Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Customer Spits on Old Town Coffee Shop Owner and Vandalizes Store After Being Asked to Wear a Mask

Published July 6, 2020 at 4:45PM | Updated July 6, 2020 at 10:13PM

Abyssinia Market and Coffee House (photo via Abyssinia Market and Coffee House/Facebook)

Abyssinia Market & Coffee House in Old Town had a promising reopening on Saturday, but the cafe has closed again after the owner said a white man came in on Sunday, spat on her and vandalized the store when he was told he had to wear a face mask.

Abyssinia Market owner Lily Damtew said Sunday was off to a good start after the first customer came in wearing a mask.

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Alexandria Sees Uptick in New Unemployment Filings

By Vernon Miles

Published July 6, 2020 at 2:15PM

After ten weeks of consistent downward trending, Alexandria saw its first uptick in new unemployment filings at the end of June.

Data released for the Virginia Employment Commission noted that for the week of June 27, there were 481 new unemployment claims — nearly 100 more claims than the 386 claims filed the week before and the first time new filings have gone up from the previous week since new claims peaked at 2,578 new claims on April 4.

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Arlington-Based Fitness Studio Coming to Alexandria’s West End

By Vernon Miles

Published July 6, 2020 at 11:30AM | Updated July 6, 2020 at 12:00PM

Rosslyn-based gym E60 Fitness announced yesterday (Sunday) that the business is planning to open a second location this summer at West Alex — a new apartment at 3445 Berkeley St.

The gym will occupy 3,200 square feet of the new building, which is scheduled to open this summer. An employee at E60 fitness said the company is tentatively eyeing a September opening.

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Coronavirus Recovery Grants Approved for 300+ Alexandria Businesses

By Vernon Miles

Published July 2, 2020 at 4:30PM

More than 300 businesses across Alexandria are about to receive grants to help them through the city’s sluggish recovery from COVID-19.

Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) announced that 309 small businesses in Alexandria would receive funding from the city’s Alelxandria Back to Business (ALX B2B) grants program. The program is supported in large part by CARES Act funding allocated by the City of Alexandria.

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Goofy Pitbull Pup-at-Heart in Alexandria Hoping for an Active Home

By Vernon Miles

Published July 2, 2020 at 2:00PM | Updated July 2, 2020 at 2:16PM

Smokey isn’t half as grumpy or serious as he looks.

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is hoping to find a home for a staff-favorite pup: Smokey the three-year-old pitbull terrier mix.

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Old Dominion Boat Club’s Waterfront Revival Plans Resurface

By Vernon Miles

Published July 2, 2020 at 10:30AM

Old Dominion Board Club pier (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

The Old Dominion Boat Club’s (ODBC) plans to reform the waterfront portion of its Old Town headquarters last fall, but after being lost at sea amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the plans are finally headed back to harbor at the Planning Commission in September.

The ODBC has used its various waterfront headquarters since 1880 as launching points for aquatic activities. The pier outside the current location — which the ODBC was more-or-less forced into in 2014 under threat of eminent domain — is a ramshackle bundle of pillars that only vaguely resembles the L-shaped pier that local commercial vessel The Dandy was docked at for a number of years.

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Businesses Face Tough Recovery as Alexandria Lags Behind Neighbors in Consumer Spending

By Vernon Miles

Published July 1, 2020 at 2:15PM

It’s been a rough season for Alexandria businesses.

New data from Opportunity Insights, a Harvard-based team of researchers, shows that Alexandria has fallen lower than its regional neighbors in the percentage change in consumer spending. The data shows that consumer spending across the region started to tank around March 16, when the public schools closed, and for most of the region hit rock-bottom on April 1 when the Stay At Home order went into effect.

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New Catholic University Location Coming to Carlyle Building

By Vernon Miles

Published July 1, 2020 at 11:45AM

Location of new Catholic University location in Carlyle (photo via Catholic University of America)

Catholic University of America (CUA) is planning to open up a new branch in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood.

According to an application headed to the Planning Commission in September, CUA is hoping to renovate the second floor of 2050 Ballenger Avenue to create a new location specifically for students in Alexandria, Arlington, and other Northern Virginia locations.

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New State Laws Pushed by Alexandria Take Effect Tomorrow

By Vernon Miles

Published June 30, 2020 at 4:40PM

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson greets Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Along with a new phase of reopening, several new laws the City Council had pushed for in November will be taking effect starting tomorrow (Wednesday).

One of the biggest new changes will be that possession of under one ounce of marijuana will be a $25 civil fine without any jail time or a criminal conviction. Simple possession records will be sealed and employers and schools cannot ask about prior simple possession convictions.

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Alexandria Aims to Keep Low-Income Seniors at Home with Fans and Air Conditioning

By Vernon Miles

Published June 30, 2020 at 3:30PM

Alexandria’s annual program providing fans or air conditioning for low-income seniors is coming back. This year, the city said the focus is ensuring seniors are comfortable staying home to avoid exposure to coronavirus.

“The City’s Division of Aging and Adult Services’ Senior Cool Care Program provides assistance for seniors ages 60 years or older who need cooling in their homes,” the city said in a press release, “especially while seniors are encouraged to stay home as much as possible to avoid potential severe illness from COVID-19.”

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Reminder: Next Phase of Reopening Starts Tomorrow but Indoor Mask Requirement Still In Effect

By Vernon Miles

Published June 30, 2020 at 10:30AM | Updated June 30, 2020 at 12:51PM

(Updated 12:50 p.m.) Tomorrow, Alexandria will move into Phase 3 of reopening, but there are still several restrictions in place and Alexandrians are urged to stay home if they can.

Before Alexandrians rush out to resume indoor activities in local businesses, a city press release noted that the governor’s order mandating wearing a mask while indoors is still in effect.