Author: Vernon Miles

Vernon Miles is the ALXnow cofounder and editor. He's covered Alexandria since 2014 and has been with Local News Now since 2018. When he's not reporting, he can usually be found playing video games or Dungeons and Dragons with friends.

News

D.C. Attorney General says Monumental’s Potomac Yard arena plans breach legal obligations

By Vernon Miles
Monumental Sports President Ted Leonsis, Dec. 13, 2 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Updated 3/23 — A spokesperson from Monumental Sports and Entertainment responded “We fundamentally disagree with the Attorney General’s opinions, which are contradicted by the DC General Counsel as recently as 2019 when the city ratified the Ground Lease.”

Even as Monumental Sports and Entertainment faces an uncertain future for its Potomac Yard plans, D.C. could be throwing a new legal challenge into the mix, Washington City Paper first reported.

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Opinion

Poll: What do you think of Alexandria’s new asteroid artwork?

By Vernon Miles
Interstellar Influencer (photo by Justin Wilson/Twitter)

A new piece of art is making an impact on Alexandria’s waterfront.

The art piece Interstellar Influencer (Make an Impact) was installed this week in Alexandria’s Waterfront Park. The work represents the asteroid that impacted with Earth 35 million years ago and helped shape the Chesapeake Bay.

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News

AlexRenew hosting celebration for newly re-emerged tunneling machine ‘Hazel’

By Vernon Miles
Hazel emerging from under Alexandria in triumph (photo courtesy AlexRenew)

Like the sandworms of Dune, Alexandria’s own subterranean burrowing creature has become an object of reverence among local infrastructure geeks. The city’s boring machine, Hazel, is getting a public celebration next month.

AlexRenew is hosting a Mining Completion Open House on Saturday, April 13, celebrating Hazel’s return to the surface earlier today (Thursday).

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News

D.C. man pleads guilty for string of pharmacy robberies, including an Alexandria location

By Vernon Miles

On March 25, 2021, Floyd Neal and a co-conspirator robbed the Walgreens Pharmacy at 4515 Duke Street at gunpoint, stealing between $7,000 to $10,000 from a safe, according to an indictment.

Neal, a 32-year-old D.C. resident, pleaded guilty to the Alexandria robbery and a string of pharmacy robberies across Maryland and Virginia in 2021. Between Feb. 14 and April 1, Neal and other robbers hit four locations across Virginia and Maryland, from Henrico, Virginia to Beltsville, Maryland.

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News

Alexandria Human Rights Commission approves recommendation for Gaza ceasefire

By Vernon Miles
Human Rights Commission meeting on March 20 (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

After months of discussion, Alexandria’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) voted in favor of a recommendation that City Council pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The workroom in City Hall was packed to standing-room-only with supporters of the ceasefire resolution who have been active for months in both Human Rights Commission meetings and City Council public hearings calling for a ceasefire resolution.

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News

Alexandria Police arrest homicide suspect in Old Town after pursuit and three-hour search early Wednesday morning

By Vernon Miles
Madison and Riverside Place in Old Town (image via Google Maps)

(Updated 4:30 p.m.) The Alexandria Police Department arrested an adult man wanted for murder in Huntersville, North Carolina early this morning in Old Town.

Alexandria Police Department Communications Manager Tracy Walker said police received a “be on the lookout” notice and observed the suspect’s vehicle at 11:50 p.m. Police identified the suspect as 53-year-old Rahman Ferguson. He is being held in the Alexandria Adult Detention Center awaiting extradition.

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News

Ambulance costs could increase in current budget cycle

By Vernon Miles
Alexandria Fire Department ambulance. (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Currently Alexandrians pay a little less than their neighbors for ambulance trips, but that could change after in this year’s budget.

The Alexandria City Council is considering a fee adjustment for ambulance billing that would raise prices to mostly be in line with Arlington and Fairfax County.

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News

Top vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles
Quinoa kale kofta with turmeric vegan sauce at Spice Kraft Indian Bistro's Del Ray location (image via Spice Kraft Indian Bistro/Facebook)

(Updated 2:25 p.m.) It can be hard to find good vegetarian and vegan-friendly options around Alexandria. After a walk along the waterfront or a stroll through Del Ray, it’s nice to know where you or your friends with plant-based diets can stop in for a meal.

ALXnow has you covered.

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News

New exhibit with scale models of Alexandria’s buried ships opening next month in Old Town

By Vernon Miles
Pieces of 18th-Century ships waiting to be scanned (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated 11:15 a.m.) A new ‘windowfront exhibit’ about the Buried Ships of Robinson Landing is coming to Old Town early next month.

The exhibit features scale models of four 18th and 19th-century ships discovered during excavations of the Robinson Landing Site.

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News

Alexandria installing 870 manhole inserts to combat flooding around Four Mile Run and Taylor Run

By Vernon Miles
New manhole cover (image via City of Alexandria)

New manhole inserts aren’t normally notable or a cause for celebration, but they are in several Alexandria neighborhoods where they could help prevent flooding.

The City of Alexandria announced today that it will be installing 870 stainless steel manhole covers in the Four Mile Run, Commonwealth and Taylor Run sewer sheds.

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