Alexandria City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Saturday (May 17) banning gas-powered leaf blowers, making Alexandria the first jurisdiction in Virginia to enact such a prohibition.
The ban follows years of community advocacy and comes after an August 2024 opinion from Virginia’s Attorney General confirming the city’s authority to regulate these devices through its noise ordinance.
Metro Motor Towing is looking to open another towing office and storage lot in Alexandria.
The 14,250-square-foot property at 3106 Colvin Street in the city’s Taylor Run neighborhood is just off Duke Street and was previously home to Road Res-Q. Metro Motor Towing, which operates repair shops and tow lots at multiple locations in the city, D.C., and Maryland, is looking to operate at the property 24 hours a day with a parking capacity of 20 vehicles.
Alexandria’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services is kicking off a week of street repaving and maintenance across the city.
Crews will start working on several key areas, including Oronoco Street, Slaters Lane, and parts of East and West Oak Street, starting May 19.
A covered patio and plaza venue are planned for the proposed pump station at Alexandria’s Waterfront Park.
The city’s proposal to combat flooding in Old Town will close Waterfront Park and Point Lumley Park from the fall of 2026 until the fall of 2028 to rebuild segments of the sea wall and install a pump station to recirculate water in flood-prone areas back to the Potomac River. The pump station plans are heading to the Board of Architectural Review on June 5.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Sunny, with a high near 78 degrees. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Mostly clear tonight, with a low around 53 degrees. North wind 7 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
King Street was packed with all sorts of traffic on Sunday, as thousands of car enthusiasts checked out classic cars at the sixth annual Old Town Festival of Speed and Style.
Today’s event featured more than 100 exotic sports cars and motorcycles, and was sponsored by Burke & Herbert Bank and several local businesses. This year’s theme was Ian Fleming’s James Bond spy novel Casino Royale, with elegant models beautifying a supercar catwalk at King and Fairfax Streets.
Alexandria is in recovery mode Saturday, working to restore electricity and clear debris after powerful thunderstorms hit the area Friday night.
At their peak, the storms knocked out power to over 16,000 Dominion Energy customers in Alexandria. As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, 6,422 out of 70,258 Dominion Energy customers in the city were still without electricity.
Good Saturday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Showers are likely, mainly before 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy through mid-morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 87 degrees. Southwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch are possible.
As of 11 p.m. on Friday (May 16), more than 14,250 Dominion Energy customers in Alexandria are experiencing a power outage following severe thunderstorms that passed through the area earlier this evening.
Dominion Energy’s outage map does not have an estimated time of restoration for most of the outages with many stating that the outages are pending investigation and awaiting assignment. Dominion Energy serves more than 70,000 customers in Alexandria.
It’s finally Friday in Alexandria!
Here’s a look back at our top stories of the week. Topping off our coverage are the delectable poll results on the top three Mexican restaurants in the city. More than 1,800 foodies cast their votes, and Taqueria el Poblano (2400B Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray took the top spot, followed by Taqueria Picoso (1472 N. Beauregard Street) and Los Tios Grill (2615 Mount Vernon Avenue). Do you agree with the results?
The Office of Historic Alexandria is rolling out new initiatives from May 17 to June 24 to honor Pride Month and showcase the city’s LGBTQ+ history.
On May 13, a new website dedicated to Alexandria’s LGBTQ+ history will go live. It will highlight the impact of LGBTQ+ individuals and businesses on the city’s heritage. You can find it at alexandriava.gov/historic-alexandria/lgbtq-history-in-alexandria. The site will feature expanded online storytelling and emphasize Alexandria’s role in LGBTQ+ rights.
