Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Alexandria Health Director Says City Hasn’t Hit COVID-19 Peak Yet

Published April 29, 2020 at 2:00PM | Updated April 29, 2020 at 3:16PM

In an update to the City Council, Dr. Stephen Haering said Alexandria is making a clearer picture of which populations are most vulnerable to COVID-19.

“We’ve not reached the peak,” Haering said in a city council meeting Tuesday night. “We haven’t seen a decrease in cases. The number of daily cases still on the rise. The numbers here bounce around in the 20s to 30s.”

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City Hosting Potomac Yard Development Online Public Meeting Tomorrow

By Vernon Miles

Published April 28, 2020 at 4:30PM

The Potomac Yard development process is moving forward, with the in-person meetings now switched to virtual sessions with the city hosting a second town hall planned tomorrow (Wednesday).

At a meeting Wednesday from 7-8:30 p.m., the Virginia Tech Foundation and JBG SMITH are scheduled to give a public update on the project and describe plans for the southern group of buildings. Those are the office and residential buildings closest to the Potomac Yard Metro station.

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Online Activities for Adults and Kids in Alexandria This Week

By Vernon Miles

Published April 28, 2020 at 3:15PM

Social distancing got you feeling a little stir crazy? A few Alexandria businesses are hosting quarantine-friendly online activities to help keep you connected to your neighbors and favorite local establishments.

Hops N Shine, a Del Ray bar with an ongoing fundraiser for laid-off employees, is hosting a virtual beer tasting on Thursday (April 30). The tasting, hosted by Hops N Shine on Facebook live, will feature the Ashburn-based Old Ox Brewing Company and four beers — the Festival, Hoppy Place, and two more yet to be named.

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Large Scale Projects Delayed As Rebuilding Together Alexandria Focuses on Emergency Repairs

By Vernon Miles

Published April 28, 2020 at 11:30AM

Spring is usually when Rebuilding Together DC- Alexandria is at its most active, with volunteers repairing houses and developments across Alexandria making thousands of dollars worth of repairs for low-income families. But this has been an unusual spring, and it has taken a toll on the operations at the local branch of the nonprofit.

At Rebuilding Together, the big volunteer projects are delayed indefinitely as the non-profit focuses on making emergency repairs.

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Waypoint at Fairlington Moves Ahead as Traffic Concerns Linger

By Vernon Miles

Published April 27, 2020 at 4:45PM | Updated May 1, 2020 at 10:13AM

As The Waypoint at Fairlington moves forward, some old traffic concerns and misconceptions about the project have resurfaced.

The Waypoint, and 81-unit affordable housing development at Fairlington Presbyterian Church (3846 King Street) was approved in 2018, but old criticisms of the project’s added density flooded the comment sections when the city applied for federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME Investment Partnerships.

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Supporting Del Ray Businesses Becomes a Game of Bingo

By Vernon Miles

Published April 27, 2020 at 2:00PM

The Del Ray Business Association has turned supporting local businesses during the coronavirus pandemic into a game.

A bi-weekly bingo series that started today (Monday) fills a 5×5 card with ways to support local businesses in Del Ray. The goal, according to the association, is to “wear a face mask, maintain social distance, and play for the chance to win $50 in Del Ray Dollars,” which are redeemable at some businesses in Del Ray.

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Alexandria Grapples with Emergency Federal Spending Restrictions

By Vernon Miles

Published April 24, 2020 at 5:30PM

Alexandria City Hall (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria is expecting to receive between $20-27 million dollars in federal CARES Act funding, but that comes with comes a few strings.

“All of that must be used for new expenses,” Mayor Justin Wilson said in a video town hall on Thursday night. “It cannot be used for any expense [that was] in the budget previously.”

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New Photographer Series Spotlights Life for Old Town Business Owners

By Vernon Miles

Published April 24, 2020 at 3:15PM

Local photographer Sarah Marcella, in partnership with the Old Town Boutique District, travelled to 30 local businesses to take portraits of them at home or in their businesses. Marcella, a press release noted, was safely in her car.

The photoshoot features images of the business owners holding signs saying what community means to them, with answers ranging from “resilient” to “healthy.”

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Six Coronavirus Outbreak Sites Identified Across Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published April 24, 2020 at 11:30AM

In a video town hall last night (Thursday), Mayor Justin Wilson said there were five outbreaks — places where the virus was spread between several people — in Alexandria. A Virginia Department of Health update this morning (Friday) pushed that up to six.

“Four of those are in long-term living facilities,” Wilson said. “One is in an educational facility.”

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Alexandria Virtually Commemorates Man Lynched in Old Town

By Vernon Miles

Published April 23, 2020 at 5:30PM | Updated April 24, 2020 at 9:29AM

Memorial post for victims of Alexandria lynchings (photo via City of Alexandria)

Several Alexandria organizations collaborated virtually to memorialize the 1897 lynching of Joseph McCoy.

McCoy was murdered by a lynch mob today (April 23) in 1897 at the corner of Lee and Cameron Streets in Old Town. Today, Alexandrians placed a wreath at the site of the killing to honor McCoy.

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Urbano 116 Reopens for Takeout Dining in Old Town

By Vernon Miles

Published April 23, 2020 at 4:30PM

Urbano 116 in Old Town (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Gradually, some restaurants that closed early on in coronavirus pandemic are starting to reopen with takeout options. The latest of those is Urbano 116, a popular Mexican cuisine spot in Old Town (116 King Street).

Staff at Urbano 116 said the restaurant reopened on Tuesday for takeout and delivery through services like Uber Eats.