COVID-19 Cases increase by 10 — “Positive tests up 10 to 2,759 in the City 7-day Positivity Rate down to 5.6% 0 new hospitalizations Still safer at home, wash hands, wear masks and support our essential workers.” [Twitter]
Beyer Votes for Republican Colleague by Proxy — “Beyer is a popular proxy choice for House Democrats, since he represents a Northern Virginia district that is just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.” [Roll Call]
Volunteer Alexandria Hosting Emergency Disaster Response Class — “This class will teach you how to recognize violent activities, respond safely, provide immediate rescue tactics to the injured, and report them to 9-1-1 efficiently. The skills you will learn are transferable to countless situations involving traumatic injury, which include car accidents, household injuries, or an active shooter.” [Volunteer Alexandria]
WMATA Virtual Job Fair at 2 p.m. — “Attendees will meet the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMTA) team and learn more about immediate employment opportunities, including Metrobus Operator, Elevator/Escalator Apprentice, Special Police Officer and General Transit Mechanic. Apply after the event. Learn more about the event and register at the link below.” [City of Alexandria]
Delegate Herring and Councilman Chapman Hosting Chat on Policing at 6:30 p.m. — “Please join Councilman John Taylor Chapman for a Special Zoom Meeting With Delegate Charniele Herring, will give an update on the General Assembly Special Session in August about Criminal Justice Reform and Police.”  [Facebook]
Office of Historic Alexandria Harry Potter Trivia Night Canceled Over Racial Concerns — “While OHA intended to leverage a popular annual museum program to share elements of Alexandria’s African American history, residents have raised concerns about the event being perceived as disrespectful. Disrespect was never our intent and we have canceled the event. OHA strives to create historical programs that are uplifting and done through a lens of equity. Unfortunately, we failed to do so with this event. We are very proud of our African American history and always want to improve the visitor experience. We appreciate those community members letting us know their concerns.” [City of Alexandria]
Today’s Weather — It will be partly cloudy most of the day, there will be a high temperature of 94 degrees and a 50% chance of thunderstorms at 10 p.m. [Weather.com]
New Job: Ice Cream Ambassador — “At Jeni’s, we’re devoted to making better ice creams and bringing people together.” [Indeed]
Mayor Reports COVID-19 Cases Increase by 14 — “Positive tests up 14 to 2,749 in the City 7-day Positivity Rate up to 5.9% 0 new hospitalizations Still safer at home, wash hands, wear masks and support our essential workers.” [Twitter]
Beyer Asks U.S. Park Police Chief to Implement Body Cameras After Lafayette Square Incident — “Beyer seeks commitment to body cam program funded/authorized by Congress from acting Chief Monahan given USPP’s transparency failures in the killing of Bijan Ghaisar. Monahan: USPP not ‘in a position to successfully implement, manage, and sustain a body-worn camera program.'” [Twitter]
New Deli Opening in Old Town North — “The Chewish Deli announced they will be opening a location at 807 Pendleton St. in the next few weeks. According to the business’s website, founder Greg Linzey is known for his hand rolled, NY-style water bagels. In addition to bagels, The Chewish Deli offers coffee as well as breakfast and lunch sandwiches.” [Alexandria Living]
The Irish Walk is Closing Today — “The last day is tomorrow for this wonderful Irish Store in Old Town Alexandria. Stop in and visit and get the last of the remaining treasures. @AlexandriaNow #OldTownAlexandria #Irish – The Irish Walk has been such a treasure and it will be missed.” [Twitter]
Photos Show Flooding From Last Week’s Storm — “Photographer Alex Snyder shared photos of the Thursday flooding with Patch to demonstrate that the city has ‘stormwater runoff problems that is costing taxpayers thousands.’ The photos show ‘waist-high’ flooding at Ashby Street and Glebe Road in the Del Ray area.” [Patch]
City Advises on Hurricane Preparedness — “Today the city advised residents to prepare for hurricane season through November. And they know the pandemic makes doing so a challenge. Officials though stress it is important to be ready. Their recommendations follow.” [Zebra]
Today’s Weather — It will be mostly sunny with a high temperature of 93 degrees. [Weather.com]
New Job: Scooter Collector — “As a Scooter Collector, you’ll be responsible for collecting scooters from the street and dropping them off at the Spin warehouse. This is a night-time role in which you will be using your personal vehicle to transport scooters.” [Indeed]
A local addition to the National Defense Authorization Act — a $740 billion bill approved through the House and Senate and headed to the White House — would require the Pentagon to establish a helicopter noise abatement group for the region.
