Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunny skies and a high of 54 degrees today, accompanied by breezy conditions as southwest winds of 11-16 mph increase to 18-23 mph in the afternoon with gusts up to 46 mph. Tonight, enjoy mostly clear skies with a low of 30 degrees, as northwest winds of 7-13 mph shift to the southwest in the evening, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
A new tool launched by the City of Alexandria will help locals access some of the city’s fascinating historical markers virtually
Some markers not items of historic significance, like the Marshall House where Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth was murdered in one of the events building up to the Civil War. Others are more fantastical, like the spot in Old Town North that was reportedly home to one of Alexandria’s local cryptids: the infamous Goosepigs.
Last night the Trump administration announced a halt on federal grants and loans, a move 8th district Rep. Don Beyer called “blatantly illegal and unconstitutional.”
The White House clarified that the new order would “clamp down on foreign aid and funding for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. Washington Post reported that states have had issues accessing Medicaid and Head Start funding.
The Alexandria City Council disapproved a plan to reconfigure the city’s Independent Community Policing Review Board (ICPRB).
On Saturday, Council unanimously reversed a November 2024 decision that would have dramatically altered the rules and authority of the board and eliminated its subpoena power. The decision was made after considerable pushback during the public hearing, including from the ICPRB chair and vice chair, who are unhappy with the proposal.
Update 1/29: A memo rescinding telework and remote work specifically notes that it does not apply to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
A new executive order mandating federal employees end telework and return to offices could be a boon to the local markets, though a local expert warned not to expect a return to the pre-Covid office market.
With President Donald Trump removing restrictions preventing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from raiding schools, Alexandria Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt laid out the ways Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) are protected from ICE but also exceptions families should be aware of.
The message comes after a full-throated rebuke of ICE activities at school to the fullest extent allowable by law by Fairfax County Public Schools leadership. Kay-Wyatt’s message similarly noted that the schools can help shield children to an extent, but reaffirmed that ACPS “is obligated to comply with all lawful orders and warrants from any law enforcement entity, including ICE.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunny skies and a high around 50 degrees during the day, accompanied by breezy northwest winds at 7-12 mph, increasing to 15-20 mph in the afternoon, with potential gusts up to 34 mph. For Tuesday night, partly cloudy conditions will persist, with a low of 32 degrees. The light and variable wind will become southwest at 5-9 mph after midnight.
George Washington’s cherry-filled past will be celebrated this month with the second annual GW Cherry Challenge.
The challenge is sponsored by George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate and requires participating venues to create the best “cherry-oriented appetizer, entrée, beverage, or dessert,” according to organizers.
Three teenagers have charged in the fatal shooting of Alexandria resident Kwakia Frazier and wounding two others, the Alexandria Police Department announced today.
A 16-year-old and two 17-year-old suspects have each been charged with murder by mob and two counts of malicious wounding by mob.
Japanese restaurant Umiya could be opening in a location previously haunted by a ghost kitchen and the pizza palace that never was.
Umiya Alexandria Inc. filed a permit to open a full service restaurant at 3006 Duke Street, offering Japanese sushi, seafood and grilled food.
Ting Internet, once seen as a possible competitor to the stranglehold of companies like Comcast on Alexandria customers, has told ALXnow it has “temporarily paused fiber deployment” in Alexandria.
Ting Internet was one of two companies, along with Lumos, approved by the City Council to piggyback off broadband internet service cables the City was laying down for a new municipal network. The goal was to offer more competition to Comcast. While Lumos’ Alexandria plans didn’t take off, Ting started offering fiber internet in March 2023 in the Del Ray, Beverly Hills, North Ridge, and Lynhaven.
