Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!

⛈️ Today’s weather: Expect showers and potential thunderstorms after 5 pm, with a high near 69. Southeast winds will be 9-16 mph, gusting up to 25 mph. There is an 80% chance of precipitation, bringing new rainfall amounts of up to a quarter-inch. Thursday night may see showers and thunderstorms mainly before 5 am, followed by scattered showers and breezy conditions. Lows will be around 57, with south winds of 13-20 mph and gusts up to 30 mph. Precipitation chances are 100%, with an additional quarter to half an inch of rainfall possible.

🚨 You need to know

Mayor Justin Wilson said that the Biden administration’s finalized strict limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water will improve the health of Alexandria residents.

Alexandria’s drinking water has an “actionable” level of Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). PFAS are proven to weaken immune response, increase cancer risk and liver damage, and pose a risk to pregnant women and their babies.

Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that $27.2 million from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law would go to Virginia to address “emerging contaminants” in drinking water. The manufactured chemicals are known as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), and include industrial and consumer products such as cosmetics, shampoo, certain dental flosses, cleaning products, fire extinguisher fluid, food containers and non-stick cookware.

EPA proposed new maximum contaminant level (MCL) goals by targeting a number of PFAS. It also forces water providers to replace old lead pipes.

Last year Alexandria’s City Council voted to support these proposed PFAS regulations.

With actionable levels of PFAS in our drinking water, implementation of these new rules will improve the health of our residents.

I look forward to swift compliance.https://t.co/4SdyItnF9G

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) April 10, 2024

📈 Wednesday’s most read

The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Apr 10, 2024.

1. JUST IN: 23-year-old Alexandria motorcyclist identified after fatal crash on Duke Street (1558 views)
2. Alexandria man charged with forcible sodomy and attempted rape in Old Town (1506 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.

• 6:00 pm: Art+Wine+Cheese at Nepenthe Gallery – Meet New Artist JoEllen Murphy

Alexandria voters overwhelmingly chose President Joe Biden and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in Super Tuesday’s dual presidential primary, according to unofficial results from the Virginia State Board of Elections.

Biden won the Democratic nomination with 10,079 votes (90.5%), followed by Marianne Williamson with 676 votes (6.1%) and Dean Benson Phillips with 377 votes (3.4%).

Haley, who is expected to suspend her campaign following a string of primary losses against former Republican President Donald Trump, won in a crowded Republican contest with 6,764 votes (71.5%), followed by Trump with 2,437 votes (26%), Florida Governor Ron Desantis with 120 votes (1.3%), former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with 105 votes (1.1%), Vivek Ramaswamy with 27 votes (0.3%) and Ryan L. Brinkley with 14 votes (0.2%).

There were 11,199 Democratic ballots cast in Alexandria, or 9.8%, out of the 113,956 registered voters in the city. There were also 9,469 Republican votes cast, or 8.3% of registered voters. In all, 20,668 voters cast ballots, or 18.1% of registered voters.

Biden and Haley also won their respective primary elections in Arlington and Fairfax Counties. In Arlington, Biden got 14,637 votes (89%) and Haley got 10,957 votes (73%). In Fairfax County, Biden won with Democrats with 51,612 votes (85%) and Haley won with 48,007 votes (53%).

Statewide, Biden overwhelmingly won over Virginia Democrats with 306,478 votes cast (about 89%), followed by Williamson with 27,075 votes (8%) and Phillips with 12,009 votes (3.5%).

Trump won the Republican nomination in Virginia with 435,061 votes (63.3%), followed by Haley with 238,055 votes (35%), Desantis with 7,391 votes (1.1%), Christie with 3,314 votes (0.5%), Ramaswamy with 2,494 votes (0.4%) and Brinkley with 828 votes (0.12%).

In the last Democrat presidential primary in March 2020, Biden won with nearly 50% of ballots cast, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) with 18.33% and then Sen. Bernie Sanders with 18.23%. Republicans did not hold a primary that year, and chose Trump as their nominee in a convention.

Alexandria will next conduct its Democratic primary for City Council on June 18.

Virginia’s dual presidential primary is Tuesday, March 5. Here’s what you need to know about Super Tuesday in Alexandria.

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Unofficial results will be posted with the Virginia State Board of Elections after polls close. Virginia is one of 15 states conducting a presidential primary on Tuesday.

The Democrat ballot features three names — President Joe Biden, Rep. Dean Benson Philips (D-MN) and Marianne Williamson. Williamson had dropped out of the race but has since un-suspended her campaign.

There are six candidates on the Republican ballot, including a number who suspended their campaigns. Republican frontrunner former President Donald Trump is on the ballot with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

The ballot also includes New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ryan L. Brinkley and Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, though all of them have dropped out of the race.

“In Alexandria, the ballots will contain a contest for either the Democratic or Republican nominee for President of the United States,” notes the Alexandria Office of Voter Registration and Elections. “In Dual Primary Elections, qualified voters may vote in either Primary, but not both. They must indicate their choice to the Pollbook officer and may not be challenged on their choice.”

In the last Democrat presidential primary in March 2020, Biden won with nearly 50% of ballots cast, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) with 18.33% and then Sen. Bernie Sanders with 18.23%.

Early voting started on January 19, and the in-person early voting deadline is March 2 at 5 p.m. at the city’s Office of Voter Registrations and Elections (132 N. Royal Street).

There are a number of polling place changes for the primary.

According to the city registrar’s office:

• The former South Port Apartments Precinct will vote at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School (435 Ferdinand Day Drive)
• The Masonic Temple Precinct has been relocated to Douglas MacArthur Elementary School (1101 Janney’s Lane)
• Two new precincts (Del Pepper Center and The View Alexandria) have been brought on-line in the West End. Affected voters have been notified via mail, but we encourage all West End voters to double check their polling place

Voters are asked to show identification — anything from driver’s licenses to voter confirmation documents, a U.S. passport, employee identification or student identification. Unregistered voters can also register on Tuesday at their correct polling precinct.

Biden visits Pentagon City for McAuliffe campaign — “On a gusty, very brisk fall evening, President Joe Biden once again visited Arlington to campaign for Terry McAuliffe.” [ARLnow]

Beyond the bricks and boards: a glimpse inside 802 N. Washington Street — “If you’ve driven by the three story brick house at 802 N. Washington, you may [have] noticed that it has moved in recent months — a few times. The house, built in 1890, is being saved and incorporated into the construction of a new five-story hotel.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]

Red Cross needs donors of all blood types — “The [Red Cross] states in a press release that ‘thousands have answered the call to give, but additional donors are needed as we head into the busy holiday season. Donors of all blood types – especially type O – and platelet donors are urged to make an appointment to give now to help meet the needs of patients.'” [Zebra]

Door by door, a push to rename Confederate streets for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — “Following last year’s summer of demonstrations for racial justice, Alexandria officials drastically lowered the bar in August to shed some Confederate names from the map. Under a new pilot program, a petition signed by 25 percent of property owners along a given street, down from 75 percent, is now required to raise the question before city lawmakers.” [Washington Post]

The Sportrock Climbing Center has been pretty packed since President Joe Biden visited with the First Lady and Governor Ralph Northam last month.

Sportrock staff claim that it’s the first time any president has ever visited a climbing gym, and that it has shined a spotlight on their 35,000 square-foot operation. On a recent weekday evening, every parking spot was taken outside their location at 5308 Eisenhower Avenue. Inside the massive gym, masked and unmasked climbers hung out, lifted weights, belayed, and worked their ways to the top of the tallest climbing walls in the Mid-Atlantic.

“I think what the President did was put Sportrock in the public consciousness for people who had never heard of climbing before,” Sportrock’s marketing manager Jeff Shor told ALXnow. “It’s definitely elevated our spotlight.”

Biden visited the gym to celebrate the lifting of COVID-19 regulations across Virginia, although some measures are still in place at both the Alexandria and Sterling locations. All climbers are currently required to wear face masks on Mondays after noon, and on weekends in the morning.

It’s a far cry from where the gym had come from at this point last year, having recently reopened to dramatically reduced capacity after a three-month shutdown. SportRock, which offers private instruction and a number of fitness classes, was also forced to switch in-person practices to a virtual format.

The eased restrictions are a welcome relief for 16-year-old Abigail Humber. The Arlington resident has been climbing at the gym since she was eight years old, and works with Taylor Reed, the director of the Sportrock Performance Institute, which is a 9,000 square-foot climbing facility connected to the main gym.

“I come here pretty much every day for training,” Humber said. “I am, homeschooled and I spend all of my time climbing. And so yes, I am the ultimate climbing nerd, especially combined with Taylor, who’s also a huge climbing nerd. We geek out together in the gym all the time about rock climbing, and it’s honestly the best. I just want to keep doing this for as long as I can, and if that means being a professional climber, then that’s what I want to do, because climbing is what I love, and climbing is what keeps me wanting to get up every morning.”

Some of Reed’s students regularly commute to the gym from North Carolina, like 19-year-old Charlie Osborne and 13-year-old Tessa Huang.

Osborne is a USA Climbing competitive climber in bouldering and lead climbing. He’s been climbing for 13 years, and has Olympic aspirations, and says he trains in Alexandria specifically because of Reed.

“He’s very technically focused, when it comes to climbing so he helps me realize all my weaknesses and strengths and how I can better myself in those certain areas to apply it to the wall,” Osborne said. “Before I usually started training with him, I was super strength focused, and I’d have all this all these abilities, but I didn’t know how to use them properly.”

Reed said that climbing boosts self esteem, and that the gym is full of athletes of all ages intent of solving puzzles with their bodies.

“These kids are kind of insane when it comes to how climbing has consumed them,” Reed said. “But you get this this interesting dynamic between youth and adults in the climbing gym where they’re all planning on the same problems and trying to share information about getting to the top of the wall. And that’s the element that allows for an inspiring community.”

What a week in Alexandria. Here’s the rundown.

Our top story was on President Joe Biden stopping by the Sportrock Climbing Center in Alexandria last Friday with First Lady Jill Biden and Governor Ralph Northam.

Seeing the president around town is getting to be a regular thing. The president, who also visited in April, discussed “the state’s progress against the coronavirus pandemic” and the celebration of “summer as Virginia lifts all COVID-19 distancing and capacity restrictions.”

This week, we also followed up on a New York Times report about the Virginia Theological Seminary making reparations payments to slavery descendants. The program was launched in 2019, and the school issued $2,100 in annual payments to 15 families in February.

On Wednesday, the Fire Department released its restructuring plan, which goes into effect June 12, and is intended to help emergency response times by shifting resources. AFD will conduct community conversations on the restructuring on Saturday, June 5, at 10 a.m.; Monday, June 7, at 2 p.m. and Thursday, June 10, at 7 p.m.

Closing the short workweek, on Friday Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown announced that his retirement. Brown’s last day is June 25, and the City Manager is soon expected to name an acting chief to lead the department while the city’s undergoes a national search for a permanent replacement.

Election stories

• Bennett-Parker says Levine mailer on Commonwealth of Virginia letterhead is ethics breach
• Wilson keeps fundraising lead over Silberberg in mayoral primary, McPike leads City Council candidates
• City Council candidate thinks divisive local issues are Republican comeback opportunity
• Former City Council member Willie Bailey announces bid for School Board

Important stories

• A rare glimpse inside Alexandria’s abandoned and overgrown GenOn power plant
• Virginia Theological Seminary is making reparation payments to slavery descendants
• Alexandria military veterans honored on Memorial Day
• Alexandria brings back summer cooling and senior care program
• Police investigate Old Town hit and run
• Woman arrested in Braddock for attacking father of her child with pepper spray and a knife
• Driver in stolen U-Haul pickup truck successfully eludes Virginia State Police
• Alexandria Jail slowly lifting COVID restrictions, in-person attorney visitation for inmates resumes
• Mayor releases figures for ongoing eviction crisis in Alexandria
• ‘Rock It Grill’ eyeing karaoke expansion, bringing back Halloween party

