Fresh from a bout with Covid that left Mayor Justin Wilson isolating in Spain, Wilson’s first virtual town hall of 2022 launched with a discussion of the current situation with COVID-19.
Alexandria has seen record-high levels of confirmed Covid cases thanks to the highly infections omicron variant. Wilson implored locals to swap out the simple cloth masks for more effective N95 or KN 95 masks.
The big story this week was snow.
A snowstorm on Monday had the city working at clearing roads and putting weather-affected services back into play. There was a smaller dusting of snow last night, though it didn’t have nearly the same level of impact.
After six months of waiting for the city’s Permit Center to approve an expansion of her nail salon, Kathleen Le was ready to throw her hands up in resignation.
“I tell my staff that if they hear me talk about opening another location or expanding to please kill me instead,” Le told ALXnow. “Don’t let me do it.”
A day after 10 inches of snow was dumped on the region, 95% of Alexandria’s primary roadways are now “passable”, according to the City’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services.
The Department also tweeted that 65% of the city’s secondary streets are passable, and that crews are working toward intermediate streets. There are also still three open requests to clear away snow from the city’s Arlandria neighborhood, according to the city.
One day after a severe snowstorm hit Alexandria, some things are returning to normal while other services remain closed.
Alexandria bus service DASH suspended service yesterday, but has since returned with snow routes — adjusted routes following more thoroughly cleared sections of roadway.
Another single-day record for new COVID cases was set in Alexandria today, and the understaffed Alexandria Fire Department has made “vital changes” to contend with rising infections among staffers, including the temporary suspension of annual leave.
There were 460 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Alexandria on Today (Dec. 30), a 22% jump over the previous record of 376 cases set on Christmas day.
New Year’s Day is right around the corner, and a number of Alexandria government offices are closing early on Friday (Dec. 31).
The city’s New Year’s Eve celebration has been canceled due to rising COVID numbers, but if you’re looking to get out on Friday, the Torpedo Factory Art Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Charles Houston and Patrick Henry Recreation Centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., as will the Chinquapin Park Recreation Center & Aquatics facility.
Know anyone that’s a poet at heart? The City of Alexandria is opening applications to be the new poet laureate.
The poet laureate’s job, according to the press release, is to promote appreciation of poetry as an art form, encourage creative writing and reading, and promote literacy through poetry. The position has a three-year term starting on April 1, 2022, succeeding current poet laureate KaNikki Jakarta. The ceremonial role will also involve presentations of poetry to various audiences.
Days after both school resource officers at Alexandria City High School were put on administrative leave, the Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria City Public Schools system are still unclear as to if or when those officers will be replaced.
The officers were placed on leave last Thursday after a “serious complaint” from a former student alleging “sexually inappropriate conversations” while she attended ACHS, according to the Washington Post.
In a letter to incoming Governor Glenn Youngkin, Mayor Justin Wilson outlined some areas of potential cooperation between state and local leadership, despite a wide political gulf.
It’s no secret that there’s nervousness in the all-Democrat Alexandria leadership about the incoming Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. For the past four years, the city has been “playing with house money” in terms of state support for local projects.
Earlier this year, the City of Alexandria dedicated some of its American Rescue Plan Act funding to a program that would guarantee a basic income, but now one of the non-profits working on the pilot said it’s hit some delays with no estimate of when the pilot will start.
The pilot program is now called, in a sort of transparent backronym, Alexandria’s Recurring Income for Success and Equity (ARISE). It will focus on 150 families who will receive a $500 monthly cash payment for 24 months, with no strings attached on its use. Eligibility has been set at 50% of the area median income or below.
