All Opinions Are Local - A forum on hot topics in D.C., Maryland and Virginia - February 20, 2011

One last Valentine's Day at Tony's Place

“You are special,” Tony Boudouvas growled to one of his regulars this Feb. 14. It was the final of 33 Valentine’s Days at Tony’s Place, and noontime was a flood of humanity at the corner shack of 20th and I...

By Chris Earnshaw, Washington | February 26, 2011; 8:07 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: D.C., economy
Save & Share:

In the fast lane on the ICC

What timing! I just happened to be back in Montgomery County from my retirement paradise at the beach on the opening day for Route 200, the fabled intercounty connector.It was in the last century, almost half my lifetime ago, that...

By Fay Jacobs, Rehoboth Beach | February 25, 2011; 7:50 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: HotTopic, Maryland, traffic, transportation
Save & Share:

That's your excuse, Mr. Brown?

How many readers noticed that, if the SUV is leased, it is completely irrelevant if a black interior would hold its value better ["SUV loaded with buyer's remorse," front page, Feb. 20]? What a lame excuse from D.C. Council Chairman...

By Bruce Dunham, Annapolis | February 24, 2011; 6:17 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: D.C., D.C. politics
Save & Share:

Kwame Brown, driving D.C. into embarrassment

Regarding the Feb. 23 Metro article "Brown giving up lease of SUV": It's ironic that the embarrassment over D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown's luxury sport-utility vehicle hit the same week parents were informed that student transportation would not be...

By Dan Fishkin, Washington | February 24, 2011; 6:13 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: D.C., D.C. politics, HotTopic
Save & Share:

The rationale for strict high school discipline

Have the authors of the Feb. 20 front-page article on Fairfax's zero-tolerance discipline policy ever been in a class with students who bring drugs or weapons to school, who buy drugs at school or are chronically disruptive? Such students can...

By David Campbell, Springfield | February 23, 2011; 7:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Fairfax County, Virginia, child services, education, schools
Save & Share:

No second chances at Fairfax schools

Having read the Feb. 20 front-page story "Student's suspension furthered his despair," I add my unfortunate experience with Chantilly High School in Fairfax. The fundamental problem with the Fairfax County Public Schools is that the system treats itself as more...

By Robert J. Guerra, Ashburn | February 23, 2011; 6:48 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Fairfax County, Virginia, child services, education, schools
Save & Share:

Alternative disciplinary methods for teens

Regarding the Feb. 20 front-page story "Student's suspension furthered his despair": Given my experience with multiple family suicides and managing depression, this is a very personal issue for me. Suicide is never the result of one event or school policy,...

By Nathalie H. Thompson, Aldie | February 23, 2011; 5:41 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Fairfax County, Virginia, education, schools
Save & Share:

Teens don't deserve zero-tolerance punishment

The Feb. 22 Metro article "Suicide victim's family calls for policy change" filled me with sadness and anger. Apparently, Fairfax County, along with quite a few other school systems in the country, continues to buy into a misguided notion of...

By Bernard S. Arons, Washington | February 23, 2011; 5:38 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Fairfax County, HotTopic, child services, schools
Save & Share:

Why won't McDonnell push to protect Metro?

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell repeatedly dodged questions yesterday about why he isn't lobbying his fellow Republicans to save the funds for Metro's safety repairs. He also showed a surprising ignorance of basic facts like whether WMATA has a permanent...

By David Alpert | February 23, 2011; 2:46 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: D.C., HotTopic, Local blog network, Metro, traffic, transportation
Save & Share:

The problem isn't collective bargaining

In a report issued last year, the Pew center determined that there was a $1 trillion gap "at the end of fiscal year 2008 between the $2.35 trillion states had set aside to pay for employees’ retirement benefits and...

By Todd Eberly | February 23, 2011; 11:21 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Local blog network, Martin O'Malley, Maryland
Save & Share:

An "official" fish for Virginia

Dealing as they do with weighty matters, the Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday conferred the honor of "official saltwater fish" to the striped bass, otherwise known to Southerners as the "rockfish." In many ways, this is cause for...

By Peter Galuszka | February 23, 2011; 11:10 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: HotTopic, Local blog network, Va. Politics, Virginia, environment, recreation, wildlife
Save & Share:

Dogs need not apply

As the president of Lyon Park Citizens Association, I was intrigued with the Hillbrook-Tall Oaks Civic Association’s electing a dog as an officer [“Civic group’s new president has some howling,” front page, Feb. 19]. Our association has been looking for...

By Natalie Roy, Arlington | February 23, 2011; 10:36 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Virginia
Save & Share:

Hitting pay dirt in the District

So, Gerri Mason Hall, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s chief of staff, “works 14-, 16-hour days. [“Gray adds top staff and pays them well,” Metro, Feb. 20]. I suspect she works those kind of hours because she has to figure...

By Chris J. Krisinger, Burke | February 22, 2011; 8:22 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: D.C., D.C. politics, HotTopic, Vincent Gray
Save & Share:

Commandments removed from Va. school system

The up-and-down case of the Ten Commandments in a far southwestern Virginia school system has taken another turn -- this time down. The Giles County School Board on Tuesday decided that copies of the Ten Commandments set in framed,...

By Peter Galuszka | February 22, 2011; 3:42 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: HotTopic, Local blog network, Va. Politics, Virginia, education, faith, history
Save & Share:

Transit sense from the Va. Senate

The Virginia Senate's finance commmittee killed three bad transportation-related bills, all of which would have transferred decision-making over transportation in Northern Virginia to Richmond and away from the region's counties and cities. HB2000 would mandate that Governor McDonnell's representative...

By David Alpert | February 22, 2011; 1:53 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: HotTopic, Local blog network, Virginia, traffic, transportation
Save & Share:

Hold Wal-Mart to its promises in D.C.

Regarding the Feb. 14 editorial "The Wal-Mart opportunity": It's clear that Wal-Mart's "carefully orchestrated campaign to win support and disarm critics" has succeeded with The Post. How else to explain the editorial board arguing that Wal-Mart shouldn't be expected to...

By Keith Silver, Washington | February 21, 2011; 7:16 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: D.C., D.C. politics, HotTopic, development, economy, real estate
Save & Share:

HOT lanes: Don't fence us in

One reason that Arlingtonians and Alexandrians are unhappy with The Post editorial board's relentless drumbeat to widen highways in those jurisdictions ["Arlington County wins a battle over HOT lanes but may lose a war," Feb. 10] is that they already...

By Peter Harnik, Arlington | February 21, 2011; 7:12 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: DMV, Metro, Va. Politics, Virginia, traffic, transportation
Save & Share:

Network News

All Opinions Are Local: February 20, 2011 - February 26, 2011