Top stories

1. UPDATED: President Biden and Gov. Northam visited Alexandria this morning
2. JUST IN: Virginia State Police chase U-Haul pickup truck through Alexandria
3. Bennett-Parker says Levine mailer on Commonwealth of Virginia letterhead is ethics breach
4. Goodie’s Frozen Custard & Treats opens in Old Town
5. Hank & Mitzi’s Italian Kitchen closes for the foreseeable future in Old Town North
6. Volunteers needed this weekend to help clear dangerous stretch of Mount Vernon Trail
7. Wilson and Silberberg mayoral debate finale opens possibility of ‘tweaking’ Seminary Road Diet
8. Homegrown Restaurant Group gives employees raise to $15 an hour, will ease COVID restrictions at 6 restaurants
9. ‘Rock It Grill’ eyeing karaoke expansion, bringing back Halloween party
10. Here’s the order that City Council candidates will appear on the ballot for the June 8 democratic primary
11. Ownership of Landmark’s streets could make a big difference down the road

Photo via White House/Twitter

(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) President Biden again visited Alexandria this morning.

Biden was joined by First Lady Jill Biden and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam at the Sportrock Climbing Center on Eisenhower Avenue in the West End.

Biden traveled to the city to “discuss the state’s progress against the coronavirus pandemic” and “celebrate summer as Virginia lifts all COVID-19 distancing and capacity restrictions” today, according to media guidance. He touted the quarter-billion dollars of federal investment in vaccination sites and Virginia’s declining rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths, according to a press pool report.

Several dozen people were on hand at the center for the event, including 17-year-old Lake Braddock High School junior Jacob Bosley, who introduced the president before he started speaking around noon. Also in attendance were Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson and Reps. Don Beyer and Gerry Connolly.

Prior to the speech, the president spoke briefly with reporters and sized up which wall he would want to climb, according to the pool report.

The president also visited Alexandria last month, stopping by a COVID-19 vaccination site at Virginia Theological Seminary.

More from the president’s visit, below, via social media.

President Biden and Governor Northam deliver remarks on Virginia’s progress in the fight against COVID-19. https://t.co/MAIm9fCVSU

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 28, 2021

"I’d like to,” Biden says of trying climbing wall at Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandria, Virginia.

“I'd rather try the straight wall.” pic.twitter.com/cMR1UAEQGe

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 28, 2021

Biden was enthralled by the climbers here at Sportrock Climbing Center in Alexandria. He’s here to deliver remarks on progress made on COVID-19 and offer a message of “hope” in time for Memorial Day weekend. pic.twitter.com/jWcyi7leEw

— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) May 28, 2021

President Joe Biden watches as climbers practice at Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandria, Va. pic.twitter.com/pUJBzE7Mvg

— Evan Vucci (@evanvucci) May 28, 2021

Biden is at Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandria, Virginia, where he’ll give remarks about the number of coronavirus cases dropping nationally.

Virginia had 504 cases per 100,000 population in late January; now has 32 cases per 100,000, per White House. pic.twitter.com/5hQgrnpDn8

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 28, 2021

It was a historic week in Alexandria. Here are some of the highlights.

President Joe Biden visited the Neighborhood Health COVID-19 vaccine site at Virginia Theological Seminary on Tuesday, just before announcing that the date for adults to get access to the vaccine has been moved to April 19.

The Alexandria School Board, on Thursday night, voted to change the name of T.C. Williams High School to Alexandria City High School.

The School Board also voted unanimously to reduce the distancing requirement in ACPS schools from six feet to three feet, all the while community support is growing to expand in-person instruction to more than the current two days a week. Summer school is currently planned to begin in July and will be four days a week, and ACPS is planning on reopening to five days a week at the beginning of the next school year.

Our top story was on the T.C. Williams Titans junior varsity football team walking off the field after an incident with the Robinson Rams on Monday night. Robinson Rams players allegedly spit at and made a racial slur against T.C. players. The incident has prompted Fairfax County Public Schools to announce a “stand-down” meeting for all athletic teams and coaches to discuss “appropriate behaviors required to play sports in FCPS.”

Additionally, six Alexandria Police officers were placed on administrative duties after a chase suspect died while in custody. Police responded to a call for shots fired in the 800 block of North Patrick Street, and multiple buildings and vehicles were struck. The driver of the vehicle crashed on Interstate 295, and then jumped over an overpass barrier and fell more than 20 feet and was tased by police, arrested and later died.

