Alexandria Teacher Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA: 

A former teacher at John Adams Elementary School, Justin Coleman, 36, of Falls Church, Virginia, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for producing videos of himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with two unaware prepubescent females.

Investigation revealed that Coleman had recorded at least 74 videos in school classrooms in numerous school systems.  The Alexandria videos were limited to Coleman attempting to film female students up their skirts or down their shirts, without their knowledge, while they were engaged in regular school activities.  The investigation did not reveal any sexual contact with any of Coleman’s current or former students.

The victims in all of the videos filmed in Alexandria have been identified and notified of the incidents. Alexandria City Public Schools, the Police Department and other City agencies have worked with the families to ensure resources are made available to assist them in coping with these occurrences.

The investigation was conducted by ICE HSI, Fairfax County Police Department, and the Alexandria Police Department, with assistance from the Northern Virginia/District of Columbia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

City Leaf Collection 10/31 - 12/19

from the city of Alexandria: 

The City’s annual curbside leaf collection program is a service provided free of charge to all City refuse and recycling residential customers. The program allows for residents to recycle their leaves in three ways.

Three Ways to Recycle Your Leaves!

1.             Compost Leaves and Yard Waste - Composting is an easy way to take advantage of nature's recycling to make a valuable organic supplement.

2.             Place Leaves in Free Biodegradable Bags - The City provides free biodegradable bags for leaf collection. These bags are located at several City facilities during the collection season and are free of charge. The bags are collected, at the curb, one business day after your regular refuse collection day.

3.             Rake leaves to the Curb - Leaf crews will collect leaves raked to the curb with a vacuum truck. The annual leaf collection season is typically from the end of October to the middle of December.

The City encourages residents to use the first two options to reduce the leaf collection costs.

•                Use only biodegradable bags for leaves.

•                Remove dirt, stones, litter and other debris from leaves before placing in bags. Remember! Leaves placed in plastic bags will not be recycled through our leaf collection program. Yard waste and leaves in plastic bags will be disposed of at the Waste-to-Energy Plant and NOT recycled.

•                Bags must be placed at the curb for collection, one business day after your regular refuse collection day.

Free Biodegradable Leaf Bag Locations - Limit 15 bags per visit!

Bags will be available in October 2011.   Pick up your free biodegradable bags at the following locations: 

•                City Hall, 301 King Street
Monday - Friday,  7 a.m - 8 p.m.

•                Solid Waste Division, 2900 A Business Center Drive
Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

•                Charles Barrett Recreation Center, 1115 Martha Custis Drive
Monday - Friday, 2 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

•                Chinquapin Park Recreation Center, 3210 King Street
Monday - Thursday, 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. 
Friday, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

•                William Ramsey Recreation Center, 5650 Sanger Avenue
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. 
Saturday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.  

•                Mount Vernon Recreation Center, 2701 Commonwealth Avenue
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. 
Saturday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Leaves Raked to the Curb Preparation

•                Remove stones, litter, branches or other debris. These items can damage our equipment and could hurt our workers!

•                Avoid placing leaves in front of storm drains or water meter covers.

•                Move parked cars off of leaf piles.

•                Rake leaves into a pile(s) at the curb, it enables crews to move more quickly and collect leaves more efficiently.

•                Do not rake to alleys or service roads.

•                Rake out the day before the earliest collection day scheduled for your area.

During peak leaf season, crews will focus on removing large leaf piles.  Please be patient as loose leaves may be left until the next pass through your neighborhood.

Please Note: Our schedule is greatly affected by the weather and rate of leaf fall. Crews work Monday through Friday and holidays except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.  Leaf collection is just one of many duties of our crews.  Crews may be pulled away from leaf collection to support the snow removal operation.

Leaf Collection Questions? Call the Leaf Collection Hotline: 703-746-LEAF (5323).


Leaf Collection Zones 
 Leaf Zone Finder - Know your leaf collection zone!  Simply type in your address and locate your zone.  

