Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria announces new ‘Alexandria Animal Academy’

Published November 2, 2023 at 11:00AM

Igor, a dog at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (photo via AWLA/Facebook)

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) announced today a low-cost canine training program called Alexandria Animal Academy.

The new program is set to start on Jan. 21 and will feature an eight-week virtual course coaching both parents and pets in various fields, from confidence building to leash reactivity.

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Police: Two separate commercial robberies reported across Alexandria last night

By Vernon Miles

Published November 2, 2023 at 9:50AM

7-Eleven at 25 S. Reynolds Street (image via Google Maps)

The Alexandria Police Department said the city responded to two separate robberies in different parts of the city last night.

In both cases, police said a weapon was displayed, but no one was injured.

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Alexandria man pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter after accidental shooting in Lynhaven neighborhood

By Vernon Miles

Published November 1, 2023 at 2:45PM

Police at a sudden death investigation on E. Reed Avenue (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria resident Junior Josue Espinal Calix, 20, pleaded guilty last week to involuntary manslaughter after accidentally shooting 21-year-old Nabel Christopher Chavez earlier this year.

Calix said he frequently played with the firearm and aimed it at Chavez, thinking it was unloaded, according to a release from Commonealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.

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UPDATED: Alexandria City High School students dismissed early due to possible bomb threat

By Vernon Miles

Published November 1, 2023 at 12:34PM | Updated November 1, 2023 at 1:35PM

Police at Alexandria City High School investigating a bomb threat (staff photo by James Cullum)

Update at 1:05 p.m. — Alexandria City High School students will be dismissed early due to the bomb threat. Alexandria Police Department Communications Manager Tracy Walker told ALXnow that police are still searching the high school.

Alexandria City High School is being evacuated due to a bomb threat at the school, the Alexandria Police Department (APD) said.

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Winter is Coming: Freeze warning issued in Alexandria for Wednesday night and Thursday morning

By Vernon Miles

Published November 1, 2023 at 9:55AM

Cold front heading toward Northern Virginia (image via National Weather Service/Twitter)

Trick-or-treaters last night might have noticed a chill in the air and the National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed it’s likely to get colder tonight.

The NWS has issued a freeze warning from 11 p.m. this evening (Wednesday) to 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday). The source is a cold front pushing through the region with potentially hazardous driving conditions tonight.

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Alexandria Community Remembrance Project says more can be done to memorialize the city’s first lynching

By Vernon Miles

Published October 31, 2023 at 4:10PM

The Marshall House in 1861, near where a mob of white men began a campaign of violence in 1865 (image via Office of Historic Alexandria)

While the city is making strides to honor the victims of two Alexandria lynchings, a member of the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project noted in a recent meeting that a third victim — the first recorded in the city — has been neglected in part due to a technicality.

Thanks in large part to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a non-profit based out of Alabama working to commemorate victims of lynching, the city has started to do more work to commemorate the victims of lynchings in 1897 and 1899. In particular, however, the EJI focuses on lynchings between 1877 and 1950, while Alexandria’s first recorded lynching occurred over ten years before that period started.

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Construction work on minor improvements underway at Duke Street Tunnel

By Vernon Miles

Published October 31, 2023 at 2:45PM

Duke Street Pedestrian Tunnel (image via Google Maps)

Improvements to the pedestrian experience at Duke Street and Dulany Street aren’t just surface level: the entrances to the nearby Duke Street Tunnel are also getting a minor makeover.

The Carlyle Council said construction is ongoing today (Tuesday) on new gates for the tunnel.

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Lost Dog Cafe hosting special adoption event this weekend for a litter of puppies

By Vernon Miles

Published October 31, 2023 at 1:50PM

Puppy available for adoption at Lost Dog Cafe this weekend (image via Lost Dog Rescue)

Alexandrians might be able to find a furry new friend this weekend.

Lost Dog Cafe (808 N. Henry Street) in the Braddock neighborhood is hosting a puppy adoption event from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4, for a litter of puppies born last month.

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Notes: Senior living community and nonprofit partner for unique trick-or-treating experience

By Vernon Miles

Published October 31, 2023 at 8:55AM

Resident at The Landing gives out candy to trick-or-treater (image courtesy The Landing)

Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!

🌤️ Today’s weather: Expect partly sunny skies and a high near 53, accompanied by a north wind at 3 to 8 mph. As for Tuesday night, it will be partly cloudy with a low of around 37. There will be light and variable wind, eventually becoming northwest and ranging from 5 to 8 mph after midnight.

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Sweeping City Hall renovation plans could also reshape Market Square and nearby parking garage

By Vernon Miles

Published October 30, 2023 at 4:05PM | Updated October 30, 2023 at 4:40PM

As Alexandria leaders prepare to vacate City Hall for a few years while the building is renovated, a wish list is already building for what a new and improved City Hall could look like.

The center of city government, rebuilt in 1871 after the previous building burned down, is in rough shape and the much-needed renovations have long been kicked down the road.

News

Former Bishop Ireton High School student performed on SNL this weekend

By Vernon Miles

Published October 30, 2023 at 1:30PM

Former Alexandria resident Dave Grohl (image via Foo Fighters/Facebook)

Former Bishop Ireton High School student Dave Grohl performed with other members of his band, Foo Fighters, this weekend on Saturday Night Live.

Grohl attended Bishop Ireton High School but eventually transferred to Annandale High School. Grohl later performed with a band called Nirvana before launching Foo Fighters in 1994.