News

Morning Notes

Famed Jewish Songstress Dies in Alexandria at 97 — “Singer, songwriter, guitarist and accordionist Flory Jagoda worked hard to preserve the music and language she inherited from her Sephardic Jewish ancestors in her adopted American home. Named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002, she died on Jan. 29 at age 97 in Alexandria, Va. at a long-term memory care facility, according to an obituary placed by her family.” [NPR]

Virginia American Water Identifies Source of Water Main Break — “The issue on S Whiting Street was identified to be a broken valve which has been repaired. We are slowly restarting service and it may already be on for some customers. We anticipate it will be fully restored within two hours.” [Twitter]

Collective Bargaining Taking Center Stage Next Week in Alexandria — “Very important meetings coming up next week regarding the Collective Bargaining agreement in #Alexandriava.” [Twitter]

Alexandria Mindfulness Educator Training Police —  “”We think officers could have some benefit in wellness course training. This course introduces strategies to regulate emotional states in a trauma-sensitive way, planting the seed of mindfulness, with the hope that they will continue to learn about it more in-depth later.” [Zebra]

FEMA Updating Flood Map in Alexandria — “While the flood maps are exclusively a FEMA initiative, the City of Alexandria plays a role in determining how the final flood maps could look. The City will provide feedback on preliminary maps and facilitates feedback and information between individual residents and FEMA.” [Alexandria Living]

Today’s Weather — “Mostly sunny skies (during the day). High 52F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph… Mainly clear (in the evening). Low 26F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.” [Weather.com]

New Job: Youth Soccer Coach — “Soccer Shots blends soccer, education, and fun into high energy 30-minute sessions to kids ages 2-8 throughout the DC/MD/VA area. You’ll laugh. You’ll break a sweat. And you’ll go home at the end of the day knowing that you made a difference. It may be tough but coaching our children will be one of most rewarding things you ever do. Apply today to be our friend and their hero.” [Indeed]

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.