Homegrown Restaurant Group is donating lunch to all election officials in Alexandria today.
With 30 polling stations in the city, that’s about 600 lunches.
“There’s all this nervous energy and we’re all at home today, anxiously awaiting,” said Chelsea Anderson, marketing director for the Homegrown Restaurant Group. “This is probably the most controversial election of all of our lives, and it’s nice to get out and expend some of that energy on some bipartisan good.”
Anderson has been delivering meals to polling precincts all day, and was briefly aided in the morning by Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson.
Homegrown Restaurant Group owns Pork Barrel BBQ, Holy Cow Del Ray, The Sushi Bar, Whisky & Oyster, Sweet Fire Donna’s and Tequila & Taco.
According to Anderson, the story goes that Group owners Mike Anderson and Bill Blackburn were discussing how they could help during the election. Blackburn wanted to volunteer at a polling place, but has two young kids at home and couldn’t devote the time. So, he recommended to Anderson that they contribute food from Pork Barrel BBQ to the poll workers at Mount Vernon Community School. Mike Anderson then upped the ante and suggested donating meals to every poll worker in the city.
“We just divvied up the meals between the restaurants, and we got a couple volunteers,” Anderson said. “Danielle, my older sister who is in the family business, she delivered lunches; our executive chef Mason from Whisky & Oyster delivered lunches; Jim Miller from Pork Barrel; Bill (Blackburn); Mike and Donna (Anderson), and we even had some help from Justin Wilson, as well.”
It’s election day, November 3, 2020. Here’s what you need to know about voting today in Alexandria.
On the ballot for Nov. 3 is the race for president and vice president, a U.S. Senate and Congressional seat and two proposed Constitutional Amendments.
The polls opened at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. More than 50% of Alexandria voters have cast their ballots so far, and the Alexandria results and statewide results will be posted after polls close tonight.
Need a ride to vote? Both the Alexandria Democratic Committee (703-549-3367) and Alexandria GOPÂ (571-281-7042) will drive you to the polls.
What To Expect At The Polls
Voters on November 3 should expect to find foot markers to encourage social distancing inside and outside polling precincts.
Additionally:
- Polling officers will be separated from voters by plexiglass, and will not touch any identification
- Voters will be required to wear face masks, and the Alexandria Medical Reserve Corps will be on-hand to make sure masks are worn properly. They will also have free masks
- Voters who can’t go into a polling precinct can vote curbside
- Ballots will be placed in one-time use manila folders
Polling Place Changes
- The voting location for the Ladrey Senior Building Precinct is Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe Street)
- The voting location for the Hermitage Precinct is John Adams Elementary School (5651 Rayburn Avenue)
- The voting location for the Douglas MacArthur School Precinct is the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (101 Callahan Drive)
See a sample ballot below the jump.
Beyer Slams Trump Before Election — “He has run the most corrupt presidential administration in history.” [Twitter]
Free COVID Test Pop-Ups Twice a Week — “The City is continuing our targeted COVID-19 testing initiative in partnership with @NeighborhoodHth into November. Starting tomorrow, our free testing pop-ups are now scheduled twice a week!” [Twitter]
Alexandria Fire Department is Hiring — “The Alexandria Fire Department is now hiring for the Firefighter/EMT position. The application process is open through Wednesday, Nov. 4. No previous experience needed.” [Twitter]
Alexandria Deputy Shoots Self in Leg During Training — ” An Alexandria Sheriff’s Office deputy accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday morning at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy in Ashburn, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.” [Patch]
Today’s Weather — “Sunny skies (during the day). High near 60F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Clear skies (in the evening). Low near 40F. Winds light and variable.” [Weather.com]
New Job: Pet Care Specialist — “We are looking for dedicated animal lovers to join our growing company! We offer a competitive benefits package including health insurance, supplemental insurance, IRA, and smartphone for full-time VIP client routes. Applicants MUST have a car, internet access, and basic computer skills to be considered for employment.” [Indeed]
What an intense week in Alexandria.
Our top story was on the massive power outages that affected tens of thousands of residents on Friday, October 23. Without providing specifics, Dominion Energy told City Council this week that outages in Alexandria and Arlington were “unique,” and caused by a piece of equipment that failed at its Glebe Road substation. City Councilors responded that there have been at least eight outages since May.
