With packed boxes by the door, retiring Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne gets a little emotional in his office. After all, he’s been wearing a uniform for 43 years.
There’s a large framed poster of the classic 1950 film “Harvey” on the wall next to his desk — a gift from his deputies who share a fondness for nostalgic movies. In the film, Jimmy Stewart’s good-natured character is pressured against his philosophy of being “Oh, so pleasant,” rather than “Oh, so smart,” in life.
A development near Landmark Mall was deferred at the applicant’s request after the project was hammered by City Council for its lack of affordable housing and design issues.
Things had been looking positive for West End Associates LLC’s Landmark Overlook project — spread across 5901, 5951, and 5999 Stevenson Avenue and 2 South Whiting Street — as it headed into the City Council on Saturday. The project was approved by the Planning Commission and city staff.
First Night Alexandria, the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration, has been canceled due to skyrocketing cases of COVID-19.
With testing at an all-time high, a record-setting 316 new cases of COVID-19 was reported in Alexandria today (Thursday, Dec. 23) by the Virginia Department of Health.
Tilden, the two-year-old mastiff mix looks tough, but he’s a complete marshmallow. He’s up for adoption, too, with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
“Tilden’s an all-around cool guy who would be a great addition to any family,” AWLA spokesperson Gina Hardter told ALXnow. “Whether they are active or looking for a couch potato, Tilden’s got you covered.”
Know anyone that’s a poet at heart? The City of Alexandria is opening applications to be the new poet laureate.
The poet laureate’s job, according to the press release, is to promote appreciation of poetry as an art form, encourage creative writing and reading, and promote literacy through poetry. The position has a three-year term starting on April 1, 2022, succeeding current poet laureate KaNikki Jakarta. The ceremonial role will also involve presentations of poetry to various audiences.
Waterskiing Santa says no show this year — “After ramping up for a live show this year, Waterskiing Santa and His Merry Crew expressed sadness late on Wednesday, December 22, 2021 that ‘We are very sorry to inform you that all Alexandria Events have been canceled.'” [Zebra]
COVID tests in VA are in short supply: here’s how to get one — “Locations across Virginia are running out COVID test kits as the demand increases from people who want to safely attend holiday gatherings.” [Patch]
A number of local nonprofits are rolling up their sleeves to increase outreach for COVID-19 vaccines for children with families ages 5-11.
The “Sleeves Up, ALX: COVID-19 Vaccine Partnership Program” is a collaboration between ACT for Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department, which dispersed $145,657 in grant funding to increase awareness of booster shots with populations disproportionately affected by the virus and provide information for young families.
Days after both school resource officers at Alexandria City High School were put on administrative leave, the Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria City Public Schools system are still unclear as to if or when those officers will be replaced.
The officers were placed on leave last Thursday after a “serious complaint” from a former student alleging “sexually inappropriate conversations” while she attended ACHS, according to the Washington Post.
A 19-year-old Alexandria man faces multiple charges for allegedly driving a van without a license, providing a false name to police and drug possession.
Police observed the suspect allegedly driving the wrong way down the 3800 block of Old Dominion Boulevard in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood on Sunday, Dec. 5.
Ahead of the Freedom House’s scheduled opening this spring, the Office of Historic Alexandria is asking for donations to help with some new exhibits and operations for the museum.
The museum was originally scheduled to open earlier this year, but that opening was pushed back to April 2022.
In a letter to incoming Governor Glenn Youngkin, Mayor Justin Wilson outlined some areas of potential cooperation between state and local leadership, despite a wide political gulf.
It’s no secret that there’s nervousness in the all-Democrat Alexandria leadership about the incoming Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. For the past four years, the city has been “playing with house money” in terms of state support for local projects.
