Virginia Governor Proposes Legalizing Marijuana This Summer — “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam proposed Wednesday moving up the legalization of simple possession of marijuana to July 1, nearly three years sooner than previously planned.” [Patch]
Lena’s Pizza opens spring dining experience — “Walking in, customers will also see green grass and butterflies.” [Zebra]
Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chapman wants to be mayor someday. Not now, but he says that the seat is in his longterm plan.
In the meantime, Chapman’s got a few ideas on improving government access in the West End, which is also where he lives. Additionally, he says that the Eisenhower Valley is ripe for affordable housing development and that it’s the duty of local politicians to directly address resident concerns on social media platforms.
After a random selection process this morning (Wednesday), the Alexandria Office of Voter Registration and Elections has the order that candidate names will appear on the ballot for the June 8 democratic primary.
The first 11 candidates filed at the same time, and their order was determined by the Alexandria Electoral Board. The names were put in separate film canisters, which were put in a bowl and mixed around. The last two candidates were listed in the order that they filed their paperwork.
Abdul Mused says it hasn’t been easy, but his halal slaughterhouse at 3225 Colvin Street will open in approximately two weeks.
Mused, the owner of Saba Live Poultry, said that neighbors and the city have made it hard to get the business off the ground. No firm date has been set for the opening, and Mused said that the opening is an estimate.
Earl Lloyd, the first Black man to play in the National Basketball Association, will be honored on Saturday when his statue will be unveiled at the Alexandria African American Hall of Fame at Charles Houston Recreation Center.
The City Council approved the gift from Lloyd’s wife, Charlita Lloyd, last summer. The statue, which is three feet wide, nine feet long and six feet tall, is exactly like the statue of Lloyd dedicated at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Want to get into business?
The latest listings on BizBuySell show businesses for sale in and around Alexandria. Many are restaurants, which have been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
‘Barca’ opening today on waterfront — “Barca Pier offers 210-seats of open-air dining and is constructed from industrial freight containers that are situated on what used to be a bustling shipping pier.” [Alexandria Living]
Suffragettes honored with marker in Old Town — “As we close out #WomensHistoryMonth, check out the newly installed historic marker on the corner of S. St. Asaph and Prince Streets to commemorate an important American suffrage movement federal court case.” [Twitter]
If Alexandria Police are going to be outfitted with body worn cameras, then City Council is going to have to find $13 million in the upcoming budget.
The program would cost $12.9 million over six years and would work incrementally, with 110 officers getting the cameras in the first year, 110 officers in the second year and a total of 325 officers wearing them by the third year.
Even from the dais, City Council member Amy Jackson says there are things that happen in the inner workings of government that fly below her radar.
Grant programs approved, private discussions that shape public policy, funded projects with stalled progress — Jackson said her time on the Council has helped show that there’s still more that needs to be done to make city government more transparent.
A fight between teenagers in a West End apartment building last month could have turned deadly after a gun was pointed at a 13-year-old girl.
The girl was not seriously injured, but was “visibly shaken” when police responded to the 1400 block of N. Beauregard Street at around 5 p.m. on Feb. 23. Police said that her hair was messy as if she’d been in a fight and that makeup was running down her face as if she’d been crying.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg joined Governor Ralph Northam, Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) and regional railway leadership at Alexandria’s Union Station to mark a $3.7 billion investment in Virginia rail and the signing of the Transforming Rail in Virginia agreement.
The investment and agreement is designed to pave the way towards increased VRE and Amtrak service, greater connectivity to other parts of Virginia, and to lay the groundwork for a high speed rail corridor — something that’s been a talking point for Buttigieg over the last few months.
