Fresh from a bout with Covid that left Mayor Justin Wilson isolating in Spain, Wilson’s first virtual town hall of 2022 launched with a discussion of the current situation with COVID-19.
Alexandria has seen record-high levels of confirmed Covid cases thanks to the highly infections omicron variant. Wilson implored locals to swap out the simple cloth masks for more effective N95 or KN 95 masks.
Three men are in custody after allegedly shooting handguns at a parked vehicle in the West End and wounding a bystander on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 9).
The incident occurred at around 3:20 p.m. in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven convenience store at 30 S. South Reynolds Street. The Alexandria Police Department reported that two of the suspect left the store, got into a parked car and then fired shots at another car in the parking lot.
This week, the City Council is docketed (items 27 and 28) to review a proposal for the city to, in a round-about way, be involved in the financing of a new luxury hotel in Old Town.
With hotel revenue going into freefall during the pandemic, the prospect of building or renovating hotels in Alexandria hasn’t been a particularly financially appealing option, but a report prepared by Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) and city staff said that’s going to be a hit to tourism in the city as people travel again.
The number of COVID infections in Alexandria continues to rise at an alarming rate, as the number of reported infections has reached 23,325, an increase of nearly 2,500 cases in less than a week. In the meantime, staff at Inova Alexandria Hospital are seeing hospitalizations rise to 2020.
“The staff is working overtime,” Inova Alexandria Hospital President Dr. Rina Bansal told ALXnow. “We’re making sure that they’re not working overtime to the extent where it compromises their safety or patient safety.”
Be cautious on morning commute — “It will be below freezing from 3am to Noon. Expect morning rush to be icy.” [Russ Adams/Twitter]
Here are the ‘to go’ and ‘in person’ options for Alexandria Restaurant Week — “For 10 days and two weekends, more than 60 restaurants in Alexandria, Virginia will offer a $35 prix fixe dinner for one or two people.” [Zebra]
Alexandria police are investigating after a woman was shot Sunday afternoon in the area of the 7-Eleven on South Reynolds Street at Duke Street.
Police acknowledged the shooting incident but have not yet commented on specifics. Initial details from witness reports and radio traffic suggest that the female victim had been struck by stray gunfire when gunmen opened fire around 3:20 p.m.
The big story this week was snow.
A snowstorm on Monday had the city working at clearing roads and putting weather-affected services back into play. There was a smaller dusting of snow last night, though it didn’t have nearly the same level of impact.
Alexandria School Board members say they want to keep in-person instruction going, but amidst a surge in Covid cases the Alexandria City Public Schools system now has an official plan to revert to virtual learning on a school-by-school basis.
“There may be cases in the future where we have to transition into a virtual learning setting due to that and we want to just prepare for that,” Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr., told the Board Thursday night.
After six months of waiting for the city’s Permit Center to approve an expansion of her nail salon, Kathleen Le was ready to throw her hands up in resignation.
“I tell my staff that if they hear me talk about opening another location or expanding to please kill me instead,” Le told ALXnow. “Don’t let me do it.”
DASH ridership has been working its way back up toward pre-pandemic levels after a nasty slump caused by COVID-19.
In a monthly newsletter, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson shared some figures for DASH ridership from the months after the city’s new fare-free program and route adjustment was put into place.
Meggrolls closes after five-year run on Fayette Street but owner hints it’s not goodbye — “Meg Baroody taped a piece of paper on the glass of her shop that announces the run on her beloved ‘meggrolls’ is over on Fayette Street in Old Town, stating ‘It’s been the greatest pleasure sharing Meggrolls with you these past 5 years,’ adding hints it will not be the last we see of her.” [Zebra]
3 new spots to look forward to in 2022 — “Foxtrot, Turkish Coffee and Lady Camellia Pastry and Tea Room are opening this year.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