Area I

Rake Out Nov. 12............Nov. 14 Nov. 30............Dec. 2 Dec. 17............Dec. 19

Area III

Rake Out Nov. 1...........Nov. 3 Nov. 19.........Nov. 22 Dec. 7...........Dec. 9

Area II

Rake Out Oct. 29............Oct. 31 Nov. 15............Nov. 17 Dec. 3..............Dec. 6

Area IV

Rake Out Nov. 7............Nov. 9 Nov. 26..........Nov. 28 Dec. 12..........Dec. 14

An Evening in the Heart of Alexandria

Evening in the Heart of Alexandria

on Thursday, November 10, 2011, 6:30-9pm

A Dinner Gala Event at the Carlyle Club

Honoring

Nina Tisara of Living Legends

Brooke Curran of the Runningbrooke Fund

Evening in the Heart of Alexandria is a tribute to all who give from their hearts to volunteer in our city.  Each year Volunteer Alexandria recognizes important members of our community who carry out extraordinary service,  impacting the city as a whole.  Join us this year as we honor  two remarkable women who have served voluntarily in unique, original ways inspiring us all.

Awards Presented

2011 event chair is Vola Lawson, Alexandria's former City Manager, initiator of Alexandria’s Walk to Fight Breast Cancer, and namesake of Alexandria’s animal shelter, ably backed by a committee of volunteers dedicated to making this an evening to remember.

Nina Tisara, Director of Alexandria's Living Legends 
will receive the Marian Van Landingham Lifetime Service Award. 
Nina's love of photography and of the people of Alexandria led her to develop a photo history of people who became legends in their own time. The Living Legends project both chronicles and celebrates the personal contributions made by these leaders to improve lives in Alexandria.  
Vola Lawson and Volunteer Alexandria are proud to bring Nina from behind the camera and into the spotlight to honor her as she so richly deserves!

Brooke Curran, Founder of the RunningBrooke Fund 
will receive the Joan White Grassroots Volunteer Award. 
Brooke's love of running provided her with her own unique way of giving back by donating her marathon proceeds to Alexandria nonprofits supporting a range of personally inspiring causes. For this one night lets get Runningbrooke to stop running and enjoy a dinner with friends,  in her honor!

How to Get Involved

Sponsorships are available and allow Volunteer Alexandria to continue our 31-year legacy of fostering connections within the community. More information, and seat purchases can be found on Volunteer Alexandria’s Razoo profile page.

To volunteer to help at the event, please contact mail@volunteeralexandria.org, 703-836-2176.

College and Career Presentation for Students with Disabilities

The ACPS Office of Special Education Services along with the TCW Counseling Department and TCW Career & Technical Education Dept. will host a workshop, "College & Career Preparation for Students with Disabilities", for 7-12th grade students and their families.
The purpose of this session is for parents and students alike to familiarize themselves with the many college and career paths and the requirements necessary to meet their goals.

The sessions will be opened up to all disability areas.

Please RSVP to attend this event.

See the flyer for more information.  

Alexandria Named One of the Nation's "100 Best Communities for Young People"

 FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA:

For the fourth time, the City of Alexandria was named one of the nation’s “100 Best Communities for Young People,” by the America’s Promise Alliance. The competition recognizes the 100 outstanding communities across America—large and small, rural and urban—that are the best places for young people to live and grow. More than 300 communities nationwide applied for the honor this year. A description of Alexandria’s winning qualities can be found here, and a list of all 2011 winners can be found at www.americaspromise.org/100best.

The City’s support for its children and youth encompasses a comprehensive array of programs and services in areas such as teen pregnancy prevention, juvenile delinquency, education, post-secondary education, mentoring and youth development.

The America’s Promise Alliance, founded by General Colin Powell, provides a catalyst for community-based efforts to demonstrate how children receive the Five Promises—caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education and opportunities to help others.

Being a “100 Best” community not only demonstrates commitment to local young people; the award fosters local pride, bolsters economic development and shines the spotlight on the people and programs that are building better communities. The competition also facilitates the sharing of best practices among communities nationwide   

Alexandria NAACP chair nominated for award

Local resident, John Chapman, has been nominated for the Capital Cause Young Philanthropist Award, recognizing his work in the community with the Alexandria Branch of the NAACP.
And he NEEDS your help! 
To become a finalist in the voting process he needs you to "like" his photograph in the Capital Cause Changemakers reception album: 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150358468178346&set=a.10150355450628346.366547.165885933345&type=1&theater

You can also "share" his picture on your timeline and feel free to write some words of encouragement in the comments section.  

Here is some information about John and the work he has been doing over the last year…….

