By ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — James Comey was charged Thursday with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.
The Alexandria City Council will consider a new framework for distributing human services grants and finalize agreements tied to a major defense contractor’s expansion when it meets Tuesday for its monthly legislative session.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. following a 5:30 p.m. executive session at City Hall, 301 King St. The session will also be available via Zoom and broadcast on government Channel 70.
A proposal to build a 365-foot-tall residential building with up to 775 units and 40,000 square feet of ground-floor retail in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood is heading to the Planning Commission. If approved, the project could result in the tallest at-grade building in the city.
The three-acre mixed-use development at 2425 Mill Road includes up to 775 residential units and 40,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Aldie-based Red Fox Development will present the proposal to the Planning Commission on Nov. 6.
National veterinary chain Livewell Animal Hospital will hold its grand opening in Old Town on Saturday, Oct. 4.
The event will be held at the hospital’s location at in the Atrium building at 277 S. Washington Street in Old Town. The event is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and visitors will get hospital tours, a chance to meet the veterinary team, get free pet caricatures, and enjoy snacks (for pets and their humans), according to Livewell.
The National Park Service will temporarily close southbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway from Tulane Drive to Morningside Lane next week for tree maintenance work.
The closures are scheduled for Oct. 1, 2, 6, and 7 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weather permitting. Southbound traffic will be diverted onto Park Terrace Drive during the work periods.
A proposal to turn a vacant office building into a 45-unit apartment building at 1625 Prince Street in Old Town.
Applicant 1625 Prince Street LLC is asking the city for a parking reduction, as well as modifications to the tree canopy and minimum side yard requirements. The building is less than 1,000 feet from the King St.-Old Town Metro station, was constructed in 1990 and bought by the American Society for Industrial Security in 1997, according to city property records. The proposal will go to the Planning Commission on Nov. 6.
Want to judge a pie-eating contest? A popular art festival coming to Del Ray next month is seeking volunteers and donations.
The 30th annual Art on the Avenue is coming to Mount Vernon Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 4, and the event brings thousands to the city’s Del Ray neighborhood. The event features sellable art from hundreds of artists, live music, family-friendly events, and more. The Del Ray Business Association hosts it.
The Alexandria Police Department is partnering with local organizations to host a back-to-school soccer tournament for local youth on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The tournament will consist of a series of pick-up soccer games for teenagers at Alexandria City High School‘s King Street campus (3330 King Street), providing positive outlets and introducing them to city resources. The free event, presented by APD’s Crime Prevention Unit, the Alexandria Police Foundation, the Alexandria Gang Prevention Community Task Force, Alexandria Juvenile Court Services, the Alexandria Soccer Association, NOVA RAFT, and the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, will take place from 2 to 6 p.m.
Housing Alexandria is hosting a “laid-back gala” next month with music, games and food.
This year, the annual fundraising event will be held Thursday, Oct. 9, from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Garden Alexandria (5380 Eisenhower Avenue) and will celebrate the nonprofit’s completion of the Cardinal Path Homes project. The project provides 36 townhomes and condos to first-time homebuyers, available via lottery.
Alexandria residents experienced internet, television and phone service disruptions Thursday after a third-party truck struck fiber lines, causing an outage affecting multiple neighborhoods across the city.
The outage began around 8 a.m. Thursday when the truck hit Xfinity’s fiber lines at the intersection of North Quaker Lane and Janney’s Lane, according to Comcast spokesman Charlie Schoenthaler.
Alexandria finds itself at the center of a housing market dynamic where federal downsizing has increased the number of residents putting homes on the market, while falling mortgage rates could boost buyer demand.
The White House told federal agencies to prepare for mass layoffs if the government shuts down next week. In a memo released Wednesday night, the Office of Management and Budget instructed agencies to consider “a reduction in force” for programs “not consistent with the President’s priorities,” according to The Associated Press. Unlike previous shutdowns, where workers were furloughed and returned, this would permanently eliminate positions.
