Arlandria | ALXnow

2 Alexandria business owners charged in first skill games indictments

Published August 11, 2025 at 1:30PM

Skill games at Tiger Mart & Bakery, 3903 Mount Vernon Avenue in the city's Arlandria neighborhood (staff photo by James Cullum)

Two people have been charged with possession of an illegal gambling device for operating skill games, marking the first indictments against Alexandria business owners.

The Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office just announced that a grand jury returned indictments against Alexandria business owners Oscar Salinas, 57, and Michelle Kim, 53, both charged with one count of possessing an illegal gambling device. Salinas is an Arlington resident, and his restaurant is located in the 3800 block of Mount Vernon Avenue in the Del Ray North Shopping Center. Kim is from Montgomery County, Maryland, and her business is located in the 200 block of S. Van Dorn Street.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published August 8, 2025 at 3:30PM

Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita will open at 529 E Howell Ave in Alexandria (via Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita Mexicana on Facebook)

We made it to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at this week’s top stories.

Our most-read post is on a proposal to open a 24-hour Mexican restaurant in the city’s Del Ray neighborhood. The effort is facing some pushback from neighbors wary of potential crime and safety issues. In July, Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita officially announced in a special use permit application that it wants to open at 529 E. Howell Avenue, the former home to Bark Social. It would be the fourth restaurant for the local chain, and while the restaurant won’t serve alcohol, outside patio hours would be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, according to the application. The inside area is proposed to be open 24 hours a day.

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2D Noodles soft-opens on Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria

By James Cullum

Published August 5, 2025 at 2:30PM

2D Noodles at 3823 Mount Vernon Avenue (staff photo by James Cullum)

A new Vietnamese-Japanese fusion restaurant soft-opened today in Arlandria.

2D Noodles (3823 Mount Vernon Avenue) is testing out its kitchen and menu today (Tuesday, Aug. 5) and plans to fully open once several more staffers are hired, the restaurant’s general manager told ALXnow. The restaurant is located in the Del Ray North shopping center, just two stores down from their sister restaurant, Sake Express Japanese Hibachi.

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Nonprofit serving Latino youth in Arlandria aims to raise $250K by August 27

By James Cullum

Published July 23, 2025 at 3:35PM

Casa Chirilagua at 4109 Mount Vernon Avenue (via Facebook)

A nonprofit serving Arlandria’s Latino community is trying to raise $250,000 by Wednesday, Aug. 27.

Casa Chirilagua (4109 Mount Vernon Avenue) launched its Summer Challenge Campaign today to fund its programming, serving over 400 people.

News

Alexandria man arrested for burglarizing Arlandria home

By James Cullum

Published July 22, 2025 at 11:30AM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

An Alexandria man has been arrested for allegedly burglarizing a home in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood.

The 23-year-old suspect was arrested May 28 for burglary and released June 5 on an unsecured bond. He was rearrested on June 12 for violating his pretrial bail and released by court order on June 20, according to the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office.

Around Town

Man robbed at knifepoint in Arlandria early Monday morning

By James Cullum

Published July 21, 2025 at 10:30AM

Alexandria Police lights (staff photo by James Cullum)

No injuries were reported after a man was reportedly robbed at knifepoint in Arlandria early Monday morning (July 21).

The Alexandria Police Department was called at approximately 1 a.m. by a man who had been robbed in the 3800 block of Russell Road. The victim told police that he was robbed of his wallet by three men with knives.

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Dollar Tree on Mount Vernon Avenue reopens after two-month closure

By James Cullum

Published July 1, 2025 at 11:45AM

Dollar Tree at 3811 Mount Vernon Avenue reopened June 30, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Two months after closing due to staffing issues, the Dollar Tree at 3811 Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria has reopened.

The store reopened to the public on June 30. A lone staffer told ALXnow that several employees have been hired to keep it up and running.

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Health assessment shows disparities in Alexandria’s West End and Arlandria neighborhoods

By James Cullum

Published June 24, 2025 at 2:00PM

Selling fruit in Arlandria. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria residents living in the West End and Arlandria have shorter life expectancies, more health problems, and are more depressed than their neighbors living in more affluent areas.

That’s according to the city’s 2025 State of Health report, which found residents in those areas are disproportionately living below the poverty level and are more likely to be depressed, suffer from chronic conditions, have bad teeth, and more.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published May 30, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated May 31, 2025 at 12:49AM

Alexandria City High School's graduation at George Mason University's EagleBank Arena, May 28, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

What a week we just had in Alexandria!

Here’s our recap of everything worth talking and reading about over the past week in the Port City. This week, Alexandria was named a Sanctuary Jurisdiction by the Trump administration, a distinction Mayor Alyia Gaskins said “wrongly targets and mischaracterizes Alexandria and dismisses core principles that make up the foundation of our democracy.”

News

Four stable after early morning shooting in Arlandria

By Ryan Belmore

Published May 26, 2025 at 7:53AM | Updated May 27, 2025 at 5:49AM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Four people are in stable condition after a shooting in Alexandria’s Arlandria neighborhood early Monday morning.

The Alexandria Police Department is looking into the incident, which happened in the 3800 block of Florence Drive. Three men and one woman were shot.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published May 23, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated May 23, 2025 at 5:03PM

Dominion Energy Power Outage Map on Friday, May 16 (screenshot)

It was a fast week in Alexandria! Welcome to ALXnow’s Friday recap of top stories.

This week started as the city cleaned up from last Friday’s damaging storm that knocked over trees, closed roads and disrupted power for thousands. Our top story was on the report of a suspected car thief who ended up in the hospital with serious injuries after a high-speed chase ended in a crash early Monday morning.