Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: The weather forecast predicts a mostly sunny day with a high temperature near 87°F and a west wind blowing at 7 to 9 mph. For Friday night, it will be partly cloudy with the temperature dropping to around 70°F, accompanied by a southeast wind at 3 to 6 mph.
🚨 You need to know
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is implementing new sobriety checks on train operators after an incident last December involving an intoxicated train operator in Alexandria, the Washington Post reported.
The Metro operator, who was arrested on suspicion of operating a train while intoxicated, blew right past Alexandria’s Van Dorn Street Metro station and was unresponsive to calls from the control center for around 45 minutes.
The train came to a halt outside the Van Dorn Street Metro station but before reaching Franconia-Springfield.
The new regulations put more responsibility on supervisors to check on split-shift operators — those who have two different shifts at different times of the day — before their second shift starts. If the supervisor can’t reach an operator before their shift, that person is not allowed to work until the supervisor can make contact.
📈 Thursday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Aug 10, 2023.
- Alexandria poultry slaughterhouse receives warning from city for selling rabbits (4962 views)
- Notes: NPR story follows journey of an Afghan family to Alexandria to save their daughter (1299 views)
- What’s Up in Alexandria This Weekend: August 11 – 13 (1288 views)
- Local shelter contends with unusual pets as neglected animal seizures rise in Alexandria (283 views)
🐦 Tweets of note
Currently, working w/ @AlexandriaVAFD in 5300 blck of Duke St at London Park Towers to address water main break that has left residents w/o water. Shortly we will be shuttling residents to Patrick Henry Rec Center (4653 Tainey Ave) to offer facilities & drinking water as needed. pic.twitter.com/dfJ0gp3WpS
— AlexandriaVAOEM (@AlexandriaVAOEM) August 10, 2023
Thank you @HGA for volunteering with us! You all were awesome at removing invasive English Ivy.
Do you have a group interested in volunteering? Check out our website for more info https://t.co/sETjURRVSd pic.twitter.com/FxPQD6WNwh— Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail (@MtVernonFriends) August 9, 2023
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today and this weekend in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 8:00 pm Friday: Freaky Friday
- 👉 10:00 am Saturday: Your Divine Design Workshop
- 12:00 pm Saturday: Project Backpack Giveaway 2023
- 8:00 pm Saturday: Second Saturday Improv with the Auxiliary
Recent Stories
A 34-year-old Alexandria man has been charged with allegedly attempting to abduct a woman in Old Town earlier this month. At around 11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1, a 30-year-old…
Is the Alexandria School Board too big? Should their elections be staggered and three-year terms increased? The entire structure of the Alexandria School Board could soon be upended, as these…
The Little Theatre of Alexandria (600 Wolfe Street) is hosting a pair of staged reading events over the next two weeks to commemorate the murder of Matthew Shepard and raise…
Alexandria Police are investigating a robbery outside a Bank of America ATM in the West End. The incident occurred at around 7 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 30) in the 500…
If you had a chance to enhance a child’s future with a time commitment of less than 2 hours a week, how would you respond? You have that opportunity right now to join over 200 Alexandrians as a reading tutor volunteer with the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium (ATC).
ATC tutors work with one child in kindergarten, first, or second grade in Alexandria public schools who need extra help with reading. Tutors meet with their Book Buddy 1-2 times each week for 30 minutes October-May at school, during school hours. Many struggling readers only receive one-on-one instruction through this program, and it makes all the difference. Last year, ATC served 195 children, of whom 82% ended the year reading on grade level and 96% made substantial reading gains. But the need is great, and we are still seeing learning lags from the pandemic.
This year, ATC plans to significantly increase the size of the program to reach over 250 students and to serve every elementary school in Alexandria. This is very exciting news, but we will only succeed if we can recruit more tutors. ATC trains you, matches you with a child, and provides ongoing lesson materials and support.
If you have been thinking about buying your first home or haven’t owned one in the last three years, THIS IS FOR YOU!
In the DMV area, it can be difficult to save the downpayment necessary for you to get into your own home. We have a solution. The Funder’s Summit!
We have assembled a summit with different municipalities to tell you how to access their funds for your home purchase.
Family Fun Fall Fest
Mark your calendars and join us for the Family Fun Fall Fest on Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 11am – 2pm!
This FREE in-person event will be held at the Shoppes at Foxchase, located at 4641 Duke St, Alexandria, VA
2023 Alexandria Fall Festival
Food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, magic shows and more at the 2023 Alexandria Fall Festival, an Alexandria Living event presented by The Patterson Group. Join us at River Farm on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
