The brouhaha over the resignation of Williamsburg Middle School principal Kathy Francis continues.
Arlington Public Schools announced last night that it had approved the hiring of an outside legal counsel to defend the school system against review allegations made by Francis, who sent a lengthy resignation letter to parents last week. In the letter, Francis accused superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy of “discrimination” and harassment.
It didn’t take long for Williamsburg Middle School principal Kathleen Francis to be told she was no longer welcome at the school she led for more than a decade.
Francis sent a lengthy email to parents Tuesday night announcing her resignation and criticizing Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy. The email was posted on this web site and quickly started garnering thousands of hits and hundreds of comments.
In a lengthy email to parents, Francis detailed what she describes as a “long struggle” to resolve a personnel matter with Dr. Murphy. Francis said her efforts, which allegedly upset Dr. Murphy, resulted in “an ongoing series of actions to harass me and mischaracterize my performance and professional reputation.”
Francis defended her record and said she went so far as to file a discrimination complaint.
Moran told Alhurra, U.S. government-sponsored Arab TV network, that Democrats suffered in the 2010 elections because many Americans don’t want a black president.
“In this case a lot of people in this country, I believe, don’t want to be governed by an African American, particularly one who is inclusive, who is liberal, who wants to spend money on everyone and who wants to reach out to include everyone in our society,” Moran told an interviewer, as reported by the Washington Post.
The lawsuit, which has thus far cost the county about $1.5 million in legal fees, was filed in order to block VDOT’s plan to build High Occupancy Toll lanes on I-395. The suit has been ruffling feathers in Richmond ever since, but on Wednesday it came back to bite the county on a key legislative priority.
Del. Tim Hugo (R) of Fairfax County used his chairmanship of a House finance subcommittee to delay action on HB 1513, Del. Bob Brink’s bill that would extend Arlington’s 0.25 percent hotel tax surcharge for another three years.
Yesterday “Tara S.” — presumably Eclectic Threads owner Tara Selario — went on the review site Yelp to respond to the store’s critics.
“Please go to Georgetown to complete your Halloween costume next year – let them deal with your complete lack of respect for other people’s property,” she said to someone who complained about “dour, snotty service” this past fall.
An email listserv for residents of Arlington’s 22204 zip code has erupted with a full-fledged neighbor-versus-neighbor war of words over some profane rap music that was accidentally played at the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse on Columbia Pike.
The controversy started when a local resident, Carole, emailed the listserv to report an incident that she found quite upsetting. She had gone to the Old Arlington Grill, the Cinema Drafthouse’s restaurant/lounge, to grab a bite to eat with a friend. Suddenly, the “raunchy” sounds of “cussing rap” music came through on the speakers.
State Senator’s Husband Pens Alarming Column — Tom Whipple, husband of state Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D), has penned a column entitled “The Peak Oil Crisis: Civil Unrest” for the Falls Church News-Press. He writes: “By failure to guide the country to real solutions to real problems, our leaders are risking increasing violence as the frustrations of an unknowing people continue to grow.” [Not Larry Sabato]
Grocery Store and Development Proposed for Bergmann’s Site — A developer wants to bring a grocery store to the site of the Bergmann’s Cleaners on Lee Highway, provided the county also approves a 12-story apartment building next door. The apartment site is currently zoned only for single family homes. [TBD]
Thomas was a long-time fixture in the front row of the White House briefing room, having begun her daily White House coverage in 1960. She resigned as a columnist for Hearst Newspapers last year after making controversial remarks about Jews and Israel. When asked by a video camera-wielding rabbi what she thought of Israel, Thomas said that Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine” and “go home” to Germany, Poland and the U.S.
Thomas, 90, will now be writing a weekly political affairs column exclusively for the News-Press.
The photo (above left) of some sort of yellow rig near the Bishop O’Connell High School football field has neighbors speculating, according to TBD. Some believe that work is getting underway on a controversial athletic field renovation before the project has been formally approved by the county board.
We don’t know about that, but it does vaguely remind us the oil derrick from a 20-year-old Saved by the Bell episode entitled “Pipe Dreams,” in which oil is discovered underneath the Bayside High School football field. For a while, everybody thought the oil money was going to bring exciting improvements to the school, but in the end a beloved duck died and the whole situation was judged a fiasco.
Now, the restaurant’s management has written a not-so-nice goodbye note to the most vocal opponents of the patio.
Displayed just inside the window is a sign that reads: “HEY MIKEY HOPE YOUR [sic] :) KISS MY [butt].”
Bishop O’Connell High School wants to spend $6 million renovating its football and baseball fields. The renovations would add new artificial turf to the football field, making it doubly usable as a regulation soccer field.
The renovations would also add lights to both fields, so they can be used after the sun goes down. The school has agreed to limit hours of use, however.
