While recovered, the car now “smelled like fricken’ dirtweed,” said the man who did not want to be named for privacy and concerns about retribution.

“Someone smoked a blunt and drank a Big Gulp and left it less than a mile from my house,” the man said.

The abandoned vehicle sat for weeks, unbeknownst to the owner and Alexandria Police Department. The victim discovered the location of the vehicle after receiving the ticket in the mail.

Parking Enforcement issued the ticket four days after the owner reported his car stolen. The ticket arrived in the mail a week later.

Authorities never connected the ticket with the missing vehicle report in that time.

The man was critical of how the APD and its Parking Enforcement division were unable to communicate. He questioned why the issuing of a ticket did not immediately flag the officer to the vehicle’s missing status.

“They kind of dropped the ball,” he said.

The ticket was for an expired inspection sticker. The victim said the car had been unused in his driveway while he was in the process of addressing the situation.

Locating the car sooner may have aided the investigation, such as with security cameras that delete footage after a certain period of time, according to the car owner.

The police officer investigating the theft said she would “take car of it,” referring to the ticket, according to the man.

Mobility Services oversees the programs and policies surrounding parking, according to Division Chief Katye North. This includes the ParkMobile app as well as zones and regulations.

“Mobility Services is not involved with the day-to-day enforcement of these restrictions and does not review any tickets that are issued by APD,” North said.

The Alexandria Police Department was unable to provide answers to written questions in time for publication.

Aside from “blunt ashes all over the dashboard” and $250 in cleaning fees to get rid of the odor, the man considered himself “lucky” that he was able to get his car back.

Motor vehicle theft trends

As of December 10, 2023, 451 cars have been reported stolen in Alexandria, according to city . That is the most since 2005.

The FBI national auto theft, on a per capita basis. Using these figures, we can compare the rate of car theft in Alexandria to how many thefts would be expected given the number of residents.

Annual theft rates remained steady between 2011 and 2019, but have ticked upward since 2020. Fewer cars are stolen in Alexandria than the national averages based on population.

Alexandria police have not caught the Big Gulp burglar, as of publication. The case is unsolved and still open. This is the norm.

Only 32 of the 451 vehicle theft cases have ended in arrests thus far in 2023. That closure rate is 32% higher than last year’s national average.

Alexandria has routinely been ahead of the national average in solving car theft.

While Alexandria’s data are more erratic than national averages, the trend line is relatively straight and indicates that APD solved this particular type of crime at a better rate than national averages.

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Agents wearing jackets embellished with logos from the ATF, FBI, Loudon County Fire Rescue, Arlington Police Department and the Arlington Fire Department walked shoulder-to-shoulder across a public grass field directly behind a house in the 800 block of North Burlington Street that exploded Monday night.

Fields Park in Ballston was closed today with police tape. Agents could be seen checking over fences and talking to homeowners, gathering evidence of what happened during a police raid.

Their presence interrupted the normalness of seasonally decorated homes. One house had a ten-foot-tall Jack Skellington. Inflatable snowmen, Santa Clauses and reindeer adorned even more homes.

“Today was a little bit different than usual,” said dog walker Johnathon Dorland, 33, as he led a herd of five canines around the police tape that interrupted their normal route.

Monday night, authorities locked down the area surrounding a house, evacuated neighbors around 7 o’clock, attempted to negotiate with a suspect and even cut off gas to the home “at the meter,” according to Assistant Fire Chief Jason Jenkins. The home still exploded, leading to a viral .

Today in a press conference, Jenkins expressed an “appreciation to the Arlington County Fire Department personnel.”

“Their efforts last evening saved lives. Period,” Jenkins said. “They minimized damage to property and I thank them for their efforts.”

A neighbor and crossing guard both used the word “lucky” when describing the Fire Department’s proximity to the house that exploded. They did not want to be identified for this story over privacy concerns.

The fire station resided less than 500 feet away from last night’s explosion, according to Google Maps.

