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.
What makes a good bus stop?
Though Alexandrians probably shouldn’t expect Arlington’s $1 million bus stop, the city is looking for feedback on what kind of amenities should be included on the new West End Transitway.
Alexandria’s Planning Commission endorsed a plan to rezone 301 N. Fairfax Street, despite concerns from the divided Commission that rezoning without prior planning represents bad civic practice.
The plan is to replace the empty three-story office building with a four-story apartment building with underground parking and a rooftop terrace.
(Updated 11:10 a.m.) Police arrested the driver of a stolen vehicle after the suspect ditched the car, ran from police, and ultimately turned to public transit.
Scanner traffic showed that, around 8:30 a.m., police followed the driver into a parking lot when the driver bailed out of the car and ran. Police searched along N. Ripley and Duke Streets, but Alexandria Police Department Communications Manager Tracy Walker told ALXnow that the suspect was able to get on a DASH bus and flee the scene.
Alexandria Natural Resources Manager Rod Simmons has been a prominent voice for environmental concerns around the city in recent years, but Simmons told ALXnow that battles behind the scenes have led him to retire after 27 years in city government.
Simmons, a city employee with the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs, was at the center of controversies related to Taylor Run and other projects.
Among the results of a settled lawsuit between the City of Alexandria and the Potomac Riverkeeper Network is a project to add thousands of freshwater mussels to the Potomac River.
City Council member Sarah Bagley gave the Council an update last week from the Waterfront Commission where she said the mussels — which are filter feeders and help clean the water –would be added to the river as part of the city’s remediation efforts.
The Office of Historic Alexandria has debuted its annual holiday ornament: a solid brass decoration depicting Potomac Yard’s rail yard history.
The 3 x 2.75 inch ornament features a steam-powered locomotive in the foreground and the Capitol Building in the background. The ornament is $25.
(Updated 3:20 p.m.) Alexandria has nabbed a top spot on another holiday-focused tour list, this time on holiday gift website Mixbook.
The website’s list “America’s Favorite ‘Christmassy’ Towns 2023” ranked Alexandria at number five — though unlike AARP, Mixbook fails to note that Alexandria is a city, not a town.
The Alexandria Police Department arrested four teens for a robbery and assault at the Bradlee Shopping Center (3646 King Street) last month.
The victim, also a teenager, was bleeding from the face after being punched near the McDonald’s around 8:40 a.m., according to scanner traffic. The victim told police the suspect took his shoes and wallet. The victim was transported to the hospital.
While poverty rates have declined by 52% in Northern Virginia over the last decade, a new report found that benefit has not been spread evenly across the region’s population.
Lost Opportunities, a report by the Northern Virginia Health Foundation and Virginia Commonwealth University, said there are “islands of disadvantage” around the region, and even areas that have benefitted from economic growth have, in many cases, been fueled by gentrification and displacement.
Update at 2:30 p.m. — The Alexandria Police Department and Arlington County Police Department cleared the King Street campus building and determined there was no threat to the public.
Update: Alexandria Police officers, with the assistance of Arlington County Police, have cleared the ACHS King Street building. There is no threat to the public. No threatening materials were located. pic.twitter.com/yZPAw05QN9
(Updated 10:50 a.m.) With Mayor Justin Wilson announcing last week that he won’t seek reelection, two members of Alexandria’s City Council have tossed their hats into the ring to replace him.
City Council member Alyia Gaskins announced this morning (Monday) that she would be running for mayor.
