Assault Leaves Two Men Injured and Hospitalized; Response Shuts Down Neighborhood.

The Washington Post is reporting that a suspect has been apprehended in relation to the assault that sent two men to the hospital this past Friday night around 6pm on the 500 block of Four Mile Road.

While the Alexandria Police are yet unable to describe the nature of the injuries inflicted, the incident caused severe disruptions throughout the neighborhood. Sirens of emergency vehicles were heard beginning at 5:45 and Four Mile Road remained closed for over an hour later. The residents of several apartment buildings were prevented from entering or leaving their apartments for quite a while, with 519 Four Mile on complete lockdown. Criminal investigation officers were on the scene collecting evidence and taking pictures. The Del Ray Patch was on the scene and has more photos of the response.

While the official report says police officers found the injured individuals inside of a parked van, conflicting stories from eye witnesses to the event report that the men were seen bleeding on the ground when bystanders first called 911. Other reports described the injuries as either gun shot or stab wounds. APD says they are still trying to sort out the exact cause.

Recent reports suggest other similar nearby incidents. On CrimeReports.org, APD reports an altercation between soccer players and "a group of teenagers" the prior week on the 3900 block of Old Dominion Boulevard. And earlier in the week there was a report of a stabbing on the 3800 block of Mt Vernon Avenue. However, crime statistics show a sharp decrease in neighborhood crime where gang graffiti once covered many nearby buildings and aggravated assaults constituted 1/4 of all such incidents city-wide. Murders, once commonplace, occurring multiple times each year, have become a rare occurrence dropping to less than that per decade. Still, criminal activity still lingers with the FBI and Justice Department having unraveled an extensive sex trafficking enterprise that had been active in Arlandria and elsewhere (Pimps hit social networks to recruit underage sex workers, CNN).
.

Repeated Vandalism of Bus Shelter Prompts Redesign

Cracked bus shelter panel.

Poor design of Alexandria's new standard bus shelters has been faulted in the repeated vandalism of the first of the stops introduced as part of multi-year effort.

Yesterday, for the 4th or 5th time (frankly, we've lost count), since it was installed last year, vandals destroyed three of the glass panels that encompass the back of the new bus shelter on Mt Vernon Avenue at West Reed Avenue. The Arlandrian has documented (and reported to authorities) as this damage was repeatedly visited upon the bus stop. This latest incident, however, had thankfully resulted in the arrest of the individual (or indviduals).

This bus shelter was the first of new style of bus stop to be rolled out throughout Alexandria as part of an ambitious project over the next few year. The City had recently installed four new bus shelters as part of Alexandria’s Transportation & Environmental Services Department’s bus shelter replacement project. New bus shelters were installed at Mt Vernon Ave and Reed Ave, Duke Street at West Taylor Run Parkway, 301 N Beauregard Street, and 301 N Ripley Street.  While not all features were installed at this new stop, the new bus shelter designs feature following amenities including a modern design, ADA accessibility, bench seating with backrest, ability to display real time transit information on LED screens, solar or electric illumination and the ability to display bus maps and way-finding information

Over the next three years, the City plans to relace over 40 Metrobus shelters and bus shelter concrete pads which were installed in the 1970s through grants provided by the Federal Highway Administration. Click here to view the City’s new bus shelter design and here for a map of a Metrobus shelter replacement location map.

In a memo to Alexandria City Council Plan director last month, Farrol Hamer described how the repeated vandalism has resulted in the a redesign of the shelters and a delay in replacement plan:

The City standard shelter is currently in the process of being redesigned after various issues with vandalism at the four initial locations. Studio 39 is the design consultant who is working on completing the redesign. Studio 39 has provided 90% drawings to City staff and will provide 95% drawings to City staff in the coming weeks. Studio 39 hopes to complete the redesign project by the middle to end of April 2013. This has delayed the Invitation to Bid (ITB) for the bus shelter installs City wide.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will need to approve the ITB before the City issues it (VDOT has a 90 day review process).The shelters at Mt. Vernon Avenue /Executive Avenue will be one of the first three locations which will be replaced once a vendor is selected through the ITB. If Studio 39 can provide the City with the 100% final design by the end of April 2013 and if the City can send the ITB to VDOT in May 2013, the ITB could be out for bid in September 2013. 

