weather | ALXnow

Morning Notes

Published June 9, 2021 at 5:00AM

Winners of the 2021 Democratic Primary (left to right) Councilman Canek Aguirre, Councilwoman Amy Jackson, Mayor Justin Wilson, Alyia Gaskins, Sarah Bagley, Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, who won the 45th District primary, and Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-30) at a victory party at Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray. (Photo via Alexandria Democratic Committee/Facebook)

McAuliffe, Ayala, Herring win statewide Democratic primary — “Former Virginia governor and longtime fixture as a national Democratic Party leader Terry McAuliffe won the state’s Democratic nomination for a second term as governor in Tuesday’s primary election, the Associated Press reported at 7:44 p.m. In the two other statewide races, the lieutenant governor’s contest was called by AP for Del. Hala Ayala. In the attorney general race, Del. Jay Jones conceded to incumbent Mark Herring.” [Patch]

Council candidates pose after Democratic primary — “Congratulations to our 2021 Democratic nominees for Alexandria Mayor (Justin Wilson) and City Council (John Chapman, Alyia Gaskins, Amy Jackson, Canek Aguirre, Sarah Bagley, and Kirk McPike), and the 45th House District (Elizabeth Bennett Parker)! Onward to November!” [Facebook]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 8, 2021 at 5:00AM | Updated June 8, 2021 at 7:40AM

T.C. Williams High School graduation is this Saturday — “We’re counting down to #Titans2021 Graduation on June 12 by highlighting @tcwtitans seniors every day! Stay tuned to meet our first grad!” [Twitter]

Woman shot and car stolen in Alexandria area of Fairfax County — “A woman was shot and seriously wounded in a carjacking in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County Sunday night in Virginia, and the suspect made off with her Mercedes, police said. Fairfax County police said the carjacking happened just before 10:30 p.m. Sunday in the 3100 block of Franconia Road in Alexandria. That’s near the intersection with Telegraph Road and Jefferson Manor Park.” [WTOP]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 7, 2021 at 5:00AM

Commonwealth Avenue road work starts today in Del Ray — “The City of Alexandria is repaving Commonwealth Avenue during the month of June 2021. The overall paving project will start at the intersection of Cameron Street and Commonwealth Avenue, then proceed northbound to West Braddock Road. It is anticipated that the project will be broken into two phases for construction.” [City of Alexandria]

Reminder: Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8 — “Registered voters are encouraged to become familiar with the ballot and voting procedures in advance.” [City of Alexandria]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 4, 2021 at 5:00AM | Updated June 4, 2021 at 8:51AM

City responds to recent overdose increase — “The number of opioid overdoses rose about 36% in Alexandria during 2020, reflecting statewide and national spikes in both fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data collected by the Alexandria Police Department and the Alexandria Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services, there were 105 total opioid overdoses, both fatal and non-fatal, in 2020. In 2019, there were 73 total opioid overdoses in the city.” [Alex Times]

Bicyclist struck and killed by vehicle in Alexandria area of Fairfax County — “The incident happened around 11:45 a.m. at Telegraph Road and Franconia Road in the Alexandria area. Police say the driver remained at the scene.” [FOX 5 DC]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 3, 2021 at 5:00AM

Alexandria reducing COVID-19 news release updates to twice a week — “With nearly 54% of Alexandrians ages 12 and up partially vaccinated and considerable progress in the past five months toward the state’s goal of 70% and Alexandria’s target of 80% of the eligible population fully vaccinated, the frequency of this COVID-19 news release will reduce to twice per week. Going forward, this news release will be published on Tuesdays and Fridays, unless there is a major announcement to share. Daily COVID-19 case, death and vaccination data will continue to be available at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus. The seven-day moving average of cases in Alexandria is now at its lowest point since the start of the pandemic.” [City of Alexandria]

King Street-Old Town Metro station bus loop to open — “On June 6, DASH and Metrobus will move to the new bays in the Metro station’s bus loop off Diagonal Road. Bus bays and the station entrance kiosk will feature new digital screens with real-time bus arrival information. New crosswalks and redesigned station lighting have also been added to boost pedestrian visibility.” [Patch]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 2, 2021 at 5:00AM | Updated June 9, 2021 at 4:14PM

Musician King Street Sax performing on lower King Street in Old Town. Find out more at kingstreetsaxmusic.com. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Demolition complete at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School — “It’s official, the Douglas MacArthur Elementary School of old is now fully demolished, and we are on our way to a new building, opening January 2023! Watch the construction on the project website from Skanska: https://bit.ly/3bXgncs” [Facebook]

