. I informed cut to get the victims out, walked
pened. He was seated in the sec- a girl named Molly and asked if in the Army, Special Forces, and him that Amanda was becoming to the Fort Totten station, jumped
ond train and was jostled around. she was OK. She said she was PK, Chris said, ‘You’re doing a good increasingly more unresponsive on the subway and headed back
Both he and Griffith immediately but said that there was another girl job, stay with her and tell me what and we needed to move her to an to work.
headed towards the back of the who really needed help. you need.’ I told him I needed O2, ambulance ASAP. I said that we Being trained as a medic, he had
train, but the door had jammed. “I looked up to see a young bandages, neck brace and a needed to get her a neck brace and no trepidations about boarding the
They directed people to the front woman across from some more backboard. He handed me a pack get her on a backboard. While we Metro. “As a paratrooper, we
of the train where they were able debris that had come from the and said, ‘There are gloves in the were waiting for the other medi- learned that if you have a prob-
to activate an emergency switch. train. She had blood and dirt all top if you need them.’ While Chris cal gear I asked a few people to lem with your parachute, you grab
over her face; she was staring at was locating the other medical help me move some of the debris
“I WAS TRAVELLING with a ci- me. I stood up and asked her if she gear I asked one of the passengers from around Amanda in order to See Surviving, Page 9
8 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2010 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
People
Surviving
[Breeding] would make it through been traveling on it that day. and we told her not to come. We ing pumped in and her wounds
the night. We felt that we had to Baker said that they needed to had no idea that she was on the were still untreated.
take a shot.” come with him right away; the Metro. “She was so swollen; you
They drove over to Del Ray doctors were concerned that “My heart sank when the detec- couldn’t tell it was her,” said Dor-
From Page 8 where Dorothy and Jim Breeding Amanda wouldn’t make it. Dor- tive came to the door and started othy Breeding. “She looked like
live with Amanda’s sister and othy Breeding and her other asking questions — ‘Are you Dor- the ‘Michelin Man.’ She had some
another one, and head back up brother. Dorothy Breeding remem- daughter rode with Baker, while othy? Is your daughter Amanda? injuries to her head and a gash at
in the air for another jump. bers getting a knock on their door Amanda’s father followed in the Are you aware of the [Metro] ac- the back of her head. My husband
“I wasn’t sure where we were,” at 3 a.m. Baker asked if they were car. cident?” said Dorothy Breeding. and I were in disbelief.”
said Oglesby, who had never been Amanda’s parents and if they knew “Amanda was supposed to come When they got to the hospital,
to that part of the city. “We were about the Metro crash. They had to the house that day to get some WHEN THEY ARRIVED at the nurse explained what was go-
covered with blood [from the vic- heard about the crash, but had no of her things,” said Dorothy Breed- Amanda’s hospital bed, they saw ing on. They learned that Amanda
tims] and as we were walking, reason to be concerned; they ing, “But her father was recover- that her body was incredibly swol-
everybody kept asking us if we didn’t realize that Amanda had ing from surgery for kidney stones len from the liquids that were be- See Surviving, Page 16
were OK.”
In the meantime, Breeding was
flown to Washington Hospital Cen-
ter. She doesn’t remember being
in the helicopter or arriving at the
hospital. Her first memory after
being moved from the crash scene
was the next day when she woke
up to see her parents and younger
sister next to her hospital bed.
Because Breeding’s backpack
was separated from her, it took the
investigators almost 12 hours to
determine her identify and notify
her family. At first, they thought
that her name was Lucy, but then
realized that was the other girl
who was traveling in the same car.
DETECTIVE Brian Baker arrived
on the scene at 5:20 p.m. He is
with the Criminal Investigation
Division of the Metro Transit Po-
lice Department.
“My job was to find out how
many people were seriously in-
jured,” said Baker, who was told
that there were at least five to six
people who were seriously injured.
He also heard from a girl named
Molly about the girl named
Amanda who was really badly hurt
— she was ejected from the train
and had cuts and bruises all over
and was covered with dirt.
Baker’s next job was to identify
Amanda and notify her parents.
They found a passport, but weren’t
sure if that was Amanda. Since
passports don’t contain addresses,
Baker checked the FBI database,
hoping that she would have
worked for the government at
some point, but that came up
empty.
Baker went to the hospital and
waited until Breeding came out of
surgery, hoping that he could talk
to her. Once he found out that
Breeding was still unconscious and
placed in intensive care, he and
Detective Brandon Twentymon
went back to the scene, sifting
through people’s property, hoping
that they would find something
else to identify Breeding. He went
back to the hospital and held up
the passport photo next to Breed-
ing. She was so swollen that it was
hard to tell, but they felt like there
was some resemblance.
