Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Alexandria kicks off leaf collection season today

Published October 30, 2023 at 10:00AM

Fall colors in Old Town (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

If you haven’t noticed, there are leaves on the ground all across Alexandria, which means it’s time for Alexandria to kick off its leaf collection season.

Residential leaf collection is starting today and will rotate through zones across the city. The city is broken up into five collection zones and each zone will go through three separate passes over the course of fall. The full schedule and an interactive map is available online.

Opinion

Poll: Do you plan to dress up for Halloween this year?

By Vernon Miles

Published October 27, 2023 at 1:45PM

Halloween on Lee Street in Old Town, October 31, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Halloween is right around the corner and there’s no locality in the region that goes as all out for the year’s spookiest holiday as Alexandria.

There are events throughout the weekend, including multiple costume contests, and the Del Ray Halloween Parade on Sunday — noted as one of the best Halloween parades in the country.

News

For-profit university applies to move into vacant Eisenhower Avenue office

By Vernon Miles

Published October 27, 2023 at 11:00AM

2900 Eisenhower Avenue (image via Google Maps)

For-profit Washington University of Science and Technology could be moving into a vacant office on Eisenhower Avenue that was formerly a Stratford University campus.

Washington University of Science and Technology is a for-profit university based out of Tysons. The school is applying to a new location in a 4-story commercial office building at 2900 Eisenhower Avenue. The building was previously approved for special use as a private academic school in 2013, but the location closed in October 2022 when the Stratford shut down.

News

Alexandria announces crackdown on aggressive driving on the city’s arterial roads

By Vernon Miles

Published October 27, 2023 at 10:05AM

Crash at 4600 block of Seminary Road (staff photo by James Cullum)

A few days after videos emerged of a mob taking over a Seminary Road intersection, Alexandria announced a new carrot-and-stick approach to dealing with traffic safety.

The carrot is a new public safety campaign. According to a release from the City of Alexandria:

News

Notes: Your vote wanted for ‘Best Decorated Halloween House’ in Del Ray

By Vernon Miles

Published October 27, 2023 at 9:00AM | Updated October 27, 2023 at 11:34AM

Halloween Beer Pong in front of a Del Ray home. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated 11:30 a.m.) Good Friday morning, Alexandria!

☀️ Today’s weather: Partly sunny today, with a high near 81. Partly cloudy tonight, with a low around 62. Then sunny and warm again on Saturday.

News

Alexandria City Council member says VRE grappling with post-Covid identity crisis

By Vernon Miles

Published October 26, 2023 at 9:55AM

A VRE train heading south through Potomac Yard (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

As Metro stares down potentially devastating cuts, City Council member Sarah Bagley said the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is grappling with similar funding struggles as it tries to redefine itself.

Bagley, who serves on the VRE Operations Board, said the rail service’s new plans to add weekend service represent an effort to broaden the ridership beyond commuter traffic.

News

Hauntingly good times to be had in Old Town this Halloween

By Vernon Miles

Published October 25, 2023 at 2:45PM

Mourner at the Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden (image via Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden/Facebook)

If you’ve binge-watched The Fall of the House of Usher and are in the mood for some Edgar Allan Poe readings, the good news is an acclaimed Poe reenactor is making his annual return to Old Town for a reading on Halloween.

The bad news: it’s sold out. But there are still plenty of other options to get your spooky fix in Alexandria on Halloween.

News

City leaders push to accelerate stormwater infrastructure planning and get shovels in the ground

By Vernon Miles

Published October 25, 2023 at 2:00PM

Civil engineers work on new stormwater mitigation projects in Parkfairfax (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

A discussion of one of the city’s larger stormwater infrastructure projects spurred a question from city leaders: can the city do more to make these projects happen faster?

Adriana Castañeda said at a City Council meeting last night that the city is a little over halfway through the design process for the Commonwealth, Ashby, Glebe Flood Mitigation Project, one of the largest stormwater infrastructure projects in the city — outside of the immense AlexRenew project.

News

Alexandria NAACP condemns ‘disturbing’ police video

By Vernon Miles

Published October 25, 2023 at 10:00AM | Updated October 25, 2023 at 10:21AM

Alexandria Accountability footage of police vehicle with displayed pig wearing an 'I Can't Breathe' shirt (image via ALX Accountability/YouTube)

(Updated 10:20 a.m.) The Alexandria branch of the NAACP expressed condemnation of police activity in a video showing a toy pig in an Alexandria Police Department (APD) cruiser wearing an I Can’t Breathe shirt.

The video, posted this past weekend by the page Alexandria Accountability, shows a propped-up figure with a cartoon pig head, a black domino mask, and a shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe.”

News

Notes: Bike lane extension for Mount Vernon Trail in Alexandria approved

By Vernon Miles

Published October 25, 2023 at 8:50AM

East Abingdon Drive currently vs with a bike lane (image via City of Alexandria)

Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!

☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny, with a high near 78 turning partly cloudy tonight, with a low around 50. Tomorrow should also be mostly sunny with a high near 79.

News

Panel discussion tackles timeline question for Alexandria’s zoning overhaul

By Vernon Miles

Published October 24, 2023 at 1:40PM

Agenda Alexandria panel discussion on Zoning for Housing (image via Agenda Alexandria/YouTube)

A panel last night on the city’s Zoning for Housing/Housing for All overhaul dived into the back and forth on the issue, including questions about the timeline from proposal to final review.

The proposal includes a number of changes to the city’s housing zoning, the most high-profile being allowing two-to-four-unit dwellings in formerly single-family residential zones. Other substantial changes include making it easier to build housing in industrial zones and eliminating minimum parking requirements for dwellings with up to four units in enhanced transit zones.