Alexandria’s been expanding its bike infrastructure and next week’s Bike to Work Day could be a perfect opportunity to check that out.
Bike to Work Day is an annual tradition encouraging locals to ride a bike to their offices. This year, Bike to Work Day is on Friday, May 17.
The Portside in Old Town Summer Festival will return to Waterfront Park (1A Prince Street) next month.
The two-day free festival features a mix of live music, art and historical activities, and more. The event is put together by Visit Alexandria and the Office of the Arts.
Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms, with showers becoming more likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 8am. The day will be mostly cloudy with a high near 76, and a light northeast wind turning east at 5 to 9 mph in the morning. The chance of precipitation is 70%, with new rainfall amounts totaling less than a tenth of an inch, but higher in thunderstorms. Thursday night, there’s a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, remaining mostly cloudy with a low around 58, and an east wind at 5 to 10 mph.
(Updated at 4 p.m.) Alexandria succeeded in its bid today to dismiss a case filed by residents furious with a citywide zoning overhaul that allows developers to build homes with up to four units on any property, but residents will get a chance to try again in a month.
The Coalition for a Livable Alexandria and residents Phylius Burks, Joyce Pastore, William Corin, David and Meghan Rainey, Joshua and Maria Carias Porto, Jimm Roberts and John E. Craig have so far spent about $30,000 in legal fees in their efforts to get the circuit court to reverse City Council’s Dec. 2023 decision on the Zoning for Housing/Housing for All package.
Alexandria’s history with racially restrictive covenants was a major topic during the Zoning for Housing/Housing for All debate last year, and a new interactive map shows the location of those covenants around Alexandria and surrounding localities.
ARLnow reported that the new interactive map comes from researchers at Marymount University. Many of the covenants listed on the map exclude “any person not of the Caucasian race.”
This weekend Evelyn Chumbow, the director of the Human Trafficking Legal Center and a survivor of child labor trafficking, will lead a discussion at the Alexandria library on the ongoing work to end modern-day slavery.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to noon at the Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library (4701 Seminary Road).
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.
