The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) is asking for help in making the holidays special for some local kids this weekend.
ARHA is collecting toys for its 15th annual Santa’s Winter Wonderland this weekend, in which children 17 and under who are members of ARHA households receive gifts from Santa.
This weekend marks the return of one Alexandria neighborhood’s very special, long running local tradition: the Warwick Village Luminaria.
The Luminaria is celebrated with thousands of paper lanterns lining the streets of the neighborhood. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, beginning at sunset (approximately 5 p.m.).
Traffic safety advocacy group Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS) compiled crash data from 2021 to 2024 and put together a ranking of the city’s most dangerous corridors with one standing out in particular.
The ranking looks not at the number of crashes, but the number of total casualties — from visible and non-visible injuries to severe and fatal crashes — reported by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Heavy rain and patchy fog are expected until 1pm, with temperatures peaking at 64°F by 10am before dropping to around 47°F. Breezy south winds of 14-22 mph will shift to the northwest in the afternoon, with gusts up to 31 mph. There is a 100% chance of precipitation. For Wednesday night, expect a chance of rain before 10pm and cloudy skies that will gradually clear. Lows will be around 32°F with breezy west winds of 10-20 mph and gusts as high as 29 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%.
Surrounded by city leaders, Alexandria’s new Police Chief Tarrick McGuire was sworn in on Tuesday (Dec. 10).
McGuire is the third permanent chief of the Alexandria Police Department in three years. The city’s Chief Circuit Court Judge Lisa Kemler swore him in onstage at the amphitheater of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Old Town.
More than a dozen Alexandria businesses with skill gaming machines were “put on notice” last month.
The businesses were notified that skill games are illegal gambling machines, and were informed of the legal consequences in a Nov. 19 letter from City Attorney Cheran Ivery, then-Interim Police Chief Raul Pedroso and Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.
An Azerbaijani bakery and cafe has applied for a change of ownership for the former Chewish Deli at 1640 King Street.
Despite stellar reviews, Sharbat Bakery & Cafe closed its D.C. location earlier this year. Now owners Ilhama Safarova and Natavan Aliyeva are asking the city to also approve adding outdoor tables and chairs to the proposed shop.
Alexandria resident Ahmad Reshad Nasseri, 33, was indicted yesterday by a grand jury with two counts of felony rape and one count of felony aggravated sexual battery.
Nasseri, a Lyft driver, allegedly picked up an intoxicated woman at a D.C. restaurant on Friday, July 18, then took her to his apartment on the 5000 block of Seminary Road. Nasseri allegedly assaulted her in the apartment before driving her to the Van Dorn Metro station.
An “Asian and Japanese restaurant” wants to open in the former Red Lobster on S. Van Dorn Street.
The owners of Yami Buffett recently filed a special use permit application for change of ownership and increased seating at 555 S. Van Dorn Street. That’s the former longtime home of Red Lobster, which abruptly closed on Aug. 31.
Bakery chain Paris Baguette announced that its new Seminary Hill location (4616 Kenmore Avenue) is having a grand opening this weekend.
The location is set to open its doors on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. and the first 50 guests will receive a free pastry.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Showers are likely after 1pm, with a cloudy high near 61 and calm winds turning south at 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 60%, with less than a tenth of an inch expected. Tuesday night will see rain, potentially heavy, with a low of 56, south wind at 6 to 10 mph, and a 100% chance of precipitation, with half to three-quarters of an inch possible.
