Around Town

A popular holiday-themed bar crawl is returning to Del Ray this Saturday.

The 10th annual Candy Cane Bar Crawl will be held from 12:30 to 6 p.m., encouraging attendees to eat, drink and be merry, according to a flier posted by the hosting Del Ray Business Association. This year’s crawl includes raffles, trivia, a photo booth and costume contest, along with 18 participating restaurants promising festive libations.


Around Town

A longstanding nonprofit retailer dedicated to fair trade practices with artisans around the world is set to undergo a rebranding.

After closing multiple locations around the country and shifting to online sales, Ten Thousand Villages at 915 King Street continue as-is, but with a new identity. In February, the Old Town shop will hold its grand reopening as “The World Crafted on King.”


Around Town

An Alexandria nonprofit is requesting donations of women’s pajamas for its residents who are transitioning back into the community after incarceration.

Friends of Guest House, located at 1 E. Luray Avenue, is collecting women’s pajama sets to provide for its residential program participants during the holiday season. Realtor Maureen Clyne has collected hundreds of sets since starting the annual effort seven years ago.


News

Updated at 1 p.m., Dec. 9: An earlier version of this story included a previous offer from the city on pay compensation in its collective bargaining negotiations with the Alexandria Police Department. The city’s most recent offer increases starting pay for police officers 17.21% from $63,988 a year to an annual salary of $75,000; a 21% increase for sergeants from $72,300 to $87,500 and police lieutenants 15% from $89,800 to $106,900.

With collective bargaining at a standstill, the Alexandria Police Department’s union is calling for increased salaries as the department’s pay has fallen behind other Northern Virginia localities.


Around Town

The weather was crisp and cool as hundreds of revelers sang holiday carols at the annual lighting of the Del Ray Christmas Tree and Menorah on Sunday night.

The 36-foot-tall tree is the tallest ever in Del Ray. It was donated by “Mango” Mike Anderson and Bill Blackburn of the Homegrown Restaurant Group.


Around Town

What a day for a parade it was in Old Town on Saturday, Dec. 6.

The wailing of bagpipes sailed through Alexandria’s historic streets as thousands of community members gathered to watch the 54th annual Scottish Christmas Walk Parade.


News

A jury today (Friday) found a Fairfax man guilty of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol for a series of crashes on April 16 that killed a teenager.

Jilmar Doria-Medina, 42, who lives in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, has been held without bond in both the Fairfax County and Alexandria jails since the incidents that took the life of 19-year-old Abdullahi Mumin.


News

Alexandria will conduct a sewer pipe repair project next week, temporarily shutting down an Old Town North roadway from Monday, Dec. 8 to Thursday, Dec. 11.

One northbound road lane will be shut down near 1201 E. Abingdon Drive to repair an 18-inch combined sewer pipe, according to the city.


News

After a long deliberation, a jury yesterday (Thursday) found Ricky Dehate guilty of voluntary manslaughter for the death of Robert Knott in Alexandria’s West End.

Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Wade gave the jury additional instructions yesterday to consider charging Dehate with voluntary manslaughter, in addition to the second-degree murder charge that the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office sought.


Around Town

A new dessert shop that serves churros has filed paperwork to open in a vacant storefront on King Street in Old Town.

Churrok’s is asking the city to make small modifications to 1022 King Street, the former home of the now-closed Alexandria Cupcake storefront. The application goes before the Board of Architectural Review on Dec. 17.


News

Alexandria historian McArthur Myers died today after a long illness. He was 73.

City leaders remember “Mac” Myers as a kind man with an endless supply of stories who was motivated to keep Alexandria informed of its frequently troubled past. A lifetime resident and Living Legend, Myers was integral in erecting historical signage in and around Alexandria, including markers along the African American Heritage Waterfront Trail.


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