Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunny skies and a high of around 51 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 9 to 13 mph, and gusts up to 22 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature of about 32 degrees and a northeast wind at 5 to 8 mph.
🚨 You need to know
With the Potomac Yard arena deal on life support, Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has met with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to discuss bringing the teams to Maryland, The Baltimore Banner reported.
The arena proposal stalled in the Virginia Senate. The Virginia General Assembly finished its legislative session without approving Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s tax cuts or plans for the arena. The Washington Post reported that Sen. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), chairwoman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, told Youngkin she’s still opposed to the project.
The Washington Post said Youngkin could still try to revive the arena proposal by sending down a budget amendment or stand-alone bill to the General Assembly in April, possibly bypassing the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
The Baltimore Banner, meanwhile, said there’s no confirmation of any plans to bring the Potomac Yard arena to Maryland, but it could provide Leonsis leverage for negotiations with Virginia and D.C.
📈 Wednesday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Mar 20, 2024.
- Alexandria Police arrest homicide suspect in Old Town after pursuit and three-hour search early Wednesday morning (1566 views)
- Alexandria nonprofit gets $2 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott (1076 views)
- Notes: Philadelphia bus stop shooting suspect arrested in Potomac Yard (778 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Looking to fall in love? Ready for your heart to melt?
Meet Jack, aka Colby Jack, a 3-year-old dog up for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. This guy is searching for a forever family!
Jack is very smart and clicker trained. He knows commands like paw and sit, and capable of learning so much more, according to AWLA spokesperson Erin Shackelford.
“He is a playful, energetic guy who would do best with a companion who can take him on walks or play with him in the yard,” said Shackelford. “Jack loves to play with busy boxes and other inexpensive food puzzles.”
Some of his favorite things are empty egg cartons filled with peanut butter and towels rolled up with treats! It’s the simple things he really loves.
Jack would make a lovely addition to any family. He is heartworm positive, but is already in treatment!
Is Jack that special furry companion you’ve been searching for? Read his entire profile to learn more and to start the adoption process email [email protected] or call 703-746-4774
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: Expect partly sunny skies and a high of around 63°F, accompanied by breezy conditions. West winds will start at 8-13 mph and increase to 16-21 mph in the afternoon, with gusts up to 34 mph. The night will be mostly cloudy, clearing up gradually, and a low of about 33°F. Northwest winds will range between 11-17 mph with gusts as high as 24 mph.
🚨 You need to know
Asir Boone, 17, was arrested yesterday in the Potomac Yard neighborhood on charges of attempted murder following a shooting in Philadelphia.
Boone is one of four suspects in custody in connection to a March 6 shooting that injured eight students.
Boone was arrested around noon yesterday without incident.
@USMS_Philly and the USMS Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force apprehended Asir Boone today in Alexandria, Virginia. Boone was captured at a female associates apartment without incident. He was then transported to the Alexandria PD for processing.https://t.co/5D0GnoHXS0 pic.twitter.com/zM4kQUgRZw
— U.S. Marshals Service Philadelphia (@USMS_Philly) March 19, 2024
📈 Tuesday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Mar 19, 2024.
- BREAKING: Fire closes Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar in Old Town (2008 views)
- Top vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Alexandria (877 views)
- Notes: Alexandria judges recuse themselves in Zoning for Housing lawsuit (716 views)
📅 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.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect mainly sunny skies and a high of around 55 degrees, accompanied by a west wind at 10 to 13 mph and gusts up to 23 mph. As for Tuesday night, it will be partly cloudy with a low temperature close to 40 degrees, and a southwest wind at 7 mph.
🚨 You need to know
The Alexandria Times first reported that Alexandria Circuit Court judges recused themselves from presiding over a lawsuit about the city’s Zoning for Housing/Housing for All ordinance.
The lawsuit was filed in the Alexandria Circuit Court by a group called the Coalition for a Livable Alexandria. The lawsuit argues the city violated its charter and the Virginia Constitution by not showing the impact on the real estate market or city infrastructure. The lawsuit says the Zoning for Housing policy “fails to provide any insight, projections, or substance as to what the purchasing and rental market will look like after development.”
According to the lawsuit:
The Zoning Amendments make traditional single-family neighborhoods more accessible to developers, who are likely the ones that have benefited from those generational impacts.
If taken advantage of, the Zoning Amendments will undeniably allow for development that will achieve higher density through increased housing diversity in current low-density areas.
