Alexandria’s annual budget process wrapped up this week with a $839.2 million fiscal year 2023 budget approval and special tax relief for car owners.
Meanwhile, an uptick in opioid overdoses among children has Alexandria City Public Schools considering adding Narcan to schools and city officials issuing warnings about counterfeit Percocet.
A 16-year-old male was beaten up and robbed by a gang of five teenagers in the Bradlee Shopping Center on (Thursday) April 28, according to Alexandria Police.
The victim was jumped and robbed of cash by a gang of five male juveniles. The incident occurred at around 3 p.m. as the victim walked on the sidewalk between 3672 and 3676 King Street in the shopping center, according to police.
Alexandria police responded to the sounds of gunfire found a man shot early this morning.
The shooting happened during a suspected robbery just after 1 a.m. behind the shopping center in the 600 block of South Pickett Street in the Landmark area.
Alexandria man cited bringing knives to airport — “Bringing a large stash of knives to the airport probably wasn’t the sharpest idea, in retrospect.” [ARLnow]
It’s Friday — Rain throughout the day. High of 64 and low of 57. Sunrise at 6:06 am and sunset at 8:07 pm. [Weather.gov]
Alexandria Police do no suspect foul play behind a sudden death last week in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood.
On April 27 (Wednesday), a 55-year-old man was found dead in the doorway of a building in the 3900 block of Mount Vernon Avenue at around 6:45 a.m. The area from Executive Avenue to Russell Road was temporarily shut down while police investigated.
After the idea was floated by Mayor Justin Wilson a month ago, proposed tax relief for car owners was approved as part of the city budget last night (Wednesday).
The one-time measure is intended to keep the vehicle tax from skyrocketing after vehicle values were estimated to increase by 26% for around 87% of cars in the city. For comparison, the tax base increased by only 5% for 15% of vehicles the previous year.
(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) The Alexandria City Council unanimously adopted City Manager Jim Parajon’s $839.2 million fiscal year 2023 budget on Wednesday night (May 4), and despite giving all city employees raises, Mayor Justin Wilson says inflation will likely mean more raises in future budgets.
“We’re staring into a significant inflationary environment that pinches our employees very hard, just like it pinches everyone hard,” Wilson said. “We’re going to have to continue to have this conversation every year about how we make sure we invest in the level of compensation and benefits required to not only attract but retain the best and the brightest in the city.”
Senior mastiff mix Brown spent the last 13 years perfecting the art of snuggling, and he can’t wait to show off his skills.
The light brown-colored male mastiff mix is up for adoption with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
The Alexandria Police Department and city officials are warning locals about an uptick in overdoses linked to pills laced with fentanyl.
“City of Alexandria officials warn the community about a recent spike in suspected fentanyl-related overdoses, especially in school-aged youth who report using a ‘little blue pill’ they believed was Percocet,” the city said in a release. “Illicit drugs are often laced with fentanyl, an inexpensive substitute that is up to 100 times more potent than morphine and can be deadly.”
Parklet planned for Mt. Vernon Plaza — “The shopping center along Richmond Highway will gain a 3,200-square-foot space with seating, green space and other features.” [Patch]
It’s Thursday — Possible light rain overnight. High of 67 and low of 57. Sunrise at 6:07 am and sunset at 8:06 pm. [Weather.gov]
A new redevelopment project that could bring hundreds of new affordable housing units to the Braddock neighborhood is headed to city and public review throughout this month.
The mixed-use redevelopment of Samuel Madden Homes in Braddock is scheduled for a pair of community meetings next week followed by a review at the Board of Architectural Review in two weeks.