It was getting late and Baker
said, “They didn’t think that she
www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2010 ❖ 9
Opinion
Alexandria
Gazette Packet
Outstanding Sales Professional of the Year www.AlexandriaGazette.com
Newspaper of Alexandria
K An independent, locally owned weekly
newspaper delivered
enneth B. Lourie, award-winning ability to find a Boston Red Sox fan anywhere reader exemplifies the effect his writing has to homes and businesses.
1606 King Street
columnist and sales representative he goes. And he’s an award-winning colum- had: Alexandria, Virginia 22314
with the Connection Newspapers nist who isn’t afraid to write about his need “While we have not met, I want to let you
and Potomac Almanac, was named for new underwear.” know how much your newspaper columns re- NEWS DEPARTMENT:
To discuss ideas and concerns,
Virginia Outstanding Sales Professional of the For more than 12 years, Lourie has been our lated to your cancer mean to me; I have saved Call: 703-778-9410
Year, receiving his award on Saturday, April 24, most organized and creative sales professional. them all. I can relate to many of the feelings e-mail:
[email protected]
at the annual advertising conference of the Disciplined, committed and tenacious, he has you write about from experience. … It is im-
Virginia Press Association in Portsmouth. always been among the top performers in our pressive to see how you approach your situa- Steven Mauren
Editor, 703-778-9415
It’s a bit unusual to use editorial sales staff. His medical condition is rel- tion with grace and honesty; that is the best [email protected]
space to tout sales awards, but this is Editorial evant only as to the timing of this one can ask of oneself. You are doing a lot by
Michael Lee Pope
an unusual case. award and the recognition it provides your writing to help other people learn and go Reporter, 703-778-9437
Many of our readers are familiar with and as proof of his unbelievable tenac- through this experience with you. None of us [email protected]
Lourie’s longstanding weekly humor column, ity, commitment and good humor. really knows what is ahead of one in life, and Steve Hibbard
The Daze of my Life, which runs in many of Lourie’s column, The Daze of my Life, has you provide a good example of the value of Associate Editor, 703-778-9412
[email protected]
our papers and on our web site. developed a loyal following and addresses approaching each day with love and hope.
In the past year, Lourie has tackled the more some of the quirks and milestones of every day You can read Lourie’s columns by going to Jon Roetman
Sports Editor, 703-224-3015
serious topic of his diagnosis and treatment life, but also tackling more serious topics. An www.ConnectionNewspapers.com and typing [email protected]
for stage IV lung cancer in his columns, but excerpt from a recent letter he received from a “Lourie” into the search field.
with the same pointed humor of his previous ADVERTISING:
To place an advertisement, call the ad
columns. Meanwhile, despite these challenges, Call for Mother’s Day Photos (Father’s Day Too ...) department between 9 a.m. and
he remains one of our top sales performers. 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.
Lourie’s award was presented by Carol Tay- Every year at this time, the Gazette puts out We prefer digital photos in .jpg format; email Display ads 703-778-9410
Classified ads 703-778-9411
lor, chairman of VPA’s Advertising Committee the call for photographs of moms and their them to Gazette@ConnectionNewspapers Employment ads 703-778-9413
and a sales executive with Richmond Times children, grandmothers and their children and .com, and write Mother’s Day Photos in the
Julie Ferrill
Dispatch. “This year’s Outstanding Sales Pro- grandchildren. Most years, we’re lucky subject line. Or you can mail a CD with your Display Advertising, 703-778-9446
fessional of the Year award honors the kind of enough to receive a photo or two that includes photos on it in .jpg format. [email protected]
sales professional who is a role model, some- four generations, great-grandma and all the We will also accept prints, and we will do Jane Hughes
one whose qualities have led to great success rest. our best to return photos that include a self- Display Advertising, 703-778-9448
[email protected]
in the newspaper advertising profession,” Tay- Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9, and once addressed-stamped envelope for that purpose,
lor said in giving the award. again the Gazette will publish a gallery of but please do not send us any photos that can- Tara Lloyd
Display Advertising, 703-778-9447
Taylor continued: “Among other important Mother’s Day photos, celebrating the mothers not be replaced. [email protected]
attributes, this award recognizes leadership who make so many things possible in families, Send photos to Gazette@
Andrea Smith
and tenacity. … It celebrates extraordinary communities, schools and other institutions in ConnectionNewspapers.com, or mail to Ga- Classified Advertising, 703-778-9411
customer service and an attitude that embraces local neighborhoods. zette, Mother’s Day Photo Gallery, 1610 King [email protected]
the unprecedented change we’re seeing inside Send in photos as soon as possible, includ- Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Barbara Parkinson
and outside of our industry. … Our recipient is ing information about who is in the picture, And remember, a few weeks from now it will Employment Advertising
703-778-9413
well known for his cold calling prowess and the date the picture was taken, the ages of the be time to send photos of Dads and children, [email protected]
his reliance on old-school technology, like note children and sentence or two about what is grandfathers and children and grandchildren.
