It was another busy week in Alexandria.
Our top story was on the dog found dead and wrapped in blankets at N. Armistead Street and Beauregard Street. The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is offering a reward for information that can lead to the identification of the owner.
The Alexandria City Council on Tuesday will honor residents lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To date, 128 city residents have died from the virus. Council will also vote on a memorial at Rivergate City Park along the Potomac River in Old Town North. The memorial will be sponsored by the North Old Town Independent Citizens’ Association, the Old Town North Community Partnership and private donors.
Kevin Harris sees himself as a man of the people, someone residents can confide in to help solve their problems.
The 40-year-old local business owner says he decided on March 1 to run for City Council as a democrat in the June 8 primary.
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.
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.
Prompted by a question from City Council member Canek Aguirre, the city is reviewing alternative uses of funding that could be freed up if the city moves forward with plans to do away with the school resource officer position.
School resources officers (SROs) are police officers stationed inside T.C. Williams High School, Francis Hammond Middle School and George Washington Middle School and specialize in handling kids with emotional and education issues, search and seizure on school grounds, and school shooting situations.
It was quite a week in Alexandria.
Our top story this week was on a man who allegedly crashed his car headfirst into the Verizon store near Potomac Yard. The suspect was later arrested in North Carolina.
No injuries in two-car crash in Old Town — “APD is investigating a two-vehicle crash at North Henry and Cameron Streets that happened around 3:40 pm. One vehicle struck a building at the intersection, causing damage. No injuries reported. That intersection is CLOSED, traffic is being re-routed.” [Twitter]
Missing woman has connections to Alexandria — “MISSING PERSON:: 30-year-old Bridget Nicole Lucas has connections to the Alexandria area. If you have any information, please call the Police non-emergency line at 703-746-4444.” [Twitter]
Virginia abolishes death penalty — “Today, Virginia ended its 400-year history of carrying out executions, becoming the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty. Signing this law is the moral thing to do.” [Facebook]
City Council condemns Asian hate — “The resolution highlights the significant contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to Alexandria’s cultural, educational and economic fabric. It condemns the acts of violence and harassment that have increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, including efforts to scapegoat people of Asian descent for the virus.” [Zebra]
Updated at 2:30 p.m. — City Councilman Mo Seifeldein abruptly left Tuesday night’s Council meeting after a brief argument with Mayor Justin Wilson.
The argument took place during the public comment portion of the meeting. Seifeldein wanted to question Allison and Greg Ricketts about their concerns that their home is being damaged due to construction at the Sunrise of Old Town assisted living facility. The couple say that the city’s Department of Code Enforcement issued the facility with a certificate of occupancy, while necessary repairs to their property are ignored.
In the latest adaptation of Brewster’s Millions, Alexandria is sorting through how to make the most of $59.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding coming to the city over the next two years with an emphasis on not leaving a penny unspent.
The challenge for Alexandria is sorting through some ill-defined language. According to the city, funding can be allocated in the following ways:
