Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Cute but Shy Alexandria Kitty Hopes for a New Home

Published July 23, 2020 at 3:20PM

Lucy is not quick to fall in love, but if she can find the right owner, this 13-month old kitten will be a friend for life.

Lucy is a cat up for adoption at the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter (4101 Eisenhower Avenue). Gina Hardter, a spokesperson for the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, said that Lucy can be reserved at first around new humans.

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Old Town Cocktail Lounge King’s Ransom Reopens With Local Cocktail Classes

By Vernon Miles

Published July 22, 2020 at 3:15PM

King’s Ransom — an Old Town cocktail lounge in a spot many locals may remember as the speakeasy PX — had the distinct misfortune of opening in mid-February, scarcely a month before a global pandemic would shut down nearly every business in Alexandria.

The restaurant at 728 King Street is back, however, and has announced a series of new social distancing-friendly activities, including a series of cocktail classes.

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Lyceum to Host Revolutionary War Zoom Lecture Tomorrow

By Vernon Miles

Published July 22, 2020 at 11:45AM

If quarantine has you pining for the days of attending history lectures in Old Town, or if the new filmed version of Hamilton has put you in a revolutionary war mood, the recently reopened Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street) has a digital alternative planned tomorrow.

From 7-8:30 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday), the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum is planning to history lecture with local author John Maass about the Battle of Guilford Court House. The lecture will be hosted on Zoom. Tickets are $6 with a code to the chat sent on purchase.

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ACPS Still Undecided on Schools Reopening in the Fall

By Vernon Miles

Published July 22, 2020 at 10:30AM | Updated July 22, 2020 at 10:54AM

ACPS headquarters and clock (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

With Fairfax and Arlington’s school systems both announcing that they will be going fully digital in the fall, many parents are turning their attention to Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) to see if they’ll follow suite.

Superintendent Gregory Hutchings’ answer: ACPS still doesn’t know.

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Percent Positivity for Coronavirus Trending Down Once Again

By Vernon Miles

Published July 21, 2020 at 5:30PM

The City of Alexandria is back on the right track for the percentage of positive coronavirus testing, at least for now.

Percent positive — or the number people with a positive test result out of all those tested — is one of the more reliable ways of assessing the spread of the virus and the reach of testing, according to John Hopkins University. As the state began to consider reopening, a prolonged decrease in new cases was cited as one of the requirements for reopening.

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As More Alexandrians Take Up Cycling, City Sees Slight Uptick in Bicycle Crashes

By Vernon Miles

Published July 21, 2020 at 4:30PM

More Alexandrians are hitting the trails and roads around the city on bicycles — one of the safest forms of outdoor exercise amid the coronavirus pandemic — but the city has started to see a slight increase in bicycle crashes over the last few months as well.

Sarah Godfrey, spokesperson for the Department of Transportation & Environmental Services, said that May, June, and July have all had more crashes in 2020 than in 2021, though for May and July that has only been by one. According to data provided by the Alexandria Police Department:

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Alexandria Senior Care Facility Partners With UMDGC to Offer Degrees for Staff and Families

By Vernon Miles

Published July 21, 2020 at 3:15PM | Updated July 22, 2020 at 9:30AM

Residents and staff at Goodwin House in Alexandria gather in a vigil for George Floyd (photo courtesy Goodwin House)

Updated 9:30 p.m. — A UMDGC representative noted that the program is available for staff, not for residents. The article and headline have been updated

Alexandria senior care facility Goodwin House — a non-profit organization offering housing for seniors — has announced a new partnership with the University of Maryland Global Campus that will allow staff and their families access to affordable college degrees.

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MacArthur Elementary Redevelopment Headed to Planning Commission

By Vernon Miles

Published July 20, 2020 at 5:30PM

The coronavirus pandemic has put some of Alexandria City Public Schools’ plans on hold — like the redevelopment of T.C. Williams High School — but the fully developed plans for the modernization of Douglas MacArthur Elementary School are still moving full-steam ahead.

In the new plans, the current building from 1943 will be demolished and replaced with a new elementary school. The new school will be three stories with a synthetic playing field and outdoor play areas.

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City Releases Guidance on Reopening Churches During COVID-19

By Vernon Miles

Published July 20, 2020 at 3:45PM | Updated July 20, 2020 at 4:04PM

Virginia Theological Seminary (staff photo by James Cullum)

Houses of worship are seen as one of the highest-risk places to congregate during the pandemic, but as locations start to reopen under Phase 3 the city has put together a guide for helping local churches and religious institutions to reopen safely.

For religious organizations and nonprofits, the city website said content for emails to faith-based groups are being prepared with information — including a digestible synthesis of CDC and Virginia Department of Health data.

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ALXnow Weekend Discussion

By Vernon Miles

Published July 17, 2020 at 4:15PM

Two conflicts last week involving outbursts against locals remained the top stories this week.

From this week, stories about robberies and shots fired were among the most read, as were a few changes in Old Town: from a local favorite shop closing to a facelift to restore and old Alexandria building to its former glory.

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Alexandrians Invited to Beat the Heat at ‘Cooling Centers’

By Vernon Miles

Published July 17, 2020 at 2:00PM

Charles Houston Recreation Center at 901 Wythe Street in Old Town (photo via City of Alexandria)

Though narrowly missing historic records, Alexandria is still embroiled in a region-wide heatwave that has seen temperatures reach the upper 90s.

To help locals handle the heat, the City of Alexandria has announced that it is offering cooling centers to residents — areas where people can check-in and stay to avoid high midday temperatures.