News

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On September 2, 1790, the Virginia General Assembly approved the creation of an Alexandria Lottery to raise funds for the paving of streets within the expanding town of Alexandria. Since its founding in 1749, the town had tried a number of low-cost ways to eliminate muddy conditions on local streets that were a constant nuisance to townspeople and at times even prevented passage along King Street in the swampy areas between North Pitt and St. Asaph Streets. Using slave and itinerant workers, and even Hessian soldiers over the years had only modest success installing the round cobblestones in the street grid, and raising taxes to the level needed for the work program would have been a huge burden on residents of the young town.” [Historic Alexandria]

Alexandria Resident Killed in Md. I-270 Crash — “The deceased are identified as Musammat Shamima Begum, 46, and Areebah Jahin, 23, of Burke and Alexandria, Virginia. Begum and Jahin were mother and daughter and were passengers in a Toyota Camry involved in the crash. The driver and a juvenile passenger of the Toyota, a 62-year-old male and an 8-year-old female, were transported by ambulance to local hospitals for treatment of their injuries.” [Maryland State Police]

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On September 1, 1922, after years of debate on management responsibilities within Alexandria government, the City Council formally appointed Wilder Rich as the city’s first City Manager. This new form of government delegated the day-to-day management and implementation of Council policy decisions to an appointed, rather than an elected official. The new City Manager immediately began professionalizing city departments and confronting serious problems that had plagued the city for decades. One week later, on September 8 of that year, Alexandria began the first system of public trash and garbage collection as a city service, a welcome improvement over the littered streets and backyard dump sites routine in Alexandria in the early 20th century.” [Historic Alexandria]

Most Essential D.C. Restaurant Dishes List Gives Nod to Taqueria Picoso — “You’d be hard-pressed to find a better-looking taco than the cod version at this strip-mall destination. Batter-fried fish gets colorful company with a bright cherry tomato and kale salad dressed with a verdant jalapeño and cucumber dressing, along with slivers of jalapeño and avocado, all of which is showered with cilantro and wrapped in a springy, sturdy flour tortilla. If it feels fancier than the usual street-food staple, that’s the work of chef Elio Gomez, who once helmed the kitchen of a fine-dining restaurant in Mexico City and now turns his culinary training on humble tacos with knockout details.” [The Washington Post]