Monday started with news that an Alexandria Police officer was shot in Old Town and that the 27-year-old suspect was found shot to death near a construction site.
Police were called to the Holiday Inn & Suites in Old Town North after reports that shots were fired in the lobby of the hotel. Police chased two suspects on foot and a shootout ensued. The officer was shot in the lower body and was later released, and the other suspect later turned himself in to police.
On the coronavirus front, there are now 74 deaths in Alexandria and there are now or have been more than 4,200 cases since the pandemic began in March. Latino residents continue to lead the case count. This week the Alexandria Health Department reported that majority of recent coronavirus cases in Alexandria might be the result of contacts at home, indoor gatherings and eating out.
Restaurant-wise, we reported the soft opening of a new chicken joint in North Old Town.
Additionally, the Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies art installation at Waterfront Park will be taken down next month at Waterfront Park, and the installation will temporarily be moved outside of Old Town Pool (1609 Cameron Street).
We also reported that more than 50% of Alexandria voters have already cast their ballots.
Additionally, more than 240 people participated in our weekly poll. With Halloween on Saturday, this week we asked about trick-or-treating plans, and 38% of respondents are not celebrating Halloween this year, 31% are not trick-or-treating but have other plans, 17% plan to trick-or-treat with modifications, and 14% plan to trick-or-treat as usual.
Here are ALXnow’s top stories of the week in Alexandria:
- BREAKING: Massive Power Outage Reported in Alexandria
- BREAKING: Virginia State Police Seek Alexandria Man After Police Shootout
- School Board Shelves Plan to Reopen Schools in 2021, Students with Disabilities Transitioning Back Next Month
- Republican Jeff Jordan Running Uphill Battle Against Incumbent Rep. Don Beyer
- Here’s Where Alexandria Residents Might be Getting COVID-19
- BREAKING: Shooting Suspect In Custody, Police Announce
- Police: Man Killed in Car Crash on N. Van Dorn Street
- Identity Released of Old Town North Suspect Killed in Shootout
- Police: Shots Fired in Braddock Area on Monday Night
- The Chewish Deli Opens New Location in Old Town
- Police Assist Man With Psychotic Episode in West End
Happy Halloween!
A number of Alexandria residents with political signs supporting Democrat Joe Biden for president have received disturbing anonymous letters in the mail stating that Biden is a pedophile, and that anyone who votes for him is condoning pedophilia.
“You may have preciously heard about or seen video clips/photos documenting Joe Biden’s ‘sniffing’ obsession,” reads a typed letter from ‘A Concerned American’. “It’s likely you thought he was creepy, but laughed it off. But have you actually watched the videos of Joe Biden inappropriately kissing, groping, and even grinding (yes, grinding) on small children?!”
The letter lists links to Youtube videos.
The letter continues, “I assume you don’t support pedophilia — no normal person would. But, if you’re rooting for a pedophile to be the next leader of the free world — despite the videos — I hate to say it, you do condone pedophilia and the inappropriate touching, and groping of small children.”
One Alexandrian who has two Biden signs in their front yard received the letter in the mail on October 25. The letter has a Northern Virginia postmark and no return address. The resident said a number of neighbors with Biden signs have also gotten the same letter.
“I voted long ago by mail like most people,” the resident told ALXnow. “This would never deter me from voting.”
Clarence Tong, chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, is advising residents who receive the letters to contact the Alexandria Police non-emergency number at 703-746-4444.
“This is very disturbing,” Tong said. “We encourage anyone who receives harassing behavior like this to report it to the Alexandria Police Department.”
With a week to go before the Nov. 3 election, more than 50% of registered Alexandria voters have cast their ballots.
At the close of business on October 26, the Alexandria Office of Voter Registrations and Elections reported 24,739 absentee ballots by mail and 27,150 in-person absentee ballots cast — totaling at 51,889 votes out of 103,000 registered voters in the city.
“In the 2016 election, we had a total of just over 20,000 voters vote in-person absentee, and by mail absentee,” Angie Maniglia Turner, the city’s general registrar and director of elections, told ALXnow. “We have not been working remotely, so it’s just been a lot of social distancing. The city’s been very supportive in making sure we have lots of space to get that social distancing to protect all our volunteers and staff.”
On the ballot for Nov. 3 is the race for president and vice president, a U.S. Senate and Congressional seat and two proposed Constitutional Amendments.
