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Alexandria needs your help determining the best name for a park at 3550 Commonwealth Ave.

Should it be named Unity Park to reflect a place of connection, or Shirley Tyler Park after the first female African American to serve as chair of the Alexandria School Board?


News

Looking for a grocer to suit your dry goods needs in Old Town? Mason & Greens will be opening its doors at 913 King Street this spring, but there’s a couple of catches — the store won’t accept cash and in the interest of sustainability you’ll have to bring your own bags and jars.

“We are living in a time where we can no longer kick the can down the road about taking care of our planet,” notes the Mason & Greens website. “Mason & Greens brings the community of Alexandria and its surrounding areas the ability to shop sans plastic. Sans disposable bags. Sans unnecessary waste. And knowing that your buying power is going to support companies who care about reducing waste we can start to combat the frivolous throw-away culture that has crept in all around us.


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African American history is an integral part of Alexandria, and the port city will take an expanded look at the topic this year, according to the city’s tourism bureau.

Audrey Davis, executive director of the Alexandria Black History Museum, said that all African American interpretations will be expanded throughout multiple sites.


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An 89-year-old Alexandria artist was killed Sunday after being struck by a vehicle while walking across the Duke Street near Cameron Station Blvd.

“Initial investigation indicates Mr. Alfredo DaSilva, a 89-year-old Alexandria city resident, was crossing Duke Street when he was struck by a motor vehicle,” Alexandria police said in a statement. Mr. DaSilva succumbed to his injuries at the scene.”


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City and Alexandria School System officials want to be clear: there is no plan to build a four-story housing structure as part of the plan to rebuild George Mason Elementary School.

Last weekend, a feasibility study commissioned by ACPS with architect Studio Twenty Seven Architecture, was mistakenly shared with the George Mason PTA. It showed an outline of an apartment complex in the middle of the George Mason baseball field. The study was quickly shared and denounced by members of the Beverly Hill Listserv, which spread it further and created an uncomfortable situation for ACPS administrators.


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Going to the dentist can be expensive, and a grant from Dominion Energy will help Alexandria kids keep those pearly whites glistening.

Dominion’s charitable foundation announced this week that it awarded $1.6 million to more than 200 organizations in 13 states, including $15,000 to the Alexandria City Public Schools Wellness on Wheels (WOW) bus, a mobile dental unit that provides primary dental care to students in schools across the city.


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Aggravated assaults have increased every year for the last three years in Alexandria, and Police Chief Michael L. Brown said that his department is working on methods to reverse the trend.

“Some of these are happening behind the doors of residences in the city, and we’re trying to get a better understanding of that,” Brown told ALXnow. “We’re working with the Department of Community and Human Services to see what we can do to come up with a program that aligns city services with the need of individuals so that they don’t have to call 911 and we can do something else beforehand.”


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Everything must go! Numerous Pier 1 Imports stores will be closing in Virginia by the beginning of March, and that includes two Alexandria locations.

Staff at the Pier 1 at the Potomac Yard Shopping Center (3901 Richmond Hwy) are marking merchandise 20% to 40% off, and bigger discounts are expected in the days ahead. The store has two full-time and 12 part-time employees, all of whom were informed of the closing after the Christmas holiday.


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There’s a new dog-friendly boutique hotel in town. The six-floor, 124 room Hyatt Centric Old Town Alexandria (1625 King Street) opened just a few blocks from the King Street Metro station on Wednesday.

“Today we are 100% open, 24/7 and year-round. It’s really exciting,” General Manager Matt Karow told ALXnow. “As you may know, Alexandria is one of the most dog-friendly cities in the country, and inside the rooms you’ll find some fun, quirky little things that pay tribute to man’s best friend.”


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Alexandria Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Gregory Hutchings needs help, and says that his newly approved chief of staff will is a key component to the success of the school system’s organizational structure.

“Right now I have nine direct reports, so that’s nine department heads reporting directly to me,” Hutchings told ALXnow. “Each of those individuals has a department that they oversee.”


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