Helicopter noise has long been a local complaint in Alexandria, perhaps second only in overhead noise controversy to sound coming from National Airport.
The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Don Beyer (D) would also require the Pentagon to establish a noise inquiry website based on the DCA’s complaint website.
“Since I took office, complaints about aircraft noise have been one of the most consistent sources of calls to my office,” Beyer said in an email. “We get calls about airplanes on approach and departure to and from DCA, and increasingly about military helicopters across the region, many of which fly in and out of Fort Belvoir. I had a town hall on the issue a few years ago in Fairlington, which has been particularly affected, and it was clear that people wanted ways to track and report noise complaints, and to have a forum for ongoing discussion about ways to mitigate that noise which would include input from the local community.”
While the bill has been approved by both chambers, a threatened veto over changing the names of bases named after Confederate leaders could still keep the helicopter noise solution from moving forward.
“With its adoption in the House we are now on track to get this enacted,” Beyer said. “Given the work that MWAA has already done in some of these areas it just makes sense for the Pentagon to look at what they have done, take what worked well, and make changes in areas that they could improve.”
Alexandria Businesses Get Millions in Federal Loans — “The vast majority of the loans in Alexandria were less than $150,000, helping small businesses keep their employees instead of laying them off. About 600 of the loans in Alexandria were worth more than $150,000, and about 100 of those were for more than $1 million. Top-dollar loans went to patent lawyers, information-technology professionals and commercial contractors. Only three of loans in Alexandria were in the coveted top bracket, which range from $5 million to $10 million.” Â [Gazette]
Beyer Tweets Potential Unemployment Losses of Every State — “At least 200,000 workers in Virginia will lose nearly two thirds of their weekly income at the beginning of August unless Mitch McConnell allows the Senate to pass an unemployment extension in the next few days.” Â [Twitter]
Fairlington United Methodist Church Blesses 1,000 Face Masks — “Over 1,000 face masks, most of them homemade, were blessed and donated by the FUMC community to Alive! Alexandria. Alive! will hand them out at their rapidly growing food distribution sites.” [Facebook]
Commonwealth’s Attorney Gives Opinion on New Laws — “At the beginning of this month, a litany of new laws went into effect. In this article, I’ll provide a synopsis of changes to the code that citizens should know about.” [AlexTimes]
New Italian Restaurant Opens in Del Ray — “Piece Out LLC, which operates Café Pizzaiolo, St. Elmo’s and Markt2Market, opened a from-scratch Italian restaurant at 2419 Mount Vernon Ave. Piece Out will initially focus on carry-out dining with plans to grow into a sit-down restaurant as the region starts to recover from the coronavirus crisis, according to owner Larry Ponzi.” [Alexandria Living]
Apothecary Museum’s Harry Potter Event Goes Virtual — “Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum’s Harry Potter birthday celebration, a favorite for visitors in Alexandria, will move online due to the pandemic.” [Patch]
New Job: Retail Cheesemonger — “Everyone’s favorite Cheese & Wine Shop is hiring retail sales associates (“cheesemongers”) for all locations. Part-Time and Full-Time available.” [Indeed]
Alexandria’s Congressman Don Beyer is still working from home, and he’s not happy. He says is office is constantly inundated with calls from constituents angry about a host of issues.
“Did you watch that farce of a speech in the Rose Garden?” Beyer asked ALXnow over the phone. “It was pretty outrageous. You know, it depends on the day, but generally the phone rings off the hook from constituents. Ninety percent of our calls are from people upset with what’s happening with the White House, and since there is a new outrage every day – it’s literally day by day.”
Beyer said the biggest most recent issue was the U.S. turning away visas for international students — a policy which the administration just reversed. Now he says the voters in the 8th Congressional District are worried about mail-in voting and not wanting to stand in line for hours on election day in November.
“Trump definitely seems to be spiraling out of control,” Beyer said. “He’s afraid he’s going to lose. My fear will be Trump’s allegations of cheating when there is little cheating going on. Yes, we know that many of the swing states with Republican governors are trying to suppress the vote, but that’s not a new phenomenon. Georgia, for example is the saddest, by cutting the number of voting machines in Democratic precincts.”
Beyer added, “Biden is going to beat him by many millions of votes, and I hope and expect the Electoral College. But the balance of power depends on respect for the law. Donald Trump has no respect for the law. He has ignored Congress in every possible way. I have constituents every day who ask me to do something about it. What else do you want me to do? He was impeached in the House, and that took a while.”