The onlookers credited the proximity with minimizing the damage of the explosion and subsequent flames.

“At this point, the fire is completely extinguished,” Jenkins said.

Arlington Chief of Police Andy Penn added that “there’s no ongoing threat to the community related to this incident and no outstanding suspects.”

“Thankfully, there were no serious injuries to any officers, other public safety officials or community members,” Penn said.

Penn identified the perpetrator of the standoff-turned-explosion as James Yoo, 56. Prior to last night, his dealings with police included only two noise complaints, according to Penn.

“The suspect was inside the residence at the time of the explosion and he is presumed at this point to be deceased,” Penn said. “Human remains have been located at the scene and the office of the chief medical examiner will work to positively identify the individual.”

Penn added that the remains of the suspect have yet to be confirmed and that the investigation remains ongoing.

Escuela Key Elementary School, also less than 500 feet from the house that exploded, experienced “no operation change to school today,” according to Director of Communications at Arlington County Schools, Frank Bellavia.

The blast occurred while no students or staff were on campus and the scene was deemed safe prior to any returning to campus. Thus there was no need to call off school, according to Bellavia.

Deputy County Manager of Public Safety Aaron Miller said that between 10 and 12 households were directly impacted by the blast. As these families look to rebuild their homes and lives, the county has and will continue to provide a range of support from mental health services to housing, food and basic toiletries, according to Miller.

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The school district recently signed a partnership with Hazel Health to aid students seeking counseling and therapy.

The action came after troubling trends. Youth depression and attempted suicide rates have increased 29% since 2016, according to city . Broader statewide and national trends mirrored this pattern of worsening mental health, especially during the pandemic.

Parents of students at the Alexandria City High School at the Minnie Howard campus received an email on November 14 asking for parents to provide advanced consent in case their child may need mental health services in the future.

“Hazel Health is available to support every student’s mental well-being without any out-of-pocket costs for families,” read the email.

In the first month of service, over 100 students had been referred to the program, according to Alexandria City Public Schools Executive Director of Student Support Teams Dr. Victor Martin.

A COVID-19 recovery grant funds the new mental health program, according to Martin. He added that the Hazel Health partnership “did not come at the expense of any staff or programs.”

“I think the school system should be commended for doing it,” Brown said. “It’s a wonderful step.”

The new partnership sat well with Maureen McNulty, a member of the board of the Alexandria PTA counsel and “mother of two Titans.”

“I’m in favor of it; I think it’s a great idea, honestly,” McNulty said. “It allows kids to get the mental health support they need without leaving school.”

On-campus services minimized interruption to the schedule of students and parents, according to McNulty.

Further, she noted Alexandria continued to be an expensive area to live in and that “there’s a shortage of mental health professionals nationally” in her support of the virtual solution.

While the PTA did not directly consult on the Hazel Health partnership, parents had called for more funding and more programs for student mental health for years, according to McNulty.

“This aligns with what the PTA has been advocating for,” McNulty said.

Telemental health

Before the pandemic, “the technology was available, but we never resorted to it,” Brown said.

The UNLV academic added that telemental health services have allowed care to reach sparsely populated or rural areas.

“It’s changing our boundaries, it’s changing how we do things,” Brown said. “Technology has been a godsend because it makes services available.”

In response to potential concerns from parents that virtual mental health services might be less effective than those delivered in person, Brown cited from the American Psychological Association showing the delivery mechanisms were “comparable.”

Licensed Psychologist Matthew Hagler, Ph.D., LP, cited a different which concluded videoconference-delivered psychotherapy “was equally effective as in-person treatment in reducing children’s symptoms and functional impairments.”

However, Hagler said virtual mental health care can require specific considerations and treatment modifications.

Some of the considerations for virtual mental health revolve around making sure the patient has a private space, but with parents or caregivers in the house and broadly aware of the care their child receives, according to Hagler.

