Port City Dispatches: Scottish Walk, Murder Investigation, Restaurant News and ACPS Superintendent

Here are some of the week's important, interesting and fun stories concerning Alexandria and its people.

From Alexandria’s Patch sites:

Police Chief: Investigation into Nancy Dunning's Murder Remains Active — By Drew Hansen

Alexandria Police Chief Earl Cook said Wednesday detectives continue to actively investigate the 2003 murder of Nancy Dunning a decade after it occurred, though there remain no viable suspects in the case.

“We made a promise to the Dunning family we would never put this case on the shelf,” Cook said. “The viability here is still existing for us. We continue to try and investigate and ferret out leads where we get them.”

Dunning was found murdered in her Del Ray home on Dec. 5, 2003. Three Alexandria detectives have been placed on the case over the years. With each transfer, the case has been reviewed from top to bottom and investigators continue to travel wherever they need to conduct interviews or examine evidence, Cook said.

Cook urged the public to come forward with any information, no matter how inconsequential it may seem. A $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case remains available.

Also:

• Del Ray Honors Nancy Dunning with Annual Tree Lighting and Luminarias — By Drew Hansen
• A Scottish Walk to Remember  — By Drew Hansen
• Alexandria Man Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography, Traveling to Have Sex with a Minor — By Rachel Hatzipanagos
• Alexandria Police Make Arrest in Lee Center Burglary — By Drew Hansen
• Equipment Failure Causes Thursday Power Outages in Alexandria — By Drew Hansen
• GoFundMe: Mike's Guardian Angel Project — By Drew Hansen
• Hank's Oyster Bar Undergoing Expansion on King Street — By Drew Hansen
• Planning Commission Signs Off on Proposal for Huge Waterfront Restaurant — By Drew Hansen
• Potomac Yard Chipotle to Open Next Week — By Drew Hansen
• New Restaurant Planned for Heart of Del Ray — By Drew Hansen
• City, State Officials Remember Nelson Mandela — By Drew Hansen
• Notch 8, Giant Grocery Coming to Potomac Yard in 2015 — By Drew Hansen
• Reps. Moran and Connolly Oppose Budget Cuts to Federal Pay and Benefits — By Drew Hansen
• VeloCity, Alexandria Fire Department Teaming for Kids Bike Drive — By Drew Hansen
• Del Ray Pizzeria Dinner Raises More Than $10,000 — By Drew Hansen
• APYC Christmas Tree Sale Underway — By Drew Hansen
• Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus are Coming to Old Town — By Drew Hansen
• Letter to the Editor: Hendrickson on Old Town Architecture — By Bill Hendrickson

Plus:

• Top November Stories on Del Ray Patch: Kirby Homicide, Driver Strikes Child and Potomac Yard Park
• Top November Old Town Alexandria Patch Stories: Armed Robbery, Kirby Homicide and Old Dominion Boat Club

From elsewhere:

Alexandria Parents Hope for a Focused, Experienced New Superintendent — By Michael Alison Chandler, The Washington Post

Humble. Compassionate. Experienced. These are some of the attributes that Alexandria students, parents, and teachers said they are looking for in a new superintendent during acommunity forum Thursday night at T.C. Williams High School.

Some said they hope the new leader will bring focus to a system that has been overwhelmed by an onslaught of new programs in recent years. Some said they want an educator with a long history in the classroom. Others said they hope for a leader who understands how to work with diverse students and staff and who takes a collaborative approach to making decisions.

“We don’t want a top down kind of guy or gal,” said Kim Anderson, a parent who was one of about two dozen people to attend the evening meeting.

Also:

• New Schools Superintendent Must Bring Stability, Parents Say — By Erich Wagner, Alexandria Times
• City Council: No Real Estate Tax Hike in 2014 — By Derrick Perkins, Alexandria Times
• Pay-by-phone parking comes to Alexandria; Arlington likely to try it next year — By Patricia Sullivan, The Washington Post
• Recount In Virginia Attorney General Race To Begin Dec. 16 — By Michael Lee Pope, WAMU.org
• ACPS Peyton Street Facility To Open In January — By Carla Branch, AlexandriaNews.Org
• T.C. Williams Figures to Benefit From Increased Depth — By Jon Roetman, Alexandria Gazette Packet