coronavirus | ALXnow

From Trump’s inner circle to MAGA’s enemy: Alexandria’s Olivia Troye on her journey from White House insider to lifelong resistance

Published August 5, 2025 at 6:30PM | Updated August 11, 2025 at 10:00AM

Former Trump administration official Olivia Troye at the No Kings Rally at Market Square in Old Town, June 14, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Olivia Troye has lost friends and made powerful enemies since moving to Alexandria.

The former career intelligence officer made national headlines after resigning from a top post at the White House under President Donald Trump in 2020, and then speaking out against the administration. The lifelong conservative Republican went so far as to endorse former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president, even spoke at the Democratic National Convention, and is a frequent anti-Trump commentator on national TV. Now living in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood, she makes public appearances at protests, publishes multiple weekly posts to more than 300,000 subscribers on her Substack, and says she’s dedicated to spending the rest of her life fighting President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

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Alexandria Health Department gets $120K from City Council after losing federal grant

By James Cullum

Published July 3, 2025 at 5:30PM

Alexandria Health Department (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

City Council has released more than $120,000 in reserve funding to the Alexandria Health Department.

On Tuesday (July 1), Council approved the one-time funding to support the city’s Healthy Homes Action Plan, immigrant and refugee resource programs, and expansion of the ALX Breathes program. AHD lost the funds, which were from a federal COVID-19 grant earlier this year.

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Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson is leaving politics

By James Cullum

Published November 27, 2024 at 3:15PM | Updated November 27, 2024 at 8:16PM

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson at St. Elmo's Coffee Pub in Del Ray, Nov. 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Pretty soon email inboxes won’t get those monthly newsletters from Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson. It’s the end of an era in the city, as Wilson leaves office in January.

Wilson is looking forward to it.

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Agenda Alexandria caps off season by addressing state of city’s school system

By James Cullum

Published September 19, 2024 at 9:00AM

George Mason Elementary School Principal Christopher Finan with students on the first day of school, August 21, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The last few years have been rough for Alexandria City Public Schools.

The school system and all involved with it have been impacted by the pandemic, learning loss, leadership changes, a staffing crisis, surging enrollment and more.

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Alexandria experiences summer covid surge

By James Cullum

Published September 3, 2024 at 3:45PM

Walking on King Street in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria has experienced a summer surge in cases of COVID-19, and the health department is asking residents to remember the fundamentals of washing their hands and covering their sneezes.

There were 898 confirmed new cases (and no deaths) in the last 13 weeks in Alexandria, according to the Virginia Department of Health. That makes up for 30% of the 3,036 confirmed cases (and seven deaths) over the past year.

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A look back at Biden and ARPA’s impact on Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published July 30, 2024 at 11:10AM

President Biden delivering remarks at Sportrock Climbing Center in Alexandria (via White House/Twitter)

With President Joe Biden announcing last week that he would not be running for reelection, it’s worth examining the somewhat understated impact Biden had on Alexandria.

Though most of its discussion was relegated to long City budget meetings, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that Biden helped spearhead had a significant impact on Alexandria’s recovery from Covid.

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Covid figures trend up in January but hospital admissions remain low

By Vernon Miles

Published January 30, 2024 at 10:45AM

Hospital admissions for Covid over the last year (image via City of Alexandria)

If it seems like a lot of folks are coming down with Covid, you’re not just imagining it; Alexandria has seen an increase in Alexandria Hospital admission levels for Covid this month.

Hospital admissions for Covid hit their peak for the last year during the week of Jan. 13, with roughly 10 hospital admissions per 100k residents.

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UPDATE: Official says bizarre Covid-related Halloween party cancelation notice wasn’t from city

By James Cullum

Published September 13, 2023 at 3:30PM | Updated September 13, 2023 at 6:00PM

Halloween on Lee Street in Old Town, October 31, 2022 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Updated at 5:45 p.m. — There is a slight surge of Covid cases in Alexandria, however a notification that a Halloween-themed event at a city recreation center this weekend was unfounded, according to the City.

On Tuesday, an Evite was sent to reporters announcing a Halloween festival at the Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Community Center, but on Wednesday another email was sent announcing that the event was canceled.

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Southern Towers gets a visit from the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency

By James Cullum

Published June 9, 2023 at 2:30PM | Updated June 12, 2023 at 3:03PM

A protest at Southern Towers in the West End on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020 (Staff photo by James Cullum)

The Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency visited Southern Towers in the West End this week, signalling to housing advocates that years of protests against rent hikes and evictions are finally paying off.

On Wednesday, FHFA Director Sandra Thompson toured the 2,261-unit Southern Towers complex at 4901 Seminary Road. The tour was hosted by the People’s Actions Homes Guarantee campaign and African Communities Together (ACT), and the groups say that affordable housing residents are at the mercy of a major private equity landlord that only cares about profit. The groups say that since buying the property at the height of the pandemic in 2020, California-based owner CIM Group has evicted more than 250 residents, and that many of them endured uninhabitable conditions and rent increases.

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With $2.5 million goal, early giving for Alexandria’s Spring2ACTion fundraiser starts today

By James Cullum

Published April 12, 2023 at 11:05AM

(Photo via Runningbrooke/Facebook)

The biggest single-day fundraiser for Alexandria nonprofits is around the corner, and early giving starts today.

ACT for Alexandria’s annual Spring2ACTion fundraiser is on April 26, and this year’s goal is to raise $2.5 million from 10,000 donors.

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Alexandria’s COVID-19 Community Level goes back to ‘high’

By James Cullum

Published January 18, 2023 at 1:45PM

Art On The Avenue in Del Ray, Nov. 12, 2022 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s Covid community-level has gone from “low” to “high” this month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Low, medium or high Covid community levels are determined by data on hospitalizations and cases, according to the CDC. Each level comes with steps recommended by the federal agency that people and communities can take to protect themselves and others from potentially severe impacts of the virus.