“Even outside of telehealth, therapy with kids is more effective if you involve parents,” Hagler said.

Hagler agreed that providing mental health services in a known, private room at school with staff available to intervene satisfied the immediate support considerations.

Immersion therapy for patients with social anxiety illustrated an example of modifying treatment for the virtual format. Whereas Hagler might introduce a child to strangers in the office building in person, virtual care required more parental involvement and patient homework.

“Ultimately, good therapy is good therapy and bad therapy is bad therapy,” Hagler said. “Whether in person or telehealth, it’s important that providers are trained in evidence-based therapy.”

Hazel Health failed to provide comment for this story despite requests.

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In the halls of Congress Wednesday, legislators such as Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., questioned who would enforce the code and called it a “big problem.”

“Supreme Court members cannot remove themselves,” Takano said. “The accountability comes back to Congress. When there’s no remedy or enforcement, I don’t get the teeth.”

Similarly, Rep. Jim Banks, R- Ind., said he had not reviewed the ethics code yet but the potential “purely internal” process concerned him.

“We all are checked-and-balanced by people outside of our organizations,” Banks said. “My guess is there’s more of a role for Congress than they’ll take care of themselves.”

Monday, the Supreme Court published a 15-page code of conduct, the first-ever code in the court’s 234 years.

Media outlets including and recently reported Justice Clarence Thomas’s personal relationship with billionaire real estate developer Harlan Crow, a conservative donor.

​�ċ also revealed Justice Samuel Alito did not recuse himself from a case with a hedge fund billionaire who earlier gifted the justice a private jet trip to Alaska. 

Justice Sonya Sotomayor also came under fire this year following accusations she leveraged public appearances to sell more autobiographies, according to the .

The new list of rules is in response to the perception that justices “regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules,” according to a statement by the court.

All nine justices signed the 15-page document codifying principles of conduct.

Who rules the Court?

Rep. Jim Jordan, R- Ohio, said the code “is fine” because he preferred the legislative branch to not impose upon the judiciary.

While the Supreme Court never previously published a code of ethics or decorum, Article One of the U.S. Constitution accounted for legislative oversight of the judiciary. A simple majority in the House would impeach a justice– a subsequent two-thirds Senate vote would then remove the judge from the high court.

In 1804, the House impeached Justice Samuel Chase though the Senate later acquitted him, according to the . He is the only impeached Supreme Court justice.

Washington College of Law Professor Stephen Wermiel said the new code is an effort to “keep Congress off [justices’] backs.” 

The new code adapted the to the specific demands of the Supreme Court, according to the high court’s commentary section.

Some of the standards outlined how justices “should avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety” and they “should not be swayed by partisan interests, public clamor, or fear of criticism.”

Monday’s code of ethics lacked an implementation mechanism which leaves justices to regulate themselves, Wermiel said.

“It’s not necessarily a great way to enforce an ethics code,” Wermiel said. “It’s not going to change the way they do things and that’s frustrating to many people who had hoped that they would come up with an ethics code that had some more teeth and enforcement mechanism.”

Wermiel said the Supreme Court would not realistically allow another entity to discipline their ethics, though some members of Congress wanted some form of outside oversight.

Rep. Steve Cohen, D- Tenn., said the court needs to impose “some type of sanctions,” to enforce the rules. He said “nobody” currently holds the court accountable.

“They just take care of each other,” Cohen said. “The Supreme Court’s not going to enforce against their own.”

The word “should” appeared 52 times in the new conduct code, while binding verbs like “must” and “shall” appear six and zero times.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D- N.Y., called the code “a fig leaf for the court.”

“I think of it as more of a [public relations] effort than anything that’s actually a serious measure,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

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This year, they are two of approximately 48,000 student-athletes declaring national letters of intent to participate in college sports.

Anderson and Altenburg laughed about an incident their junior year, getting trapped on a military base during a thunderstorm. Still, mostly, they talked about their love of the sport.

