On This Day in Alexandria History — “On Jan. 7, 2000, a time capsule was buried at the soon to be opened Beatley Library. Organized by the Alexandria Archaeological Commission, the time capsule project was part of Alexandria’s 250th Anniversary celebration in 1999. A stone excavated from the Alexandria Canal Tide Lock site and carved by master mason Raymond Cannetti marks the burial site.” [Historic Alexandria]
Longtime APD Officer Celebrates Retirement — “After 28 years of dedicated service, the Alexandria Police Department celebrated Officer Bennie Evans on his well-earned retirement. Throughout his career, Officer Evans truly did it his way, serving the community with compassion, authenticity, and an unwavering commitment to looking out for others. He became known not only for how he did the job, but for how he treated people.” [Alexandria Police Department]
Staff Bid Farewell to City Hall — “Today is our last day in City Hall ahead of the City Hall and Market Square renovation. All City services located in City Hall will be relocated by the end of the month.” [City of Alexandria]
Lawmaker to Reintroduce Leaf Blower Bill — “Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6) recently confirmed to FFXnow that he intends to reintroduce legislation authorizing localities to prohibit or regulate the machines after previous attempts faltered along party lines. ‘Some of these issues become can become partisan. It baffles me as to why,” Sullivan said. “There’s nothing particularly Democratic or Republican about it, but in the past, it seems to have cleaved along partisan lines, which is unfortunate.'” [FFXnow]
Legal Advocates Challenge Student Immigration Law —”Today, on behalf of the Dream Project, the Legal Aid Justice Center and the ACLU of Virginia filed an emergency motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging Virginia’s in-state tuition law for immigrant students. The motion seeks to defend the Dream Project’s ability to carry out its mission and support the thousands of Virginia students who stand to lose access to affordable higher education.” [Legal Aid Justice Center]
Spanberger Names Education Secretary — “Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger announced on Tuesday morning that long-time educator Jeffery Smith would be Virginia’s next secretary of education … Smith has over 32 years of experience in public education, including 15 years as a superintendent … He now leads the Virginia Air and Space Science Center.” [Virginia Mercury]
VDOT Pauses Programs for Minority, Women-Owned Businesses — “Now, every business owner in the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program must recertify and show evidence that they have faced actual disadvantage — regardless of race or gender. The change has prompted concerns from minority business owners and groups in Virginia, and calls for VDOT to better support entrepreneurs who have historically faced barriers.” [Virginia Mercury]
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies during the day with a high temperature of around 57°F. The northwest wind will be blowing at 6 to 11 mph, and it could gust up to 23 mph. For Wednesday night, the sky will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 36°F. The northwest wind will diminish to around 6 mph and become calm by the evening. [NWS]
