controversy | ALXnow

Alleged ‘campaign violations’ behind delay of Alexandria teachers union officer elections

Published May 20, 2026 at 1:45PM

School buses on W. Braddock Road on Dec. 10, 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Education Association of Alexandria’s upcoming officer elections were postponed this week due to alleged campaign or election violations, according to the union’s communications to members.

The EAA broadly cited campaign or election violations in a Sunday (May 17) email update to its members on officer elections. Andrea Hill, chair of the EAA Credentials/Election Committee, told members the virtual elections — originally scheduled from Monday (May 18) to Wednesday (May 20) — would be postponed to Thursday (May 21) and Friday (May 22). Hill said an investigation into the allegations had taken place.

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Divided City Council upholds Braddock Road redesign after 11-hour hearing

By James Cullum

Published May 18, 2026 at 2:15PM | Updated May 18, 2026 at 4:30PM

City Council denied an appeal to the Traffic and Parking Board's February 2026 decision for transportation changes to this 0.8-mile section of Braddock Road (via City of Alexandria)

After an 11-hour public hearing with more than 100 speakers Saturday (May 16), a divided City Council upheld the Traffic and Parking Board’s decision to redesign a 0.8-mile section of Braddock Road in Alexandria’s Rosemont and Del Ray neighborhoods.

The 4-3 decision means city staff will continue designing the project into 2027. In 2028, parking will be removed on Braddock Road between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road to make way for new bike lanes. Braddock Road will also be reduced from two lanes to one in each direction between West Street and Mount Vernon Avenue, creating two-way bicycle lanes on one side and a commercial delivery loading zone on the other.

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ARHA deputy director takes over as interim CEO amid controversy

By James Cullum

Published September 4, 2025 at 11:45AM

Erik C. Johnson, former CEO of ARHA, asks City Council to back the Silver Fox plan, June 10, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

While its current CEO is on probation and under investigation for living in a public housing property under his management, the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority is being led by an interim CEO, ALXnow has confirmed.

Last month, ALXnow reported that ARHA CEO Erik Johnson was living in an ARHA property, prompting the Alexandria City Council to call for an independent investigation. ARHA has since confirmed that its Deputy Executive Director Rickie C. Maddox is currently working as the organization’s interim CEO.

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Today marks anniversary of Old Town’s contentious founding as a ‘historic district’

By Vernon Miles

Published August 14, 2024 at 11:00AM

A cloudy day in Old Town (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Old Town is no stranger to controversy over historic preservation, and the Office of Historic Alexandria’s superb This Week in Historic Alexandria newsletter documented the intense local controversy around the neighborhood’s historic designation 78 years ago.

Old Town is the third oldest historic district in the United States, after Charleston formed a historic district in 1931 and New Orleans six years later. The first preservation efforts focused on residential buildings and were called the Charleston Ordinance, WETA reported.

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Rep. Beyer pushes for more AI transparency after Scarlett Johansson controversy

By Vernon Miles

Published May 21, 2024 at 3:55PM

Rep. Don Beyer, of Virginia's 8th District, speaks to supporters on election night at Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray, Nov. 8, 2022 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) is doubling down on a push for new transparency standards after a controversy surrounding OpenAI and actress Scarlett Johansson.

OpenAI claimed its new ChatGPT assistant, which sounded eerily similar to Johansson, wasn’t based on Johansson despite the actress saying the company previously tried to hire her for the chatbot. Further adding to evidence that it was, in fact, based on Johannsson’s voice was OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posting a one-word reference to the 2013 movie Her, which notably features Johansson playing an AI.

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Alexandria church faces expulsion from denomination over female pastors

By Vernon Miles

Published May 14, 2024 at 3:50PM

First Baptist Church of Alexandria (2932 King Street) faces expulsion from the Southern Baptist denomination because of its female pastors.

The Southern Baptist Convention only allows men to occupy the office of pastor/elder/overseer, but the Washington Times reported that Kim Eskridge has held the position of pastor at the church in Alexandria for nearly 20 years.

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Alexandria Director of Elections apologizes for Israeli flag behind voting machine

By Vernon Miles

Published March 6, 2024 at 12:35PM | Updated March 6, 2024 at 2:32PM

Picture on the CAIR website of an Israeli flag hung at an Alexandria polling station (image via Council on American-Islamic Relations)

(Updated 2:30 p.m.) In most years, an Israeli flag at the Beth El Hebrew Congregation precinct might not draw attention on an election day, but with the catastrophic civilian death toll in Gaza, it raised some eyebrows on Super Tuesday.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) put out a release yesterday (Tuesday) calling for an investigation of a report that an Israeli flag was hung near voting machines inside a polling station at a synagogue.

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UPDATED: Slaughterhouse mostly avoids ruffling feathers, but at least one violation reported

By Vernon Miles

Published April 25, 2022 at 9:45AM | Updated April 28, 2022 at 12:17PM

Chickens at the D.C. Poultry Market at 3225 Colvin Street. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Updated 4/28 — The City of Alexandria confirmed that, contrary to earlier comments from code enforcement, there was at least one complaint about the slaughterhouse. According to Alexandria communications officer Andrea Blackford:

Thank you for following up with us. There was a complaint about the Market in December 2021, which was followed up by a Zoning Inspector, who reported:

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EXCLUSIVE: Halal slaughterhouse opens, gives away free chickens for first two days in business

By James Cullum

Published July 28, 2021 at 1:15PM

Chickens at the D.C. Poultry Market at 3225 Colvin Street (staff photo by James Cullum)

After years of legal wrangling and pandemic pressures, the controversial halal slaughterhouse at 3225 Colvin Street quietly opened on Wednesday, July 28. There is no discernible smell of chickens in the air yet, and there are hundreds in cages in a back room.

The D.C. Poultry Market is now open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is giving away two free chickens per customer for the first two days that it is open.

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EXCLUSIVE: Here’s what the inside of the Halal slaughterhouse looks like on Colvin Street

By James Cullum

Published April 26, 2021 at 3:30PM | Updated April 26, 2021 at 4:00PM

After a series of delays, the owner of the Saba Live Poultry slaughterhouse says he will open in June.

ALXnow was granted exclusive access to the building at 3225 Colvin Street. The paint is still fresh, floors are being retiled and cages for chickens and other equipment were recently unpacked.

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Just In: Halal slaughterhouse to open in two weeks

By James Cullum

Published March 31, 2021 at 1:00PM | Updated March 31, 2021 at 6:32PM

Abdul Mused says it hasn’t been easy, but his halal slaughterhouse at 3225 Colvin Street will open in approximately two weeks.

Mused, the owner of Saba Live Poultry, said that neighbors and the city have made it hard to get the business off the ground. No firm date has been set for the opening, and Mused said that the opening is an estimate.