Well before the pandemic, Beyer’s Twitter account was a daily outlet for his criticism against the president. The coronavirus added fuel to his fire, and without any votes this week in the House, Beyer is stuck at home.
“We’re setting new records for recorded coronavirus cases every day,” Beyer said.
Trump is a failure. https://t.co/3LAoxsY9Wu
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) July 14, 2020
Additionally, unemployment will soon be slashed, as the Senate did not pass an extension of the $600 weekly unemployment boost legislation. Beyer has since condemned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Twitter.
“A third of Kentucky adults are on unemployment insurance,” Beyer said. “In Virginia, we had 800,000 people apply, which is 10% of the total population. In 15 days the payments going out will go from $837 to $237. I don’t know anybody who can survive on that every week.”
The calamity of 25 million American workers losing half their weekly income looms.
The effects on families’ ability to pay for housing, groceries, and health care will be catastrophic. It could hit the economy hard.
It’s days away.
Mitch McConnell is steering towards disaster.
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) July 16, 2020
Beyer, who is a former Lieutenant Governor, said that he is not worried about ACPS making the right decision regarding reopening school this fall.
“Let’s not be worried about grades,” Beyer said. “Look at the CDC guidelines. When you put children together you risk a viral explosion. The local school systems have figured it out. Fairfax County has given them the option to go to school or not or engage in distance learning. Fairfax County figured it out pretty well, and so will Alexandria.”
File photo
Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday delivered personal protective equipment to the Woodbine Rehabilitative and Health Center in Alexandria — the first installment of PPE that Pence says will be delivered to 15,400 nursing homes around the country.
Pence and his staff, in addition to Woodbine administrators, were not wearing protective face coverings for the visit and spoke within six feet of administrators. Pence did not step foot inside the facility, which has reported a number of symptomatic COVID-19 patients.
“The President wanted me to be here today to help deliver these gowns and gloves and supplies and it’s the first two installments that will be delivered literally around the country,” Pence said. “Early in the coronavirus epidemic, we recognized that the risk to seniors, particularly those with serious underlying health conditions, is very real.”
Woodbine administrator Donna Shaw thanked Pence for the support.
“We have a fabulous team inside and they work hard every day, not just during the coronavirus. They well deserve praise for everything that they’re doing, and we appreciate and are honored that you’ve come here today,” Shaw said.
Mayor Justin Wilson (D) told ALXnow that regardless of whether Pence wore a mask he appreciated the support.
“We are appreciative of any Federal assistance to support the PPE needs of our Long Term Care Facilities. They have been especially hard hit during this outbreak. We look forward to additional Federal assistance to expand testing, support the housing and food insecurity of our residents, keep our small businesses afloat and protect critical local government services.”
A large percentage of COVID-19 deaths in the city occurred at long-term care facilities, and three more deaths were reported today of women in their 80s who died of COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise Americans to avoid close contact and to wear a protective face covering while outdoors.
The vice president has been widely criticized for recently visiting the Mayo Clinic without wearing a cloth face covering. On Sunday, Pence said that he should have worn a mask, according to CNN.
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign released the following statement from Biden for President spokesperson Ike Hajinazarian.
“With today’s visit, our heroes on the frontlines are getting a photo-op instead of meaningful efforts to produce and deliver the proper safety equipment they need to combat this pandemic. Now, months into this crisis, nurses still say access to PPE is ‘sporadic.’ With Joe Biden as President, our frontline workers won’t have to worry about getting the supplies they need to stay safe and save lives.”
The Biden campaign also released comments from Virginia’s Democratic Congressional delegation, which severely criticized the Trump administration for its attempt to overturn the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court.
“Countless families in Northern Virginia rely on the Affordable Care Act — either directly for their care or indirectly through the protections it grants for younger Virginians and Virginians with pre-existing conditions,” Northern Virginia Congressman Don Beyer (D-8th) stated. “It should not need to be said, but apparently it does: the height of a global pandemic is when our leaders should be expanding our access to health care, not seeking to rip it away. President Trump should end this reckless lawsuit.”