The Alexandria Times noted that the recusal mirrors an earlier recusal from Arlington Circuit Court judges in a similar case over that county’s Missing Middle zoning changes and that a new judge will likely be appointed soon by the Virginia Supreme Court.
📈 Monday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Mar 18, 2024.
- Notes: New analysis says Potomac Yard financial estimates based on unprecedented pricing (3286 views)
- PHOTOS: Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus nears ‘substantial completion’ (1233 views)
- The ballooning cost of fixing Alexandria’s City Hall (1080 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect mainly sunny skies with a high around 51 degrees and west winds blowing at 9 to 14 mph, gusting up to 23 mph. Tonight, mostly cloudy skies will gradually clear, as temperatures dip to around 34 degrees. The northwest winds will persist, blowing at 11 to 13 mph and gusting as high as 21 mph.
🚨 You need to know
A new analysis of the proposal to move the Washington Capitals and Wizards to Alexandria said that pitch came with some “aggressive assumptions” about unprecedented prices, the Washington Post reported last week.
The report by Maryland-based public financing consulting firm MuniCap Inc. has not been released to the public but was obtained by The Washington Post.
The report said the financing plan assumes unprecedented pricing: fans will pay $75 for parking and $731 per night at a new luxury hotel. The analysis said the financial projections also assume the new development will host 53 more events annually in Alexandria than was hosted at the D.C. arena.
The Washington Post reported that the analysts said while none of those assumptions are “inherently unreasonable” they can’t be characterized as “conservative.”
📈 Friday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Mar 15, 2024.
- Windsor of Old Town closing this month after 43 years in Alexandria (1106 views)
- Notes: Conservative advocacy group targets ACPS tutoring site for ties to TikTok parent company (897 views)
- Milestone reached with 2.2-mile underground sewer tunnel completion in Old Town (556 views)
📅 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.
Affordable housing has been top of mind for Alexandrians in recent weeks.
Along with fully funding Alexandria City Public Schools’ budget, affordable housing was one of the big discussion points at a budget meeting on Monday. Residents from Arlandria/Chirilagua and other neighborhoods spoke to the City Council about the human impacts of salaries not keeping pace with rising housing costs. Residents shared stories of being forced from their homes as gentrification creeps into the neighborhood.
This year marks the first time since 2010 that assessments on multi-family residential properties have declined, which city staff said could mean rent levels stabilizing, if not declining, thanks in part to widespread new apartment construction. While it’s bad news for the city’s budget, it could be good news for renters if that translates into rent prices remaining stable.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Affordable home ownership lottery for new Old Town development opens this week (9096 views)
- Sex offender held without bond after alleged sodomy/abduction in Old Town (3884 views)
- Notes: New Parisian-themed wine and beer garden opens in Del Ray (3879 views)
- No bond for suspect after allegedly breaking clerk’s nose at West End 7-Eleven (3392 views)
- Neighborhood poll reveals widespread opposition to Potomac Yard arena (3168 views)
- Alexandria City Council rejects controversial Del Ray ADU proposal (2923 views)
- Southern Living ranks Alexandria in Top 25 ‘Best Cities in the South’ (2324 views)
- Affordable housing and school funding are top priorities at crowded Alexandria budget meeting (1790 views)
- Alexandria City Council advertises maximum 4-cent ceiling for tax rate increase (1777 views)
Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Expect showers with a potential thunderstorm after 2pm, a high near 74, and southwest wind at 7-10 mph. Precipitation chance is 80%, with rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, potentially higher in storms. Friday night will mostly have showers before 8pm, a low of 48, north wind at 9-11 mph, and an 80% chance of precipitation with less than a tenth-inch of new rainfall.
🚨 You need to know
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is one of three localities in the region using an online tutoring service whose parent company is currently in the U.S. government’s crosshairs, WJLA reported.
It’s a somewhat tenuous connection, but one that’s riled up conservative non-profit Parents Defending Education. The organization also opposes things like critical race theory — the study of how racism is institutionalized in the United States.
Tutor.com is owned by Primavera Capital Group, the same Chinese investment firm that owns TikTok parent company ByteDance. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) recently set his sights on Tutor.com for that connection.
Cotton wrote:
This business relationship is ill-advised, reckless, and a danger to U.S. national security, and the Department should immediately end that relationship… While providing educational services, Tutor.com collects personal data on users, such as location, internet protocol addresses, and contents of the tutoring sessions. As Chinese national security laws require companies to release confidential business and customer data to the Chinese government, we are paying to expose our military and their children’s private information to the Chinese Communist Party.
