Good Friday morning, Alexandria!

⛈️ Today’s weather: Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms, partly sunny skies, and a high around 68. Breezy conditions will prevail, featuring a west wind at 14-24 mph and gusts up to 43 mph; there’s a 40% chance of precipitation. Friday night will see scattered showers, mainly before 2am, with mostly cloudy skies and a low near 52. The breeze will continue with a west wind at 21 mph and gusts reaching 39 mph, accompanied by a 30% chance of precipitation.

🚨 You need to know

Like Rodney Dangerfield, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) is going back to school.

Patch reported that the 73-year-old Congressman enrolled at George Mason University to get a Master’s Degree in artificial intelligence.

Does it pose an existential threat? Beyer says no.

“I tend to be an AI optimist,” Beyer said after taking a recent class. “We can’t even imagine how different our lives will be in five years, 10 years, 20 years, because of AI. … There won’t be robots with red eyes coming after us any time soon. But there are other deeper existential risks that we need to pay attention to.”

📈 Thursday’s most read

The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Apr 11, 2024.

1. Mayoral candidates say Alexandrians lost trust in public officials because of failed Potomac Yard arena deal (1023 views)
2. Alexandria police investigating white supremacist fliers posted in Potomac Yard (923 views)
3. What’s Up in Alexandria This Weekend: Del Ray Dog Fest, Spring Garden Market, Spring Oysterfest, and more! (460 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

• 9:00 am Friday: 2024 Spring Garden Market at River Farm
• 8:30 am Saturday: MVCS Big Flea in the Neighborhood
• 9:00 am Saturday: 2024 Spring Garden Market at River Farm
• 👉 9:00 am Saturday: Del Ray Vintage & Flea Market
• 12:00 pm Saturday: The “Grandest Congress”: The French and Indian War in Alexandria
• 8:00 pm Saturday: LIVE Comedy Game Show with the Auxiliary Improv

Concerned about crime, flooding or taxes in Alexandria? There’s a public meeting this Saturday that could answer some of your most burning questions.

The Alexandria City Council will answer public questions in a town hall meeting on Saturday morning at Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe Street). The meeting is the second of its kind, after kicking off in September.

Attendees are asked to submit questions in advance online, or on question cards at the event. There is no monthly schedule for the town hall meetings at this time, and Council expects to host several throughout next year, according to sources.

The meeting is scheduled to last from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

https://twitter.com/AlexandriaVAGov/status/1714357336167379148

 

Happy Friday Alexandria!

This week brought news of the death of former Mayor Kerry Donley Wednesday (July 13), as well as the dedication of the tunnel boring machine for the RiverRenew Tunnel Project, meaning it’s ready to dig.

Top stories:

1. Alexandria birthday celebration postponed to Sunday due to rain
2. Alexandria Police investigating tracking device found in woman’s car
3. Former Alexandria Mayor Kerry Donley dies
4. Mother identifies son as suspect in Arlandria burglary
5. Former Ft. Belvoir Commander Col. Gregory Gadson has advice for moving on
6. Three Dunkin’ locations in Alexandria and Fairfax County were broken into on July 7
7. Ted’s Bulletin coming to Carlyle Neighborhood near Wegman’s
8. Employee credit cards stolen from backrooms of businesses in Old Town
9. Former mayoral candidate Annetta Catchings elected chair of Alexandria Republican Party
10. Alexandria Firefighters say equipment failures gamble the safety of residents

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

Our top story this week is about Ricardo Roberts, a District B candidate for the Alexandria School Board. Roberts, who intends to sue the school system, wants cameras in classrooms and “examples” made of unruly kids.

On Tuesday, Governor Ralph Northam joined dignitaries in Alexandria for the groundbreaking of the first of Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus buildings. Virginia Tech plans on opening the first of three academic buildings in 2024, paving the way for a tech-centric campus next door to Amazon’s HQ2 development in Crystal City.

Also on Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously to extend the state of emergency to January 31, 2022.

On Thursday, parts of the city were flooded during a brief thunderstorm. Thanks to Kerrin Nishimura for sending us flooding photos of the Braddock area.

