A 40-year-old Alexandria man has been charged with the Dec. 7 murder of a woman in the West End.
David Cunningham was charged with the second degree murder of 23-year-old Melia Jones in her apartment in the unit block of South Van Dorn Street. Police have not released how she was killed, and said that Cunningham is being held without bond in the Alexandria jail.
It will take three-to-five years for Alexandria to economically work its way out of the pandemic, according to the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP).
That’s according to a recently released Alexandria State Of The Market 2021 Mid-year Report, in which AEDP outlined business trends and impacts.
Alexandria police are trying to determine what led to a bizarre attack last night during the frigid temps that left several persons injured including the perpetrator who was last reported in critical condition.
It started just before 10:50 p.m. in The Shops at Mark Center (1458 N Beauregard Street) on North Beauregard Street at Reading Avenue. That’s where police received calls for help reporting that a man with a hammer entered the CVS and attacked several employees before he headed for the nearby McDonald’s.
Restore Hyper Wellness opening in Alexandria — “Cryotherapy, Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, IV Drips among offerings for health and wellness.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Virginia bill targets admissions systems at Governor’s Schools with possible repercussions for TJ High — “A Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill that would bar Virginia’s Governor’s Schools from considering race in admissions — a piece of legislation some see as a direct assault on recent changes to the admissions process at prestigious magnet school Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.” [Washington Post]
Late night/early morning drivers planning to cross the Woodrow Wilson Bridge tonight might want to plan an alternate route.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said on Twitter that bridge openings are planned for 11 p.m.-4 a.m. tonight (Tuesday) through Wednesday morning.
(Updated 11:50 p.m.) Alexandria will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a virtual program on Friday, Jan. 14. It’s the 49th annual celebration commemorating the civil rights leader, and speakers will include U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, Mayor Justin Wilson and retired City Councilwoman Del Pepper.
Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — a national holiday all across the country — and Alexandria has recognized the fallen civil rights leader every year since 1973.
As a symbol, the Jones Point Lighthouse represents Alexandria’s legacy as a port city. But as a building, it’s in rough shape.
The wooden lighthouse is described by the National Park Service website as “one of the last riverine lighthouses in the country,” as well as a “focal point of Jones Point Park and a clue to the area’s history as a busy commercial center and naval base.” But the building itself is in rough shape. Grime coats the outside of the structure and there’s visible damage to parts of the building. The interior is unfinished, so visitors aren’t allowed inside due to safety concerns.
The Alexandria City Council will likely extend the city’s state of emergency from the end of January to June 30, 2022. Tuesday night’s (Jan. 11) vote will be the fifth extension of the declaration since the pandemic began in March 2020.
The declaration, which was first approved by Council in March 2020, has been continually updated, and finds that “the emergency continues to exist and will exist into the future.”
(Updated 1/12) The Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA) is officially opening its new Potomac Yard headquarters (730 East Glebe Road) later this month, marking one of the first new office arrivals brought by the promise of the nearby Metro station.
The IDA opening would have been around the same timeframe as the Potomac Yard Metro station’s originally scheduled opening just a block or two away, but that’s been pushed back to sometime this fall. The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 25.
Police capture suspect after one killed, another injured in Hybla Valley shooting — “Police are still trying to determine what provoked a man to shoot and kill one man and injure another early Saturday evening in Hybla Valley.” [FFXnow]
‘Held Hostage by VDOT’ in Alexandria — “Locals among those stranded on I-95 during snowstorm.” [Alexandria Gazette]
(Updated at noon, Jan. 12) In the midst of declining enrollment, Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. wants to give all ACPS employees a raise.
That’s the gist of Hutchings’ $346 million fiscal year 2022 Combined Funds Budget, which he presented to the School Board last Thursday night (Jan. 6). The proposal is a nearly 4% increase over last year’s budget, and asks for approximately $248.7 million from the city. The City Council ultimately provides ACPS with 80% of its operating fund.
