After confusion with former employees who questioned the validity of a report of impending closure, the Red Lobster at 555 S. Van Dorn Street is permanently closed.

The international seafood chain revealed in court last month that it would not renew leases at 23 unprofitable locations, and that the Alexandria restaurant was among those that would close on Aug. 31, according to the Washington Business Journal.


Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!

☀️ Today’s weather: Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 80 degrees, accompanied by a gentle northeast wind at 7 mph. As night falls on Thursday, the skies will become mostly cloudy with temperatures dropping to a low of around 63 degrees, with an east wind between 3 and 6 mph.


Alexandria has been talking about much-needed repairs to City Hall for a decade, but that process is set to officially launch this fall with a design process running over a year.

In a release, City Manager James Parajon said a design team, international firm Leo A Daly, will take the lead on the renovation of City Hall. Alexandria firms Rust Orling Architecture and LandDesign will tackle the redesign of Market Square.


Campagna Center, an Alexandria non-profit that helps local children and families, will be hosting a celebration showcasing Alexandria’s diverse cultures with the help of some grant funding from another local nonprofit.

Campagna Center is hosting Welcoming Week 2024 on Sunday, Sept. 15, at its headquarters at 418 S. Washington Street. The event will be funded, in part, via a $2,000 grant from fellow nonprofit ACT for Alexandria.


Independent City Council Candidate Mason Butler announced he will be formally kicking off his campaign on Monday, Sept. 9.

Butler is one of a handful of underdog candidates, including independent Roy Byrd and Republican Celianna Gunderson, going up against the Democratic slate chosen in a primary in June.


Alexandria is offering low-income residents with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) a chance to clean up the air quality in their homes for free.

The program, which launched last year, is part of the city’s Healthy Homes initiative. Eligible applicants will get a number of home visits from the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) to make a plan for healthier air.


When people say “they don’t make them like they used to,” these classic cars are what they’re talking about.

The Classic Car Show returning to The Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street) this month focused on orphan cars: cars that are no longer manufactured, many of them by extinct car companies.


Alexandria has experienced a summer surge in cases of COVID-19, and the health department is asking residents to remember the fundamentals of washing their hands and covering their sneezes.

There were 898 confirmed new cases (and no deaths) in the last 13 weeks in Alexandria, according to the Virginia Department of Health. That makes up for 30% of the 3,036 confirmed cases (and seven deaths) over the past year.


On the eve of an annual report on the city’s economy from the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, ALXnow sat down with AEDP CEO Stephanie Landrum to discuss the future of development in three areas of the city: Carlyle, Potomac Yard and Old Town North, and the Landmark-Van Dorn corridor. These will be broken up into a multi-part series covering each location.

As the City of Alexandria gears up for the Landmark redevelopment, the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) is working to try and ensure nearby local restaurants and small businesses aren’t pushed out.


Douglas Development defaulted on a $51.7 million loan last month, and three of the 15 properties the company used as collateral are in Old Town.

The balance on the 2014 loan was not paid by the Aug. 1 deadline, according to loan documents found by the Washington Business Journal.


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