Charles Barrett Elementary School in Arlandria evacuated earlier today due to smoke in the building, according to scanner traffic.
Around 11:26 a.m., the school was evacuated due to reports of smoke in the building. Around noon, the school was cleared for students to return to classes.
Alexandria’s City Hall and Market Square (301 King Street) will be illuminated by purple lights this weekend in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day.
The lights will go on from Saturday, Aug. 29, until Sunday morning, Sept. 1, and the city says that the information on local overdoses and their impact on the Alexandria community will be displayed in the light show.
Last year saw the highest DASH ridership in the bus service’s history. This year, DASH beat its own record.
DASH said on Twitter that the final ridership figure for FY 2024 was 5.3 million, up from 4.5 million last year, which in turn beat the network’s record of 4.3 million in 2015.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect a mostly sunny day with a high near 92 and light, variable winds. Tuesday night will be partly cloudy with a low around 74 and a gentle 5 mph south wind.
The TideLock development in Old Town North will return to the Planning Commission next week for some alterations to the planned project.
The plan is to replace office buildings at the site with residential buildings, a mix of condominiums and multi-family rental.
Chalk artists will be turning Old Town North sidewalks and parking lots into a canvas next month for “Chalk-A-Block”.
The event is hosted by the Old Town North Alliance and is scheduled for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29.
Alexandria residents fighting the city’s massive Zoning for Housing/Housing for All overhaul won a battle in court today, as Judge David S. Schell ruled their case has standing and can go to trial.
The plaintiffs, all Old Town residents, have been fighting to reverse the zoning changes since they were approved by City Council in Dec. 2023. While initial efforts were dismissed in court, their amended filing specified how their individual properties would be harmed as a result.
Del Ray residents did not couch their feelings about losing a neighborhood park to JD Vance’s Secret Service protection.
The City of Alexandria announced last week that, at the request of the Secret Service, it would be closing Jude Lowe Neighborhood Park in Del Ray “until further notice.” The unit block of E. Del Ray Avenue between Commonwealth Avenue and Clyde Avenue is also restricted to resident traffic only and there will be no on-street parking on the east side of the 2200 block of Commonwealth Avenue.
One way or another, Lauren Fisher is sticking around Del Ray.
Fisher started her first one-year term as president of the Del Ray Business Association (DRBA) at the height of the pandemic in 2021. Since then she’s rebuilt the association’s offerings, with virtual and distance-related neighborhood events transitioning back to in-person get-togethers. Those live in-person events include monthly first Thursday neighborhood parties on Mount Vernon Avenue, bar crawls, contests, farmer’s markets, a Halloween parade and festivals that bring tens of thousands of people to the neighborhood.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Showers and thunderstorms possible after 2pm, mostly sunny, high near 91, and winds shifting from southwest to northwest at 5-8 mph. Tonight, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms mainly before 8pm, with skies clearing to partly cloudy, low around 71, and calming west winds.
It’s been another busy week in Alexandria.
In case you missed the Cousins Maine Lobster in Alexandria this week, by the way, you can catch it again at the Alexandria Greenstreet Gardens at 1721 W. Braddock Road near the Bradlee Shopping Center and Alexandria City High School on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