Previous related stories from The Arlandrian:

• Is this a good place for a bus shelter?
• Are new bus shelters coming to Arlandria?
• Bus shelters go solar
• UPDATE: Bus Shelter now a Bus "Stop"
• Obsessed with bus shelters.
• Arlandria's Capital Improvement Plan: A Fractured Fairy Tale
• Alexandria Kills Pedestrian Crossing at Glebe Road
• New Bus Shelter Vandalized. 2nd Time.
• New Bus Shelter Vandalized. 3rd Time. Not Charming.

4MRMarket Report: "Pre-Mother's Day Crafts" Edition

This Sunday on the 4MRStage, you'll find another talented and funky musician in Frenchy LeBlanc (follow this to the Facebook page for the his band, "The Stylemasters").

Frenchy will play a set from 11am-Noon. When Frenchy LeBlanc plays with "The Stylemasters", they play Swing’n Blues, Rockabilly, HonkyTonk, and some Old School Rock n’ Roll, so their performance should include a melange of throw-back, toe-tapping tunes! Come watch from the 4MRMarket Lounge and get your day started off right! Click here to view video on YouTube if the video below is not displayed.

Frenchy LeBlanc with his band, The Stylemasters
playing Johnny Cash's "'Big River"

Get all your Mother's Day gifts out of the way this weekend at 4MRMarket! Expert weavers Uncommon Knits -- one of our most popular craft vendors in years past -- will be there this Sunday! Shiny Soap and Fiber gives you a host of items Mom would love with her hand made goats milk, herbal, and hand milled soaps, in addition to knitted Angora rabbit fur items! We introduce another new craft vendor this weekend in Trey Apothecary, an Old Town based candle-maker selling soy hand-poured scented and double-wick candles. You can also find mom-friendly health and beauty products from Kalika Natural Beauty and healthful and delicious teas from Whole Health.

And don't forget to stock up for the week on local produce from C&T Produce, pasture raised beef and pork from the nearby Shenandoah from Stifler Farms, artisan made cheese from Tom's Amish Cheese, and or a variety of other goodies!

Here is our list of vendors this week:

• C &T Produce (White Oak, VA) - A huge selection of locally grown produce from a locally, family-run farm in Stafford, Virginia.
• The Stifler Farm aka "What's For Dinner Now" - Farm-raised Black Angus beef, humanely raised on lush pasture fields of the Shenandoah Valley, naturally farmed pork...and now... Uncle Frank's Grilling Sauce!!
• Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese and yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and Pennsylvania honey.
• St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - Brewed coffee, tea, and always a few extra goodies!
• Whole Health (Alexandria) -  Organic teas and body scrubs from one of the largest Message and Acupuncture Therapy businesses in Northern Virginia (approved by the Alexandria Health Department).

Here is our list of craft vendors for this Sunday!

• Uncommon Knits (West Virginia) - Handwoven linens made with 100% cotton and hand-stitched hems for your kitchen, dining room and bath.
• Trey Apothecary (Old Town) Artisan soy hand-poured scented and double-wick candles and scented hand-made fragrance balm.
• Shiny Soap and Fiber - (Hollywood, MD) - Crafty Shiny whips up hand made bathes of goats milk soap, hand milled soaps, herbal soaps, knitted items from Angora rabbit fur, and even soap dishes!
• Kalika Beauty (Centreville, VA) - A naturally effective, eco-friendly, line of handmade bath and body skin care goodies. Her products are made with bio-dynamic, natural botanical active ingredients.

Crafts available on a rotating basis.

See below all the ways to help and participate in the market!

The supercool 4MRMarket t-shirt

BUY. Proceeds of our 4MRMarket T-shirts go to support the expansion and revitalization of 4MR Park. They cost $12 and come in 4 colors. See us model a few at the market.  You can pre-pay online via Pay-Pal (send money to 4MRM@arlandria.org).

