News

Alexandria continues to outpace the state average for sexually transmitted infections, according to a new report.

The Alexandria Health Department’s 2024 Disease Investigation Report recorded 1,900 separate disease investigations in 2024, a 5% decrease from 2023. The department found that vaccine-preventable diseases increased fivefold with 41 cases in 2024, compared to eight reported cases in 2023; and that sexually transmitted infections decreased 2%, although gonorrhea and HIV cases have increased by 9% and 24%, respectively.


News

Alexandria’s drinking water utility Virginia American Water will start its annual flushing of its water distribution systems next week, and it could mean temporarily reduced pressure and discolored water across Alexandria.

No end date was released, but Virginia American Water said flushing will begin sometime next week and involves work crews opening fire hydrants across the city. Customers will be notified via email and/or phone when flushing is scheduled for their area. The utility is asking that customers update their contact information and preferences in their MyWater account.


News

Clear distinctions were made Wednesday night among the three candidates running in the April 21 special election for an open seat on the Alexandria City Council.

For an hour and a half on Wednesday night, Democratic candidate Sandy Marks and independent candidates Alison O’Connell and Frank Fannon discussed a wide range of topics, including taxes, the controversial bike lane proposal for Braddock Road, the pump station at Waterfront Park, federal immigration enforcement and more.


Around Town

The owners of a popular all-day brunch restaurant in Del Ray have a new concept with chicken on their minds.

Matthew Sloan and Eric Brannon are currently asking the city’s permission for 10 outdoor dining seats at their new restaurant, Little Birdie. The space at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue was formerly occupied by Benny DiForza’s Pizza, which opened in February 2024 and closed last October.


News

Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire received praise from City Council Tuesday night for a 30% overall crime reduction in 2025.

In a presentation to City Council, McGuire said that violent crime went down an average of 29%, a difference of 111 offenses. Overall property crime was down by an average of 30%, a difference of more than 1,300 offenses.


News

Alexandria City Council directed staff on Tuesday to pursue a new preferred option to combat flooding along the Alexandria waterfront — one that does not involve a pump station.

City staff presented the council with a number of options in the wake of the National Park Service’s denial last month of the city’s plan to build a pump station at Waterfront Park. The city’s preferred option, Option 3, is an enhanced gravity storm sewer system, with “automated back flow prevention devices.” Option 3 also means that infrastructure improvements to Point Lumley Park and the bulkhead would be deferred.


News

Two people were displaced after a fire was extinguished in an Arlandria apartment Tuesday evening, according to the Alexandria Fire Department.

AFD responded at around 6:30 p.m. to a kitchen fire on the first floor of a three-story apartment building in the 3800 block of Milan Drive. No injuries were reported, and no neighboring apartments were affected by the fire, according to the fire department.


News

Alexandria City Public Schools is preparing to move hundreds of students and reassign staff as part of its redistricting process beginning in July.

The school system has been working on the transition since the Alexandria City School Board approved the plan last June. On Thursday (March 26), ACPS staff will update the board on the plan, which will shift 860 students to new schools in the coming school year.


News

Alexandria’s Office of Housing director Helen McIlvaine will retire at the end of April, the city announced today (Tuesday).

McIlvaine joined the city in 2006 as the deputy director of housing and has been housing director since 2015. Starting on May 1, Deputy Director Aspasia Xypolia will serve as acting housing director.


News

Tonight (Tuesday), Alexandria’s City Council will consider providing a $4 million loan to Housing Alexandria to build the second and final phase of its Sansé and Naja affordable housing project at the intersection of Mount Vernon Avenue and Glebe Road in Arlandria.

The Sansé and Naja project represents Alexandria’s most “significant affordable housing investment” to date, according to a city staff memo to City Council. The development will deliver 495 affordable rental units to the 3.2-acre site and could be fully occupied by 2028.


News

A new Alexandria program seeks to combat deed fraud by alerting property owners about new filings for their properties.

Alexandria Clerk of Circuit Court Greg Parks launched the VADeed Alert system last week to help protect property owners from deed fraud. Notifications are emailed to property owners when documents are filed in Alexandria land records.


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