Anderson described rowing together as being “one string” of tension to accomplish the task. All must act in concert, pulling in the same direction.

“In rowing, you have to be them. Like you are all the same nine people in the boat,” Altenburg said. “You have to move every single part of your body together; you have to breathe together.”

Further, they even share ambitious academic aspirations. Anderson said she plans to study international politics, leveraging her fluency in French and German. Altenburg said she would like to study biomedical engineering and perhaps design prosthetics someday.

Now, it is time for their paths to diverge as they formally commit to colleges almost three thousand miles apart.

“It’s exciting just to see how many people are so happy for you, so proud of you,” Altenburg said, wearing Washington State crimson. “It’s amazing, and I know a lot of people are going to be there.”

“It’s exciting to see all your friends and family there; my whole team’s going,” Anderson said, wearing the University of Massachusetts Amherst maroon. “It’s always fun; they make posters and act like it’s a surprise.”

One of Altenburg’s coaches at the club TBC Racing, Matt Russell, described her as a “consummate athlete” who swam competitively in addition to rowing. He also emphasized her leadership skills, contributing to a family environment and fun rather than an athletic “factory.”

“91����ington State coaches certainly got lucky in that deal,” Russell said. “I think she’ll be impactful right away in that program.”

Women’s sports are gaining an audience. NIL deals are getting better. 

Both athletes expressed optimism when assessing the current state of college sports.

“Women in sports in general have just kicked off in the last decade,” said Anderson. “And it’s great to see people respected more.”

tracked 10 million fans tuning into the NCAA Women’s Basketball final between LSU and Iowa. This figure eclipsed that for the men’s final.

According to Nielsen, a significant driver of this increased viewership in women’s sports was increased access to games. Viewership is tracked by the number of matches on TV over the last four Women’s World Cups and Women’s Euro Cups.

Social media represents another form of increased access over the last ten years.

Anderson said following the U.S. Olympic women’s rowing team and elite college rowers on Instagram “has really motivated me.”

Following a class action legal victory in a case headlined by Ed O’Bannon and California’s 2019 Fair Pay to Play Act, college athletes have had increased opportunity to capitalize on their Name, Image and Likeness. Many college stars are monetizing their social media presence under these new rules.

The 2023 Women’s NCAA championship game stars Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson and Caitlin Clark all cashed in on their athletic successes and prolific social media followings. Reese had 5.2 million followers across X, Tik Tok and Instagram, compared to 3.2 million for Johnson and 1 million for Clark. All told, these athletes had N.I.L. deals valued at $1.7 million, $1.1 million and $764 thousand, respectively, according to .

Anderson and Altenburg spoke favorably of these trends in the finance and self-storytelling opportunities for young female athletes.

Challenges remain to the growth of rowing, such as access to rowable water in some parts of the country and boats that cost thousands of dollars, according to Anderson. Still, overall, the Titans were optimistic about the future of the sport.

“It definitely used to be much more of an elitist sport, but there’s a lot more inclusion now,” Altenburg said. “I hope a lot of people can learn to row and have the opportunity to.”

Both will continue to row and train through the upcoming winter. Coach Russell said that training could commence on the water as long as the combined temperatures of the water and air were above 80 degrees and there was no lightning or other abnormal weather events.

Coaches for Washington State and UMass Amherst could not comment on the impending signings due to NCAA rules.

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The predominantly blue district has not voted Republican in a presidential race since Ronald Reagan, according to city . Incumbent Democratic Delegates Charniele Herring and Elizabeth Bennett-Parker are running unopposed for the Fourth and Fifth District House seats, respectively. The Third District will come down to a Democratic incumbent and an Independent challenger. The only member of the GOP appearing on a 2023 Alexandria ballot is Sophia Moshasha for Virginia Senate. There are no referenda.

“I would suspect that the conditions in the House of Delegates races would benefit the Democratic Senate candidate since Democratic voters have two meaningful elections to weigh in on, while Republican voters have only one,” said Rand Institute researcher Samuel Absher in an email. “And two carrots incentivize better than one.”

