Around Town

The McDonald’s at 505 S. Van Dorn Street in the Landmark/Van Dorn corridor closed this week to build a second drive-thru lane.

The second drive-thru lane was approved unanimously by the Planning Commission and City Council last year and will replace an existing loading area, which will be moved to the front of the building, according to a presentation from McDonald’s.


News

Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon is asking City Council to approve paid parking on Sundays and an increase in parking meter rates.

The initiatives are included in Parajon’s proposed $977.3 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget and have gotten mixed reviews. If approved by City Council, the measure would make Alexandria the only locality in the region with parking meter enforcement on Sundays. Additionally, Parajon is proposing to increase parking violation fines from $40 to $50.


News

Virginia’s top education officials were in Alexandria on Wednesday as part of a statewide listening tour on public education needs.

Secretary of Education Jeffery O. Smith was joined by Virginia Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway, Alexandria City School Board members and approximately 100 participants at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus. House of Delegates Majority Leader Del. Charniele Herring (D-4) attended an earlier roundtable with the officials.


Around Town

The Birchmere music hall, Alexandria’s most prominent musical venue, celebrated its 60th anniversary earlier this month.

The 500-seat music hall at 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue opened in 1966, and has featured notable musical artists and performers across various genres, including Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt and Dave Matthews. Originally founded in Arlington’s Shirlington neighborhood, the venue moved to Alexandria’s Mount Vernon Avenue in 1981. It has been at the current 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue location since 1997.


News

Two opposing events will be held in Alexandria this week ahead of the April 21 statewide referendum on redrawing congressional maps.

Virginia Democrats have been pursuing the mid-decade redistricting in response to similar actions in states across the country to gain party control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll shows 52% of likely Virginia voters favoring redistricting. Even if redistricting advances in Alexandria, the city would remain within the 8th Congressional District.


News

Deedra Robinson, a teacher at Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School, has been named the Region 4 (Northern Virginia) Teacher of the Year.

The surprise announcement was made this afternoon (Wednesday) by Jenna Conway, Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, in front of an assembly of students, family members and Alexandria City Public Schools administrators. Robinson teaches 48 students in the school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program and plans to retire at the end of the school year.


News

A Virginia state trooper was injured after being struck by a vehicle on Interstate 495 near Telegraph Road in Alexandria Tuesday night while pursuing a fleeing suspect following a crash.

The suspect, Gregory S. Newton, 57, of Springfield, was later arrested with help from Metro Transit Police at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station in D.C. He was charged with assault on a police officer, hit and run, driving on a suspended license, possession of a controlled substance and eluding police.


News

Alexandria police and fire are responding to the West End for a pedestrian crash this afternoon (Tuesday).

The pedestrian was struck around 3:22 p.m. in the area of N. Van Dorn Street and Sanger Avenue, according to the police and fire scanner. Alexandria Police Department spokesperson Rebekka Heite told ALXnow the pedestrian is an adult woman.


News

Virginia Secretary of Education Jeffery O. Smith will stop at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus (3775 W. Braddock Road) on Wednesday night (April 8) as part of a statewide listening tour organized by the Virginia Department of Education.

Smith will be joined by Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway, House of Delegates Majority Leader Del. Charniele Herring (D-4), Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3), and Alexandria City School Board members. The event at 6 p.m. is a stop on the statewide Commonwealth Listening Tour: Speak Up for Virginia’s Future. Registration is available for families seeking to attend.


News

Alexandria is holding a public hearing tonight (Tuesday) on its plan to improve safety at a high-crash location on Duke Street while reducing neighborhood cut-through traffic.

The Duke Street and West Taylor Run Intersection Project has been in the design stage since 2024, with construction estimated to occur in 2027 and 2028. The final design of the project will wrap up this year, according to the city.


News

A driver was cited with failure to pay full time attention after a pedestrian was struck and  injured in Del Ray on Saturday (April 4), according to the Alexandria Police Department.

APD and the Alexandria Fire Department arrived on scene just after 4 p.m. in response to the pedestrian crash at the intersection of Mount Vernon Avenue and E. Braddock Road.


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