DASH bus | ALXnow

Morning Notes

Published September 7, 2021 at 5:00AM

Police assist in chase Friday night — “There is a heavy police presence in the area of North Latham Street and Taney Avenue due to a Virginia State Police pursuit that originated from out of the city. APD assisted and suspects have been taken into custody for non-violent offense(s).” [Twitter]

Alexandria Library eliminates fines for overdue items — “Here’s some great news for library patrons. Alexandria Library has decided to eliminate fines for overdue items. What is the reason for the change?” [Zebra]

News

Labor Day openings and closures in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published September 3, 2021 at 2:15PM

The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

This coming Monday, September 6, is Labor Day and a number of city government offices and facilities will be closed.

The biggest event of the three-day weekend will be the day before Labor Day — Sunday, September 5. The annual Old Town Festival of Speed & Style will bring crowds to marvel at classic and beautiful rides along King Street.

News

Packing meals for kids, teaching and other volunteer opportunities in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published August 23, 2021 at 2:15PM

There are dozens of volunteering opportunities in Alexandria.

“We need hundreds of people per week,” Volunteer Alexandria Executive Director Marion Brunken told ALXnow. “More people are in need now than ever.”

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published August 13, 2021 at 5:00AM

Traffic on Duke Street in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Bowl America agrees to sale — “Shareholders of Bowl America Inc. voted Wednesday to approve its $44 million sale to Bowlero Corp., which in turn, plans to go public through its own marriage with a blank-check company that values the larger company at about $2.6 billion. Bowl America (NYSE: BWL-A), the Alexandria-based operator of 17 bowling centers in the Greater Washington, Baltimore, Richmond and Jacksonville, Florida, areas, said it expects its sale to close Monday.” [Washington Business Journal]

McAuliffe and DNC Chair visit Alexandria — “Great event this morning at Port City Brewing Company with Terry McAuliffe and DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison! It’s clear that if we want to see Virginia’s economy continue to rebound we need Democratic leadership to build on President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan.” [Facebook]

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published July 23, 2021 at 3:30PM

What an unexpectedly busy summer week in Alexandria. Here’s the rundown.

Our top story was on an Alexandria woman who claims she was roofied at a restaurant on the waterfront on the evening of July 9. A police report has been filed, and no charges have been made.

News

DASH takes lessons from D.C., Baltimore and Oregon in eliminating bus fares

By Vernon Miles

Published July 19, 2021 at 3:40PM

A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria is getting ready to go fare-free this fall, and at the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) on July 1 the architects of that plan shared some of the challenges ahead.

Josh Baker, general manager of DASH, said a fare-free bus system had been brought up before, but transit authorities started looking at an emergency pandemic-program as a way to test what the program could look like on a larger, more permanent scale.

News

West End high-rise apartment building evacuated after power outage

By James Cullum

Published July 12, 2021 at 12:35PM

An electrical malfunction prompted the evacuation of the 17-story apartment building at 6060 Tower Court in the West End on Monday, July 12, 2021. (Courtesy Google Maps)

An electrical malfunction has prompted the required evacuation of a 17-story apartment building in the West End.

The power went out at Key Towers at 6060 Tower Court shortly before 5 a.m., and the city’s DASH bus service is helping transport evacuated residents to a cooling center at Patrick Henry Recreation Center, which is just over two miles away. There are 140 units in the 1960s-era building and Monday’s temperature is expected to reach the mid-90s.

News

DASH bus driver dies from COVID-19

By Vernon Miles

Published June 28, 2021 at 9:45AM

This weekend, Alexandria bus network DASH suffered its first death from COVID-19.

The bus service is not releasing the victim’s name, but marketing and communications manager Whitney Code said the victim was a bus driver.

Opinion

Poll: Would transit improvements in Alexandria make you more likely to take the bus?

By Vernon Miles

Published June 23, 2021 at 10:50AM

A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A new Duke Street overhaul that aims to make the street more transit-friendly is starting its community outreach phrase.

The Duke Street in Motion plan aims to create a corridor of more reliable and frequent bus service along Duke Street between the King Street Metro station and Landmark Mall — where developers is in the early phases of redeveloping the site into a mixed-use corridor and hospital.

News

Alexandria openings and closures for Juneteenth

By James Cullum

Published June 17, 2021 at 2:30PM

The Contrabands and Freedmens Cemetery Memorial at 1001 S. Washington Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s history with slavery makes Juneteenth a particularly important holiday.

June 19 recognizes the emancipation of slaves in the United States, and the date is expected to soon be a federal holiday, even though Alexandria has recognized it since 2019.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published May 19, 2021 at 5:00AM

Walking in Mount Jefferson Park in Del Ray (staff photo by James Cullum)

Face masks still required on DASH buses — “Riding public transportation in Alexandria anytime soon? Don’t forget your mask.” [Zebra]

Bike to Work Day is Friday — “The free Bike to Work Day event features over 100 pit stops around the DC region in DC, Maryland and Virginia. The first 15,000 people who register and show up to a pit stop will receive a T-shirt. Staggered hours and COVID-19 policies will be in place.” [Patch]