ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Secret Service recently requested the closure of a local park in Northern Virginia near the home of Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance.

Initially, nearby residents were frustrated. However, restrictions on the park have now started to ease.

Judy Lowe Park in Alexandria, Virginia, was shut down by the Secret Service due to its proximity to Vance’s residence. 

While the park is reopening, its availability is now determined on a day-to-day basis. Residents of the Del Ray neighborhood must check the park’s status online daily or consult the sign posted near the entrance.

The Secret Service continues to patrol the area around the clock.

 A spokesperson for the agency told FOX 5, “Out of concern for operational security, the U.S. Secret Service does not discuss the means or methods used for our protective operations.”

While the increased security measures have altered the atmosphere of the neighborhood, most residents appear to understand the necessity for the occasional park closures.

When Judy Lowe Park is open, access is limited to Commonwealth Avenue, and no on-street parking is permitted on East Del Ray Avenue. 

For updates on the park’s temporary schedule, click here. 

A candidate for the Virginia Beach School Board’s District 3 seat is challenging the eligibility of his opponent, citing what he calls discrepancies in the signatures he was required to collect in order to be on the ballot.

A legal complaint filed by Mark Bohenstiel names his opponent, John Sutton III, along with the City of Virginia Beach, and the city’s Director of Elections and three Electoral Board members as co-defendants. Bohenstiel alleges that 14 of Sutton’s petition signatures are dated Feb. 4, 2024, while the witness’s signature is dated the prior day and that therefore his candidacy is invalid because he would not have reached the required 125 signatures.

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Presiding Circuit Court Judge Afshin Farashahi said he would rule on the matter this week so that it could be resolved prior to the ballots being officially printed.

Following the brief hearing, Sutton called the complaint “frivolous” and said it is an example of his opponent engaging in the “politics of personal destruction.”

“In my 18 years as a teacher and administrator, my integrity has never been questioned,” Sutton said in an interview.

Kaptan said after the hearing that the citizens of Virginia Beach deserve “qualified” candidates for school board. Asked if he was referring to whether Sutton was personally qualified or legally qualified, Kaptan said his words “speak for themselves.”

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews the DC Shorts Film Festival (Part 1)

How did you celebrate your 21st birthday? A beloved local film festival blows out 21 candles this week!

The 21st annual D.C. Shorts International Film Festival returns Thursday through Sunday.

“Let’s be honest, when you turn 21, your life gets wild and I think that’s D.C. Shorts Year 21, we’re about to get wild,” Program Director Joe Carabeo told WTOP. “The films are more in your face, they’re more impactful, you’ve never seen these filmmakers make these types of films before.”

This year’s festival will once again be held at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on Bryant Street in Northeast D.C., as well as a new location at Crescendo Studios in Falls Church, Virginia.

“We’re trying to bring people out this direction and try to include more of the local scene,” Festival Director Anavic Ibanez Canlas told WTOP. “We’ve got 11 showcases, 14 world premieres, 12 U.S. premieres and 52 Washington, D.C., premieres, so please come out and support your creatives from the filmmaking industry.”

The festival kicks off with short documentaries ranging from the family-friendly to the risqué.

“We always start with kickass documentaries,” Carabeo said. “There’s one called ‘Entering Pornland,’ you basically follow a girl on her journey entering pornography. To counterbalance that, there’s a film called ‘Pet Store’ about a pet owner who takes in sloths. … I’ve gotta give you the two contrasting ones, that’s the diversity that we have! We also have Yoichi’s White House, a documentary on one of the main photographers in the White House.”

Friday is the best day for fans of so-called “genre flicks,” such as action, sci-fi, fantasy and horror.

“There is a film called ‘Dummy’ where someone falls in love with a dummy,” Carabeo said. “‘Leverage’ is an action movie about a down-and-out Santa Claus. We have international heist films that take place in Paris. We have ‘The Soul Trader,’ which is a socialite taking souls in Hollywood.”

Saturday brings animation, drama and rom-coms, followed by the annual LGBTQ+ showcase.

“You start your day with animation, then you want to bring it down a little with ‘Did You Feel Something?’, that’s our dramas, ‘Rom Com Is Not Dead,’ which is romance and comedy, then ‘Wonderful As You Are’ is always one of the most popular screenings because pride is strong in D.C.,” Carabeo said. “‘Tennis, Oranges,’ one of those Rumbas escapes a hospital and tries to live a normal life but discovers life on the outside is not nice.”

It all culminates Sunday with local films and the fan-voted awards ceremony.

“The first block is called ‘Oh, I Can Do That,’ essentially a block of films about creators, people who are musicians, filmmakers, artists,” Carabeo said. “Then to follow that up afterwards is a block called ‘Why Not Make It Here?’ which is our local filmmakers block. … There are so many people out there like, ‘You can’t make movies in the DMV,’ and we have proven that this is a go-to place to make movies.”

Find more information here.

WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews the DC Shorts Film Festival (Part 2)

Listen to our full conversation here.

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