Alexandria, VA Alexandria Permit #482 Gazette Packet Attention Postmaster: League of Women Voters Guide Inside Time-Sensitive Material
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PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Alexandria, VA Alexandria Permit #482 Gazette Packet Attention Postmaster: League of Women Voters Guide Inside Time-sensitive material. Address Service Requested To: 1604 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314 25 Cents Vol. CCXXIV, No. 43 Serving Alexandria for over 200 years • A Connection Newspaper October 23, 2008 Red Cross Disaster Relief Down $100 Million the beginning of the new fiscal year, July 1, 2008. Local chapter committed The local annual budget is $900,000, according to to $100,000 for national Bishins. “We have more engaged volunteers today than we relief fund. have had in a long time and we are much more in- volved in the community. That will increase in the By Chuck Hagee year ahead,” Bishins said. Gazette Packet Some of the events planned are a volunteer cel- ebration October 29 at the local headquarters, a “Res- all Street and Main Street aren’t the taurant Night” brunch fund raiser at Tempo Restau- only financial victims of the eco- rant November 2, a Breakfast of Champions Novem- Wnomic downturn. Add to the list the ber 18, accelerated blood drives to strengthen their Disaster Relief Fund of the Ameri- ability to provide 50 percent of the city’s blood sup- can Red Cross. It is in the hole $100 million due to ply, and a new military hospital outreach program in one of the most active disaster years in its history. which the local chapter will be collecting new items Although the fund is actually $200 for the Fort Belvoir Wounded Warrior million in the hole, Congress supplied Military Transition Unit. $100 million. It is now up to the Ameri- “I expect this Presently, the local chapter has a ros- can Red Cross, through its local chap- ter of 500 active volunteers. Seventeen ters, to raise the additional $100 mil- to be another of those were deployed to the Gulf lion, according to Lissette S. Bishins, Coast region during 2008 for hurri- executive director, Alexandria Chapter, rough fund canes Gustav, Hanna and Ike, accord- American Red Cross. raising year.” ing to Bishins. Several are still there “I expect this to be another rough providing relief services. fund raising year due to the national —Lissette S. Bishins, In addition, the local chapter has economic situation. We are committed executive director, provided upwards of 10 volunteers to to raising $100,000 for the national Di- Alexandria Chapter staff the Red Cross Disaster Relief Call saster Relief Fund,” she said during a Center located in Ashburn. It receives media briefing October 16 at the local calls from evacuees and residents in a headquarters office. disaster zone and directs assistance to them. “We also didn’t do very well this year at our larg- When deployed to a disaster area, volunteers do- est fund raising event, the annual Waterfront Festi- nate a minimum of three weeks of their val. We only netted $15,000 due to the bad weather time.”Volunteers range in age from their mid 20’s to Lissette S. Bishins, executive director, Alexandria Chap- and lack of attendance,” Bishins said. mid 70’s. Many use vacation time on our behalf and ter, American Red Cross, held a briefing for local media Bishins took over the reins of the local chapter others are retired. I had one volunteer during Ike on the local chapter’s efforts to raise funds for the last November after a series of personnel turnovers. that said, “I just got laid off at work so I might as National Disaster Relief Fund that has been severely Upon her arrival she found the chapter $200,000 depleted as a result of responding to a series of hurri- in debt, but was able to reduce that to $30,000 by See Red Cross, Page 41 canes and other disasters over the past year. Fossella is found guilty of driving while Congressman on the Stand intoxicated near Hammond Middle School. By Michael Lee Pope stripped lawyers who each Gazette Packet took their turn hurling a se- Police Dept. Alexandria running for re-election, and the sor- New York Republican would show up for ries of motions at the court. did details of his private life had al- his day in court. he eight-hour DUI hearing for U.S. “You want opening state- ready become tabloid “It’s like a car crash,” said Dennis TRep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) was not ments on your motion?” the fodder in New York. Mersberger, a defense attor- the trial of the century. But the judge asked at one point. Inside the court- ney who admitted that he event, which dragged on into the early Yes, the trio of lawyers house, prosecutors “It’s like a car wandered into Moore’s evening hours last Friday, was a DUI trial wanted opening statements, and public defenders courtroom. “Everyone wants unlike most of the cases that clog a typical closing statements and miss- were