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JUST IN: Principal at Alexandria City High School addresses in-school violence and re-socialization pressure

By James Cullum

Alexandria City High School Executive Principal Peter Balas says that violence within the school is being handled and students caught fighting are being dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

In a letter to the Alexandria City High School community on Friday (October 1), Balas said that many of his 4,370 students have been traumatized by the pandemic and social/political upheavals over the last couple of years. He also said that a recent shooting of a student at the McDonald’s at the Bradlee Shopping Center and the firecracker incident at a recent ACHS football game has added to a “heightened sensitivity” within the school.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

It was a busy fall week in Alexandria. Here’s the rundown.

Our top story this week was on a plan to completely close off the 100 block of King Street as a pedestrian-only zone. The plan has been in the works since 2019, and was put into action last year. ALXnow’s poll on the subject had very one-sided results, showing 91% (791 votes) in favor of a permanent change.

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Round-up of Halloween activities around Alexandria this month

By Vernon Miles

It’s Friday, Oct. 1, or more importantly: the start of Halloween month.

While locals start the scramble to put together their spooky decorations and costumes, Visit Alexandria has put together a rundown for ghostly activities and family friendly haunts around town. Events range from parades to plays, from the streets of Del Ray to the depths of Ivy Hill cemetery.

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BREAKING: A bunch of student fights were recorded at George Washington Middle School and put on Instagram

By James Cullum

Update on 10/2/21 — The videos of the fights at the school have been removed from Instagram, and have since been removed from the story. 

A number of recent student fights at George Washington Middle School have been posted on Instagram.

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Local product pop-up headed to the waterfront next month

By Vernon Miles
Made in ALX pop-up display (photo via Made in ALX/Facebook)

A new pop-up focusing on products made in Alexandria is planning to open next month on the waterfront.

Made in ALX is a collective of Alexandria-based artisans that currently sell products out of the Alexandria Visitor’s Center (221 King Street), but in early November the group are planning to open at 1 Wales Alley, next to Virtue Feed & Grain and Waterfront Park in Old Town. The pop-up is scheduled to run through Dec. 29.

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Last year’s Alexandria City High School class had the highest graduation rate and the lowest student dropout rate ever

By James Cullum
The Alexandria City High School marquee (staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated at 10:40 a.m. Alexandria City High School’s rates increased to their highest levels ever, not the highest in Virginia) Alexandria City High School has a lot more than just a new name to be proud of. This week, the school system announced that its recent graduating class saw the highest on-time graduation rate and the lowest student dropout rate in the school’s history.

“ACPS saw a nine-percentage point increase in the on-time graduation rate, from 82% in 2020 to 91% in 2021, and a nine-percentage point decrease in the overall student dropout rate, from 14% in 2020 to 5% in 2021,” ACPS reported. “The previous highest on-time graduation rate for ACPS was 86% in 2013 and the previous lowest dropout rate was 8% in 2019.”

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum
Jones Point Park along the Potomac River and below the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Board members who backed sale of River Farm resign — “Five board members of the American Horticultural Society (AHS) who backed the sale of historic River Farm, including its chair, have resigned, the organization said Thursday. Their departure from the evenly split governing body leaves only members who have opposed selling the Potomac River property that once formed part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon.” [Washington Post]

Alexandria Love Your Pet Day Festival is on Sunday — “One week to go until the Alexandria Love Your Pet Day Festival! Join us next Sunday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the spacious Oronoco Bay Park for this free event with something for everyone — including well-behaved, leashed pets! Enjoy amazing performances, meet adoptable animals, visit fantastic vendors or grab a drink in the Port City beer garden!” [Facebook]

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AlexRenew breaks ground for massive Old Town RiverRenew project

By Vernon Miles
Officials break ground at the RiverRenew project (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

The groundbreaking for AlexRenew’s RiverRenew Tunnel Project was about as Alexandria as events get. The event was a who’s-who of current and former officials, complete with bagpipes, a poem about local sewage presented by the Town Crier, and even a cartoon mascot representing the boring machine getting ready to drill the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history.

The smiles and enthusiasm from city and state officials and organizations like the Potomac Riverkeeper Network were a marked departure from the occasionally contentious process that led to the $454.4 million RiverRenew project. Plans include replacing Old Town’s combined sewer system with a new sewer structure that will prevent 120 million gallons of combined sewage from flowing into the Potomac River.

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Union says low staffing within Alexandria Fire Department threatens to shut down a fire station

By James Cullum

The Alexandria Fire Department has reached a critical low with staffing, and the problem is so bad that it could shut down a fire station in the city.

This week, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2141 asked the public to sign a letter to send to City Council. The Fire Department agrees with the content of the letter, specifically that AFD is understaffed by 70 people.

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