Author: James Cullum

Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Mayor Marries Couple in Socially Distant Ceremony — “Alanis sang about rain on your wedding day. I’m not sure she envisioned THIS.‬ ‪It was such an honor to put on real pants (first time in weeks!), grab my mask and walk to Parkfairfax to marry a wonderful couple whose original plans were scrambled.‬ ‪Congrats!‬” [Facebook]

‘Mind The Mat’ Hosting Virtual Meditations at 9 a.m. — “Join MtM Monday-Friday mornings for this free 15 minute guided mediation to start your day off right.” [Facebook]

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News

City Health Department Moves to Virtual Restaurant Inspections

By James Cullum
Meggrolls at 107 N. Fayette Street is still open during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Health Department is now conducting virtual restaurant inspections for the first time, and the department’s environmental health manager estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic has closed half of the city’s 860 permitted food establishments.

“We’re touching base with all of our restaurants and focusing very much on employee health, obviously, with a COVID-19 focus,” Rachel Stradling said. “We’re doing that so that we can keep in touch and keep up with our infection work.”

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News

City Council Approves Potomac Yard Entrance and Moves Forward on Budget

By James Cullum

There will be no tax increase on the city manager’s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget, as the City Council swept through its budget public hearing on Saturday, paving the way for approval next Wednesday, April 29.

Council also unanimously approved the plan for the construction of the southern access to the Potomac Yard Metro station. The access will be a bridge that connects to the northern entrance, and will open at the same time as the station in March 2022.

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News

Two Women in Potomac River Rescued by Alexandria Fire Department

By James Cullum

Two women in kayaks were rescued from the Potomac River on Saturday by the Alexandria Fire Department’s Fire Boat 201, in addition to responders from U.S. Park Police and the Washington D.C. Harbor Patrol.

The incident occurred a little after 2 p.m. on Saturday. It was about 60 degrees that day with 20 mile-per-hour winds, and the young women were having trouble getting their kayaks upright, according to AFD.

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News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

ACPS Adjusts Hours for Grab & Go Meals — Beginning on Monday, April 20, meals will be available 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Cora Kelly School, Francis C. Hammond Middle School, Jefferson Houston School, T.C. Williams High School and William Ramsay Elementary School. [Twitter]

Scholarship Fund of Alexandria Nearing $50K Goal — “Thanks to the generosity of the Alexandria community, the Scholarship Fund awards approximately $1 million in scholarships to T.C. Williams graduates each year. Most of our scholarships range from $12,000 to $20,000 over four years and can often mean the difference between a student being able to afford college, or simply staying home. Thank YOU for Giving.” [Scholarship Fund]

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News

Alexandria Resident Dies of COVID-19, Cases Climb to 383

By James Cullum
Patients exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms are tested in this tent at Inova Alexandria Hospital (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Another Alexandria resident has died of COVID-19, bringing the number of fatalities to eight, and there are also 29 new cases in the city, according to a city announcement.

There are now 383 cases of COVID-19 in Alexandria, including the eight fatalities.

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News

ACPS: All Secondary Students Will Have Internet Access and Laptops by Monday

By James Cullum
Students learning at home during the COVID-19 shutdown (Photo via ACPS/Facebook)

As of Monday, Alexandria City Public Schools will have issued more than 1,200 mobile hotspots to families without internet access and more than 12,000 Chromebook laptop computers to students to keep them learning throughout the COVID-19 shut down until the end of the year.

Making sure that students have access to their teachers and modified curriculums has been an unprecedented logistical puzzle that took a lot of work for ACPS Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Hoover and her team to accomplish.

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News

Nearly 7,000 Alexandrians Have Filed for Unemployment During the Pandemic

By James Cullum

There have been nearly 7,000 unemployment claims in Alexandria since the COVID-19 pandemic forced much of the city to shut down, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.

There were 1,895 jobless claims in Alexandria for the week ending April 11 — a reduction from last week, but still a stark contrast to the 33 claims filed on March 14. The numbers shot up due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on March 21 there were 797 jobless claims, followed by 1,683 claims on March 28, and 2,578 claims on April 4. All together there have been 6,986 unemployment filings in the city.

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