Alexandria | FFXnow

Published March 8, 2024 at 11:45AM

Cannabis plant (via Rick Proctor/Unsplash)

Hopes that Gov. Glenn Youngkin might sign a bill legalizing retail sales of marijuana in Virginia faded fast this week as Democrats blocked one of the governor’s top priorities: the plan to bring a professional sports arena to Northern Virginia.

As recently as Wednesday, according to multiple Capitol sources, the cannabis bill was being raised in closed-door budget talks with the governor as one of several Democratic priorities that could conceivably have been part of a package deal with the arena.

Countywide

To increase housing, Fairfax County pursues alternatives to ending single-family-only zoning

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 17, 2024 at 11:30AM | Updated January 17, 2024 at 11:47AM

Single-family detached houses in McLean (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

In their quest to boost the region’s limited housing supply, Northern Virginia leaders have explored a variety of potential solutions.

Arlington and Alexandria in particular garnered plenty of headlines — and legal scrutiny, in the county’s case — when officials voted separately last year to allow more dense housing in areas previously reserved for single-family detached homes, among other zoning reforms.

News

Southern expansion of I-495 toll lanes must accommodate transit, county board says

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 8, 2023 at 9:30AM

I-495 approaching the Eisenhower Avenue exit in Alexandria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Any extension of the I-495 Express Lanes along the south side of the Capital Beltway should support additional transit options, Fairfax County leaders stressed in a recent letter to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

VDOT is currently studying options for completing the I-495 toll lanes by expanding them from the I-395/I-95 interchange in Springfield to Maryland Route 210 in Prince George’s County, an approximately 11-mile span that crosses the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Alexandria.

News

Alexandria karate studio battles Fairfax zoning to open dojo near Springfield

By Vernon Miles

Published September 1, 2023 at 11:30AM | Updated September 6, 2023 at 8:48AM

Richard Romero, founder of Seichou Karate (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Things were looking up for Richard Romero, founder of Seichou Karate in Alexandria. The Old Town dojo is facing imminent closure thanks to redevelopment, but Romero finally found a new home just northeast of Springfield.

But, like a crane kick at the end of a karate championship, Romero said some surprising zoning issues have cropped up that could spell trouble for plans to open Seichou Karate at 5710 General Washington Drive.

Around Town

Competitive BBQ champion is expanding Alexandria restaurant into Dunn Loring

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 23, 2023 at 10:15AM

Myron Mixon Pitmaster BBQ specializes in Southern-style barbecue (courtesy Myron Mixon Pitmaster BBQ)

Dunn Loring diners will soon get a taste of the Southern-style smoked meats that have made Myron Mixon the self-proclaimed “winningest” man in barbecue.

Myron Mixon Pitmaster BBQ is slated to open a new restaurant at 2670 Avenir Place near the Dunn Loring Metro station this fall, its first expansion since launching in Old Town Alexandria in 2016.

Countywide

Man wins decades-long battle to get FCPD to use community names, not postal addresses, in crime reports

By Vivian Hoang

Published July 18, 2023 at 3:00PM | Updated July 18, 2023 at 5:44PM

Fairfax County police car with lights flashing (file photo)

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) The long-fought activism of one local resident has culminated in the Fairfax County Police Department changing its approach to publicly identifying where crimes occur.

Arlington-based blogger Dave Statter announced on Wednesday, July 12 that Police Chief Kevin Davis has committed to having FCPD public information officers and social media channels use community names, rather than postal addresses, in public safety announcements, clearing up decades of confusion.

News

Man sentenced to prison for selling fentanyl in fatal Clifton overdose

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 12, 2023 at 9:30AM

U.S. Attorneys Office in Alexandria (via Google Maps)

An Alexandria man was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday (May 10) for selling fentanyl to a woman who died from an overdose in Clifton in 2021.

Reza Hashemi, 34, was sentenced for conspiring to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl in Northern Virginia between July 2020 and June 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release announcing the judgment by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

News

Fairfax County gets funds to preserve historically significant map marking Alexandria boundaries

By Vernon Miles

Published February 1, 2023 at 3:15PM | Updated March 4, 2024 at 3:55PM

Part of the West End annexation map (image via Fairfax County)

A newly awarded grant will help the Fairfax County Circuit Court preserve some historical records dating back to the 18th century, including one map that laid out the battlefield in a small legal war between the county and Alexandria City.

The 4-foot-long, 3-foot-tall Alexandria Annexation Map was impossible to fully photograph in its entirety because of its rough shape, but restoration work should help clear it up, said Heather Bollinger, the historic records manager at the Fairfax County Historic Records Center.

News

Police: Alexandria woman arrested for car thefts, abduction in Annandale

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 19, 2023 at 3:00PM

Fairfax County police car lights flashing (file photo)

Fairfax County police have arrested a 40-year-old woman from Alexandria who allegedly stole a vehicle with a girl in the backseat on Sunday (Jan. 15).

According to police, the woman was connected to a second vehicle theft incident in the 6200 block of Little River Turnpike in Annandale that occurred around 6:50 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday).

News

Route 7 Bus Rapid Transit study now fully funded, thanks to Congress

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 28, 2022 at 2:15PM | Updated January 3, 2023 at 4:25PM

The Route 7 bus rapid transit service from Tysons to Alexandria (via NVTC/Twitter)

(Updated at 4:25 p.m. on 1/3/2023) An ongoing study of the possibility of having bus rapid transit (BRT) service from Tysons to Alexandria can now proceed confident that the planning will be seen through to completion.

The $1.7 trillion federal spending bill that Congress approved on Friday (Dec. 23), just in time to avert a potential government shutdown, included $2 million to complete all planning and environmental studies needed for the project, known as Envision Route 7.