The city recently added three voting locations for in-person absentee voting, and the deadline to vote in-person absentee is 5 p.m. on October 31.
What To Expect On Election Day
Voters on November 3 should expect to find foot markers to encourage social distancing inside and outside polling precincts. Other changes include:
- Polling officers will be separated from voters by plexiglass, and will not touch any identification
- Voters will be required to wear face masks, and the Alexandria Medical Reserve Corps will be on-hand to make sure masks are worn properly. They will also have free masks
- Voters who can’t go into a polling precinct can vote curbside
- Ballots will be placed in one-time use manila folders
Door Knocking, Campaign Literature And Politics
The pandemic changed the game for Alexandria Democrats and Republicans in their outreach efforts. But both groups are still door knocking and dropping literature at homes around the city. There is one major difference, aside from politics, about election night plans: Democrats will have virtual election night watch parties, while Republicans are still planning on the traditional route of watching the returns inside a yet-to-be-chosen Alexandria restaurant.
“COVID kind of turned campaigning on its head,” Clarence Tong, chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, told ALXnow. “We adapted to that with voter engagement on the phones, and canvassing, lit drops and mailers… There has never been more voter enthusiasm than this year, and I think a lot of it’s in response to Trump.”
Sean Lenehan, chair of the Alexandria GOP, said that there is a “silent majority” of Republican voters in Alexandria.
“I think a lot of people that are voting and supporting the president are just avoiding political conversations with their neighbors,” Lenehan said. “They want to keep things neighborly, but at the end of the day we’ll see the numbers come through.”
Alexandria has overwhelmingly voted for Democratic candidates for president for decades, including 76% for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and 70% for Barack Obama in 2012. Alexandria has also chosen a Democrat for the 8th Congressional District seat since former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Stanford Parris in 1990.
Beyer says New White House Science Report is Misinformation — “This kind of ridiculous misinformation is something you would expect to see from the government of North Korea.” [Twitter]
Senator Amy Klobuchar Attends GOTV Event in Alexandria — “Glad to join @AlexVADems, @C_Herring, @AmyJacksonVAÂ and Councilwoman Del Pepper at an early voting event in Alexandria, Virginia for Sen. Mark Warner and VA candidates up and down the ballot. Everyone, please make a plan and go vote!” [Twitter]
New Luxury Condos Near Amazon HQ2 and Virginia Tech in Alexandria — “Just minutes from Amazon’s new HQ2 complex in Northern Virginia, The FORTIS Companies of Washington, DC has broken ground on a 138-unit luxury condominium community called Dylan. Its planned 2022 delivery coincides with the highly anticipated opening of the new Potomac Yard Metro Station, a five-minute walk from Dylan’s front door. Dylan’s spacious one- to three-bedroom condos will average 1,200 square feet and will be priced from the $600,000’s to over $1 million.” [Zebra]
Upland Park Development Gets BDAC Approval — “On Monday evening, the Beauregard Design Advisory Committee (BDAC) hosted its the final meeting to discuss Phase 1 of the Upland Park development project, giving approval to the plans to build a new townhome community.” [Alexandria Living]
Fire Department Recommends Battery-Operated Candles this Halloween — “If you have fall/Halloween decorations, use battery-operated candles in jack-o-lanterns & keep all decorations away from open flames to prevent home fires. Read more about celebrating safely & preventing the spread of COVID-19 during your festivities.” [Twitter]
Today’s Weather — “Cloudy (during the day). High 73F. Winds light and variable. Rain showers in the evening will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.” [Weather.com]
New Job: Document Control Specialist — “Use knowledge of the legal process and legal terms to analyze the content of legal documents and determine the status of investigative or court proceedings; recognize documents that are missing; and work with attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants to obtain and organize documents for filing.” [Indeed]
Beyer Denounces Trump Over COVID Stance — “Trump accuses frontline medical heroes fighting to keep us safe of fraud and tries to erase the loss of Americans who died in the pandemic — all in a pathetic attempt to make his own incompetence seem less horrific than it is. Just disgusting.” [Twitter]
City Unveils Memorial Walkway — “At Charles Houston Recreation Center to dedicate the Parker-Gray Memorial Walkway, recognizing the 100th Anniversary of Parker-Gray School. Generations of educators ensured that those ignored by government and society could receive an education and change the world!” [Facebook]
