Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School in the Rosemont neighborhood remains closed today (Monday) after being closed last week due to a lead exposure incident at the school.
Principal Suzanne Hess sent a letter to the school’s community last Thursday saying contractors at the school for window replacement work discovered lead in two classrooms.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
Today’s weather: Expect showers to begin mainly after 2pm with a high temperature near 70 and a northeast wind around 10 mph. The probability of rainfall is 90%, with new amounts potentially less than a tenth of an inch. For Monday night, showers will continue with a low temperature around 63, a constant northeast wind at 10 mph, and an 80% chance of precipitation. Again, new rainfall amounts may be less than a tenth of an inch.
The Alexandria Police Department confirmed two men in their car at the intersection of N. Fayette and Wythe Streets were shot in their car just before 2 a.m.
Witnesses told police they heard what sounded like automatic gunfire, according to the police scanner.
This week started off with threats against Alexandria City Public Schools on Monday. Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said the threats were being circulated and reported second-hand, without references to any specific Alexandria schools.
A threat briefly put Alexandria City High School on lockdown on Monday and the Alexandria Police Department (APD) remained at the school the rest of the day. APD said later that the reports of threats against local schools were likely hoaxes.
Circuit Court Judge David S. Schell, who is also set to rule on Alexandria’s Zoning for Housing/Housing for All litigation, overturned neighboring Arlington’s Missing Middle zoning changes today.
The Missing Middle and Zoning for Housing reforms were both substantial zoning reforms that, among other changes, eliminated single-family-only zoning. As a group of Alexandrians have been filing suit against the City, locals have been watching the Arlington case as a weather vane.
With visitation revenue at an all-time high, Alexandria’s tourism bureau forecasts an “ambitious” agenda for fiscal year 2025.
On Thursday, Visit Alexandria reported an 18% increase (to $941 million) in tourism spending in FY 2024. The city also saw $86 million in consumption tax revenues from sales, meals and lodging, a 6% increase. The largest consumption increase was in lodging, rising from $3 million during the pandemic to $15 million last year.
Traffic slowed on Route 1 this morning for a crash involving an Alexandria Police Department (APD) cruiser on N. Patrick Street.
The crash occurred around 10:27 a.m. As of 11:20 a.m., the right lane of northbound traffic on N. Patrick Street was blocked and the eastbound lanes on Wythe Street were closed.
Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
Today’s weather: Expect showers and potential thunderstorms after 5pm, with a cloudy high of 76°F. East winds at 6-11 mph and gusts up to 23 mph. 60% precipitation chance, with rainfall below a tenth of an inch. Moving into Friday night, showers and thunderstorms are anticipated before 11pm, followed by likely showers between 11pm and 2am, and again potential thunderstorms after 2am. The low will be around 71°F with east winds at 6-13 mph and gusts up to 22 mph. Precipitation chances increase to 80%, with rainfall between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, potentially higher in thunderstorms.
Three years after purchasing the building, Mudhouse Coffee Roasters could finally be moving into 1119 King Street.
The owner filed a new special use permit this week to renovate the existing retail/mercantile space into use as a coffee shop. The shop will have 20-25 maximum patrons, according to the permit.
The battle over Judy Lowe Park’s closure exposed a divide between vice presidential candidate JD Vance and many of his more liberal neighbors, but Vance isn’t the first Trump affiliated person to live in the Del Ray neighborhood.
At an event today (Thursday) for Republicans speaking out against former President Donald Trump, Olivia Troye, former top aide to Mike Pence, spoke to ALXnow about her experience living in the liberal enclave while working in the Trump administration.
Hundreds of students at Mount Vernon Community School got free books and a surprise visit from the Washington Commanders.
Former Commanders cornerback Fred Smoot and wide receiver Josh Morgan (who played back when the team was still the Redskins) were joined at the event by Commanders cheerleaders and mascot Major Tuddy in energizing the kids, and handed out the books.
