News

High School Student Assaulted Walking Home — “The assault occurred near the intersection of Russell Road and Rosecrest Avenue in the Del Ray/Rosemont neighborhood. The victim was a member of the T.C. Williams High School baseball team.” [Alex Times]

Officers Complain of Toxic Work Culture at Alexandria Police Department — “There are employees, including some who resigned after allegedly being subjected to retribution, who blame Chief Michael L. Brown for establishing an environment without discipline or accountability, where misconduct is swept under the rug. They say that under Chief Brown’s leadership, problems have gotten worse, which has fueled retirements and resignations from the department.” [Alex Times]


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Inova Alexandria Hospital is seeing about half of its usual flow of emergency room patients, and hospital President Dr. Rina Bansal says patients are staying away due to fears of being infected with coronavirus.

“We’ve seen a significant decline in number of patients coming in for heart attacks, we’ve seen a significant decline in number of patients coming in for strokes, and these are not disease processes that have magically just vanished because we have COVID,” Bansal said in a teleconference hosted by ACT for Alexandria. “I think it’s because people are actually suffering at home.”


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ALIVE! is providing food at a number of free distributions this week, and needs volunteers to help pack groceries for food-insecure homes in Alexandria with COVID-19 positive residents.

“We need volunteers to pack shelf-stable food to distribute to people in quarantine,” ALIVE! Executive Director Jennifer Ayers told ALXnow. “We’re also ready to go with four food distributions this week.”


News

‘Good. Works. Alexandria’ Giving Event is Today — “Alexandria’s stores and restaurants will give a percentage of their sales to the charities of the customers’ choice.  For every lunch or dinner ordered OR purchase made, we will share those profits with clientele’s charity of choice located on the Spring2ACTion website.” [Old Town Business Association]

Here’s What Services Will Open Under Phase 1  — “As the region proceeds through the reopening phases the Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities, City of Alexandria, VA has released the schedule of how recreation services, facilities and programs will be restored.” [Facebook]


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The Old Town Business Association is putting together a charity event next week called Good. Works. Alexandria aimed at both encouraging people to shop at local businesses and have a portion of the proceeds donated to a charity of the customer’s choice.

On Wednesday, May 27, customers shopping at a participating local restaurant or retailer can, at checkout, designate a Spring2Action charity of their choice and the business will donate a portion of the proceeds to that charity.


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After receiving two recent donations totaling $150,000, ACT for Alexandria is nearing $1 million for its ACT Now COVID-19 response fund, and the organization will be taking a break from giving grants to nonprofits to plan for the summer.

“We’re working with the city and our nonprofit partners to think through what the next phase of recovery is going to look like,” ACT for Alexandria President and CEO Heather Peeler told ALXnow. “We’ll be pausing grant making for a couple of weeks. While we talk through and get a better sense for how the needs of our community are evolving.”


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Group to Sue City for Pollution Near Recycling Center — “After a 7 On Your Side Investigation aired about the amount of Styrofoam piling up along the banks of the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia, organizers with Advocates for Clean & Clear Waterways, a new non-profit, has informed the City it plans on suing.” [WJLA]

DASH Bus Requiring All Riders to Wear Face Masks — “Based on guidance from the Alexandria Health Department, the Alexandria Transit Company (DASH) will require all passengers to wear face coverings while using DASH buses beginning Monday, May 18, 2020. The measure will help protect DASH employees and passengers from contracting the COVID-19 virus and is consistent with the actions of the agency’s regional transit partners, including WMATA, Frederick Transit, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County Transit. This precaution will remain in effect until further notice.” [DASH]


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ALIVE! gave out 90,000 pounds of food to hungry Alexandrians in the month of April, and will conduct it’s next mass food distribution on Saturday, May 30.

“That’s three times our monthly average,” ALIVE! Executive Director Jennifer Ayers told ALXnow.


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Fairlington UMC Warns Against Phishing Scam — “Remember the phrase ‘fishers of men?’ We have PHISHERS again. They are sending emails and TEXTS from ‘Janine Howard’ asking you to go out and buy ebay cards for them. Don’t do it. If you’d like to make charitable donations, call or go to our website.” [Facebook]

Burke & Herbert Bank Issues More Than 1,100 PPP Loans — “Today Burke & Herbert Bank, which has been serving the northern Virginia business community for more than 167 years, announced that nearly 1,100 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling approximately $136 million in aid for local businesses have been approved for the Bank’s customers.  As a result, an estimated 10,000 individuals in the local community will remain employed or return to the businesses’ payroll.” [Zebra]


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