Black History Month kicks off next week and events around Alexandria throughout February will explore, commemorate and celebrate Black history in the city.
One of the biggest new additions is the “African American Waterfront Heritage Trail” running along the waterfront.
In a City Council meeting earlier this week, City Council member Kirk McPike reported that portions of the Holmes Run Trail won’t be fixed until 2026 — eight years after they were damaged by a storm.
In 2022, Mayor Justin Wilson said it was frustrating that some of the final pieces of the recovery wouldn’t be finished until 2024. The new timeline places final repairs two years later.
Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Expect rain and fog with a high near 61 and southwest winds of 5 to 8 mph. Precipitation has an 80% chance with amounts ranging between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. For Thursday night, rain is likely, along with possible thunderstorms after 4 am, but primarily cloudy and areas of fog will persist. Temperatures will drop to around 55 with south winds of 5 to 7 mph. A 70% chance of precipitation remains, with similar totals, but potentially higher amounts during thunderstorms.
The Alexandria Fire Department (AFD) said a massive fire earlier this month on Wheeler Lane caused an estimated $5 million in damages.
In a release, AFD said the fire was “accidental and electrical in nature”. The fire caused $1.5 million in structural damage with an estimated $3.5 million in damage to the contents of the businesses in those buildings.
A 25-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly shooting an adult male in the face with a BB gun on Monday night inside a hotel in the 5000 block of Seminary Road.
Police said that the victim sustained a non-life-threatening wound after getting shot with a BB gun at around 11:30 p.m. and was transported to a local hospital. The victim called 911 and told police that he was shot in the face by a coworker, according to the police scanner.
(Updated 3 p.m.) The Alexandria Police Department evacuated students and staff from Charles Barrett Elementary School (1115 Martha Custis Drive) earlier today and Cora Kelly has gone into lockdown after threats to the schools.
Police said a report came in of a weapons violation at Charles Barrett around 12:05 p.m., according to the scanner. The scanner indicated that a man was making threats to shoot at the school, targeting a teacher, and that a ‘device’ was placed in the school. At 3 p.m., APD said no threat was found at Charles Barrett Elementary School.
Jack Fisk, an acclaimed film production designer and former Francis C. Hammond High School student, has been nominated for best production design at this year’s Oscars for his work on Killers of the Flower Moon.
Fisk was born in Illinois but the Washington Business Journal noted that Fisk graduated Francis C. Hammond High School in 1964, where he went to school with filmmaker David Lynch. Francis C. Hammond became a junior high school in 1979 and a middle school in 1993.
If you need a break from those harsh winter conditions, Del Ray’s seasonal popup bar will resemble a ski lodge in Aspen, Colorado, when it opens early next month.
“Aspen On The Avenue” is the latest effort from Homegrown Restaurant Group owners Bill Blackburn and “Mango” Mike Anderson. The bar and restaurant is being outfitted with skis on the walls, fake fireplaces and more.
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Sprinkles are possible before 3pm, followed by a slight chance of rain and patchy fog after 9am. Expect cloudy skies with a high near 47 and a southeast wind at 3-5 mph. There is a 20% chance of precipitation. Wednesday night, rain is likely after 1am, accompanied by patchy fog. Cloudy conditions will continue, with temperatures rising to 52 by 4am and south winds at 6-8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%, with less than a tenth of an inch of new precipitation possible.
At a meeting this weekend, Alexandria’s City Council unanimously approved an affordable housing redevelopment for seniors despite pushback from neighbors.
While many projects in Old Town come under fire from neighbors for being too tall, the Ladrey redevelopment is creating a shorter building but one more spread out across 600 N. Fairfax Street.
Update at 3:35 p.m. — The Interstellar Influencer commemorates the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, not the Chicxulub crater 35 million years earlier that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs
Earlier: The asteroid collision 35 million years ago will be the latest public art at Alexandria’s Waterfront Park.
