Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Yates Dry Cleaning Donates Over A Thousand Homemade Masks During the Pandemic

Published June 2, 2020 at 2:00PM

Yates Dry Cleaning donates face masks (photo courtesy Yates Dry Cleaning)

Local dry-cleaning shop Yates Dry Cleaning has donated hundreds of masks during the pandemic and added another 150 to their total in a donation to at-need children in Alexandria.

According to a press release from Yates, the company donated 150 face masks designed to limit the spread of coronavirus to PK Move, a local parkour company putting together boxes promoting physical activity during the pandemic.

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BREAKING: Old Town Confederate Statue Removed

By Vernon Miles

Published June 2, 2020 at 8:50AM | Updated June 2, 2020 at 10:40AM

(Updated 10:40 a.m.) This morning (Tuesday) a construction crane at the intersection of Prince and Washington Streets took down the Appomattox statue honoring Confederate soldiers that has been the object of criticism and controversy for decades.

The statue had been the object of criticism from those who said it represented a celebration of the city’s legacy of racism and slavery. For years, a state law prohibited the moving or removal of monuments to veterans, which grouped in specifically monuments honoring the Confederacy, but in April Gov. Ralph Northam signed new legislation authorizing localities to remove statues honoring the Confederacy.

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Alexandria Launches Grant Program to Help Profitable Local Businesses Recover

By Vernon Miles

Published June 1, 2020 at 4:45PM

Enjoying the weather and outside seating on lower King Street in Old Town. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) is starting a grant program later this week to help Alexandria businesses recover from coronavirus.

ALX B2B is a new grant program supported, in part, by the City Council as part of the CARES Act funding allocation that also included rental assistance for low-income households.

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Citation of Seminary Road Protest Sign Being Appealed Next Week

By Vernon Miles

Published June 1, 2020 at 3:30PM | Updated June 1, 2020 at 4:56PM

(Updated 4:55 p.m.) With coronavirus, national outrage over police violence against black Americans, and a host of other issues taking center stage in 2020, the debate over Seminary Road that dominated discussions last year got pushed to the back burner, but the issue is making a small comeback at a Board of Zoning Appeals meeting next week.

A sign saying “Take Back Seminary Road #JustinsTrafficJam” was prominently displayed at 1420 Key Drive but has been cited by the city as being in violation of zoning ordinances. An appeal of that citation is scheduled for review at the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Monday, June 8.

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Police Chief: ‘It is time now for us to witness the justice that Mr. Floyd and his family deserve’

By Vernon Miles

Published June 1, 2020 at 11:35AM | Updated June 1, 2020 at 3:56PM

Alexandria Police Chief Mike Brown outside a food distribution event at Casa Chirilagua on Thursday, May 21, 2020. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

This morning (Monday), Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown shared an open letter to the community sharing his outrage at the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed his knee down on the man’s neck for eight minutes.

The letter is posted below without edits:

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When Will Alexandria Libraries Reopen?

By Vernon Miles

Published May 29, 2020 at 4:30PM

Alexandria’s library system is currently in the process of preparing for the first phase of reopening, but for many Alexandrians it could still be a while before you’re able to go and check out books.

In the video town hall last night (Thursday) where he also addressed the city’s coronavirus testing, Mayor Justin Wilson also offered a glimpse at what’s ahead for the city’s libraries.

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Superintendent: ACPS Struggling to Reach Students Through Online Learning

By Vernon Miles

Published May 29, 2020 at 3:35PM

Many teachers in Alexandria public schools are finding that students have not been as engaged in the learning from home process as many would have hoped, according to Superintendent Gregory Hutchings.

In an ACPS survey of families, students and staff, over half of the teachers said that they were having difficulty getting their students to participate in online learning. The results come as the school system recently unveiled its summer learning program.

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Mayor: Alexandria Leads Northern Virginia Region in Per Capita Testing

By Vernon Miles

Published May 29, 2020 at 2:15PM

After a new surge of 3,000 tests performed earlier this week, Alexandria now leads the region in per capita testing, Mayor Justin Wilson said in his weekly virtual town hall on Thursday.

Wilson warned that the results of the increased testing would result in more, after the thousands of tests were administered at Cora Kelly School and Landmark Mall on Monday. Alexandria now has 1,941 cases of COVID-19, an increase of 54 cases since yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

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Residential Conversion Planned for North Old Town Office Park

By Vernon Miles

Published May 28, 2020 at 4:30PM

Towngate, an office development becoming residential (image via Heffner Architects, PC)

The Towngate office complex in North Old Town (625 and 635 Slaters Lane) are requesting permits from the City of Alexandria to facilitate changing the office buildings into a residential building.

Most of the changes will take place inside the building, but the property is scheduled to go to the Board of Architectural Review on June 17 over a handful of exterior changes, like new doors, windows and siding.

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Animal Welfare League’s Community Pet Pantry Offers Animal Supplies to Those in Need

By Vernon Miles

Published May 28, 2020 at 11:30AM

While many Alexandrians are struggling to figure out how to provide for themselves during the pandemic, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) is taking the strain off some local pet owners trying to take care of their animals.

Since mid-March, the local animal shelter has donated 5,000 pounds of supplies to a Community Pet Pantry. The AWLA said the pantry is also stocked with donations from animal-loving Northern Virginia residents offering food, bed, toys and more.

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Poll: Will You Follow Gov. Northam’s Mask Mandate?

By Vernon Miles

Published May 27, 2020 at 3:20PM

Gov. Ralph Northam announced yesterday that the delayed reopening of Northern Virginia will start on Friday (May 29), but with that came a mandatory mask order for anyone in public places.

“Everyone will need to wear a face cover when you’re inside at a public place starting this Friday,” Northam said at his weekly coronavirus press conference. “That’s at a store, a barbershop, a restaurant, on public transportation, at a government building or anywhere where people can congregate in groups.”