Residents of the Chirilagua/Arlandria neighborhood been besieged over the last year.
As a largely Latino community disproportionately impacted by job loss during the pandemic, local residents have pushed back against rent payments. But even as Alexandria starts to pull out of the pandemic with an eye toward job recovery, the city is working through efforts to build a plan to save Chirilagua — less than a mile from Potomac Yard and Crystal City — from the gentrifying effects of Amazon.
Old Town and Del Ray businesses are back at it again, and the competition for supremacy will be on full display at next Wednesday night’s Old Town-Del Ray Softball Battle.
Mayor Justin Wilson will throw out the first pitch at 6:30 p.m., as the two teams from Del Ray and Old Town businesses will play for bragging rights and the John Porter Cup, a trophy that was metal crafted by Torpedo Factory artist Chris Erney. It is unclear whether Porter, the former principal of T.C. Williams High School, will make an appearance at the event.
After numerous delays, the owner of a controversial Halal slaughterhouse says that he will finally open by July.
Abdul Mused, the owner of Saba Live Poultry at 3225 Colvin Street, says that he’s been held up waiting for equipment to be delivered to the new slaughterhouse.
It will be a cozy fit, but a local home builder is hoping to turn a small, empty gravel lot at 1117 Queen Street into a new single-family home.
The home first went to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) in April where the appeal was approved with the condition that no construction can occur within three feet of a neighboring property. It’s now heading to the Board of Architectural Review on Wednesday, July 7, with questions remaining from the BZA about fire code implementation and setback requirements.
Council defers on School Resource Officer funding reallocation — “On Tuesday, Alexandria City Council deferred a decision on releasing funding for school resource officers for other positions at Alexandria City Public Schools. The decision is scheduled for a July 6 public hearing.” [Patch]
Levine agrees to pay for primary mailer on House letterhead — “Levine, who lost both his primary contests, said in an interview he saw the mailing as an “informational letter” explaining the unique circumstances of why he was appearing on the ballot twice. He said he still doesn’t think it clearly qualified as campaign advertising, but agreed to reimburse the clerk’s office to clear up the matter after others complained.” [Virginia Mercury]
The discovery of the Old Town Armada was an unexpected boon to Alexandria archeologists. But impressive as it is that so much of the three ships have remained intact after centuries underground, recent archeological work has uncovered an interesting detail on one of them.
Somebody screwed up.
The garden wall of the historic Lee-Fendall House (614 Oronoco Street) in Old Town took a beating earlier this week, but support from the local community has helped put the wall on the road to repair.
A few days after announcing that a significant portion of the home’s wall had collapsed, the home has raised $5,005 to help boost repair efforts.
A 32-year-old Alexandria man fled to his native county of El Salvador last month, after allegedly raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter in the Landmark area.
The girl gave birth to a boy on June 10.
(Updated 3:45 p.m.) Alexandria Police have resolved the barricade situation at an 11th floor apartment in Seminary Towers (4701 Kenmore Avenue) in the West End.
Police tweeted that the standoff came to an end at around 3 p.m., and that evacuated residents have been allowed to return to their apartments. Residents in the 10th, 11th and 12th floors were evacuated by police at around noon and were told that tear gas may have to be employed against the suspect.
A D.C. man was booked into jail and released on bond for malicious wounding and domestic-related offenses after a harrowing incident against the mother of his children and her boyfriend in Old Town North.
Devin Denny, 31, was booked and released on bond on June 14, after allegedly breaking into the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority apartment at 905 N. Patrick Street on the evening of May 29.
Pepper the tricolor guinea pig is very sweet, and the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is trying to find him a new home.
“Pepper is a clever guy who loves toys and entertainment, including wood and cardboard toys to chew, equipment for exercise, and, of course, a hiding hole for sleeping and spying,” said AWLA spokesperson Gina Hardter.
