Inova Alexandria Hospital is currently a 318-bed community hospital. Once it opens its new hospital in Landmark in 2028, it’ll be a 192-bed hospital.
At a City Council meeting last week, Councilwoman Alyia Gaskins raised concerns from the community about the loss of beds in the new development. Dr. Rina Bansal, president of Inova Alexandria Hospital, said the decrease in beds is part of making services more efficient.
Alexandria’s 29th annual First Night celebration is just around the corner. Here’s what you need to know before the family-friendly event.
First Night runs from 2 p.m. until the fireworks show at midnight at the waterfront on Sunday, Dec. 31.
Santa Claus will visit Alexandria for some waterskiing on the Potomac River on Christmas Eve (Sunday, Dec. 24), just hours before taking his round-the-world trip to deliver presents.
You can catch Santa at around 12:45 p.m. traveling up and down the Potomac, and rumor has it that the Grinch will try to steal the show with an appearance.
You’re probably sick of hearing this, but: Alexandria is a great place to spend the holidays.
Yet another online list ranked Alexandria at the top of “23 US Cities That Go All Out for Christmas,” this one from Condé Nast Traveler.
Grinches be warned, the King Street Trolley through Old Town will be more festive than usual this Friday.
DASH said this Friday, trolley 405 will feature musical performances by Alexandria City High School (ACHS) students.
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunshine and a high of around 46 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 5 to 9 mph. As the night approaches, the sky will remain mostly clear with temperatures lowering to around 31 degrees, while the northwest wind continues at about 6 mph.
A task force recommended to the City Council at a meeting last week that the Torpedo Factory Art Center (TFAC) be converted (item 9) to a “quasi-public entity.”
According to a presentation, the task force said:
Get your palate ready, because Restaurant Week is returning this winter to more than 70 Alexandria eateries.
The bi-annual event will be held from Jan. 19 to 28 in neighborhood restaurants throughout the city, which will offer $30, $40, or $50 in-person dinners for one.
A new Change.org petition opposing the new Washington Wizards/Capitals arena at Potomac Yard is slowly gaining steam.
Last week, Ted Leonsis, the CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment and owner of both teams, announced the move alongside Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson. The $2 billion proposal would mean a new entertainment district for the area, which critics say will worsen traffic and decrease property values.
Alexandria is seeing an uptick in contractors striking gas lines, partly thanks to outdated utility maps.
At a meeting of the Alexandria Local Emergency Planning Committee (full disclosure, this reporter served on the committee) last week, Fire Marshal Russell Furr said there is a “higher than normal number of gas lines being struck.”
Police were investigating reports of shots fired at a McDonald’s on Van Dorn Street early this morning.
Scanner traffic indicated that shots were fired at the McDonald’s drive-thru at 505 S. Van Dorn Street sometime around 4 a.m.
