Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
☔ Today’s weather: Light rain in the morning and afternoon. High of 51 and low of 33.
⛅ Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 42 and low of 32. Sunrise at 7:16 am and sunset at 5:29 pm.
🚨 You need to know
The law firm representing the client that challenging Alexandria’s minority-owned business grant also has ties to former President Donald Trump’s tax returns case and a co-founder helped strike down parts of the Voting Rights Act, Patch reported.
The law firm Consovoy McCarthy PLLC is representing Alexandria-based engineering firm Tridentis, which claimed racial discrimination based on the fact that the white ownership is excluded from a city grant program benefitting Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) owned businesses.
One of the founders, William Consovoy, represented Trump in the tax returns case and was involved in challenging parts of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. Consovoy died earlier this month.
The lawsuit says the Equal Protection Clause prohibiting discrimination based on race protects the business owner, who sought to apply for the program but was excluded on the basis of being white.
Kevin Harris, founder of the Alexandria Minority Business Association, called the law firm a sign that the case was political theater.
“Tellingly, Tridentis has hired Consovoy McCarthy PLLC as their legal counsel for this suit.” said Harris. “I think that shows pretty clearly what their end-goal is.”
Multiple attempts to reach Tridentis went unanswered.
The grant program, which has been set to release applications on Thursday, Jan. 26, has been postponed.
📈 Monday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Jan 30, 2023.
- Fire alarms didn’t go off during Saturday’s high-rise apartment fire in the West End (1282 views)
- Man arrested with stolen car after keys taken from unlocked West End apartment (475 views)
- Notes: Teen shot and killed in West End hotel (318 views)
- Outdoor dining permits on King Street could be extended after scheduling problem (303 views)
🗞 Other local coverage
- Kerry Donley Honored Posthumously As a Champion for Children Last Weekend
Zebra (Monday @ 7:17 pm)
- RailBird Kitchen & Cocktails Grand Opening This Week in Alexandria
Alexandria Living (Monday @ 6:18 pm)
- RailBird Kitchen & Cocktails Grand Opening This Week in Alexandria
Alexandria Living (Monday @ 6:18 pm)
- Alexandria’s 2023 Cherry Challenge Begins Feb. 1
Zebra (Monday @ 4:28 pm)
- Alexandria Hosts Authors from US and Canada for Book Launch of ‘Deserts to Mountaintops’
Zebra (Monday @ 3:01 pm)
- Minority Business Grant Lawsuit Led By Firm That Worked For Trump, GOP
Patch (Monday @ 12:44 pm)
- 17-Year-Old Dies In West End Alexandria Shooting, 1 Arrested
Patch (Monday @ 11:30 am)
- Registration Opens Feb. 6 for Alexandria Summer Camp Programs
Zebra (Monday @ 11:00 am)
🐦 Tweets of note
Our partner Positive Coaching Alliance is here to assist our coaches in building team culture!! @PositiveCoachUS @ACPSk12 @ACHSTitans pic.twitter.com/ohRzXPpQHo
— James Parker (@TheCityAD) January 30, 2023
The Commission holds it's monthly meeting Thursday and we want to hear from you! Read the meeting materials here: https://t.co/91KshjdWo8 and comment here: https://t.co/zrvm5W6roh Deadline: 3 p.m. Thursday, February 2. pic.twitter.com/KXAK5RqKRz
— NVTC (@NoVaTransit) January 30, 2023
AFD encourages residents to safely dispose of hazardous materials after 2-alarm fire causes approximately $400K in damages. https://t.co/tDo6MFaCUn
— Alexandria Fire-EMS (@AlexandriaVAFD) January 30, 2023
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
