Vernon Miles | ALXnow

BREAKING: Police Investigating Homicide in West End Residential Community

Published July 29, 2020 at 1:45PM | Updated July 31, 2020 at 12:59PM

(Updated July 31) The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a homicide in the West End.

Police responded to a call regarding shots fired at S. Greenmount Drive around 6:20 a.m., according to a press release. At the scene, officers found the body of a woman with gunshot wounds on her upper body.

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Beyer-Backed Helicopter Noise Amendment at Stake in NDAA Showdown

By Vernon Miles

Published July 28, 2020 at 5:30PM | Updated March 15, 2024 at 2:38PM

A local addition to the National Defense Authorization Act — a $740 billion bill approved through the House and Senate and headed to the White House — would require the Pentagon to establish a helicopter noise abatement group for the region.

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Report: Progress Made On Improving Alexandria’s Pedestrian/Cyclist Infrastructure

By Vernon Miles

Published July 28, 2020 at 4:45PM

A trail near the Braddock Road Metro Station in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

The update on the Transportation Master Plan Pedestrian and Bicycle Chapter wasn’t planned to coincide with a sudden uptick in bicycle ridership and walking around the city, but it could help explain why many Alexandrians exploring their local pedestrian/bike infrastructure might find it different than they remember.

An update prepared for the canceled June 17 Transportation Commission meeting shined some light on the progress the city has made since it a chapter specifically about that infrastructure was added to the city’s Transportation Master Plan in 2016. The primary goals the city laid out at the time were to improve safety, engineering, encouragement and education of bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Alexandria. The move corresponded with a push towards Vision Zero — a project that aims to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2028.

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New Scooter Company Helbiz Rolls Into Alexandria and Arlington

By Vernon Miles

Published July 28, 2020 at 3:30PM

After a launch delayed by the pandemic, mobility company Helbiz has started putting scooters onto Arlington and Alexandria streets.

The company announced yesterday that it would immediately move forward with bringing 100 new scooters to locations in Arlington and 200 to Alexandria. Like other scooter companies, like Lime or Bird, Helbiz scooters are unlocked by scanning a code in an app, riding with cost determined by distance, and parking.

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Volunteers Needed for Cleanup Via Kayak Along Four Mile Run

By Vernon Miles

Published July 28, 2020 at 2:15PM

After getting a late initial start, the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation is back on the water and looking for volunteers to help kayak along Alexandria’s northern border and do some cleaning.

The organization has had three kayak cleanups so far this season, starting in late June. Upcoming sessions are planned for Wednesday, July 29 at 4 p.m., and on both Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 16, at 9 a.m.

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Alexandria VRE Improvements Headed to City Review

By Vernon Miles

Published July 28, 2020 at 10:30AM

The Amtrak and VRE station (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A series of new improvements to Alexandria’s Union Station — a Virginia Railway Express stop — proposed late last year are moving forward toward city approval.

The plan is to create new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access with a grade-separated pedestrian tunnel and elevator access. The expansion will also allow the station to take two trains at any given time, with one at each platform. The change is part of a regional effort to reduce the system’s bottleneck around the D.C. area.

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Inova Says More Blood Needed as Elective Surgeries and Outdoor Activities Resume

By Vernon Miles

Published July 27, 2020 at 5:30PM

Despite the pandemic, Inova Blood Donor Services says participation in blood drives has remained high in the region. Inova expects that need to go up soon as more people begin to leave their homes.

On Thursday, July 30, the Inova Blood Donor Services’ Bloodmobile will be set up at Inova Alexandria Hospital’s paid visitor’s lot from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. to keep up the services’ fresh supply of blood.

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Initial Unemployment Claims Reach Two-Month High

By Vernon Miles

Published July 27, 2020 at 4:30PM | Updated July 27, 2020 at 5:01PM

Initial unemployment claims (chart by Vernon Miles)

Gov. Ralph Northam has raised the possibility of moving back into the shutdown if coronavirus cases continue to increase, but the state’s data indicates many Alexandrians still haven’t recovered from the first shutdown.

Alexandria’s continued unemployment continues to hover around 6,000 people with new claims reaching mid-May levels, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.

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Resurfacing on West End of King Street to Start Next Week

By Vernon Miles

Published July 24, 2020 at 3:30PM

It’s been a bumpy ride for drivers on the West End traveling along King Street, but that should change after next week.

The City of Alexandria is planning to start resurfacing King Street between S. 28th Street and S. 25th Street, a portion of the street passing Array at West Alex and the busy intersection with S. Walter Reed Drive.

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Alexandria Delegate Wants City to Fire Officials or Police Who Espouse QAnon Theories

By Vernon Miles

Published July 24, 2020 at 12:00PM | Updated July 24, 2020 at 1:02PM

Del. Mark Levine (file photo)

Edited 1 p.m. — Alexandria Del. Mark Levine (D) said the City of Alexandria can and should fire any police officers or officials that subscribe to QAnon theories — a fringe movement rooted in theories about pedophilia rings and the Deep State.

In a back and forth exchange on Facebook, Levine said anyone who has information about anyone in law enforcement espousing beliefs related to QAnon — mainly centered around unsubstantiated claims about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pedophilia, and satanism worshipped at the highest echelons of power — should report it to their department head.

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Historic Old Town Home and Museum Reopens With Renewed Focus on Racial Injustice

By Vernon Miles

Published July 23, 2020 at 4:45PM

After months closed during the pandemic, the Lee-Fendall House and Garden (614 Oronoco Street) in Alexandria has reopened with new tours planned to focus on women and minorities throughout the home’s history.

The house, built in 1785, is a museum dedicated to covering the history of the families that owned the home and the slaves and servants that worked there over the years. In recent years, that has meant a renewed focus on learning more about the slaves that were forced to work at the house for the Lee family.