Tutor.com offers students in those schools districts free access to online tutoring services available 24/7. In ACPS, the services is limited to students in 6th-12th grades. Parents Defending Education included ACPS as one of six school districts in Virginia using Tutor.com.
📈 Thursday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Mar 14, 2024.
- Alexandria City Council rejects controversial Del Ray house and ADU proposal (852 views)
- Alexandria police still investigating Carlyle shooting that injured two men last month (851 views)
- Error at Arlington Water Pollution Control Plant causes Four Mile Run fish kill (531 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today and this weekend in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 3:30 pm Friday: Alexandria Teen Science Cafe
- 👉 9:00 am Saturday: Del Ray Vintage & Flea Market
- 10:00 am Saturday: Discovering Alexandria Architecture Walking Tour
- 4:00 pm Saturday: Spring Market Sale & Open House at Evolution Home
- 6:00 pm Saturday: Family Roller Skate and Dance Night
Here in Alexandria, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive condos sold last month (February 2024).
Most expensive condos sold
- 1201 N Royal St Unit 404 — Old Town — $1,910,000 (3 beds | 2.5 baths | 1,825 sq. ft.)
- 1201 N Royal St Unit 607 — Old Town — $1,840,000 (2 beds | 2.5 baths | 1,730 sq. ft.)
- 925 N Fairfax St Unit 701 — Old Town — $1,785,000 (3 beds | 2.5 baths | 1,760 sq. ft.)
- 925 N Fairfax St Unit 501 — Old Town — $1,500,000 (3 beds | 2.5 baths | 1,761 sq. ft.)
- 600 Second St Unit 202 — Old Town — $1,285,000 (2 beds | 2 baths | 1,768 sq. ft.)
Least expensive condos sold*
- 501 N Armistead St Unit T3 — Lincolnia Hills — $200,000 (1 beds | 1 baths | 818 sq. ft.)
- 4600 Duke St Unit 814 — Seminary Hill — $200,000 (1 beds | 1 baths | 618 sq. ft.)
- 8 S Van Dorn St Unit 502 — Landmark — $205,000 (1 beds | 1 baths | 750 sq. ft.)
*Minimum home value of $200,000 set to exclude certain land sales, retirement condos, properties with expiring ground leases, etc.
The countdown to spring has begun! And what better way to welcome warmer weather than with a new addition to the family?
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria currently has a number of adorable dwarf hamsters up for adoption.
“These itty-bitty cute critters are approximately 2 months old,” said AWLA spokesperson Erin Shackelford.
These dwarf hamsters are low-maintenance and balls of fluffy cuteness that make the best companions!
Don’t believe me? The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria had a bit more to say:
Hamsters are typically quiet, clean, inquisitive, trainable and entertaining.
Since they are nocturnal, they are most active at dusk and overnight. They love to dig, burrow and make tunnels in their bedding, which is where you’ll find them throughout the day.
They need solid enclosures with plenty of soft bedding, a hidey hut, an exercise wheel and of course food and water. They also enjoy enrichment time out of their cage, interacting with people.
Hamsters have an average lifespan of 2-3 years.
Ready to adopt? View all the available hamsters and read their profiles to learn more!
Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect mostly sunny skies with a high of around 77 degrees and calm winds, eventually turning southwest at around 6 mph in the afternoon. Thursday night will be partly cloudy, with a low of about 58 degrees and a south wind of 6 to 10 mph.
🚨 You need to know
A public art piece in Waterfront Park celebrating an asteroid collision 35 million years ago is set to be unveiled next week, Alexandria Living Magazine reported.
The art piece is called Interstellar Influencer (Make an Impact) and features an aluminum sculpture of an asteroid that helped shape the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Alexandria Living Magazine reported that the piece will be unveiled later this month with an opening celebration on March 23. The asteroid will sit at the foot of King Street until it’s replaced in November.
“We want this representation of the asteroid and its impact to raise awareness of the fragility of our shared existence on this planet and the extraordinary (and sometime extraterrestrial) foundation of our modern cities and waterways,” said Lesley Chang from STUDIOKCA, the design studio behind the project, on the city’s website.
📈 Wednesday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Mar 13, 2024.
- Notes: New Parisian-themed wine and beer garden opens in Del Ray (1101 views)
- Alexandria City Council advertises maximum 4-cent ceiling for tax rate increase (706 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