In this week’s poll, we asked about a potential Metro line crossing over to National Harbor. Of the nearly 700 responses, 62% of respondents think it’s a great idea, 23% need to hear more about it, and 15% think it’s a bad idea.

Important stories

• Police dispatched three times for fighting at Alexandria City Public Schools in less than a month
• ACPS laying the groundwork for in-school vaccination
• 20 health experts are writing in the Del Ray Wellness District’s new blog
• Eisenhower Partnership hosting Oktoberfest to support local urban planning scholarship
• Police: Old Town bank robbery suspect spent two years in jail for robbing another bank
• No injuries after shots fired at cars and apartments in Landmark area
• New Old Town townhouses headed to architectural review process
• Update: Missing Alexandria toddlers returned home to their mother
• Alexandria Police report double-digit rise in burglary and drunk driving arrests
• As selection deadline nears, Alexandria wants community input on incoming city manager
• Visit Alexandria attracting Black visitors with new ‘Drop-in’ campaign

Top stories

1. Alexandria School Board candidate wants cameras in classrooms and ‘examples’ made of misbehaving kids
2. West End trail project derailed by stalled development
3. With high hopes and small class sizes, The Linder Academy opens in Old Town
4. Alexandria City Council to likely extend state of emergency to next year
5. Poll: What do you think of Metro’s proposed Blue Line crossing to National Harbor?
6. Multiple violent charges dropped against Fairfax County man held without bond for assaulting police during arrest
7. Landmark redevelopment’s community management up for review at City Council tonight
8. Alexandria seeking state-funding to make fare-free buses long-term
9. West End apartment complex looks to replace parking with barking
10. BREAKING: Video shows brawl at Alexandria City High School cafeteria just two days after school starts
11. Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus breaks ground in Potomac Yard

Have a safe weekend!

Crime, hazardous weather, debates over city transportation policy: it’s another week down in Alexandria.

With courts being back in session, news coverage of trials and convictions is back in full swing with the sentencing of a local teen who murdered a young couple that gave him a ride to southern Virginia and a pastor’s wife who had money laundering added to earlier fraud convictions.

It’s also been a busy week for transit policy in Alexandria, with new projects moving forward on the east end of Eisenhower Avenue all the way to prioritizing a transit hub in the West End.

What stories impacted you this week? Let us know in the comments.

Here are our top stories this week in Alexandria.

1. Eisenhower’s ‘Too Expensive to Cancel’ Project Moves Forward This Month
2. Francesca’s Permanently Closed in Old Town
3. Alexandria Pastor’s Wife Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Scheme
4. Landmark Transit Hub Tops List of Alexandria’s Transportation Priorities
5. City Council and Developers Clash Over Last Minute Changes to Affordable Housing Requirement
6. New Oakville Triangle Plan Sails Through City Council Approval
7. Southern Towers Residents Protest Eviction Amid Pandemic
8. Man Robbed at Gunpoint on Duke Street Tuesday Night
9. Man Hospitalized After Fall at Eisenhower Rock Climbing Gym Sportrock
10. Winter Weather Advisory Issued Ahead of Expected Snowfall Tomorrow

Two conflicts last week involving outbursts against locals remained the top stories this week.

From this week, stories about robberies and shots fired were among the most read, as were a few changes in Old Town: from a local favorite shop closing to a facelift to restore and old Alexandria building to its former glory.

Here are some of the top stories in Alexandria this week:

1. Customer Spits on Old Town Coffee Shop Owner and Vandalizes Store After Being Asked to Wear a Mask
2. Muay Thai Champ Gets Racist Threats at Jones Point Park
3. Suspect Arrested After More Shots Fired in Braddock Neighborhood
4. King Street Buildings from Early 1800s to Get Modern Touchup with Redevelopment
5. Alexandria Police Investigate Shots Fired in Old Town
6. Person Struck by Chair and Robbed in West End Store
7. Alexandria Now Has 2,456 Cases of COVID-19, No New Deaths This Month
8. Listing of the Day: 2207 Windsor Road
9. Coronavirus Claims Longtime Irish Gift Shop in Old Town
10. Alexandria Residents Ask Governor to Postpone Impending Evictions

Staff photo by Jay Westcott