VP Pence delivers personal protective equipment (PPE) from FEMA to Woodbine Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Alexandria, Virginia. pic.twitter.com/o1dQcYH8jj
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) May 7, 2020
ACPS Adjusts Hours for Grab & Go Meals — Beginning on Monday, April 20, meals will be available 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Cora Kelly School, Francis C. Hammond Middle School, Jefferson Houston School, T.C. Williams High School and William Ramsay Elementary School. [Twitter]
Scholarship Fund of Alexandria Nearing $50K Goal — “Thanks to the generosity of the Alexandria community, the Scholarship Fund awards approximately $1 million in scholarships to T.C. Williams graduates each year. Most of our scholarships range from $12,000 to $20,000 over four years and can often mean the difference between a student being able to afford college, or simply staying home. Thank YOU for Giving.” [Scholarship Fund]
NOVA Providing Free Online Summer School — “Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is using institutional dollars from the Federal stimulus to launch a new summer schedule of tuition-free online classes for approximately 70,000 qualified Northern Virginia high school students. This is an opportunity for rising seniors through graduating seniors to JumpStart their summers and earn college credit by attending up to two online courses that will run from June 1 to July 15.” [NOVA]
State Budget Cuts Impact Alexandria — “Funding for the Freedom House Museum, early childhood education and much more in Alexandria are likely to be “unalloted” from the Virginia state budget due to the economic contraction caused by coronavirus concerns.” [Alexandria Living]
Sen. Warner Speaking at 11 a.m. DemBiz Webinar — “Senator Warner will discuss COVID-19, its economic impact on Northern Virginia, the Trump Administration’s response and more.” [Facebook]
Beyer says Trump Using Pandemic As Cover for Air Pollution — “It’s hard to imagine a more disgraceful abuse of the EPA’s mission than increasing the amount of toxic chemicals at this of all times, but the disgusting truth is that Trump is using this pandemic as cover to allow more air pollution from power plants, something his administration has long wanted to do. Once again they have chosen to make our air less clean at the apex of a disease that attacks our ability to breathe in order to benefit polluters. It’s a truly outrageous abuse of public trust.” [beyer.house.gov]
Senior Residents Enjoy Rock Concert — at a Distance — ” The concert took place near the facility’s Knoll Garden, and nearly 80 residents tuned in via their balconies, open windows and the facility’s in-house news channel.” [Alexandria Living]Â
AEDP Hosting 3 p.m. CARES Act Meeting for Small Businesses — “Event Alert! #AlexandriaVA businesses: THIS MONDAY, together w the @alexvasbdc, we are hosting a virtual meeting w/speaker from the DC @SBAgov office to cover #CARESAct info. Meant to be mainly for #ALX biz Q&A, please register at: bit.ly/2zbtp5J.” [Twitter]
ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund Benefit Concert on Saturday — “Cantor Jason Kaufman, Beth El Hebrew Congregation, will be presenting ‘Songs for Alexandria,’ a benefit for concert for the ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund, a joint partnership between Alexandria’s Community Foundation/ACT and the City of Alexandria… The City of Alexandria will match donations, up to $100,000, to support the needs of nonprofit organizations experiencing an increase in demand for services as they support Alexandrian’s affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.” [Facebook]
Alexandria-Based International Nonprofit Needs Administrative Assistant — “This organization is actively hiring for this position. it will begin in a remote capacity due to COVID-19 and will transition into daily reporting to the office… The role requires a high level of initiative, problem solving, confidentiality, and personal judgement to handle both written and verbal communications with all level of staff and vendors.” [Indeed]
King Street – Old Town Metro Station’s Southern Entrance Closing for Construction — “On Tues. Apr. 21, the King St. Metro south entrance will close for 2 months, weather permitting, for infrastructure improvements. Ped access btwn buses/Diagonal Rd. & the 2 remaining entrances will be maintained via a temporary path.” [Twitter]
City Hotlines Available to Stem Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault — “During a crisis like COVID-19, the risk for intimate partner and domestic violence increases. The City of Alexandria Sexual Assault Center and the Domestic Violence Program want survivors and victims to know they are not alone. Both programs are open during the COVID-19 health crisis, hotlines are available 24/7 and advocates are ready to listen and help.” [Facebook]
Gov. Northam Extends Executive Order by Two Weeks — “That means that gatherings of more than 10 people will remain banned, and entertainment and recreation and personal care businesses will remain closed, until at least May 8. In addition, restaurants are limited to carry-out or delivery orders only.” [Alexandria Living]
West End Business Association Hosting Online Happy Hour at 4 p.m. — “Each person will be able to give their one-minute introduction and should also answer two questions: 1) What do you have to offer that might help other businesses through these times? 2) As your own bartender, what cocktail (or mocktail) are you drinking?” [WEBA]
