A leading Alexandria nonprofit that has given away more than 1 million pounds of food since the pandemic began is ready for the winter.
ALIVE! Executive Director Jennifer Ayers says that her organization is now giving out upward of 180,000 pounds of food every month. Before COVID-19, ALIVE! was giving out about 30,000 pounds of food every month.
Alexandria could have the COVID-19 vaccine this month, but the first doses won’t be available to the general public until next spring.
Nearly a half million healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents across Virginia at risk of being infected will get the first doses from the Virginia Department of Health, and it is not yet known when the rest of the public will get the vaccine.
While a poll showed most ALXnow readers don’t need convincing, Virginia Tech is still pulling out all the stops as it works to get its name added to the Potomac Yard Metro station.
Virginia Tech is in the process of creating Innovation Campus, a new 1 million-square-foot campus at the northern end of Potomac Yard planned to have planned to have around 750 students by the time its completed in ten years. The school has pushed to have the nearby Metro station named “Potomac Yard — VT” to highlight the campus.
Waterfront Shipping Container Bar Starts to Take Shape — “On Monday morning, the shipping containers were moved from the barge to the pier for a portion of the restaurant.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Drop Boxes Announced for Medication Disposal — “Unwanted medication can be dropped off at one of these 3 locations. Do not flush unwanted medications down the toilet or drain.” [Twitter]
Unemployment keeps trending in the right direction in Alexandria.
The Virginia Employment Commission reports that there were 1,375 continued claims for the week ending Nov. 28. That’s a 9% dip from the previous week total of 1,513 continued claims, and is 16% down from the 1,628 continued claims for the week ending Nov. 14. It is also 41% down from the 2,340 continued claims that were made for the week ending October 24.
As the state legislature continues to work towards marijuana decriminalization, members of the City Council at a meeting last night urged that revenue and opportunities from legal marijuana sales work their way back into communities long punished for its use.
“My concern is that any revenue generated by [decriminalization] is where those funds are going to,” said City Councilman Canek Aguirre. “It’s important to stress this going to people whose lives affected [and] who were locked up.”
There’s no doubt that Gunner‘s gaze will bring a smile to your face, and the medium-sized terrier is up for adoption with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
“Gunner is an energetic, intelligent young man who loves to show off his tricks for treats and shower his friends in kisses,” said Gina Hardter, a spokesperson for the AWLA, who says he is currently her favorite pet at the shelter. “I’m trying to teach him the command, ‘Give kisses,’ but he loves to kiss so much that he’s already way ahead of me.”
For two years, city staff have been haggling over your water bill.
Late last week, the city announced that the State Corporation Commission (SCC) has significantly reduced Virginia American Water Company’s requested increase in customer water rates, which will result in a refund of previous overcharges to customers.
For Alexandrians looking for work after widespread pandemic layoffs, the City of Alexandria is offering free workshops to help build resume and other job-seeking skills.
The workshops are hosted through the Alexandria Workforce Development Center, which has been running similar programs since the summer. All of the workshops are free and held online.
Experts Predict Alexandria Economic Recovery by 2022 — “The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have dominated the economy here in Alexandria, but the region may not see a full recovery until 2022.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Alexandria Refreshes Bid for Fiber Network — “The City of Alexandria last week issued an invitation to bid (ITB) for the construction of a City-owned fiber network to support broadband services among the City’s public institutions.” [Broadband Communities]
While holiday festivities like the Scottish Christmas Parade are being cancelled around town due to coronavirus concerns, the Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee is still planning to go forward with the organization’s 10th annual Alexandria Holiday Lights Ride and Walk.
The annual ride takes cyclists and pedestrians on a tour of the best of Del Ray’s lights. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12, from 5:30-7 p.m.
