News | ALXnow - Part 765

Eisenhower Partnership hosting Oktoberfest to support local urban planning scholarship

Published September 16, 2021 at 1:05PM | Updated September 17, 2021 at 11:28AM

The Eisenhower Partnership is planning an Oktoberfest celebration early next month to help raise funding for the Partnership’s Engin and Agnès Artemel Urban Planning Scholarship.

The scholarship is named for former Director of Planning Engin Artemel, who helped shape waterfront development in Alexandria and died last, and his wife Agnès Artemel, a realtor and president of Artemel & Associates Inc. The scholarship helps students from Alexandria City Public Schools and planning to major in a realty or urban planning related studies.

Multiple violent charges dropped against Fairfax County man held without bond for assaulting police during arrest

By James Cullum

Published September 16, 2021 at 10:45AM | Updated September 16, 2021 at 1:34PM

Alexandria Police cruiser (staff photo by James Cullum)

Multiple violent charges against a 25-year-old Fairfax County man have been dismissed in court, although the man remains in the Alexandria jail without bond after allegedly assaulting police during his arrest.

The suspect was arrested on July 27 for carjacking, assault and battery, brandishing a firearm and and assaulting police.

Adoptable pooches Jack and Zoe go everywhere together

By James Cullum

Published September 16, 2021 at 9:30AM

Jack and Zoe might not look alike, but these adoptable siblings are inseparable.

Jack is a seven-year-old tricolor terrier mix, and has lived with Zoe, a 12-year-old gray miniature Schnauzer mix, his entire life.

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published September 16, 2021 at 5:00AM

The George Washington Memorial Masonic Temple in Old Town at sunset (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Maryland cold case victim was an Alexandria resident — “An Alexandria teen was identified as the victim in a cold case killing 45 years ago. Until now, she was known as the ‘Woodlawn Jane Doe.’ The body of Margaret Fetterolf, 16, of Alexandria, Virginia was found in the 5600 block of Dogwood Road near Lorraine Park Cemetery in Woodlawn, Maryland on Sept. 12, 1976.” [Patch]

Fairfax County puts extra protections around River Farm — “The additional protections will not prevent AHS from selling River Farm, nor is it a guarantee that the land will remain undeveloped. However, it does put hurdles up against the type of dense development at River Farm that has made neighbors nervous.” [Alexandria Living]

Police: Old Town bank robbery suspect spent two years in jail for robbing another bank

By James Cullum

Published September 15, 2021 at 4:45PM

Alexandria Police lights (staff photo by James Cullum)

A 26-year-old Alexandria man arrested in July for robbing EagleBank in Old Town previously spent more than two years in jail for robbing another Alexandria bank.

On July 7, Dagmawee Dawit allegedly walked into EagleBank at 277 S. Washington Street in Old Town just after it opened at 8:30 a.m., implied he had a weapon and demanded cash from a teller.

No injuries after shots fired at cars and apartments in Landmark area

By James Cullum

Published September 15, 2021 at 2:15PM

Police car lights (file photo)

There were no injuries after shots were fired at apartments and vehicles in the Landmark area on Tuesday night, September 14.

The incident occurred at the South Port Apartments at 6112 Edsall Road at around 9:35 p.m.

New Old Town townhouses headed to architectural review proces

By Vernon Miles

Published September 15, 2021 at 1:00PM

Proposed townhouses at 101 Duke Street, image via City of Alexandria

After initially submitting plans in January for review, developer Eleventh Street Development LLC is back in the city process to get final approval on a plan to convert a parking garage at 101 Duke Street into a series of townhouses.

According to the application there will be six, four-story townhouses broken up into three buildings. Each unit would also have a two-car garage attached via central alleyway. The demolition of the existing 101 Duke Street parking garage and the new project are scheduled for consideration at the Wednesday, Oct. 6, Board of Architectural Review (BAR) meeting

Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus breaks ground in Potomac Yard

By James Cullum

Published September 15, 2021 at 11:00AM

With the groundbreaking of the first of Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus buildings, Alexandria took a step into a new future on Tuesday.

Governor Ralph Northam joined top brass from Virginia Tech, Boeing, master architect JBG Smith and hundreds of visitors at the groundbreaking for a state-of-the-art 300,000 square-foot building. He said that, when completed, the academic buildings will be places “where academia, government and industry connect working to solve problems through technology.”

Update: Missing Alexandria toddlers returned home to their mother

By James Cullum

Published September 15, 2021 at 10:00AM | Updated September 16, 2021 at 8:14PM

(Updated at 8 p.m. on September 16) Alexandria Police are reporting that the toddlers have been returned to their mother.

“Thanks to the assistance of everyone in the community the toddlers have been returned safely to their rightful custodial parent,” police said on social media.

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published September 15, 2021 at 5:00AM

Alexandria City Hall lit up (staff photo by James Cullum)

City phones undergoing maintenance this afternoon — “FYI: Most City government phone numbers will be unavailable 3-6pm on Wednesday, Sep 15 due to system maintenance. Emergency 9-1-1 and police non-emergency numbers will be unaffected. 311 and 703-746-4311 numbers will be unaffected.” [Twitter]

Police looking for man missing since August 28 — “Abdulkarim Godah, 36, was last seen at his home in the 300 block of Yoakum Parkway. He is described as 5 foot 10 and 150 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.” [Patch]

Alexandria School Board candidate wants cameras in classrooms and ‘examples’ made of misbehaving kids

By Vernon Miles

Published September 14, 2021 at 3:45PM | Updated September 14, 2021 at 11:33PM

(Updated 6:20 p.m.) Ricardo Roberts is, to say the least, an outlier in the 2021 School Board District B race.

Roberts has had multiple run-ins with school officials, including one charge of trespassing at an Alexandria City Public School that ended in acquittal in court last year. While other candidates include incumbent School Board members and others generally supportive of the direction Alexandria City Public Schools have taken over the last few years, Roberts’ policy suggestions mark a sharp and potentially controversial departure from many other candidates.