Some of the city’s biggest flood mitigation projects have been making progress in recent months.
In the same Flood Action Alexandria newsletter that highlighted some record-breaking rainfall in July, the city said two of the top-ranking, large capacity flood mitigation projects have “reached notable milestones.”
The 2021-2022 school year was “crazy”, says René Islas, the parent of four Alexandria City Public Schools students.
Islas leads The Community Group, a new movement of locals with a list of safety recommendations for the city and school system. After a school year punctuated by violent events, Islas said ACPS needs to work on prevention, justice, and accountability.
The City of Alexandria is planning to build a new sidewalk on the north side of Polk Avenue, but the city’s plans have some neighbors concerned about the construction’s impact on the nearby park and the neighborhood’s parking situation.
The city is planning to build a new sidewalk that connects two dead-end stretches of sidewalk that cut off abruptly into dense underbrush. The city said the sidewalk construction will help students in the neighborhood walk to Polk Elementary and Hammond Middle School — though students will have to cross the street anyway to get to Polk.
The ‘I Love You’ art installation at Waterfront Park is having a rough summer. For most of June and July, the “o” in “Love” was out of commission, and all the lights were recently shut off due to flooding.
Not to worry. The opportunity to take awesome selfies with your squeeze has returned.
With temperatures expected in the 90s until next week, Alexandria is offering cooling centers at recreation centers and libraries.
Thursday’s temperature (July 21) is expected to reach 98 degrees, with a heat index of 104, according to the National Weather Service. The high temperatures are anticipated to reach 95 degrees on Friday, 99 degrees on Saturday, 100 degrees on Sunday, 93 degrees on Monday and then 89 degrees next Tuesday.
A new grant-funded program is coming to Alexandria this fall to help parents talk to children about issues around race and privilege.
The program, called Conversations About Race & Belonging, is run through a local organization called Open Horizon and is launching in Alexandria this fall.
Former Alexandria Mayor Kerry Donley died unexpectedly at his home in Alexandria on Wednesday, July 13.
Donley was 66 years old and died of a heart attack, according to the Alexandria Times. He lived in the city for nearly six decades.
The Alexandria Community Policing Review Board should be up and running by September — just in time to turn in a written report to City Council on its activities, according to Board members.
The seven-person Board was created by City Council last year to independently review allegations of police misconduct, and its effectiveness is based on Members receiving extensive training, as well as the hiring of an independent auditor/investigator to hire staff, conduct investigations and coordinate the Board’s administrative functions.
Alexandria is developing a request for proposal (RFP) to potentially sell a tiny parcel of land at 2 King Street on the Alexandria waterfront.
The 1,825-square-foot property is between Waterfront Park and The Strand Street, and has been rented out as a parking lot for neighboring businesses since it was acquired in the 2014 land swap with the Old Dominion Boat Club.
Alexandria will be hiring more police officers, but Mayor Justin Wilson warned the fix to staffing challenges won’t be quick.
The Alexandria Police Department is facing a chronic short-staffing issue that led to Police Chief Don Hayes announcing last month that it would be scaling back its community services.
Alexandria will start interviewing candidates next month to independently review allegations of police misconduct, according to City Manager Jim Parajon.
It’s been more than five months since the Alexandria Community Policing Review Board started meeting to provide oversight of the Alexandria Police Department. The seven-person Board was appointed by City Council last year, started meeting in January, and is still developing its bylaws.
