There’s officially a new coffee shop in the Alexandria area.
The ribbon was cut at a new PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans franchise at 6220 N. Kings Highway, Alexandria (Fairfax County) on Saturday, Sept. 27. On hand at the event were owners Ron and Sofiya Parker, the family, Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk, and Chamber ALX CEO Joe Haggerty. The coffee shop officially opened in July.
AlexRenew will cut the ribbon on the new promenade at RiverRenew Plaza on Oct. 18 at Pendleton and N. Union Streets in Old Town.
The new plaza at 501 N. Union Street sits atop AlexRenew’s RiverRenew project, which will divert millions of gallons of raw sewage from the Potomac River via a 2.2-mile-long underground tunnel that’s been under construction for four years. Speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony include Mayor Alyia Gaskins, AlexRenew Board Chair John Hill, AlexRenew CEO Justin Carl, and Waterfront Commission Chair Louise Roseman.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a report that an employee at a popular Del Ray bistro recorded customers using the bathroom on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Karim Mashmour, the owner of Gustave Boulangerie & Brasserie (2213 Mount Vernon Avenue), states that the employee has been suspended pending the outcome of the APD’s investigation, while police indicate that it is an ongoing investigation and that no charges have been filed.
Alexandria’s beloved fall festival celebrating animals returns to Oronoco Bay Park on Sunday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering pet adoptions, live music, shopping, and family entertainment — all free to attend.
Paws in the Park, which benefits the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, will feature local artisans, nonprofits, and animal-focused businesses, along with food and beverage vendors including local cideries, breweries, wineries, bakeries, and food trucks.
An Alexandria woman lost nearly $7,600 in a phone scam last month, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
On August 12, the victim received a phone call from multiple suspects claiming to be representatives of Wells Fargo, stating that the victim’s account information had been leaked. The victim was told she needed to transfer her money to a different account, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
Alexandria City High School’s King Street campus was placed on “secure the building” status and the ACHS Minnie Howard Campus was placed on “hold” status briefly this afternoon after an anonymous report was issued that someone was outside of the school with a gun, according to a letter sent to parents.
“Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Safety and Security staff and the Alexandria Police Department (APD) investigated the anonymous external threat reported to the ACPS Anonymous Reporting System that someone was outside of the school with a gun,” ACHS Interim Executive Principal Lance Harrell wrote. “It was determined by APD this was an unsubstantiated threat.”
The Old Town Festival of Speed & Style has donated more than $35,000 to three local nonprofits, organizers announced Friday.
The funds, raised through the festival’s May 18 event and related activities, will be split among ALIVE!, Community Lodgings, and the National Breast Center Foundation. Burke & Herbert Bank served as the presenting sponsor.
An 18-year-old Alexandria man has been arrested in connection with an assault by a mob and robbery in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
Multiple people assaulted the male victim as he walked in the parking lot of the Food Star International (206 W. Glebe Road). He reported to police that a gray Honda Accord pulled up and that the suspects got out of the car, assaulted him, and stole his shoes, wallet, cash, backpack, and phone, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
The man who was struck by a train at the Potomac Yard Metro station on Sept. 22 succumbed to his injuries that evening at George Washington University Hospital, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
Metro Transit Police said at the time that the man trespassed onto the tracks, and an investigation has found that he was being chased by two alleged fare evaders, a 17-year-old female and an 18-year-old female, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
Alexandria City Council and School Board members agreed Monday during a joint work session to update the city’s long-range school facilities plan as middle schools operate at more than 120% capacity and some elementary buildings approach 90 years old.
The decision to revise the decade-old planning document comes as officials confront both immediate overcrowding and long-term infrastructure decay that officials say redistricting alone cannot solve.
Alexandria City Council and School Board officials attempted to repair what they openly called a “dysfunctional” relationship on Monday night, with one councilman acknowledging that the tension had persisted for 12 years.
“We are five minutes into our meeting, five minutes into it, and already we’ve taken a tone of not being productive,” School Board Vice Chair Christopher Harris said. “Whether we like it or not, we have to communicate. We have to engage. We have to work together. This is dysfunction.”
