Many teachers in Alexandria public schools are finding that students have not been as engaged in the learning from home process as many would have hoped, according to Superintendent Gregory Hutchings.
In an ACPS survey of families, students and staff, over half of the teachers said that they were having difficulty getting their students to participate in online learning. The results come as the school system recently unveiled its summer learning program.
After a new surge of 3,000 tests performed earlier this week, Alexandria now leads the region in per capita testing, Mayor Justin Wilson said in his weekly virtual town hall on Thursday.
Wilson warned that the results of the increased testing would result in more, after the thousands of tests were administered at Cora Kelly School and Landmark Mall on Monday. Alexandria now has 1,941 cases of COVID-19, an increase of 54 cases since yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
A new free Friday food distribution at Casa Chirilagua in Arlandria has been set to help the community through most of the summer.
More than 1,000 boxes of fresh food from the Baltimore, Maryland-based Church of the Apostles in the City was given to residents, who lined up through the trails and around the football field at Four Mile Run Park.
Alexandria now has 1,941 cases of COVID-19, an increase of 54 cases since yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
There are no new coronavirus-related fatalities in Alexandria, and the death toll remains at 44. The most recent fatalities are two Alexandria women, one in her 80s and the other in her 60s.
Sen. Kaine and Wife Anne Holton Test Positive for Coronavirus Antibodies — “After testing positive for the flu earlier in the year, the state’s junior senator said in a statement he experienced new symptoms in late March. He initially thought the symptoms were flu remnants and a reaction to a high pollen count. But when his wife developed fever and chills, then congestion and a cough, they went to health providers in early April.” [Patch]
Police Chase Ends With Suspect Falling 25 Feet Off Beltway — “A man behind the wheel of what Virginia State Police thought was a stolen Ford Expedition rammed two police vehicles on the Capital Beltway, lost control, slammed into a Jersey Wall and then ran across the interstate, jumped over another wall and fell 25 feet Wednesday night.” [WTOP]
The following Letter to the Editor was written by Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chapman, who also owns Manumission Tour Company.
As we progress through this quarantine, like many business owners, I was forced to figure out how to keep my business from permanently closing. Like many of the tourism industry, we have seen one of the best times of the year for our business become a time of great uncertainty.
The Towngate office complex in North Old Town (625 and 635 Slaters Lane) are requesting permits from the City of Alexandria to facilitate changing the office buildings into a residential building.
Most of the changes will take place inside the building, but the property is scheduled to go to the Board of Architectural Review on June 17 over a handful of exterior changes, like new doors, windows and siding.
As Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles offices undergo phased reopenings, Governor Ralph Northam on Thursday announced an extension for residents who need to get renewals for identification cards and driver’s licenses.
Northam said that the licenses and IDs that need to be renewed before July 31 can be renewed by August 31.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a robbery at gunpoint that occurred last night in the 5400 block of Richenbacher Avenue in the city’s West End.
The victim, a male in his 30s, was waiting in a parking lot at around 8:30 p.m. to buy an electronics item from an individual he met online. When the seller arrived, he pointed a handgun at the victim and took $400 in cash, according to Alexandria Police spokesman Lt. Courtney Ballantine.
While many Alexandrians are struggling to figure out how to provide for themselves during the pandemic, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) is taking the strain off some local pet owners trying to take care of their animals.
Since mid-March, the local animal shelter has donated 5,000 pounds of supplies to a Community Pet Pantry. The AWLA said the pantry is also stocked with donations from animal-loving Northern Virginia residents offering food, bed, toys and more.
Two Alexandria women are the latest fatalities of COVID-19 in Alexandria, as the number of cases jumped to 1,887, an increase of 63 reported cases since yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
There are now 44 deaths in the city related to the virus, and the most recent victims were two Alexandria women, one in her 80s and the other in her 60s. Today is the third straight day that deaths associated with the virus have been announced in the city.