Mayor: Thousands Vote in Alexandria Over Weekend — “Yesterday, 2,411 Alexandrians voted at our 4 locations. So far, 25,364 Alexandrians have voted in-person. 23,682 voters have mailed in ballots that have been counted. A little over 11K ballots have been mailed and not yet returned. In-person early voting resumes tomorrow!” [Twitter]
Refinements Continue for ‘The Heritage’ Development — “It looks like The Heritage Apartment project design will need to undergo additional changes before receiving approval from the Board of Architectural Review (BAR).” [Alexandria Living]
Revolutionary War Soldiers Remembered — “On a partly cloudy day in Alexandria, Virginia, the George Washington Chapter Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution gathered to honor fallen American Revolutionary War soldiers John Longden, John Sloan, and Joseph Smith.” [Zebra]
Today’s Weather — “Cloudy early with partial sunshine expected late. High 68F. Winds light and variable. Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.” [Weather.com]
New Job: Deputy Clerk — “Duties include preparing detailed court documents in accordance with established guidelines, automated case management system data entry, scheduling matters for court, preparing correspondence, and filing court documents, daily docket preparation, attending the counter, assessing fines and costs, receipting payments. Must be able to multitask and assume additional responsibilities as assigned by management.” [Indeed]
Beyer Says People Will Suffer Without Unemployment Insurance Program Extension — “”We’re making a deeply fundamental mistake not reauthorizing all our unemployment insurance programs. When we take the money away, that’s what’s been propping up consumer spending and the ability of people to get by.” [Twitter]
City Opens Additional Locations for Absentee Voting — “Absentee voting will be available at the Charles Beatley Library (5005 Duke St.) from October 23 through October 31, except Sundays. Absentee voting will also be available at Minnie Howard School (3801 W. Braddock Rd.) and George Washington Middle School (1005 Mt. Vernon Ave.), on Saturdays, October 24 and 31, only. All three locations will have ballot drop boxes available during voting hours, which vary according to the list below.” [City of Alexandria]
West End Business Association Hosting PPP Loan Meeting — “The West End Business Association (WEBA) will host a virtual Lunch and Learn on Monday, October 26, 12:30-2 p.m., to help small business owners learn how to prepare for the PPP loan forgiveness application process. A panel of local experts will offer advice and guidelines to both the simple and the advanced applications. Registration is free for WEBA members and $10 for guests.” [City of Alexandria]
City Celebrating 20th Anniversary of the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy — “The virtual event will feature an annual summary of pregnancy data by the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) and a proclamation by Mayor Justin Wilson. Teen pregnancy in Alexandria has dropped 76% since 2000 to an all time low. This reflects good choices by teens, supported by evidence-based approaches to prevention from ACAP, City agencies and community partners, including Alexandria City Public Schools and AHD’s Teen Wellness Center.” [City of Alexandria]
Classical WETA’s Nicole Lacroix Narrates Alexandria Author’s New Thriller — “Nicole Lacroix can be heard every weekday afternoon on Classical WETA 90.9 FM. She has that familiar, soothing voice that tells listeners the stories behind their favorite pieces. Now she has a part-time gig: audiobook narrator. Recently, she completed her recording of Alexandria author John Adam Wasowicz’s new thriller, ‘Slaters Lane.’ On Wednesday, October 21, she will headline a virtual discussion of her work on the book from 7-8 p.m.” [Zebra]
Today’s Weather — “Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. Areas of patchy fog. High 79F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Clear skies with a few passing clouds (in the evening). Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.” [Weather.com]
New Job: Alexandria Environmental Health Outreach Specialist — “Alexandria Health Department (AHD) is seeking an experienced, self-motivated candidate to join our Environmental Health Outreach Specialist position. This position will investigate bite reports to prevent the spread of rabies within our community, manage mosquito complaints, and be responsible for championing outreach efforts within the City.” [Indeed]
Election day is around the corner. What is your voting plan in Alexandria?
On the ballot for Nov. 3 is the race for president and vice president, a U.S. Senate and Congressional seat and two proposed Constitutional Amendments.
Last month, Mayor Justin Wilson tweeted that more than a quarter of Alexandria’s registered voters have applied for a ballot by mail.
Incidentally, the deadline to vote in-person absentee is 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, according to the city’s Office of Voter Registrations and Elections.