cards. His customers rave about his flexibility, happening and the location (who, what, where, Or feel free to send your Mother’s and Father’s Publisher
Jerry Vernon
his patience, his attention to detail and his when, why). Day photos at the same time.
Editor & Publisher
Letters to the Editor Mary Kimm
Editor in Chief
Making Tough A lot of City contracts and consultants are Steven Mauren
Snapshot required by law, e.g. for external audits, and Photography:
Louise Krafft, Robbie Hammer
Budget Decisions
they often involve using consultants with tech- Art/Design:
nical expertise City employees don’t have. Us- Geovani Flores, Laurence Foong,
To the Editor: John Heinly, Wayne Shipp,
ing outside consultants also allows the City to John Smith
Councilwoman Hughes’ proposal to cut $7.5 temporarily “surge” resources when necessary Production Manager:
million from the City budget just by cutting Jean Card
without adding to the City’s payroll.
contract and consulting fees is another example Editor Emeritus:
Make no mistake, cutting $7.5 million in Mary Anne Weber
of shortcut, “look-Ma-no-hands” budgeting that
contract and consulting services means cutting
avoids making tough budget decisions. City services and programs by that amount. CIRCULATION: 703-778-9427
In their book, “Governing by Network,” Circulation Manager:
te And it would cripple the City’s ability to uti- Ann Oliver
t Stephen Goldsmith and William Eggers de-
e lize private sector and non-profit partners on
z
Ga scribe how governments have increasingly projects where they could implement City CONNECTION NEWSPAPERS,
/ come to rely “less on public employees in tra- L.L.C.
afft ditional roles and more on a web of partner- poIlti’csy t memopreti nefgf icfoiern etllye.cted officials to find a PPerteesrid Leantb/oCvEiOtz
Kr ships, contracts, and alliances to do the public’s deus ex machina to cut spending so they don’t Mary Kimm
se work,” overseen by public sector managers. have to get their hands dirty, but the respon- Publisher/Chief Operating Officer
oui Governments are finding that private sector sible thing to do is to go over the City budget [email protected]
Lo by agnovde nrnomn-epnrto fpito lpiaciretns emrso rcea ne fofficteienn itmlyp alenmd eenft- line-by-line and make the hard choices. Publisher/JEexrercyu tViveer nVoicne President
ot fectively than doing things in-house. Tim Lovain [email protected]
h
P Contracting-out is no panacea. A few years Former Member of City Council Wesley DeBrosse
ago, in the same budget year, the Alexandria Controller
Del Ray Farmer’s Market is
brimming with new spring arriv- City Manager proposed to contract out recy- Shame on City Council NationaDl Seablbesi,e 7 F0u3n-7k78-9444
als. Bedding plants, herbs, cling services while taking mosquito eradica- [email protected]
spring onions, greens, Amish tion services back in-house. I was the chair of To the Editor: A Connection Newspaper
cheeses and much more fill the the City’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory I read in the Alexandria Gazette in the April The Alexandria Gazette Packet is distributed weekly
vendor stalls at Oxford and Committee at the time and, after close exami- 22, 2010 edition, in a blurb entitled “Skyscrap- Antyo o swelneecrtes do rh oomcceusp iann ttsh eo fC pitrye mofi sAelse txhaantd drioa .not
Mount Vernon Avenues every nation, we decided that both proposals were ers Approved,” how once again our city coun wibsyh tteol erpehceoinvee atht e7 p0a3p-9er1 7ca-6n4 n8o0t iofyr bthye e pmuabilli sthoer
Saturday morning. sound. Every situation is different. But con- dciirsctruilbautitoonr @wiclol nbnee nctoitoinfinedew tosp daipsecrosn.ctionmu,e asnerdv itchee.
tracting-out is often a good option. See Letters, Page 11
10 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2010 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com