A young child is safe after the vehicle they were sitting in was briefly stolen on Tuesday afternoon in Arlandria.
The child was left alone in the car for a few minutes and the engine was left running in the 3900 block of Executive Avenue. When the car owner returned from inside an apartment, he saw a man stealing his car with the child sitting in the back seat.
Officer Celebrates 25 Years with Police Department — “A special time for one of our officers. Officer Bennie Evans officially received his commemorative clock representing 25+ years of service with the Alexandria Police Department. We thank you for all you do.” [Twitter]
Beloved Bishop Ireton Faculty Member Dies — “It is with sadness but also with great faith in our Lord that we share that Brother Rick Wilson, a beloved faculty member at Bishop Ireton for more than three decades, passed away last night on March 3, 2021. He is now at peace with our Lord and has most assuredly opened a Word Write Shop for all the writers in paradise. He loved Bishop Ireton. In his last conversation with Head of School Kathleen McNutt, he reiterated his great love of teaching, his love for Bishop Ireton High School, and his desire to do God’s will. He shared with passion, ‘God put me on this Earth to teach. Bishop Ireton is my home.’ Let us pray for the repose of Brother Rick’s soul; for his family who mourns his loss; and for his beloved Bishop Ireton family who will always remember him. May choirs of angels receive him into everlasting life.” [Facebook]
In the middle of the ongoing budget season, the City Council is looking back at the dramatic drop-off in tax revenue over the last year, yet another reflection of the dramatic toll of the coronavirus pandemic.
A financial report to the City Council includes a summary of the $17.4 million consumptive tax revenue — taxable revenue from the sale of goods or services, like sales taxes — lost since March 2020.
Alexandria’s unions want to widen the scope of the city’s proposal for a collective bargaining ordinance, and are telling City Council to allow city employees more negotiating room in regard to wages, hours worked, personnel policies, retirement and disciplinary procedures.
“This is about our voice,” said Josh Turner, president of the Alexandria Fire Fighters Inc. and International Association of Firefighters Local 2141. “We’ve struggled for a long time in having a voice and being able to bring our expertise to the table with the city to talk about really what’s best for the community.”
The long-vacant Victory Center (5001 Eisenhower Avenue) has found new, temporary life as a major vaccination hub for Inova Health System that will open by the end of March.
The new center is the end result of what officials described as a “Herculean effort” at collaboration between Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria and Inova.
Alexandria students on Monday asked City Council to reallocate funds intended for school resource officers at public schools.
Francis C. Hammond Middle School eighth grader Karen says school resource officers make her uncomfortable. Karen is a youth organizer with Arlandria-based Tenants and Workers United, and was also joined by a number of other students in voicing their discontent at City Council’s public hearing on the budget.
Restaurant workers in Alexandria just got moved up in the vaccination line thanks to a new prioritization from the Alexandria Health Department.
The change comes with recognition that many restaurant workers are unable to maintain safe distances from customers, putting them at increased risk of COVID-19.
Captain Sean Casey is running for Alexandria Sheriff, and already has the endorsement of retiring Sheriff Dana Lawhorne.
“I’m excited, anxious, but overall really looking forward to this challenge,” Casey told ALXnow. “I can’t wait to fill the big shoes of Dana Lawhorne.”
City Applies for Grant to Reimagine King Street — “The project runs from the six-way King Street-Braddock-Road-Quaker Lane intersection west past the Bradlee Shopping Center to Menonkin Drive, which is just before the I-395 interchange on King Street — about a 0.5 mile stretch of heavily-used roadway. The City Council granted permission for city staff to apply for the grant in March 2020, along with approval to apply for grants for the Duke Street Transitway and Landmark Transit Center. The King Street project would be funded in the 2026-27 fiscal year.” [Alexandria Living]
Pandemic Forces ‘Mom Made Foods’ to Close — “Mom Made Foods, an Alexandria-based company providing children’s frozen meals and snacks in stores and online, announced its closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” [Patch]
A new Montessori school program could be opening just off Duke Street if its special use permit gets approved.
The new Heritage Montessori Day and Preschool would be located at 3649 Wheeler Avenue, near the Spicer’s Upholstery that closed last year and across the street from the Alexandria Police Department.
Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne will not seek a fifth term, and will leave office at the end of the year.
Lawhorne made the announcement this afternoon, and said that after 16 years he accomplished his goals in office.
