Odie is all about domesticity, and the 10-year-old gray and white domestic short-haired cat is looking for a new home in Alexandria.
The affectionate feline is currently up for adoption with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
News
Police confirmed last week that roughly one-third of the the shootings last year were connected.
In 2020, Alexandria experienced an increase in shots fired calls with a total of 55 confirmed cases as compared to 37 in 2019. One-third of those occurred last fall, between September and December.
A Parker-Gray business could have to un-paint their property after an unauthorized paint-job over a building’s historically significant architecture.
A commercial building at 1000 Queen Street may have looked significantly whiter late last year after the applicant, Anchor Property Services, painted over the existing yellow-brick exterior with a white coat of paint.
Photos: Beyer Attends Presidential Inauguration — “It was a thrill for Megan and me to be at the inauguration of Pres. @JoeBiden and Vice Pres. @KamalaHarris.” [Twitter]
Former Beyer Chief Of Staff To Begin Job In Biden Administration — “(Tanya) Bradsher will take on the new role as the senior director for partnerships and global engagement. Previously, she served as the National Security Agency lead for the Biden-Harris Transition Team.” [Patch]
The Alexandria City Council has chosen a hybrid approach as its preferred option for a Community Police Review Board. It’s a contentious move that, if approved next March, will allow independent civilian oversight over multiple aspects of the police department.
In a 4-3 vote last week, Council chose option “C” out of the four alternatives presented by staff. Each of the options will now be presented to the community in a two-month-long public feedback process that will ultimately lead to a council decision in March. The dissenting votes were cast by Mayor Justin Wilson, Councilwoman Amy Jackson and Councilwoman Del Pepper.
Density is forcing some Alexandrians to get closer to their neighbors than they might want: creating some tension as a new townhouse on a vacant lot returns to the Board of Architectural Review tomorrow (Thursday).
The BAR is scheduled to review an application to turn lots 1413 and 1415 Princess Street — which have sat undeveloped since 1893 — into a pair of townhouses. Staff reviewed the application and endorsed much of it, but the project still generated concern over its proximity and scale compared to some surrounding buildings.
Outgoing Alexandria City Councilwoman Del Pepper received top honors from the Del Ray Business Association on Tuesday, as Pepper and a number of notable Alexandrians were virtually presented with the community’s annual Star Award.
DRBA ended up tricking Pepper by telling her that they wanted her to briefly speak to the association about Del Ray’s finer qualities. Instead, Pepper arrived at the virtual meeting to find herself the recipient of the neighborhood’s greatest annual honor.
Alexandria’s initial unemployment claims jumped 178% for the week ending Jan. 9, and continued claims jumped 14%.
The Virginia Employment Commission reports that here were 836 initial (first time) claims in Alexandria for the week ending Jan. 9, a large increase over the previous week’s total of 131 claims. That week, which ended on Jan. 2, also saw a 129% increase over the previous week’s total.
In an update to the City Council, Police Chief Michael Brown said many of the recent shots fired incidents in Alexandria are related.
It wasn’t exactly surprising news, given that many of the shootings took place in the same concentrated areas — two this month took place less than a block apart — but it was a rare glimpse into investigations where local police are keeping their cards close to their chest.
In a School Board meeting last week, Superintendent Gregory Hutchings and ACPS leadership discussed how COVID precautions could strain the school system’s already beleaguered capacity situation.
School administrators have been open about the fact that when students are allowed to return in-person, classes will be very different from how they left them. Rather than just classroom size, however, the concern is ACPS having enough faculty to handle returning students.
Beyer Praises Biden’s Economic Relief Plan — “Soon we will have a president in the White House, and Democratic leaders controlling Congress, who understand what economists have told us from the beginning–that in order to recover and rebuild from this pandemic you must first control the coronavirus and that rent and food are not going to trickle down to millions of unemployed Americans.” [Beyer.house.gov]
COVID-19 Self-Testing Kiosks Closed Today — “Stay safe on January 20. To ensure the safety of the community and Curative employees, COVID-19 testing kiosks in Alexandria will be closed on Inauguration Day. Pre-register for testing on Tues, Jan 19 or Thurs, Jan 21.” [Twitter]