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After three years in business, Adriana Penachio-Sifakis is ready for growth, and that means franchising.

At just 700 square feet, her sub shop and market The Italian Place (621 Wythe Street) can get busy fast, but customers don’t wait too long. A new self-serving kiosk in the shop and online ordering have made for a quicker experience, she says, and those who choose to stick around for a few minutes might get carried away by the dulcet tones of Frank Sinatra while perusing the market full of gourmet Italian products.


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(Updated at 12:20 p.m.) The vehicle that struck and killed 89-year-old artist Alfredo DaSilva on Duke Street on Sunday morning, Jan. 26, was a Carpenter’s Shelter shuttle van, ALXnow has learned.


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Co-locating affordable and workforce housing is off the table at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School, but it will be considered at all future schools slated for renovation.

That’s according to Alexandria City Public Schools officials and city staff who spoke to parents and community advocates at the school on Monday night.


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A deal to take change hands at a longtime Old Town tobacconist and Scottish gift shop has hit a snag.

Last fall, plans were being set for Old Virginia Tobacco Co. to take over The Scottish Merchant/John Crouch Tobacconist at 215 King Street. Merchandise was marked down half-price and the new owner even planned to keep on veteran staffers and keep the shop open while undertaking renovations in January and February.


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After more than three decades, overnight emergency services at the VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital will come to an end on Feb. 24.

The 78-year-old animal hospital at 2660 Duke Street announced on Jan. 30 that it cannot find veterinarians capable or willing to work the exhausting and emotionally draining overnight emergency service hours. The hospital will continue its general practice and urgent care services during daytime hours.


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The principal at George Washington Middle School says there is no danger to students after the smell of gas again prompted a school-wide evacuation on Thursday.

Principal Jesse Mazur notified parents after the incident that the smell was caused by a rooftop heating unit that was installed last summer. It was the second evacuation at the school since a gas odor was detected on Nov. 21, 2019.


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It’s widely accepted that localities throughout Virginia face an affordable housing crisis, but is the new Democratic majority in Richmond missing the mark on addressing the issue?

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said that a swath of bills addressing the issue hurts rather than helps. Wilson, in a recent op-ed in the Alexandria Gazette Packet, instead recommended an increase in state funding for affordable housing instead of bills forcing localities to meet development and zoning benchmarks.


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On Thursday morning, William Tate waited for the pedestrian signal before crossing at the intersection of Duke and S. Pickett Street. Traffic wasn’t too heavy, but Tate still waited for a few minutes and sipped his coffee until the light told him it was safe.

“The biggest problem I see on Duke Street is that people just cut across on foot wearing dark clothing, and they get clipped,” Tate told ALXnow. “Sometimes I’ll see people just running across where there aren’t crosswalks and drivers don’t pay attention. You’ve got to pay attention.”


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Big things have small beginnings, and on Wednesday night a number of Alexandria residents critical of the Seminary Road Diet — including a former mayor — took their concerns to Ramparts Tavern and Grill.

Architect Tom Hoffman has lived near the affected area for 20 years, during which time he has taken Seminary Road to get on I-395 northbound to the District. That routine has changed, he said, since the implementation of the road diet — reducing the four through lanes of the roadway to two and adding bike lanes and a turn lane in the center.


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