ACPS in early stages of developing safety plan without school resource officers — “Alexandria is not alone in re-evaluating its relationship between police and schools, but it is the only Northern Virginia jurisdiction to remove SROs from schools so far.” [Alexandria Living]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 1, 2021 at 5:00AM | Updated June 1, 2021 at 5:15PM

Playing at the sprayground at Potomac Yard Park (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria announces modified out of school time school year recreation program — “The City of Alexandria will offer a modified Out of School Time Program (OSTP) for elementary school aged children enrolled in kindergarten through fifth grade for the 2021-22 school year. The after-school recreation program is scheduled for August 23, 2021 through June 10, 2022, from 2:30 to 6 p.m. at the Charles Barrett; Charles Houston; Mount Vernon; Leonard “Chick” Armstrong; Nannie J. Lee; Patrick Henry; and William Ramsay recreation centers, and at the Ferdinand T. Day; John Adams; and Douglas MacArthur elementary schools.” [City of Alexandria]

Council candidate Patrick Moran testifies for bringing back School Resource Officer funding — “Moran calls for the full implementation of body cameras for Alexandria Police Department (APD) officers and for corrective action to protect Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) students’ safety in 2021-22 School Year.” [YouTube]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published May 27, 2021 at 5:00AM

James K. Polk Elementary School paraprofessional Nadine Brown dies — “It is with great sorrow and sadness that we share late Sunday night, our beloved Nadine Brown, Kindergarten and Special Education Para-Professional passed away. For years, she served as a one-on-one for one of our students; the two were inseparable and had a genuine love for each other. Ms. Brown was a loved and valued member of the JKP Family and knitted countless blankets and quilts for the staff. Ms. Brown exuded a very quiet demeanor, but she was a fighter and battled cancer for years. For years, she came to work ill and often said, ‘The kids inspire me, I need to be here.’ Ms. Brown was an inspiration to us all. She always brought joy and she will forever be in our hearts. We send our deepest condolences to her family and friends. Rest in peace, Ms. Brown.” [Facebook]

Community invited to meet two candidates for principal of John Adams Elementary School — “Parents and Community members are invited meet the two finalists for the position of principal via a Zoom virtual meeting on Thursday, May 27, 2021. You can submit your questions for the candidates via the online Q&A during the session. There will be a form for you to offer feedback after the session. The Zoom link and more information can be found on the John Adams Class Dojo page. Thank you for participating in this selection process.” [Facebook]

News

NOW: Severe Thunderstorm Warning in effect for Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published May 26, 2021 at 5:05PM | Updated May 26, 2021 at 5:53PM

Updated at 5:50 p.m. It appears the worst of a strong storm has passed, but it created some damage, including snapped trees across the city.

The Alexandria Fire Department, however, told ALXnow that no major calls were reported.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published May 26, 2021 at 5:00AM

Alexandria Black History Museum director speaks on anniversary of George Floyd’s murder — “Yes, there have been changes – Diversity and inclusion training are being taught in universities and the American workplace, some racists are being held accountable, corporations have promised new more transparent hiring procedures that would add African Americans to leadership positions, TV shows and advertisers have hired people of color in record numbers and The Oscars are not quite so #OscarsSoWhite anymore. All of this is meaningful, but it must be more than a quick fix. Everyone needs an ally, but being a true ally goes deeper than the protests. To be a real ally, you need to be there for the hard work, the messy work, and the unpleasant conversations about race and racism. You need to turn the mirror inward and make the personal changes that will help make your community a better place.” [Zebra]

Local chef appearing on FOX baking competition tonight — “Erinn Roth still can’t believe she was chosen to compete on FOX’s new baking competition show. ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’ premieres this Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET… The contestants are allowed to explore a kitchen that was recently used to bake a specific treat. They must use their baking skills and the clues left behind to determine what was baked and then they have two hours to recreate what they think it was. At the end of each episode, after two rounds, a team is eliminated.” [Alexandria Living]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published May 24, 2021 at 5:00AM

Waiting in line for frozen custard outside The Dairy Godmother at 2310 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Suit alleging admissions discrimination at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology moves forward — “More than 70 percent of the student body at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is Asian American; Black and Hispanic students have been woefully underrepresented there for decades. At a hearing Friday in Alexandria, lawyers for the Fairfax County School Board urged a judge to toss out the lawsuit. They argue that the new admissions policies are race-neutral. But the judge ruled that the parents’ group made a compelling claim that the board’s true motivation was to increase Black and Hispanic representation at the expense of Asian Americans.” [WAVY.com]

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra extends contract for Maestro James Ross — “The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) announced that Music Director James Ross received a contract extension through the 2023-24 season. Ross has been at the helm of ASO since 2018. He is the fifth music director in ASO’s 78-year history.” [Zebra]