Alexandria Snapshot: Light on Streets, Not in Trees
City resident Ronald Gochenour writes: I believe that the citizens of the City of Alexandria deserve the key benefits of streetlights — enhancing crime deterrence and enhancing vehicular and pedestrian traffic safety. I have worked very hard to help keep the city safe and the city staff have fought me tooth and nail not to cut trees blocking lights. Lighting is a top priority? That is a joke.
Alexandria Column: The Mailbox
Not unlike a man of like age, it leans slightly as dictated by their common enemy, age. Eight decades will do that.
Finding Echo
From Sri Lanka to Alexandria
On the way to the Metro stop, by the narrow alley way you pass every morning on the way to work, or even from the comfort of your own home you’ve seen your fair share of cautious glowing eyes belonging to one of the area’s many stray animals.
Alexandria: Dropping Off 320 Pounds of Drugs
“Drug Take Back” event collects 11 bags of prescription drugs.
In front of the Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray, residents dropped medication into large clear trash liners within cardboard bins from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 16.
Alexandria Appetite: Vola’s Dockside Grill to Bring Classic Fare to Waterfront
The restaurant and bar take the place of the former Waterfront Market near the Torpedo Factory.
Saunter toward the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria and you’re sure to spy progress afoot near the Torpedo Factory. The former Waterfront Market space at 101 N. Union St., closed since last year, is being transformed into Vola’s Dockside Grill and Hi-Tide Lounge, with an aim at opening in August after months of construction.
Alexandria: 'Escape Room' Trend Continues to Grow
Darren Sonnier was traveling in Prague when he and his wife, Ginger Flesher, decided to do their first escape room together. After a few more, they were hooked.
Alexandria: Changes Coming to Victory Center
Planning approves three additions.
The Victory Center has sat empty and untouched for a decade, but after a controversy over the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) potential move to the site, developers are working to make the complex more appealing.
Alexandria: Transit Improvements Arriving
Governor announces road and rail projects.
The Atlantic Gateway is underway. Gov. Terry McAuliffe discussed the details of the $1.4 billion plan to reform regional road and rail projects at Alexandria’s Union Station on July 8. For Northern Virginia, the program means road expansions and more express lanes, but for Alexandria a big piece of the proposed improvements could be the rebuilding of the Long Bridge parallel to the 14th Street Bridge.
Alexandria: Residents React to Revenge Killing
Police chief says July 2 murder was “street justice.”
The July 2 murder of Saquan Hall in the 1000 block of First Street comes only weeks after the murder of Pierre Clark less than a block away. At a community meeting on July 6, local residents urged the audience to come together. But many said they couldn’t escape the sense that these same pleas and plans had been spoken again and again at these meetings but the violence keeps occurring.
Alexandria: Trying To Ease the Pains of Childhood Hunger
Massive need requires massive effort.
Childhood hunger in Alexandria is just beyond the doorstep. Some of the underlying causes include lack of knowledge about the existence of the problem or the resources available to alleviate it.
Alexandria: ‘Not a Box’ Now on Display
New installation exhibit at the Torpedo Factory.
“Not a Box” is the Art League Gallery’s first installation exhibit. All 13 pieces transform the gallery space using a range of materials and techniques.
Alexandria: Opening Day Fire Engulfs Al’s Steakhouse
Fundraiser to be held at Holy Cow July 14.
Al’s Steakhouse, a favorite in the Del Ray community for decades, suffered extensive damage when a three-alarm fire swept through the restaurant July 6, the grand reopening day for new owners Emily Breeding and the Breeding family.
Making America Pokémon Trainers Again
Pokémon Go is a hit in Alexandria.
Across the street from Pop’s Ice Cream, on a path that runs through Oronoco Bay Park, even down the road from the VéloCity Bicycle Cooperative on Del Ray’s Mt. Vernon Avenue — these are all places that digital creatures, known as Pokémon, can appear in the new smartphone game “Pokémon Go.”
Alexandria: Learning about Civil War from a ‘Drill Sergeant’
Nine children — eight boys and one girl — aged 9 to 12, participated in Fort Ward’s Civil War Kid’s Drill Day on Saturday, July 9, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Celebrating Alexandria's 267th Birthday
Members of the Alexandria community gathered to celebrate the city’s 267th birthday at Oronoco Bay Park on Saturday, July 9. Spectators were able to enjoy an evening of live music along with birthday cupcakes and a variety of food vendors. The night concluded with a performance from the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and a fireworks display.