It’s been quite a year for Smoking Kow BBQ.
The nine-year-old barbecue restaurant and food trucks at 3250 Duke Street was sold to a new owner this time last year, and now the owner of the brand wants to expand with locations in Arlington and in Maryland.
Police brought in K9s and helicopter support for the pursuit of a wanted suspect spotted in the Braddock neighborhood, though scanner traffic indicated he ultimately escaped.
Around 12:47 a.m. police stopped a suspect at 1250 Braddock place. The man was wanted on drug and gun charges.
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, followed by a slight chance of showers until 5pm. The sky will transition from cloudy to mostly sunny with a high near 87. South winds at 5 to 13 mph will shift to the west in the afternoon, potentially gusting up to 21 mph. There is a 30% chance of precipitation. Tonight, showers may occur between 11pm and 2am, with possible thunderstorms after 2am. The partly cloudy night will have a low of around 65, and calm west winds around 6 mph. The chance of precipitation increases to 40%.
An upcoming meeting will give locals a chance to weigh in on the city’s plans to make changes to King Street where it runs past the Bradlee Shopping Center.
The city is considering adding bike lanes and an additional sidewalk — none exists on the northern side of the street. A few alternatives are being considered for the service road that runs parallel to King Street, including two-way traffic with transit improvements or one-way traffic with a bus lane.
The Board of Architectural Review (BAR) is most often in the news as a hurdle for local property owners, but the Board had nothing but praise for local restaurant Hard Times at a meeting to discuss upcoming renovations.
Hard Times Cafe is a restaurant on King Street known for its chili, burgers and general American cuisine. The restaurant is planning to temporarily close later this year for a series of internal changes.
A major redevelopment of deteriorating townhomes on upper King Street in Old Town is heading to the Planning Commission.
Dechantal Associates LLC wants to convert the five dilapidated townhouse properties they own at 1604-1614 King Street into 10 residential row houses and an eight-story, 44-unit apartment building with two levels of underground parking. An exterior courtyard would separate the renovated row houses and the new building.
The Office of Historic Alexandria will celebrate Marquis de Lafayette, the acclaimed Hero of Two Worlds, with a concert and lecture marking 200 years since the city first threw its arms open to a hero of both the American and French revolutions.
Lafayette, a French nobleman and military officer, served under George Washington throughout the war and commanded Continental Army troops at the siege of Yorktown. Lafayette was also a prominent voice early in the French revolution, though he was later driven out of the country by more radical factions.
(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) It could’ve been curtains for all those free prom dresses this year at Alexandria City High School.
With the high school’s annual shindig scheduled for May 18, it was a shock for administrators to learn Monday that UNCUT Youth, the organization responsible for providing free prom dresses to dozens of students, had backed out.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Showers and possible thunderstorms after 2pm, with patchy fog clearing by 9am. Mostly cloudy, high near 80, with a calm easterly wind around 5 mph in the afternoon, and a 40% chance of precipitation. Tuesday night, expect mostly cloudy conditions with a low around 65, southeast wind at 3 to 5 mph, and a continued 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Staff raises and market rate adjustments are a few of the proposed highlights after Alexandria City Public Schools got the green light last week by City Council to add $273.03 million to its combined funds budget.
The $14.3 million increase over the current ACPS budget comes at considerable cost to the taxpayer, as last week City Council approved a 2.5-cent tax increase to pay for it and other city services.
(Updated 3:50 p.m.) The results of the Healthy Home Network survey last fall found that the biggest concern for most residents in Alexandria is pests.
The survey was run by the Alexandria Health Department with the goal of identifying issues affecting homes around the city.
