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]
As it turns out, Wednesday was the last day this week kids would return to Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) as both students and teachers get their snow day.
At 5 p.m. today (Thursday), ACPS announced that school would be fully closed on Friday. All activities in school or on school grounds are canceled, and ACPS officials told ALXnow that there won’t be virtual school tomorrow either.
Trash and recycling collection has been suspended for the rest of the week as the city prepares for potential snow tonight just days after Monday’s snowstorm.
The city has previously said trash collection days would operate a day or two behind schedule, but a press release from the City of Alexandria today noted that the city is dealing with a perfect storm of issues hindering trash-recovery operations.
Faced with a drastic disruption in foot traffic, Alexandria-based Comfort One Shoes had to pivot. The pandemic forced the company to focus its energy on online sales, bringing in more casual merchandise and closing the Union Station location in D.C.
Company President Garrett Breton says the efforts made 2021 sales higher than the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
Alexandria nonprofit ALIVE! is launching a reusable bag drive later this month to help residents get free food and reduce waste.
ALIVE has given away millions of pounds of food to city residents since the pandemic started, and the reusable bags are also intended to bring awareness to the city’s new 5 cent plastic bag tax. The bag tax went into effect on Jan. 1.
Onyx, 8-year-old black male cat, is up for adoption via the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
“A vigilant protector, Onyx may not be a lap cat but prefers to sit near to his favorite people, to ensure they are safe from attackers, but not too far that they can’t give him all the attention he asks for,” AWLA spokesperson Gina Hardter told ALXnow. “Don’t worry, Onyx will let you know when it’s enough.”
All primary, secondary and intermediate streets in the City are clear of snow — “As of 6 p.m., all primary, secondary and intermediate streets in the City are clear. Residential streets are 97% clear, with a limited number of residential streets needing additional work.” [Twitter]
Stepping down after 16 years, Alexandria sheriff laments mental health crisis in jails — “Dana Lawhorne remembers the bad police officers — the ones who wouldn’t even come into his family’s house when he called as a child. But he also remembers the one who would take his mother upstairs and try to persuade her to get help for alcoholism.” [Washington Post]
