Author: Vernon Miles

Vernon Miles is the ALXnow cofounder and editor. He's covered Alexandria since 2014 and has been with Local News Now since 2018. When he's not reporting, he can usually be found playing video games or Dungeons and Dragons with friends.

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Alexandria restaurants start applying to make outdoor seating permanent

By Vernon Miles
Barkhaus dog outside (photo via Barkhaus/Facebook)

As the City of Alexandria starts to close the window on unchecked outdoor seating, several businesses have started the process of making their Covid seating permanent.

While the city is ending unregulated outdoor seating, it’s kept an avenue open for restaurants to legitimize their outdoor dining and make it permanent.

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Metal Supermarkets opening just outside Alexandria

By Vernon Miles
Metal Supermarkets (image via Metal Supermarkets Alexandria/Facebook)

A new metal shop opening just outside the city means Tiki Bar patrons won’t be the only things getting hammered by the end of the month.

While Metal Supermarkets is technically opening just beyond Alexandria proper’s borders, like the cannabis dispensary before it, it’s interesting enough to be worth ‘steeling’ from FFXnow.

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Maryland man pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter for Arlandria pedestrian death

By Vernon Miles
Fredy Ortiz Dominguez, charged with involuntary manslaughter, photo courtesy Alexandria Sheriff's Office

Maryland resident Fredy Ortiz Dominguez, 46, pleaded guilty to a felony count of involuntary manslaughter for the death of a pedestrian in Arlandria last November.

Dominquez was indicted in April in connection with the death of Roy Saravia Alvarez, a 46-year-old Alexandria resident killed after exiting a bus at the corner of Mount Vernon Avenue and West Glebe Road. Dominguez pleaded guilty in the Alexandria Circuit Court on July 28, according to a press release from the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

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Alexandria Mayor outlines city strategies on fighting cut-through traffic

By Vernon Miles
Traffic backed up off Duke Street, courtesy Jill Hoffman

(Updated 8/3) The City of Alexandria is moving forward with the next stage of a pilot program to keep traffic on Duke Street and off residential streets, but Mayor Justin Wilson said in a recent newsletter that this is the start of a broader effort targeting cut-through traffic.

Wilson said the issue of congestion’s impact on the quality of life for Alexandrians came up during an update to the Alexandria Mobility Plan in 2021.

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Campagna Kids counselor charged with sexually assaulting a child

By Vernon Miles

Alexandria police announced today that they are charging Campagna Kids camp counselor Tae’Sean Atwater, 21, with sexual assault of a victim under the age of 13.

Atwater is being held in the Alexandria Adult Detention Center and while police say an investigation has only uncovered evidence of one incident, Atwater has been in programs connected to Alexandria City Public Schools since at least 2019.

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Alexandria Restaurant Week returns this month with new dining and pricing options

By Vernon Miles
Tiki Bar Del Ray. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The twice-annual Alexandria Restaurant Week returns next week with specials available at roughly 70 restaurants across the city.

The new highlight this restaurant week is a new price range compared to the earlier fixed $35 cost.

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Landmark demolition closes DASH transit center

By Vernon Miles
Landmark Mall demolition in progress (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

In addition to being a mall and Wonder Woman battleground, Landmark has also served as a major transfer junction for Alexandria bus riders: but that changes this week as the mall’s redevelopment has forced DASH to relocate.

According to the DASH website, the transit center’s closure is necessary as mall demolition removes a ramp connecting Duke Street to the junction.

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July thunderstorm set early morning rainfall record in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles
Water Levels at Cameron Run on July 9 (image via City of Alexandria)

A storm that postponed the city’s birthday celebrations last month set a rainfall record in Alexandria according to a floodwater mitigation newsletter prepared by the city.

The Flood Action Alexandria newsletter, prepared by Flood Action Alexandria communications specialist Amanda Dolasinski, noted that a storm on July 9 set the record for rainfall recorded before 7 a.m. The newsletter said the city saw nearly 4 inches of rainfall in the northeast section of Alexandria and pushed Four Mile Run to to the 10-foot stage at Shirlington Road Bridge.

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ACPS warns community of phishing scam email after the school account is compromised

By Vernon Miles
ACPS headquarters and clock (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

An email from Alexandria City Public Schools went out Saturday morning warning of a “Security Alert!”, but the schools later sent out another alert warning that the first email was a phishing scam.

The follow-up email said the email was the result of a compromised account.

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