News

A man acquitted by reason of insanity for a brutal stabbing death in Old Town has been ordered to stay off all social media except LinkedIn.

The news came Thursday afternoon, after 38-year-old Pankaj Bhasin was ordered by the Alexandria Circuit Court to stay off the websites after lying about himself and his whereabouts during a period that he was in prison for murder.


News

Like the waning days of summer, time is almost up for Tiki Bar Del Ray on Mount Vernon Avenue.

After a nearly nine-month run, which was longer than expected, the pop-up at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue will officially close its doors on Saturday, September 24, and reemerge as the Halloween-themed “Nightmare On The Avenue” in the first week of October.


News

Phillip Melville was just 19 years old when he escaped Nazi-occupied France in 1942. The retired civil engineer just turned 100, and on Tuesday (September 13) his longevity was recognized with a certificate on National Centenarian’s Day at City Hall.

Melville has lived in and around Alexandria for 50 years, and said he was blessed to escape France and become an American.


News

Chet Avery, a longtime community leader and educator who volunteered in Alexandria for decades, died at home on Thursday, September 8.

Avery, 85, was a lifelong advocate for disability justice and welfare. He lived in Alexandria with his wife, Sabra, for more than 50 years, and served on the Alexandria commission on Persons with Disabilities for 36 years and the city’s Human Rights Commission for more than 30 years.


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An Alexandria man is being held without bond for allegedly brandishing a handgun and destroying property near his West End apartment.

Jimmy Simms, 38, was charged with brandishing a firearm, destruction of property, driving on a revoked/suspended license and reckless driving.


News

Updated at 3 p.m. The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office is hoping to limit access to the internet for a man acquitted for reason of insanity for a brutal stabbing death in Old Town.

Pankaj Bhasin, now 38, was conditionally released from the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services in May, nearly four years after killing 65-year-old Brad Jackson. Bhasin said that he thought Jackson — a complete stranger — was a werewolf, and used a box cutter to stab him 53 times. Bhasin was later diagnosed as bipolar by five doctors and was found not guilty by reason of insanity in July 2019. He was conditionally released in on May 27, 2022.


News

It’s been nearly two months since the International Association of Firefighters Local 2141 tweeted about staff holdovers or equipment failure. For years the union has alerted the public of major outstanding issues, but their silence isn’t because things are getting better.

Things are just really busy, says union President Captain Josh Turner.


News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has returned Alexandria’s community level from “Medium” to “Low.”

The city had a Medium community level since April, and the city now joins its regional counterparts in Fairfax, Loudoun and Arlington Counties with the Low designation.


News

A man was shot in Arlandria on Sunday night, according to Alexandria Police.

The incident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. in front of an apartment building in the 3800 block of Old Dominion Boulevard. A 50-year-old man was shot and transported to George Washington University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.


News

Alexandria City Public Schools wants to get student and staff absenteeism under control.

A quarter of Latino students at ACPS were chronically absent last school year, and so were 16% of Black students and 22% of economically disadvantaged students, according to data presented to the School Board at a recent work session.


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