On This Day in Alexandria History — “On May 21, 1947, the Virginia Theatre located at 601 First Street was dedicated with a special ceremony. The program included official remarks, playing of the National Anthem, and the feature film “Carnival in Costa Rica.” With 1,200 seats, it was the largest theater in Alexandria at the time.” [Historic Alexandria]
Spanberger Approves, Rejects Set of Immigration Enforcement Bills — “The governor announced (Wednesday) that she has signed SB 352 and its House of Delegates companion HB 1482, which ban law enforcement officers from covering their faces, while vetoing legislation (SB 351 and HB 650) that would restrict federal immigration agents from conducting civil arrests in certain public places, including courthouses, schools and health care facilities.” [FFXnow]
Opioid Overdoses Down, But Medicaid Cuts Present Worries — “State officials and addiction experts warn the progress could be fragile. Medicaid spending reductions could significantly disrupt substance use treatment programs nationwide. Medicaid is one of the largest payers for addiction and mental health treatment in the U.S.” [WAMU]
State Transportation Board Uses Construction Funds to Cover Shortfall — “The Virginia Department of Transportation reported that emergency responses — including snowstorms, hurricanes, and flooding — cost the agency an estimated $418.4 million. The department also had to come up with an additional $12 million after lawmakers updated the state budget on Feb. 20 to include employee bonuses.” [Virginia Mercury]
Sick Leave Bill Signed into Law — “The new law requires employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to five paid sick days per year. The policy applies to full-time and part-time workers.” [Patch]
NASA Astronaut Praises Student-Designed Artemis II Project — “The Bishop Ireton High School chapter of the National STEM Honor Society (STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) was recently featured on the organization’s social media platforms, newsletter, and blog for its student engagement project connected to NASA’s Artemis II mission.” [The Zebra]
On Potential Rain for Next Community Cookout — The next Community Cookout is 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at Ruby Tucker Family Center after yesterday’s event was rescheduled. Check with the city’s RPCA for weather-related updates. [City of Alexandria]
Jan. 6 Officers Fight Trump Administration’s ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund — “Two officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot sued Tuesday to block the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” money pool, describing it as a “taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups” that they say committed violence in President Donald Trump’s name.” [NBC Washington]
Next Buc’ees in Virginia Approved — After a meeting that lasted more than seven hours and ran past midnight, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted 5-2 Wednesday to approve a Buc-ee’s Travel Center near Interstate 95. [Potomac Local]
End Date for Bus Rapid Transit Lanes Work — “The City of Alexandria, in cooperation with WMATA and DASH, is performing maintenance work on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes on Richmond Highway/Route 1! This project is scheduled to wrap up May 25th!” [Mayor Alyia Gaskins/Bluesky]
It’s Thursday — Expect showers and possibly a thunderstorm today, with a high of around 67°F. Northeast winds will be 9 to 13 mph, and there is a 90% chance of rain, with new rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, potentially more in thunderstorms. Thursday night will be cloudy with showers likely before 11 p.m. and a slight chance after 5 a.m., with a low of around 54°F. Northeast winds will range from 7 to 10 mph, and there’s a 60% chance of rain with less than a tenth of an inch expected. [NWS]
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