Adam Ebbin would be the beneficiary of this incentive structure. The longtime representative served as a House Delegate from 2004-2012 before winning the 30th Senate District of Virginia, a post he continues to hold. Due to redistricting, he will be running for “the new 39th district,” according to his . Ebbin did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

On the other hand, Absher hedged his two-carrot prediction.

“Republican voters were not particularly responsive to the flexibility of state election processes in 2020…They voted regardless of whether they had to vote in person or it was onerous to vote by mail,” Absher said. “Which might suggest that regardless of the number of carrots in front of them, Republican voters turnout at relatively consistent levels.”

Turnout consistency might be a significant factor as Virginia will be one of only four states to hold state elections in November, according to Ballotpedia. This year occupies a slot that took dips in the last three election cycles. Alexandria voting turnout peaked during Presidential elections, dropped off for Gubernatorial/U.S. Congressional years and cratered for state-only election years, as seen in the graph below.

The smaller-than-normal sample size could “favor a dark horse Republican candidate,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean.

The timing also favored Moshasha in ways beyond sample size randomness, according to Bonjean. Not “attaching yourself to the top of the ticket” as in a presidential election year allowed her “to come across moderate in tone.”

Moshasha could focus on “local solutions to local problems,” Bonjean said. “If you talk about being a Republican, you’re gonna lose immediately.”

Moshasha’s campaign emphasized her Alexandria roots and Virginia Commonwealth education. She said small businesses played a “pivotal role…in driving economic growth” on her website. Further, she complemented the messaging Bonjean theorized with her advocacy for technology, education and community engagement, according to her . Moshasha did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Alexandria’s Third District

The Third House District rests mainly in neighboring Arlington but does cover a small portion of northern Alexandria. This contested seat comes down to incumbent Delegate Alfonso Lopez and Independent Major Mike Webb.

Webb runs an active, free page. Many of his posts begin with, “Live from the world’s newest banana republic. . .” Webb did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Del. Lopez said he was not worried about the unusual ballot, saying, “We want to talk about the issues and problems that matter most to the residents of the district, and they are consistent regardless of whether there are referenda or other contested races on the ballot or not.”

“My top priorities in this election are promoting affordable housing, pushing for sensible gun violence prevention, and working to make it more affordable to live and raise a family in the 3rd District and Virginia as a whole,” Lopez said.

Early voting began on September 22, 2023. , voters can find their district and nearest polling places for the November 7 general election.

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“Matthew lives forever,” said Genie Baskir, the show’s producer.

Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson abducted and beat Shepard, a student at the University of Wyoming, on October 6, 1998. Shepard died of the wounds six days later at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. His attackers used the gay panic defense in court because of Shepard’s sexual orientation.

The murder and subsequent fallout inspired Moisés Kaufman and the New York-based Tectonic Theater Project to visit Wyoming to interview locals. The resulting dramaturgy  connected these first-hand accounts of Shepard and the aftermath into a documentary for the stage, said Baskir.

“He’s a tragic figure, but he’s not literary. He’s real,” Baskir said.

The performance featured actors in shirts whose colors formed the pride flag in summation. Each portrayed multiple real-life figures, often with simple additional costuming such as a scarf or lab coat to differentiate characters. The straightforward, bare presentation resonated with Christopher Patrick, a member of the audience.

“The Laramie Project, for me as a gay man raised in the South, hits close to home,” Patrick said. “The interviews ring true with the personification of small-town America: an idealization of hometown values with a callousness towards those that don’t fit in.”

Patrick also said he found a “message of hope” throughout the performance. He said, “It’s a poignant piece that is as relevant, if not more so, in today’s social climate.”

Paul Di Salvo said he was drawn to the project because of “the continuation of attacks” towards the LGBTQ+ community. He referenced the mass shootings at Pulse Nightclub and Club Q, but added that the attacks are not just physical but social and legislative.

