News | ALXnow - Part 788

VDOT looking for public feedback on improving Little River Turnpike/Duke Street

Published July 21, 2021 at 9:45AM

Little River Turnpike, via Google Maps

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is looking at making some improvements to Little River Turnpike, one of the main arterial roads between Alexandria and Fairfax County.

Little River Turnpike (Route 236) runs through the Lincolnia neighborhood of Fairfax County, turning into Duke Street when it crosses into the West End. A study of crashes on the street from 2015-2019 showed that many of the crashes were clustered around the border between Fairfax County and Alexandria, where Little River Turnpike crosses I-395.

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published July 21, 2021 at 5:00AM

NOVA Parks pledges $800K to maintain River Farm, if sale goes through — “Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has taken steps to sweeten the offer it made on the historic River Farm property. Nova Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert announced that the regional park authority has pledged $800,000 toward maintenance and improvement of the property should the American Horticultural Society, the current owner of River Farm, approve the sale.” [Alex Times]

Alexandria hosting Around the World Cultural Food Festival July 31 — “The biggest outdoor food festival in the D.C metro area will happen on Saturday, July 31. And this year’s edition will be held in Alexandria. Enjoy food, music, and an experience highlighting cultural diversity at Oronoco Bay Park from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.” [Zebra]

Lee-Fendall House to throw speakeasy party to finance building repairs

By Vernon Miles

Published July 20, 2021 at 4:45PM

Speakeasy event, via Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden

Look, don’t go around telling people we told you this, but there’s going to be a little booze and a little dancing at the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden in September.

The museum is hosting a “secret” speakeasy fundraiser that both pays homage to Old Town’s bootlegging legacy and will help raise money to support the rebuild of a collapsed historic wall on the property.

Alexandria businesses advised to sharpen e-commerce as consumer patterns evolve

By James Cullum

Published July 20, 2021 at 3:40PM

The pandemic changed how consumers shop, and with the development of Amazon HQ2, Alexandria is evolving from a government town to a tech town.

That’s according to a presentation to the Del Ray Business Association this week by Kevin Fenton, founder of The Walla Design Company.

Local restaurants at the starting line for Olympic specials and events

By Vernon Miles

Published July 20, 2021 at 2:15PM

Olympic Donut, courtesy Elizabeth's Counter

With Alexandria being represented at the Olympic games, some local restaurants are celebrating with special events and meals.

According to a list put out by Visit Alexandria, there are some of the local specials and events planned for the Olympics.

Alexandria sees 90 COVID cases in July, another death

By James Cullum

Published July 20, 2021 at 1:15PM

Alexandria’s COVID uptick continues, as 90 new cases have been reported this month. The death of another city resident was also reported on July 13, and the number of deaths now stands at 141.

Some Alexandria businesses have returned to asking residents to wear masks indoors, like the 24 Express Food Store at 4007 Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria.

Alexandria swimming pools operating with reduced hours, residents signing waitlists with capacity overload

By James Cullum

Published July 20, 2021 at 10:55AM

Person swimming (photo via Brian Matangelo/Unsplash)

Alexandria’s public swimming pools are open, but residents will need to arrive early if they want a chance to cool off.

City pools close at 3:45 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday — as opposed to 7 p.m. in previous years — and on a recent hot weekend residents were kept out and asked to sign waitlists due to capacity issues.

Woman claims she was roofied at Old Town restaurant

By James Cullum

Published July 20, 2021 at 9:35AM | Updated July 20, 2021 at 11:20AM

Alexandria Police are investigating a claim that a woman’s drink was drugged at Vola’s Dockside Grill and Hi-Tide Lounge on the waterfront.

The woman filed a police report after the incident, which allegedly occurred on the evening of July 9 — the same night as the fireworks for the city’s birthday celebration. The woman reported the incident on NextDoor, and said she was sitting in the walkthrough area next to the Torpedo Factory Art Center when it occurred.

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published July 20, 2021 at 5:00AM

Two ARHA residents receive $6,000 college scholarships — “Two Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) residents have been awarded $6,000 scholarships for the upcoming school year, thanks to the Resident Scholarship Program from the Housing Authority Insurance (HAI) Group. This is the second consecutive year Natasha Cross has been selected for the funding… Yonael Tekleberhan, a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University majoring in Business is the second awardee.” [ARHA]

Del Ray Citizens Association hosting community pizza party Thursday — Come on out and join us this Thursday July 22 from 5 – 7pm at Del Ray Pizzeria, where the DRCA will be hosting a Del Ray Citizens Association Meet & Greet Pizza Party! Hang out with your fellow Del Ray superfans and enjoy some pizza, salad, tots, fries, and special happy hour pricing. DRP has set us up in the bar space, so we can enjoy some much-needed air conditioning. For those who may feel more comfortable socializing outdoors, we’re also working to set up a ‘spillover’ table in the Lot behind the restaurant.” [DRCA]

DASH takes lessons from D.C., Baltimore and Oregon in eliminating bus fares

By Vernon Miles

Published July 19, 2021 at 3:40PM

A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria is getting ready to go fare-free this fall, and at the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) on July 1 the architects of that plan shared some of the challenges ahead.

Josh Baker, general manager of DASH, said a fare-free bus system had been brought up before, but transit authorities started looking at an emergency pandemic-program as a way to test what the program could look like on a larger, more permanent scale.

Without annual music festival, Del Ray is celebrating with a bar crawl

By James Cullum

Published July 19, 2021 at 2:30PM

The Del Ray Music Festival isn’s happening for the second year in a row, but a number of community events are in the works to try and make up for it.

Without the annual summer festival, which draws tens of thousands to Mount Vernon Avenue, the Del Ray Business Association has a bar crawl in the works.