This one will be niche, even for ALXnow readers, but: a new update to Microsoft Flight Simulator has included a much needed visual upgrade for Alexandria.
The game, which allows armchair pilots to visit any location on the planet, previously had a very barebones version of Alexandria, with little more than square blocks to denote local buildings.
An upcoming rock concert in Del Ray later this month will help raise funding for scholarships and other assistance to help young students attend a local music school.
The Rock Del Ray concert on Sunday, July 28, will benefit the nonprofit Friends of ROAM, which provides need-based scholarships to Rock of Ages Music, a music school at 114 E. Del Ray Avenue.
The Tall Ship Providence Foundation will soon be floating an expansion plan past the Alexandria Planning Commission. The proposal would add outdoor dining with alcohol and live entertainment to its offerings along the waterfront.
The proposal by the nonprofit to amend its special use permit would expand its current footprint along the Potomac River at Waterfront Park to accommodate a portable bar, 78 seats, and an area for live music performers.
Fresh from her primary win on June 18, Alexandria’s presumptive mayor says she is starting to form a transition team and will continue campaigning until the Nov. 5 election to get the Democratic slate of six candidates elected to Alexandria’s City Council.
City Council Member Alyia Gaskins took a few days off after defeating Vice Mayor Amy Jackson and retired real estate developer Steven Peterson on June 18. She and her husband and two kids went back home to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for four days.
Del Ray restaurant Junction Bakery & Bistro (1508 Mount Vernon Avenue) announced the grand opening of its new bar and patio.
The new expansion includes a 750-foot patio addition at the northern end of the restaurant.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Expect isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm, followed by mostly sunny and hot conditions with a high near 98 and heat index values as high as 105. A calm wind will turn south at around 6 mph in the afternoon, with a 20% chance of precipitation. Monday night will be partly cloudy with a low of around 79, and a south wind at 6 mph that turns calm in the evening.
It was Independence Day this week, so ALXnow was off yesterday and has a half-day today, but there was a lot of news in the first half of the week.
The biggest story was the murder-suicide at the Onelife gym in Carlyle. Charles Hewitt, a D.C. man, allegedly entered the gym and shot and killed Maryland man Joshua Wilcox before shooting himself. Both were transported to a hospital, but died from their injuries.
Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Expect showers and thunderstorms after 2pm, with patchy fog clearing by 8am. The day will be partly sunny and hot, reaching a high of 97 and heat index values up to 107, accompanied by a southwest wind at 3-7 mph. Precipitation chances are 40%. For Friday night, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, with mostly cloudy skies and a low of 78. South wind will be around 6 mph.
A woman was pepper sprayed at the Safeway at 500 S. Royal Street on Saturday night (June 29) while attempting to stop two alleged shoplifters.
The Alexandria Police Department said that the 40-year-old victim tried to intervene when two female suspects attempted to leave the store without paying. One of the suspects then sprayed the woman in the face.
The Alexandria City Council upheld the certificate of appropriateness for a contentious development in Old Town after an appeal was filed by residents claiming that it will be an eyesore that destroys the historic nature of the area.
Council voted 6-1 upholding the certificate of appropriateness approved by the Board of Architectural Review in May, with small conditions.
Parking is already in high demand near William Ramsay Elementary School. A change (page 12) coming to the nearby Sanger Avenue could make parking even more scarce, but the tradeoff is making it safer to walk to school.
The plan is to extend the curbs near William Ramsay Elementary School and, in the process, remove three parking spaces. The staff report said that “parking is permitted along Sanger Avenue and there is a high-demand for parking throughout the day.”
