News

JUST IN: City Councilman Chapman to ask colleagues to stop Taylor Run Stream Restoration Project

By James Cullum
Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

After touring the area and meeting with residents, Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chapman will ask his colleagues tonight to stop the Taylor Run Stream Restoration Project.

The move is a decisive blow against the project, which city staff defend as the most cost effective alternative to keep up with its Chesapeake Bay Watershed credit requirements. Last month, Chapman and Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker requested a legislative meeting to discuss the Taylor Run and Strawberry Run stream restoration projects, which critics say disrupt natural habitats.

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Parents and students protest for expanded in-person instruction outside ACPS Central Office

By ALXnow.com
Protesting outside of ACPS Central Office on Monday, April 26, 2021. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Surrounded by about 100 other protestors outside of Alexandria City Public Schools’ Central Office, Kathryn Grassmeyer started to cry.

The mother of three wants schools to reopen to four or five days a week, and got emotional when talking about some of the difficult choices she and her husband have made regarding their children’s education.

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum
The Potomac Yard Metro station under construction, April 2021. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Ada’s On The River chef envisions opening his own restaurant someday — “Though it just opened in January of this year, Ada’s On The River in Alexandria’s Old Town has already become the subject of laudatory profiles in national publications and dubbed as one of the best restaurants in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The reason? Ada’s secret weapon: Chef Randall Matthews.” [Essence]

Alexandria residents arrested in D.C. protest Sunday — “Police on Sunday said Steve Chang, 28, of no fixed address; Michael Klaus, 51, of Alexandria; and Adam Cunningham, 25, of Capitol Heights were arrested and accused of assault on a police officer and possession of a destructive device. Police said the devices included Roman candles, bottle rockets and other fireworks. A male 15-year-old from Alexandria also was arrested and accused of assault on a police officer, possession of a destructive device and possession of a prohibited weapon, which authorities said was an ax.” [Washington Post]

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EXCLUSIVE: Here’s what the inside of the Halal slaughterhouse looks like on Colvin Street

By James Cullum

After a series of delays, the owner of the Saba Live Poultry slaughterhouse says he will open in June.

ALXnow was granted exclusive access to the building at 3225 Colvin Street. The paint is still fresh, floors are being retiled and cages for chickens and other equipment were recently unpacked.

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Del Ray restaurant The Garden to bloom into new outdoor area

By Vernon Miles

A Del Ray beer garden is headed to the Planning Commission on Tuesday, May 4, with hopes to grow beyond the venue’s current confines.

The Garden at 1503 Mount Vernon Avenue is requesting to expand its outdoor seating from 100 to 146 seats and expand hours of operation from the current 10 p.m. closing time to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

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Police: Falling death of man in Landmark does not appear to be suspicious

By James Cullum
Alexandria police (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria Police say that the recent death of an adult male in the Landmark Area on Sunday morning (April 25) does not appear to be suspicious in nature.

Police found an adult male dead after “an apparent fall” in the 300 block of Yoakum Parkway at around 6 a.m., according to an APD tweet. The area where the incident occurred is full of apartment buildings between Edsall Road and Stevenson Avenue.

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COVID-19 Update: City says anyone who registered by April 10 for COVID-19 vaccine should have an appointment

By James Cullum

Alexandria residents 16 and older who registered for a COVID-19 vaccine by April 10 should have been contacted by the city’s Health Department to schedule their appointment, according to the city.

Residents eligible for Phases 1a, 1b, or 1c, who pre-registered before April 10, “should have received an invitation to schedule a vaccine appointment,” according to the city. “If you have not received an invitation to schedule, first check your spam folder. Please complete this form if you have not been contacted.”

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

T.C. Williams completes comeback to win school’s first volleyball state championship — “For a moment, T.C. Williams sophomore Milan Rex was scared. The Titans were trailing Kellam two sets to one in the Virginia Class 6 championship Friday in Alexandria, and the chance at a perfect season seemed to be fading. Coach A.J. DeSain reminded the Titans they belonged in this moment, enabling Rex to lock in. She then powered T.C. Williams to a 23-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-19, 17-15 victory — the program’s first state title. [Washington Post]

Mayor Wilson defends donation from Planning Commission Chair — “Planning Commission Chair Nathan Macek gave Wilson a donation the day after Wilson voted with the majority of council to reappoint Macek to his post. Macek’s employer, the engineering firm WSP, has played a leading role in numerous large projects in Alexandria, including the under-construction Potomac Yard Metro.” [Alex Times]

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

It was another week full of news in Alexandria. Here are the top headlines of the week.

Our top story was on the 34-year-old Arlington man charged with distributing methamphetamine after reporting to police that he was the victim of an armed robbery in his fifth floor room at the Embassy Suites in Old Town. The investigating officer asked if there was anything illegal in the man’s room, and he reportedly said, “There is some meth in the room, but it’s for personal use.”

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