(Updated at 11:30 a.m. on March 22) Not much was taken in an overnight break-in at Lyle’s Crouch Traditional Academy earlier this month, although the suspect gained entry through the roof and no alarms went off.
On Wednesday morning, March 9, staff at the elementary school at 530 S. St. Asaph Street in Old Town called police after finding classrooms vandalized. Parents were not notified of the incident since there is no threat to school safety.
Connecticut-based pizza chain Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana is expanding to Alexandria.
The 97-year-old company plans on opening in early July at 3231 Duke Street in the Alexandria Commons Shopping Center, according to an email to ALXnow.
Northern Virginia is coming together to help Ukrainians struck by war.
Local leaders and community members, organized by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, will launch a donation drive at the Fairfax County Government Center on Wednesday (March 23), collecting items through April 15 to send to refugees in Ukraine and Poland.
Art League Hosts Two Photo Exhibits — “Kathryn Mohrman, a photographer who has documented her travels around the world, presents her exhibit, ‘Women From Around the World.’…The other exhibit, ‘The Photographic Process,’ consists of 18 separate pieces. It was juried by Em White, a fine art photographer and documentarian.” [Zebra]
Classical Movements Plans Concert for Ukraine — “Classical Movements will bring back its concert series at the Rectory at 711 Princess Street this spring season. The spring season opener on March 22 will be the Concert for Ukraine with shows at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.” [Patch]
After right-wing outlet National Review broke a story accusing Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) of covering up a sexual assault case, city leaders are hitting back and saying the story misses some critical details.
The story, which was widely shared on social media, said a 14-year-old suspect was arrested in December for aggravated sexual battery, rape and forcible sodomy in connection to an October incident at the Minnie Howard campus of Alexandria City High School. The article also includes quotes from parents who said they were left in the dark and there was no communication about the issue.
Busy week in Alexandria. The city’s budget process is moving forward, with a maximum tax rate set last week, and details emerging like how the budget will handle the long-awaited body camera program for the Alexandria Police Department. There was also some fun local oddities, like plans to re-sink a couple of the historic ships.
Police also made a pair of relatively high profile arrests: like a man arrested for a shooting in February and another arrested in Texas after allegedly striking Alexandria police officers with his car in an escape attempt last December.
A 20-year-old Washington D.C. man was arrested in Old Town earlier this month for carjacking an Uber driver and her customer.
Raphael G. Snead, Jr. was arrested at his grandmother’s house on March 3 by Alexandria Police in the 700 block of North Fayette Street. He was transferred on March 8 to Montgomery County, where he is currently being held without bond.
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and Congressman Don Beyer (D-8th) took a quick break from work in Washington today (March 18) for a tour of Alexandria Renew Enterprises’ RiverRenew Tunnel Project.
The $454.4 million project will replace Old Town’s combined sewer system to prevent 120 million gallons of combined sewage from flowing into the Potomac River every year. The project is partially funded through a $321 million loan from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and $50 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Three months after he allegedly assaulted Alexandria police officers in the Carlyle neighborhood and fled the scene, Chukwunyere Onuoha has been apprehended in Texas and is awaiting extradition back to Alexandria.
According to a release from APD, on Dec. 27, police responded to a report of an individual in a domestic dispute in the 2400 block of Mandeville Lane, near the Hoffman Town Center. APD said they located Onuoha in the nearby 200 block of Swamp Fox Road.
Alexandria coworking space ALX Community is hosting a fundraising event next week to raise donations for nonprofits assisting Ukrainian refugees.
The fundraiser, “A Night for Ukraine,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 25 at Above ALX (277 South Washington Street). The $25 entrance ticket will go to Community Organized Relief Efforts (CORE), who will supply a family of four with a three-day hygiene kit, which includes soap, hand sanitizer, toothbrushes and other items, along with emergency thermal blankets, the group said.
Alexandrian heads to Europe to help Ukraine — “Twitter connections helped facilitate a trip to eastern Poland to help Ukrainian refugees.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
It’s Friday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 70 and low of 48. Sunrise at 7:16 am and sunset at 7:19 pm. [Weather.gov]
