As part of a yearly look at the city’s long-term plans, city staff says plans for the West End are in dire need of an update.
A memo prepared by Director of Planning Karl Moritz said the city’s West End plans are out of date by a couple decades. The memo is part of a plan update scheduled for review at the Tuesday, June 7 Planning Commission meeting (Item 7).
Jack Kilby is nearly out of fliers. There’s been a stack of them sitting on a barstool in front of his home recording studio in Del Ray for the last couple weeks promoting an upcoming outdoor concert in his back yard this Saturday night.
On Saturday, June 4, Crab Shack Live at 211 E Oxford Avenue is offering dinner, drinks and live music from 6 to 10 p.m. There will be three 45 minute sets featuring Sam C. Jones and the Sinners, Eliza Harrison Smith and Micah Robinson. There’s a $20 cover for music lovers ages 21 and over, and it’s $15 for everyone else.
May has been the second worst month for new Covid cases this year, with 2,900 cases reported. That’s a 94% increase over the 1,488 cases reported last month.
As of Tuesday (May 31), the total number of reported cases reached 34,505, with 189 deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Health. That’s an increase of 741 cases since this time last week, with the seven-day average of new cases now at 105.9, down from 199.4 last week, but still higher than the 78.6 at the beginning of the month.
Alexandria City High School (ACHS) will have a modified schedule this week as the school’s community reels from the killing of a student last week at a nearby shopping center.
Principal Peter Balas said in a message to the community that the school will have virtual asynchronous learning and SOL exams. ACHS staff will be in classrooms providing virtual instruction and will be available to proctor exams and be available to any student in need of social-emotional support or socialization.
PlantHouse opens in Old Town — “PlantHouse will open at 921 N St. Asaph St. and will offer premium houseplants and ceramics, plus the opportunity to build a terrarium in their do-it-yourself and workshop space.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
It’s Tuesday — Humid throughout the day. High of 91 and low of 72. Sunrise at 5:47 am and sunset at 8:28 pm. [Weather.gov]
The big story in Alexandria this week was the murder of Luis Mejia Hernandez on Tuesday.
Hernandez was stabbed and killed in a brawl outside of the Mcdonald’s in the Bradlee Shopping Center.
After a Sunday storm that knocked out power to much of the city, some locals suggested Dominion Energy look into undergrounding more of its utilities, but the power company says costs and other factors keep that from being a viable option on a city-wide scale.
Alan Bradshaw, vice president of strategic partnerships for Dominion Energy, said commissioned studies found the cost of undergrounding all utilities to be “outlandish.”
A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Alexandria and the city is starting to see heavy rainfall.
The city is also under an areal flood watch.
(Updated 2:30 p.m.) Friends of Luis Mejia Hernandez say he didn’t have to die.
More than a dozen of the Alexandria City High School senior’s friends paid tribute to him on Thursday night (May 26) with a candlelight vigil at the spot in the Bradlee Center parking lot where he was fatally stabbed on Tuesday afternoon. Many of them witnessed the fight, and say that police didn’t do enough to prevent the death.
Terrarium and plants store opening in Old Town — “A plant store with terrarium building workshops will hold its grand opening in Old Town Alexandria during Memorial Day weekend.” [Patch]
It’s Friday — Rain throughout the day. High of 73 and low of 67. Sunrise at 5:49 am and sunset at 8:25 pm. [Weather.gov]
The long-awaited Freedom House Museum had a preview event today (Thursday) ahead of the museum’s full opening tomorrow (Friday, May 27).
The museum turns the Franklin and Armfield Office, once a complex devoted to trafficking thousands of Black men, women and children between 1828 and 1861, into a three-floor set of exhibits dedicated to exploring the lives and legacies of the enslaved people who passed through the city.
