Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 41 and a breezy northwest wind ranging from 14 to 22 mph, gusting up to 37 mph. The night will be clear, with temperatures dropping to around 27 and the northwest wind easing to 6 to 10 mph.
While people around the region have been discussing the proposal to move the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards to a new Potomac Yard arena, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Stephanie Landrum said one of the most popular questions she’s been getting from Alexandrians is “What will happen to the Target?”
The Target (3101 Richmond Highway) at Potomac Yard was controversial back when it opened, according to a Washington Post article from 1997.
Tatte Bakery & Cafe is opening on Jan. 24 at 515 King Street, staff tell ALXnow.
A sign that the restaurant will open in winter 2024 was recently posted outside a main window. Staff inside the confirmed that it will open on Wednesday, Jan. 24.
A disabled 18-wheeler truck is blocking northbound traffic on Richmond Highway in Alexandria.
A KeHE truck was disabled near the top of the bridge by Slaters Lane on Richmond Highway.
A culinary staple is closing its doors this week after nearly 30 years in Old Town.
The outside signage of Faccia Luna (823 S. Washington Street) has been taken down, and customers have been handed a note that says the following:
With WMATA announcing potentially drastic cuts to the Metro system, some Alexandria leaders are saying the Potomac Yard arena announcement can be leveraged to get Virginia to pony up more support.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, last week Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin took to the stage with local leaders and Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis to announce plans to build a new arena in Potomac Yard.
With two City Council members throwing their hats into the ring to become Alexandria’s next mayor, there will be at least two new faces on the Council next year: James Lewis wants to be one of them.
Lewis, chair of the Traffic and Parking Board, previously ran for City Council in 2021.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Expect rain until 1pm followed by a slight chance of showers after 4pm. Morning clouds will gradually clear with a high of 53°F. Strong northwest winds, 23-29 mph, may gust up to 46 mph. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation and potential for a tenth to a quarter-inch. For Monday night, rain showers are possible before 10pm, turning to rain and snow showers after 1am with a 30% chance. Partly cloudy conditions will persist, with a low of 33°F and west winds at 9-13 mph.
A minor male Alexandria City High School student suffered a suspected non-fatal overdose at the King Street campus on Thursday, according to Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt.
Kay-Wyatt notified parents and staff of the incident in an email at 8:41 p.m. The Alexandria Fire Department responded to a call for a possible overdose at the school a little before 9:15 a.m., according to AFD. The student was transported to the hospital.
WMATA is having a pretty tough week, with bus lines on the chopping block and ten stations facing possible closure — including, awkwardly, the new Potomac Yard Metro station that’s a central part of plans for a new arena.
To make matters worse, it comes on the 40th birthday of three Alexandria Yellow Line stations.
Updated at 2:45 p.m. New posters are lampooning the recent announcement that the Washington Capitals and Wizards are moving to Potomac Yard by demanding one more thing — for the Washington Commanders to also move to the neighborhood.
“BUILD THE STADIUM COMPLEX,” headlines the five posters, which say, “We must act fast! This mega complex will be suitable for (football, basketball and hockey stick emojis) and T Swift concerts. The streets of Del Ray will become sanctuary for riotous celebrations of multiple championships. We must not lose out to suburban Maryland!! Let’s make our suburb great again!”
