Alexandria Police will be outfitted with body worn cameras starting this summer, but it won’t be until next year that all officers will be outfitted with the devices.
The $2.2 million program City Manager Jim Parajon presented to Council on Wednesday (March 30) is significantly scaled back cost-wise when compared to a $13 million proposal presented to City Council last year by then-Police Chief Michael Brown.
Alexandria City Public Schools is requesting an extension of its controversial school resource officer (SRO) program through the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
School Board Chair Meagan Alderton says that the extension is part of the reimagining of the $800,000 program, as Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. will work to develop a School Law Enforcement Partnership (SLEP) Advisory Group and formulate an SRO plan to present to City Council next year.
Five months after a 16-hour power outage disrupted Del Ray’s Art On The Avenue festival, Dominion Energy says it will invest $17 million over the next three years to improve reliability in the city.
That was the gist of an hour-long update from Dominion to City Council Tuesday night (March 22), where Bill Murray, Dominion’s senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications, informed City Council that the energy giant plans on spending $3.4 million this year, $8.5 million in 2023 and $5.2 million in 2023 on 20 “incremental reliability investments” in areas affected by outages in Alexandria, and will begin planning with city staff next month.
There has been another death and 137 new cases of the virus in Alexandria over the last week, bringing the total number of deaths to 185 and the number of cases to 29,946, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
Still, the pandemic is winding down in Alexandria. One of the biggest signs is the fact that it’s been nearly two weeks since the Alexandria Health Department last posted a COVID-19 update. The city last released Covid information on March 8 — a stark difference from nearly two years of daily updates from the city, and a surge in January that saw a record-setting 12,822 positive cases.
Updated at 6:30 p.m. — The Alexandria School Board on Monday (March 14) was advised against talking to the media, as the Board received a refresher on their operating procedures.
Board members were told that they have to be careful of what they say out of concern for the division as a whole, prompting some members to question toeing the line of Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. and staff.
As of Monday (March 7), Alexandria City Public Schools staff are no longer required to wear face masks in schools.
Staff were informed of the rule change in an email on Friday (March 4) that wearing masks in ACPS facilities and vehicles is optional, with few exceptions. Additionally, all ACPS staff (not including substitutes) will get paid emergency leave if unable to work due to COVID-19.
Local businesses will have until the summer to enjoy the fruits of a temporary program that has allowed restaurants to provide curbside pickups, suspend regular operating hours and sell alcohol to-go.
City Council, on Saturday, will consider extending the temporary relief program to local businesses from April 1 to June 30, and expire along with the city’s state of emergency that same day.
Wearing face masks in government buildings is now optional in Alexandria, as nearly two years of the pandemic restriction winds to a close.
The decision, which was announced on March 1, comes after new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave Alexandria and its neighboring jurisdictions a “Low” community level of transmission.
After nearly two years of dining and shopping in parking spaces outside of local businesses, Alexandria wants to start charging rent.
City Council will review a staff proposal on Tuesday (March 8) to start charging annual rent to business owners for their use of parklets — converted parking spaces that have been used for outdoor dining, fitness classes and retail.
After more than 10 years in development, the high-capacity Duke Street Transitway is getting the show on the road.
The Alexandria City Council, at its meeting March 8, will vote on authorizing the city manager to appoint an Ad Hoc Duke Street Transitway Advisory Group. The nine-person body will spend the next year providing recommendations for corridor design alternatives, and will endorse a preferred alternative by spring 2023.
Alexandria has lit City Hall and the George Washington Masonic Memorial in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. The effort of solidarity for the beleaguered country has been echoed by shining blue and yellow lights on bridges and buildings throughout the region.
Russia invaded Ukraine last week, and hundreds have been killed so far during the conflict. At time of writing, Ukraine and Russia are currently engaging in ceasefire talks after Ukrainian resistance stalled Russia’s approach into Kyiv and other major cities.