Important Stories

• Alexandria aims to adjust vaccination efforts as city moves into next phase
• Alexandria Police employees give department mixed reviews
• Planning Commission approves controversial subdivision, plants potential loophole for future denial
• City says Taylor Run alternatives could cost far more than current estimates
• Crime increase prompts ARHA to install security cameras in Old Town
• City looks to Landmark Towers deal to save Arlandria
• ‘Beltway Bank Bandit’ sentenced 21 years for robbing Alexandria banks and area businesses
• Man arrested for threatening to burn down City Hall
• Wilson wins Alexandria Democratic Committee straw poll, Gaskins takes top spot over incumbents

Top Stories

1. JUST IN: T.C. Williams JV football team walks off field after alleged racial slur, spitting incident
2. BREAKING: Shots fired in Old Town leads to chase that ends in D.C.
3. JUST IN: President Biden set to visit Alexandria vaccination site Tuesday
4. National Park Service announces George Washington Parkway to go on a diet
5. Neighborhood Health vaccinating thousands at sites in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax County
6. JUST IN: Woman arrested after fight on King Street Metro station platform
7. UPDATE: $8,500 reported stolen in terrifying West End robbery
8. JUST IN: President Biden visits COVID-19 vaccine site at Virginia Theological Seminary
9. COVID-19 update: Alexandria moves into vaccination phase 1C
10. JUST IN: Six Alexandria Police officers put on administrative duties after chase suspect dies
11. Fairfax County man arrested for three burglaries, released three days later

Have a safe weekend!

Photo via T.C. Williams Football Boosters/Facebook

President Joe Biden visited the Neighborhood Health vaccine site at Virginia Theological Seminary today (Tuesday) just before he was scheduled to announce that states should open COVID-19 vaccination appointments to all adults by April 19.

“We passed 150 million (vaccine doses distributed) yesterday,” Biden said. “When you go home, get all your friends and tell them, ‘Get a shot when they can.’ We’re going to be able to do this, everyone’s going to be able to before the month is out.”

Neighborhood Health Executive Director Dr. Basim Khan toured Biden around the facility, and the president watched residents get inoculated.

“Mr President, the whole focus of our program is on equity,” Khan said. “We’re trying to increase equity by vaccinating our own patient population and primarily low-income, uninsured, under-insured, and a lot of people of color.”

Biden said that Neighborhood Health has done good work, and that within a month the U.S. will be in excess of 200 million vaccines distributed.

“We’re in a situation where, I believe, by the end of the summer we’ll have a significant portion of American public vaccinated,” he said. “Pretty soon when we have enough we can give it to the rest of the world… You can’t build a wall or fence high enough to keep out a virus.”

The president is scheduled to make the announcement at 3:45 p.m. at the White House.

In Alexandria, 41,200 first doses, or 31% of residents, have been partially given out. There have also been 25,878 full vaccinations, or about 19.4% of the city’s population. On Monday, the city moved into phase 1C, expanding  vaccine availability for a number of essential workers.

Virginia Theological Seminary was the first location in the city where a COVID-19 infection was detected — on March 11, 2020. The Alexandria City Public Schools system shut down two days later for the remainder of the school year, local businesses experienced dramatic closures and changes and lives were forever altered. To date, Alexandria has suffered 129 deaths and 11,100 cases, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Now is not the time to let up in our fight against COVID-19. We have to hold the line while everyone gets vaccinated. Keep wearing a mask, stay socially distanced, and wash your hands.

Let’s fight this to the end.

— President Biden (@POTUS) April 6, 2021

Thanks to @POTUS for visiting Alexandria today and recognizing the great work of @basimkhan and the entire @NeighborhoodHth team!

They have been a critical partner for our community from the earliest days and they will help Alexandria put COVID behind us. pic.twitter.com/Jplg7v1td2

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) April 6, 2021

Even the President made it down Seminary Rd! #roaddietswork #completestreets https://t.co/EY7Q0DumK4

— Zack D (@mrpresident1776) April 6, 2021

Thank you @POTUS for visiting the Virginia Theological Seminary vaccination site in the 30th District! Virginia is working hard to vaccinate everyone who wants one, and ensure that we have equity in the distribution process. Over 20,000 at this location alone! pic.twitter.com/7krQPffKiM

— Adam Ebbin (@AdamEbbin) April 6, 2021

Images via Youtube