A lawsuit to try to prevent the owners of a late-18th century home in Old Town from demolishing parts of the historic property has been thrown out, but the plaintiff in the case has filed an appeal.

The house at 619 S. Lee Street has been owned by various local dignitaries over the years, from former mayor and editor of the Alexandria Gazette-Packet Edgar Snowden to Hugo Black, a member of the Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. Black notably wrote the majority opinion in a decision justifying the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, filibustered an anti-lynching bill while a U.S. senator, and was at one point a member of the KKK.

The owners of the house won approval from the City Council earlier this year to demolish parts of the home, including a curved wall built in the late 1800s that the owners said was causing damage to the main building, according to the Alexandria Times. The changes to the home were opposed by a group of Old Town residents at every step of the process, arguing the changes were not in keeping with the historic nature of the home.

Yvonne Callahan, former president of the Old Town Citizens Association and one of the opponents of the demolition, filed a lawsuit against the City of Alexandria challenging the decision.

On Nov. 7, court records show that the case was dismissed with prejudice by the court, with Judge Lisa Kemler arguing that the topic had been fairly debated with enough time for public input and that — like with the lawsuit concerning the slaughterhouse — the parties involved in the lawsuit were unable to show that they were sufficiently aggrieved by the city’s approval of the demolition.

As of Nov. 26, an appeal of Kemler’s decision was already filed to the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Slaughterhouse Lawsuit Dismissed — “Alexandria Circuit Court Judge Lisa Kemler ruled on Nov. 27 to dismiss a lawsuit filed against city council’s decision to approve a live poultry butcher shop at 3225 Colvin St. The hearing was in response to a complaint filed by 10 plaintiffs… Kemler ruled to dismiss the case, concluding that the alleged harms were ‘too speculative.'” [Alexandria Times]

Photos With Santa and AFD — “Get your holiday pictures taken with Santa! @IAFFLocal2141 Helping Hands Fund will host its Photos with Santa event at Fire Station 201 (317 Prince St.) from 11am to 3pm Sunday, Dec. 8 and again on Sunday, Dec. 15. Photos are $10 & proceeds benefit the IAFF Local 2141 Toy Drive.” [Twitter/@AlexandriaVAFD]

Potomac Yard Resident Makes Nat’l Hockey Team — “Charlie is now legally blind – his vision having deteriorated as a result of a genetic condition known as Retinitis pigmentosa – but his career as an athlete has never been better. As of this year, Charlie is one of six new players to join the USA National Blind Hockey Team.” [Alexandria Times]

Credit Union Moves to New HQ — “The Alexandria-based U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union is growing, again, and moving its headquarters. Wednesday morning, the credit union hosted a the groundbreaking ceremony for its new Bertie H. Bowman Building at 1310 Braddock Place, just a few feet from the Braddock Metro station.” [Alexandria Living]

Chicken Butcher Suit Costly for City — “The city of Alexandria has paid an outside law firm $49,573 so far to help it fight an ongoing lawsuit about a halal chicken butchery that’s scheduled to open in an industrial area of the city.” [Washingtonian]

Alexandria Winter Shelter Now Open — “The City’s Winter Shelter at 5701-D Duke St. will open today at 7pm, and transportation is available. Please share with anyone who needs a safe and warm place to stay.” [Twitter]

T.C. QB Leads Team to Playoffs — “You could say T.C. Williams High School senior Robert Longerbeam has had a good fall. As quarterback of T.C’s football team, he has led the Titans to the state playoffs, breaking several school records along the way. He was also T.C.’s homecoming king.” [Alexandria Times]

Pending litigation for a halal slaughterhouse in Alexandria just off Duke Street has put plans to open early next year on the chopping block.

Saba Live Poultry overcame a series of hurdles this year, starting with approval from the City Council in March in spite of backlash from neighbors and most recently a lawsuit from nearby businesses, which was dismissed.

But the landlord for the property and Abdul Alyamami, an agent for Saba Live Poultry, said the judge’s ruling in the lawsuit is being disputed and has stalled work on converting the industrial property to a slaughterhouse. The complaint was amended to address the grounds of dismissal, according to WUSA 9.

Opposition from neighbors ranged from concerns about the smell from the slaughterhouse to its impact on property values for other nearby businesses.

Alyamami said the owner of Saba Live Poultry was ready to immediately start work on the property but said that while the appeal is being considered no work would be done. While the project initially had a goal to open in January, Alyamami said when the slaughterhouse will open is entirely up in the air and dependent on when the court returns with a ruling on the appeal.

Suit Filed Over Chicken Slaughterhouse — “The drama over the halal poultry butcher shop coming to Alexandria did not end when city council approved the business’ special use permit on March 26… About a month after the SUP approval, 10 businesses and residents filed a lawsuit against the City of Alexandria and the Alexandria City Council over the decision.” [Alexandria Times]

FBI Releases 2018 Crime Stats — “In Alexandria, violent crime fell from 262 to 260. That includes four murders and nonnegligent manslaughters, down from six in the previous year. Alexandria had 2,482 property crimes total in 2018, the same number reported in 2017.” [Patch]

Saturday: Hispanic Heritage Fiesta — “Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with music, crafts, food, dance and face painting! All ages. Children under age 8 must remain with their adult at all times.” [Alexandria Library]

Update on First Phase of VT Campus — “Virginia Tech is looking to start building the first part of its $1 billion innovation campus — a 300,000-square-foot academic building — by August 2021… The design for the school is expected to be finished by September of next year. The estimated total cost for the building: $275 million.” [Washington Business Journal]

Sentencing for Robbery Suspect — “A man involved in an armed burglary and robbery at a veteran’s home in Alexandria has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.” [Patch]

Chamber Fetes Top Local Businesses — “The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce held its annual Best in Business Awards, presented by Burke & Herbert Bank, at The Westin Alexandria last night to recognize and celebrate the city’s top businesses.” [Alexandria Times]