Car through the storefront of Robcyns in the Bradlee Shopping Center (staff photo by James Cullum) In some ways, it wasn’t a great week for shops around Alexandria. Three Alexandria stores had drivers crash into them this week. At the Bradlee Shopping Center, a driver was hospitalized after she drove her car into Robcyns. The next morning, a driver crashed into Casa Rosada Artisan Gelato in Old Town. But while both of those incidents seem like accidents, would-be thieves crashed a truck into a CVS in Del Ray and tried, unsuccessfully, to steal the ATM. On the bright side, things seem to be goi ..read more

Westbound detour around closed Duke Street lanes (image via City of Alexandria) Westbound drivers may want to avoid Duke Street near Landmark next week as construction will shut down part of the road. The closures will affect the westbound lanes on Duke Street between the off-ramp to Van Dorn Street and South Walker Street. The westbound lanes are scheduled to be closed from 10 p.m. on Tuesday to 10 p.m. on Friday. According to a release put out by the City of Alexandria: The westbound lanes of Duke Street, between the Van Dorn Street off-ramp and South Walker Street, will be closed to vehicl ..read more

ACPS headquarters and clock (staff photo by Jay Westcott) Parents and teachers at a School Board meeting last night said the rollout of a new plan to split specialist teachers across schools has been an unmitigated disaster. The change affects Alexandria City Public Schools’ (ACPS) encore teachers: teachers who run classes like music, art and physical education. A new change announced in an email earlier this week, without public discussion or meetings, would split these teachers across multiple schools throughout the district. The Washington Post also noted that the change came just days befo ..read more

Just Listed highlights Alexandria City properties that came on the market within the past week. This feature is sponsored by the Jen Walker Team (Licensed in VA) of McEnearney Associates REALTORS®. Welcome Back! Jen Walker here with The Jen Walker Team! We are a real estate group based out of Alexandria, Virginia. I, along with my rock-star team members, Sue Kovalsky,  Micki MacNaughton, Adrianna Vallario and Nancy Lacey, have more than 35 years of experience in real estate and sold over $150 million in 2022. Fabulous town home in the heart of Del Ray! Remodeled and meticulous ..read more

Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum at 105-107 S. Fairfax Street in Old Town (Staff photo by James Cullum) A popular tour at Alexandria’s Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum (105-107 S. Fairfax Street) is making a comeback next month: Poison at the Apothecary Museum. The tour, recommended for ages 18 and older, explores different types of poisons and their application throughout history. “Come explore the sinister side of medicine on the Apothecary Museum’s Poison Tour,” the city’s website said. “This tour explores several different types of poisons, their historic uses at the Apothecary, an ..read more

Good Friday morning, Alexandria! Today’s weather: Sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. ? You need to know St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub. (Via Wayne Hulenhan) If you were excited about the return of the annual food festival A Taste of Del Ray, you either already have your tickets or I have some very bad news. The 14th annual Taste of Del Ray is completely sold out. Ticketing website Eventbrite noted that no tickets will be available at the door and, at be ..read more

This past week saw 33 homes sold in Alexandria. The least expensive condo, single-family home or townhouse sale over the past seven days was $120,000 while the most expensive was $2,450,000. Over the past month, meanwhile, a total of 116 condos were sold. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive condos sold over the past month. Most expensive condos sold 300 S Columbus Street — $1,595,000 (3 Beds | 3.5 Baths | 3,200 SQ FT) 625 Slaters Lane #303 — $1,357,500 (2 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,612 SQ FT) 1115 N Royal Street — $1,331,000 (3 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 2,598 SQ FT) 1201 N Royal Stre ..read more

The ACHS graduation, June 4, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum) Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is looking for suggestions from the public on how it should update its Student Code of Conduct. The Student Code of Conduct — an 83-page document for this past year — governs everything from attendance and student rights to the expulsion of students. “We value and actively seek input from our students, staff and families,” said Michael Diggins, executive director of student services for ACPS. “Alexandria City School Board policies as well as the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) also re ..read more

Chadwicks owner Trae Lamond (on right) with general manager Sean Hall (staff photo by James Cullum) Chadwicks (203 Strand Street) is about to get really busy. From now until mid-August, it’s the strong season for the unpretentious Old Town staple that has graced the Alexandria waterfront since 1979. From the menu to decor, not much changes in the restaurant/bar (except a recent price hike) as owner Trae Lamond keeps his proverbial ship afloat through a gradually evolving seashore. Chadwicks was once of Alexandria’s only bars along the Potomac River, but over the last several years has been joi ..read more

Potomac Yard’s microbrewery Hops Grill and Brewery didn’t live to see the new Potomac Yard Metro station open, but the Washington Business Journal reported the location at 3625 Richmond Highway could see new life as a bank. The Business Journal reported that JPMorgan Chase & Co. has leased the microbrewery as part of a broader push throughout the region. The bank won’t take up all of the 6,900-square-foot space, the Business Journal said, as about half of it will be subleased. The new location is not far from the planned Virginia Tech campus and a stone’s throw from the new Potomac Yard ..read more