trying to get crash. Everyone to rubberneck.” traffic docket for General District Court ing documents. Meanwhile, through their docket wants to Judge Becky Moore. The vast majority are outside, a gaggle of paparazzi U.S. Rep. Vito in the two second- THE RUBBERNECKING dispatched in less than an hour, although photographers and television Fossella (R- story courtrooms of rubberneck.” went on all day, as a portrait the region’s population of clearance-needed cameras cluttered the court- N.Y.) the General District — Dennis Mersberger of retired Judge Daniel employees has created somewhat of a cot- house square eager for some Court in the midst of Fairfax O’Flaherty looked on tage industry for DUI courtroom theatrics. reason why the soon-to-be retired congress- the media frenzy. Everybody on the media frenzy The congressman brought three pin- man would put on such a display. He’s not wanted to know when the outside the courthouse See Fossella, Page 40 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ October 23-29, 2008 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ October 23-29, 2008 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Schools Council Notebook Towering Conflicts Few cities are more serious about historic preservation than Schools Feel the Pinch Alexandria. And providing affordable housing has become a cen- tral focus of the city government over the last few years, with all the largest increase with the September Kin- current City Council members campaigning on promises to do As dwindling revenues dergarten enrollment numbers coming in at a something about the rapidly depleting stock. Sometimes those loom, old divisions linger staggering 52 percent higher than expectations. priorities merge, slamming together like bumper cars at a carni- At the same time, revenue from Richmond has val. at the School Board. become imperiled by the financial crisis. Al- Such was the case at City Hall last weekend, when historic pres- though City Hall spared the school system dur- ervationists and affordable-housing activists clashed during an ing the first round of budget cuts, school bud- emotional public hearing. Only a few years ago, these groups By Michael Lee Pope get officials are now flying without a net in were working in unison to save a 1939 garden apartment from Gazette Packet many respects. During a School Board meet- being demolished in favor of luxury condominiums. Yet partisans ing last week, Superintendent Morton Sherman who were once united to save Gunston Hall Apartments found o account for the unanticipated crop of told School Board members that the enrollment themselves at loggerheads last week over a proposal by devel- new students this year, the city’s public numbers were approaching a crisis level. oper Giuseppe Cecchi to build two 14-story towers on South schools are emptying computer labs to “We’re out of space in some of our schools,” Washington Street below the Capital Beltway. In exchange for T create classroom space. Meanwhile, said Sherman, noting that the system was being allowed an exemption to the height limitations, Cecchi of- School Board members are sharply divided over how reaching a crisis level of crowding. “West End fered to preserve 570 units of affordable housing across the street to assemble a budget-advisory committee. As the schools are jam packed.” in two buildings he hopes to acquire in 2011. world financial markets continue a roller-coaster ride “By denying our proposal, you would be closing the door for- of uncertainty, Alexandria City Public Schools are SCHOOL BOARD “I’ve served as ever on this opportunity,” said Cecchi, who built the Watergate facing dwindling resources while facing an unan- MEMBERS have a bud- building on the other side of the Potomac River. ticipated increase in enrollment, with 7 percent more get-advisory committee chairman for Council chose to close the door, siding with the Planning Com- students showing up this year than last September. to help them make diffi- mission, the National Park Service, the Old Town Civic Associa- One short-term fix has already been implemented cult decisions about two years, and tion and members of the historic preservation community who by the Beauregard Street central office: loading six money issues. Yet the I’m done.” were concerned about the new towers looming over the mobile carts with laptop computers to wheel around Budget Advisory Com- Freedman’s Cemetery. Former Hunting Towers Residents’ Asso- West End elementary schools to new teachers can mittee is in turmoil, with —Sean McEnearney ciation President Ardith Dentzer, who had been a vocal advo- move new students into new classrooms. an outgoing chairman cate of Cecchi’s plan, was in tears after the vote. “The idea is that the labs go to the kids instead of and conflicting ideas about how the organiza- “The City Council members are all bought by wealthy people having the kids go to labs,” said John Porter, assis- tion should be structured.