ALIVE! will conduct another food distribution to more than 1,000 families this Saturday, and the nonprofit needs face mask donations for volunteers.
“We received a donation from Yates Dry Cleaning,” ALIVE! Executive Director Jennifer Ayers told ALXnow. “We need more. We tried to order some recently and they’re hard to get. Right now we’re still waiting on them.”
A global pandemic is not stopping forward progress on RiverRenew, a project that aims to overhaul the city’s sewer infrastructure that is annually dumps 11 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.
The project is the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history, with a price tag that increased last year to an estimated $464 million. The project recently cleared its environmental assessment by the National Park Service that was required because portions of the project run through Jones Point Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway and the bed of the Potomac River.
If you’ve gotten used to working from home with your kids during the pandemic, a new daycare and coworking facility coming to Old Town could let you work alongside your kids.
Two Birds is a coworking office in D.C. with a focus on also offering child care. The company offers the usual coworking amenities, like coffee bars, dedicated desks, and conference rooms, but also comes with amenities aimed at early childcare.
Noe Landini’s family has owned establishments in Alexandria since 1979, and they’ve never faced a challenge like this before.
The 39-year-old Landini now spends his days dashing between his numerous businesses, making sure they stay afloat like a row of spinning plates. He’s had to lay off a majority of the company’s 300 employees, closed the locations in D.C. and suspended development on a number of new projects. His company has been approved to receive federal CARES Act funds, although the money is not yet in the bank.
Mayor Marries Couple in Socially Distant Ceremony — “Alanis sang about rain on your wedding day. I’m not sure she envisioned THIS. It was such an honor to put on real pants (first time in weeks!), grab my mask and walk to Parkfairfax to marry a wonderful couple whose original plans were scrambled. Congrats!” [Facebook]
‘Mind The Mat’ Hosting Virtual Meditations at 9 a.m. — “Join MtM Monday-Friday mornings for this free 15 minute guided mediation to start your day off right.” [Facebook]
Two more people have died in Alexandria due to COVID-19, bringing the death toll from the virus to 10.
The city now has 421 positive or probable cases of the virus, an addition of 38 new cases, which is the biggest surge since the first case was announced on March 11, according to a city announcement.
The Alexandria Health Department is now conducting virtual restaurant inspections for the first time, and the department’s environmental health manager estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic has closed half of the city’s 860 permitted food establishments.
“We’re touching base with all of our restaurants and focusing very much on employee health, obviously, with a COVID-19 focus,” Rachel Stradling said. “We’re doing that so that we can keep in touch and keep up with our infection work.”
Fresh off a recent expansion into Tysons, Nicole Jones was ready to expand her Del Ray cafe Stomping Ground (2309 Mt Vernon Avenue) into a neighboring space with a new bagel shop next door called Bagel Uprising.
That was last fall, and as spring came around, the nationwide pandemic now has Jones and her staff scrambling to them afloat.
Updated 4:40 p.m. — Adhering to proper social distancing protocol, tenants and other supporters rallied outside of Southern Towers in cars making slow circles through the parking lot with signs and chants of “No pay! No Rent!” and “No job! No Rent!”
“How are people going to be able to make a rent deferral plan work?” asked Sarah Jacobson, organizing director for UNITE HERE Local 23 DC, a food service workers union operating out of D.C. “Even if people went back to 100% employment tomorrow, that would be challenging. Uber drivers won’t be getting the kind of pay they had before.”
There will be no tax increase on the city manager’s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget, as the City Council swept through its budget public hearing on Saturday, paving the way for approval next Wednesday, April 29.
Council also unanimously approved the plan for the construction of the southern access to the Potomac Yard Metro station. The access will be a bridge that connects to the northern entrance, and will open at the same time as the station in March 2022.
Two women in kayaks were rescued from the Potomac River on Saturday by the Alexandria Fire Department’s Fire Boat 201, in addition to responders from U.S. Park Police and the Washington D.C. Harbor Patrol.
The incident occurred a little after 2 p.m. on Saturday. It was about 60 degrees that day with 20 mile-per-hour winds, and the young women were having trouble getting their kayaks upright, according to AFD.