Di Salvo described finding a relatable story in the Laramie Project: a universal found through the idiosyncratic specifics of Shepard.

“We’ve all had similar thoughts about our passions, insecurities and desire to be happy with the people around us,” Di Salvo said.

Fred Lash, who does public relations for the theater, said the theater knew performing heavy, politically divisive subject matter would be difficult. Ultimately, “we decided to take it on as a challenge,” Lash said.

The Little Theatre of Alexandria performance featured an original score by Geoff Baskir, according to Lash.

The production stated the proceeds from the performance went to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The foundation, created by Shepard’s parents, looks to use his story and ethos “to replace hate with understanding, compassion, and acceptance,” according to its .

The Little Theatre of Alexandria has been in operation since 1934. The second and final performance of the Laramie Project will take place on Thursday, October 12, to commemorate the day he died of his wounds.

“I hope you all will take away a positive message from our show,” said Di Salvo. “We all are people. We are all equally deserving of dignity and respect and grace.”

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Capital Bikeshare opened in 2010 to great fanfare, touting itself as the most extensive bike-sharing system in the country. CaBi has continued to add docking stations and improve infrastructure ever since.

“We are also looking at it through an equity lens,” said Sean Martin, Alexandria’s Capital Bikeshare project manager.

According to the report compiled by Martin, July and August both had 10% higher ridership than the previous high month of June 2017. May and June of this year were also among the top eight all-time. Martin believed part of the spike was due to the implementation of e-bikes in March.

“E-bikes are a great way to get around town. They are very easy to get moving and get up hills,” Martin said.

Blaine Maye, a student visiting from Oklahoma State University, said that while overall he enjoyed Capital Bikeshare, he avoided the new e-bikes. “I personally didn’t like it as much because I like having a rigorous workout,” Maye said.

Maye instead used the classic bike model as his primary mode of transportation during his visit. He found three factors that led to this preference.

“One, they’re conveniently located all over the city and very accessible; two, they’re really cheap—I don’t think I’ve taken one that was above $5; and three, it’s good exercise, so I’m maintaining my health,” Maye said.

Improving access

Martin identified increasing Capital Bikeshare’s community reach as an overall goal for the program. Initially concentrated in the affluent, touristy Old Town, “The city has been making an effort to expand access out to the West End,” Martin said.

City data showed in 2018, docking stations predominantly resided in the Old Town and Waterfront neighborhoods. Docking stations have since been added throughout the city.

E-bikes also help increase access as they do not require a dedicated docking station, according to Martin. He explained e-bikes can be securely locked to posts or fences, allowing residents who do not live by docking stations to use Capital Bikeshare.

Commuters

Many, like Rob Charles, use their membership with CaBi to commute to and from work. Capital Bikeshare riders fall into two categories: members and casual riders. Members pay a flat annual rate, while casual riders pay per ride according to time and duration of the ride.

“I like it because it’s convenient and cheap,” Charles said.

While docking stations are scattered throughout the city, the ones closest to Metro stations had the highest traffic, according to city data. The Braddock Road station recorded the most terminated rides, with the King Street Metro dock placing third, according to city data. These docks work in concert with the Metro system to connect Alexandria with the rest of the region.

Metro adjacent docks can experience a 50% increase in rider volume during the week compared to the weekend among member riders, according to city data.

Digging into the data

The publicly subsidized bike-sharing program was heavily affected by COVID restrictions and lockdowns, according to data provided by Alexandria’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services. The data showed ridership down 32% in 2020 and 2021 compared to the two years previous.

The city’s recent report featured a graphic showing daily trends in average rides per day which may be misleading. City data showed April through October to be historical peak months, with fall-off expected in November and December.

While Martin still projected a record 2023 for CaBi, the average value displayed in the report may oversell the increase experienced so far in 2023. The current year has yet to have their overall averages dragged down by the remaining winter months.

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