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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The Nutcracker coming to West End theater next month

By Vernon Miles
Elise Lai in The Nutcracker (photo courtesy Metropolitan School of the Arts)

It’s not Thanksgiving yet, we know, but if you’re already getting into the Christmas spirit: The Nutcracker will be returning to the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall (4915 E. Campus Drive) next month.

The Metropolitan School of the Arts is bringing the ballet back for it’s 25th year on Saturday, Dec. 14 and Sunday, Dec. 15, at noon and 5 p.m. on both days.

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Alexandria Police arrest man wielding knife trying to board buses on Duke Street

By Vernon Miles
Man being arrested at Duke and Jordan Street bus stop (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Police Department apprehended a man wielding a knife and trying to board buses on Duke Street around 11:20 a.m. today.

Scanner traffic indicated the man attempted to a bus at the intersection of Duke Street and Jordan Street. The bus driver reportedly shut the door to keep him from entering the bus. The man reportedly tried to get onto another bus with the knife and the second driver did the same thing.

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Virginia man gets more jail time after embezzling funds to pay restitution from previous embezzling case

By Vernon Miles
The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A Virginia man sentenced to two and a half years in prison last year just got slapped with another four years and three months after police discovered that the man embezzled funds from one job to pay off restitution obligations to a previous employer he embezzled funds from.

John Babsa, a 35-year-old Virginia resident, has been sentenced to serve an additional 4 years and 3 months of active incarceration for two counts of felony embezzlement and one county of felony money laundering.

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Four Alexandria restaurants snag spots in Northern Virginia Magazine’s regional restaurant ranking

By Vernon Miles
Meal at Kismet Modern Indian (photo via Kismet Modern Indian ALX/Facebook)

Northern Virginia Magazine has released their ranking of the 50 Best Restaurants in Northern Virginia and Alexandria fared better than it did in the Washington Post’s ranking.

Alexandria had four spots on the ranking, all of them in Old Town.

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New plans show long vacant Victory Center office building could be converted to housing

By Vernon Miles
5001 Eisenhower Avenue (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

After over two decades of sitting empty at 5001 Eisenhower Avenue, the Victory Center could be converted into housing.

The proposal comes as Alexandria has been seeing an increasing number of office buildings converted to residential use.

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New report spells out next step for planned Alexandria-Tysons bus rapid transit

By Vernon Miles
Proposed BRT route in Alexandria's West End (image via NVTC)

A planning effort kicking off next year could determine the future of a major transit project in the West End.

Envision Route 7 is an ongoing plan to build a bus rapid transit (BRT) system connecting the Mark Center in Alexandria, through Bailey’s Crossroads and Falls Church, out to Tysons. An update headed to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission tonight spells out some of what’s ahead for that plan in 2025.

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I-395 ramp to Shirlington Circle closing Thursday night

By Vernon Miles
Exit 6 to Shirlington Circle closure (image via VDOT)

The northbound I-395 ramp to Shirlington Circle will be closed tomorrow night, with traffic diverted to Parkfairfax.

The Virginia Department of Transportation said the closure is expected to last from 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, to 4 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, for rehabilitation work on the Shirlington Circle south rotary bridge.

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GMU Professor spells out Trump presidency’s possible impact on Alexandria

By Vernon Miles
Donald Trump (from campaign website)

Alexandria’s economy could see a significant hit if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on plans to privatize federal jobs, a local policy expert said, though there’s precedent for this happening before in Alexandria.

Terry Clower, Director for the Center for Regional Analysis and a Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, said Trump winning another term could signal a major push towards privatizing jobs what are currently government jobs.

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Poll: How do you feel about the future after Election Day?

By Vernon Miles
Voting at Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library in Alexandria's West End, Nov. 5, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Borrowing a page from our sister site FFXnow we’re wondering: how are Alexandrians feeling after last night’s election.

As was expected, Alexandria’s City Council remained entirely blue with the Democratic slate taking all seats against challenges from two Independents and one Republican candidate. Running without any opposition, Alyia Gaskins was also elected Alexandria’s first Black female mayor.

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NEW: Fake Democratic sample ballots distributed at Alexandria polling location

By Vernon Miles
Sample ballot with Arlington Democrats header and Republican candidate Jerry Torres marked (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Men claiming to be volunteers for Republican 8th District candidate Jerry Torres distributed fake sample ballots with the Arlington County Democratic Committee logo at at least one Alexandria polling location today.

The sample ballots — distributed outside of John Adams Elementary School — have all Democratic candidates marked except for Torres in the 8th District race, though Torres said the ballots did not come from his campaign.

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