In January, Mr. Chapman became one of the youngest branch presidents of the oldest civil rights organization. In his inaugural year, he has increased awareness about the mission of the NAACP. Under his leadership this past year, the branch has secured $4000 from the Coca-Cola Foundation for community health programs, lobbied at the Virginia General Assembly for voting rights restoration for non-violent felons, met with Virginia Congressman Moran to discuss funding of local cultural museums, held local voter restoration clinics where ex-felons could get help completing the process for reinstatement of their voting rights, advocated against the death penalty during the Troy Davis case, reconnected the branch with local churches and partner organizations, held a candidates forum for the 30th VA Senate seat, hosted a community health fair that attracted over 200 people, awarded college scholarship funds to local students, marched in the recent Jobs and Justice Rally, increased the attendance at not only their monthly meetings, and also at its major events, the branch’s Black History Month program and Soul Food tasting as well as their annual Life Membership and Awards Banquet. Most importantly, Mr. Chapman has reconnected a generation of young professionals with an organization that has primarily connected with older generations, in order to keep generations carrying on the struggle for civil rights.

Shoe Drive

Virginia Commerce Bank is having a Shoe Drive at the Mount Vernon Avenue Branch/location. 
Shoes collected are sold to other countries through shoeman.org.  
All proceeds go to supply clean drinking water to the children of Kenya.  
Please drop off shoes at 2401 Mt. Vernon Avenue. 

Absentee Voting Deadlines for November 8 General Elections

FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA:  

On November 8, Alexandria is having a General Election for Virginia State Senate, House of Delegates and Alexandria Clerk of Court. Voters who qualify to vote absentee for this election may request an absentee ballot to be mailed to them, or they may cast an absentee ballot in person.

The deadline to submit an application to have an absentee ballot sent by mail is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 1. Absentee ballot applications are available online from alexandriava.gov/Elections, or by contacting the Alexandria Voter Registration Office at 703.746.4050. Mail the completed application to the Voter Registration Office, 132 N. Royal St., Suite 100, Alexandria VA 22314, or fax the application to 703.838.6449, and the absentee ballot will be mailed to you. Absentee ballots obtained by mail must be received by the Voter Registration Office on or before Election Day, Tuesday, November 8, at 7 p.m.

The deadline for casting an absentee ballot in person is Saturday, November 5, at 5 p.m. To cast an absentee ballot in-person, go to the Alexandria Voter Registration Office, 132 North Royal Street, Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22314.

In-person absentee voting hours are Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours on the following days:

•  Tuesday, October 25, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 26, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, October 27, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 1, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

There are many reasons registered voters in the City of Alexandria may qualify to vote absentee, for example, if they are:

• Away on business, vacation, active military service, or at school.
• Working and commuting for 11 or more hours between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Election Day.
• A “first responder” (firefighter, law enforcement, emergency technician).
• Physically unable to go to the polls, or a primary caregiver for a family member who is ill.

For more information on absentee voting, as well as sample ballots, visit alexandriava.gov/Elections or call 703.746.4050.

Alexandria City Council Votes to Appoint Rashad Young as City Manager

FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA: 

Tonight, the Alexandria City Council voted unanimously to formally appoint Rashad Young as City Manager. Young, formerly the City Manager of Greensboro, North Carolina, will fill the position vacated by James K. Hartmann, who left in May. Young, whose salary has been set at $245,000, will start December 12. 
 
“While we honor and preserve the heritage that has made Alexandria distinctive--not only in the Northern Virginia and Washington DC region, but also in the nation--we must balance that against the drive and demand for growth, development and urban progress,” said Young, following the Council vote. “This is both our challenge and our opportunity…my job, and my pledge to this organization and community, is to work with you and among you to ensure that we strike that balance, and that we preserve what is unique and special about our community, while continuing to be progressive and forward thinking.”
 


For more information on the new City Manager, visit alexandriva.gov/CityManager.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is 10/29

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, a day to turn in unused prescription drugs, is Saturday, October 29, from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. 

Drop off locations in Alexandria include: 

The Alexandria Police Department, 3600 Wheeler Ave

Alexandria Fire Station #209 near Potomac Yards, 2800 Main Line Blvd

The Masonic Temple and 101 Callahan Ave. 

Please drop off any and all of your unused prescription medications/drugs. 

See flyer for details.