Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Del Ray Vintage and Flea Market to return early next month

Published March 12, 2021 at 2:15PM

If you’re tired of being cooped up and want to take advantage of the spring weather, the Del Ray Vintage and Flea Market is returning on April 10.

The market will return for its third season in two open-air lots at the corner of Mount Vernon and Bellefonte Avenues in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, according to a press release.

News

The Caryle neighborhood could be getting its own Hanging Gardens

By Vernon Miles

Published March 12, 2021 at 10:45AM

The recreation of the Lighthouse of Alexandria might not be the city’s only ancient wonder soon.

The Carlyle neighborhood could be home to Alexandria’s own elevated park with what seems to be a Hanging Gardens of Babylon aesthetic.

News

City Council member and Environmental Commission join opposition to Taylor Run Restoration

By Vernon Miles

Published March 11, 2021 at 3:30PM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

Critics of the city’s plans to restore Taylor Run secured a new voice — City Councilwoman Amy Jackson — to their side when the Environmental Policy Commission (EPC) of Alexandria recently announced its opposition to the current project.

The EPC is an independent body established by the city in 1970 and reviews issues like water quality and environmental conservation.

News

Alexandria looking for feedback on proposed North Beauregard Street repaving

By Vernon Miles

Published March 11, 2021 at 11:30AM | Updated March 11, 2021 at 8:11PM

Update at 4:50 p.m. — A spokesperson for the City of Alexandria said the city is not “proposing” bike lanes, but that bike lanes are one of several options being considered for North Beauregard Street.

T&ES feels the article is still misleading and not providing accurate information. We request you change the headline to reflect the actual input we are asking from the community.

Opinion

Poll: Should ACPS scale back the role of School Resource Officers?

By Vernon Miles

Published March 11, 2021 at 10:45AM | Updated March 11, 2021 at 11:03AM

George Washington Middle School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A mounting effort to decrease the role of school resource officers (SRO) in Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is gaining traction as some on the City Council have joined community activists in questioning the role of security officers in the schools.

The discussion comes as schools nationwide are considering alternatives to school resource officers or eliminating the position entirely. Alexandria’s SROs made the headlines in 2018 when one accidentally shot his gun inside George Washington Middle School.

News

Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray burglarized

By Vernon Miles

Published March 11, 2021 at 9:30AM

The windows of Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray (2204 Mount Vernon Avenue) are boarded up after someone broke in and stole drugs and cash almost exactly a year after a pair of similar burglaries.

Staff at the pharmacy said someone broke in around 1 a.m. on Saturday, when no one was at the store, but that the thieves didn’t take much from the pharmacy.

News

A Year Late, Contractor Eyes Spring Completion for King Street Metro Access Improvement Project

By Vernon Miles

Published March 10, 2021 at 4:30PM

The King Street-Old Town Metro Access Improvements project. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

The infamously troubled King Street-Old Town Metro Access Improvement Project could finish in the next few months after a full year of delays.

The city said the first phase of the project is still reportedly on track for the spring 2021 timeline established last March, when the project was originally supposed to be completed.

News

Development Questions Remain for New Braddock West Project Headed to City Council

By Vernon Miles

Published March 10, 2021 at 2:30PM

Braddock West will transform the view of Alexandria from the Braddock Road Metro station, but some of the specifics of that arrangement and the impact on neighbors is unclear as the project heads to City Council review on Saturday, March 13.

Unlike some developments in Alexandria, Braddock West is moving forward with support from neighborhood organizations like the Braddock Implementation Advisory Group and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA). The Planning Commission also recommended approval, though with some lingering questions about who will pay for the sewer work required by the city.

News

Civic Activist Bill Rossello Focusing on Overhauling City Government in City Council Campaign

By Vernon Miles

Published March 10, 2021 at 10:45AM

Over the next few weeks, ALXnow will be interviewing the various candidates for City Council participating in the Democratic Primary on June 8.

It’s no secret that Alexandria is politically blue, but Bill Rossello is evidence that being a Democrat-heavy city doesn’t mean the local political figures are in ideological lock step.

News

Alexandria Takes Stock of Millions in Lost Sales Tax Revenue

By Vernon Miles

Published March 9, 2021 at 4:30PM

In the middle of the ongoing budget season, the City Council is looking back at the dramatic drop-off in tax revenue over the last year, yet another reflection of the dramatic toll of the coronavirus pandemic.

A financial report to the City Council includes a summary of the $17.4 million consumptive tax revenue — taxable revenue from the sale of goods or services, like sales taxes — lost since March 2020.

News

Inova to Launch New Vaccine Clinic Inside Revamped Victory Center

By Vernon Miles

Published March 9, 2021 at 2:30PM | Updated March 9, 2021 at 6:05PM

Victory Center in Alexandria used as a vaccine clinic (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The long-vacant Victory Center (5001 Eisenhower Avenue) has found new, temporary life as a major vaccination hub for Inova Health System that will open by the end of March.

The new center is the end result of what officials described as a “Herculean effort” at collaboration between Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria and Inova.