Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!

Today’s weather: Passing showers. Overcast. Cool. High of 54 and low of 43.
Tomorrow: Passing showers. Cloudy. Cool. High of 54 and low of 43. Sunrise at 6:08 am and sunset at 8:01 pm.


(Updated 5:30 p.m.) A 45-year-old Fairfax County man was sentenced to 10 years in prison last Thursday for a 2022 crash on Duke Street that killed a Fairfax County man and injured four others.

Carlos Kami Adar McKethan pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs in connection with the death of 39-year-old Bizuayehu Bulti on the night of Feb. 22, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.


A new city facility occasionally called West End City Hall had an official ribbon cutting last week that honored the building’s namesake: longtime City Council member Del Pepper.

The building at 4850 Mark Center Drive is a hub for several city services like the Department of Community and Human Services, the Alexandria Health Department, a permit center and more.


No one was injured and no arrests have been made after shots were fired in the 6200 block of Duke Street on Sunday morning.

Alexandria Police were dispatched at around 10:30 a.m. to the area near the Landmark Mall site after a driver called in the incident. The caller reportedly told police that the suspect was a male wearing all-black clothing and black sneakers with white soles.


This week, Alexandria officials dove in on several major issues around town, from responding to crime to dealing with declining school enrollment.

In the same week as Alexandria saw more high-profile crimes — an armed robbery and armed carjacking — Alexandria Police Department Assistant Chief Easton McDonald said the department will be increasing its presence in high-crime areas, having weekly walks through neighborhoods where major crimes are occurring, and organizing more community cook-outs.


Alexandria’s drinking water has an “actionable” level of Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), and the City Council just endorsed a plan to help clean it up.

The long-lasting substances, also known as “forever chemicals,” are hard to break down and pollute Alexandria’s drinking water to an “actionable” degree, Mayor Justin Wilson wrote in a letter unanimously supported by Council. PFAS are proven to weaken immune response, increase cancer risk and liver damage, and pose a risk to pregnant women and their babies.


After years of struggling with terrible traffic and frequent crashes, recent changes to West Taylor Run Parkway have had a substantial impact on the trouble street’s residents.

Alexandria city staff are recommending that a Duke Street Traffic Mitigation pilot — which redirects traffic flow onto Duke Street and off of “cut-through” streets winding through nearby neighborhoods — be made permanent.


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