Alexandria Hospital Staff Working Out to Stay Healthy — “Dr. West leads a team of Inova Health System nurses in some quick exercises you can do throughout the day. Try 10 of each and increase as you can.” [Facebook]
Alexandria Library Offers Temporary Access to Rosetta Stone — “The award-winning interactive approach has been used by millions of learners around the world and now is accessible in the library–or anywhere, anytime. This vital resource includes 30 languages to meet a range of cultural interests. Learning is structured around core lessons to build reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and also includes focused activities to refine grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and more.” [Zebra]
Restaurant Teams With Carpenter’s Shelter to Give 60 Families Meals — “We are committed to raising $600 weekly to provide meals for 60 local families every week over the next three months, at cost to us. This initiative helps us keep the lights on and provides badly needed hours for our employees! Donate today and become part of the solution!” [Facebook]
Alexandria Author Publishes Children’s Book — “Alexandria author J.R. Becker has a new children’s book coming out in June, called “This World Was Made for Me!” that deals with the environmental issues in an informative but whimsical way.” [Alexandria Living]
Office Assistant/Bookkeeper Job Available — “Join a small, stable IT consulting business where you can apply and expand your accounting, finance, and business operations skills. We are looking for a capable, proactive, detail-oriented person with a can-do attitude to support the day-to-day operations of our business. Excellent opportunity for growth as your capabilities develop.” [Indeed]
A T.C. Williams student and JROTC cadet will be attending tonight’s State of the Union address at the Capitol with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
Kaine invited Nicole Rosario-Flores after meeting with cadets at the high school last month and discussing his bipartisan war powers resolution, intended to limit the president’s ability to deploy troops without Congress’ approval.
The senator said in a statement, below, that “it’s important to hear from young people who have a large stake in this debate.” Alexandria City Public Schools, meanwhile, tweeted that the school system is “thrilled” that Rosario-Flores will be able to take in such a unique experience.
Today [Monday], U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that his guest at Tuesday’s Presidential State of the Union Address will be Alexandria, VA native and JROTC Cadet Nicole Rosario-Flores. On January 10th, Kaine met with Cadet Rosario-Flores and other JROTC cadets at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria. Kaine talked to the students about his years-long efforts to reclaim Congress’s constitutional duty to weigh in on whether the nation goes to war, including his bipartisan war powers resolution to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran.
“I’m excited Cadet Rosario-Flores will join me as my State of the Union guest on Tuesday,” said Kaine. “I was so impressed with her and all the T.C. Williams High School JROTC cadets I recently met with to discuss my bipartisan war powers resolution. The legislation is about ensuring we don’t send our troops into harm’s way unless there’s a carefully reached consensus in Congress that war is in the national interest. Any time we’re in the middle of a discussion about matters of war and peace in Congress, it’s important to hear from young people who have a large stake in this debate.”
“I am thrilled and honored to be Senator Tim Kaine’s guest at the State of the Union Address. I am equally grateful for the JROTC program at T.C. Williams High School that is truly one of a kind, has opened doors for me and given me the opportunity to attend such an important event as this one. Having the opportunity to witness the way our government functions first hand will definitely be something that I will always remember,” said Cadet Nicole Rosario-Flores.
We're thrilled to announce that @TCWJROTC Cadet Nicole Rosario-Flores will be Senator @timkaine's guest at the Presidential State of the Union Address tomorrow evening. More to come about this exciting experience! #TitansRising @TCWTitans #SOTU2020 #SOTU https://t.co/oycFUJZVGX pic.twitter.com/0atfZ4fti4
— Alexandria City Public Schools (@ACPSk12) February 3, 2020
Photo via @ACPSk12/Twitter
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) is scheduled to meet with JROTC cadets at T.C. Williams High School on Friday afternoon.
The senator, who’s a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, “will talk to students about his efforts to more clearly define the roles of Congress and the President in making our nation’s most important decision – whether to send our servicemembers into harm’s way,” according to a media alert.
The visit comes at a time of tensions and talk of war — but recent deescalation — between the U.S. and Iran. The House of Representatives is set to vote on a war powers resolution later today, with a goal of limiting actions President Trump can take against Iran.
“For years, Kaine has been the leading voice in Congress raising concerns over Presidents’ efforts to expand the use of military force without congressional authorization,” Kaine’s press office noted. “Last week, Kaine introduced a war powers resolution to force a debate and vote in Congress to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran.”