DONATE. Help 4MRMarket help 4MRPark. Tax-deductible donations can be made to support us in our efforts to revitalize Four Mile Run Park. Donate to the City's Living Landscape Fund to fund tree and other amenities at 4MRExpand More information here.

HELP. If you'd like to volunteer with the 4MRMarket, go to: volunteer.4MRMarket.org to sign up or look for the "volunteer" tab on our website. You'll be able to volunteer to help process SNAP/EBT sales, help us keep our books, help set up or tear down for the market, or help us find musicians to play the market. You can also find a Market Manager to ask to help, or email us at 4MRMarket@arlandria.org for more info.

READ. Keep up to date on all the goings on by following 4MRMarket on Facebook or Twitter or via our website and blog.

SPREAD THE WORD.  Please tell folks about us. And tell folks about some of the great things we're doing. For instance, all SNAP/EBT participants can take advantage of the Inova-sponsored "Double Dollar" program again this year that doubles the first $10 SNAP participants spend at the market. 4MRMarket is the first farmers’ market in Northern Virginia (and still the only) to accept SNAP. And C&T Produce now accepts SFMNP vouchers!

__________________________________

Buy Fresh Buy Local 4MRMarket products.

The Four Mile Run Farmers and Artisans Market (Alexandria, Virginia 22305) brings fresh, nutritious food to people of all income levels, provide an opportunity for local artisans and producers of goods to bring their wares to market, strive to reflect the diversity of the community, and improve the quality of life for Arlandria residents and visitors. It is part of an overall vision to expand and improve Four Mile Run park and the surrounding neighborhood.

4MRMarket is open every Sunday from 8am until 1pm from April 14th until November in Four Mile Run Park at 4109 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. 

(click here for directions)

For more info see: http://www.4mrmarket.org/

On Facebook: facebook.com/4MRMarket
On Twitter: @4MRMarket

Contact us at: 4MRMarket@arlandria.org

Or call the 4MRMarket hotline: (804) 4mi-Run1

4MRMarket Report: "The Music Returns!" Edition

Live on the 4MRMarket Stage this weekend!
Photo from Reverbnation.com

This weekend at 4MRMarket, you'll find a The Back Alley Blues Boys (like them on Facebook!) playing on the 4MRStage from 11am-Noon, as was the norm most of last season. The Back Alley Blues Boys are a local Alexandria blues trio. In their own words, they "play acoustic guitar-driven blues, folk, and roots music, from delta blues to rockabilly, as well as some softer acoustic numbers."

This weekend, we also welcome Blue Ridge Botanicals to the fold. They sell a great selection of veggie starts, potted herbs, perennials, and other plants to get your garden started this spring! These passionate purveyors of plants have all the items you need to supplement your fresh 4MRMarket purchases with a harvest that's as local as you can get... right in your backyard!

So come out and pick up a gardens worth of veggie starts, potted herbs, perennials from Blue Ridge Botanicals, ready-to-eat local produce from C&T Produce, top quality, pasture raised beef from the nearby Shenandoah from Stifler Farms, artisan made cheese from Tom's Amish Cheese, and or a variety of other goodies!

Here is our list of vendors this week:

• C &T Produce (White Oak, VA) - A huge selection of locally grown produce from a locally, family-run farm in Stafford, Virginia.
• The Stifler Farm aka "What's For Dinner Now" - Farm-raised Black Angus beef, humanely raised on lush pasture fields of the Shenandoah Valley, naturally farmed pork...and now... Uncle Frank's Grilling Sauce!!
• Blue Ridge Botanicals (Castleton, VA) - Many varieties of herbs, native plants, veggie starts, perennials, and more.  As you get ready to start the garden, the nursery comes to you!
• Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese and yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and Pennsylvania honey.
• St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - Brewed coffee, tea, and a few extra goodies.
• Whole Health Medical (Alexandria) -  Organic teas and body scrubs from one of the largest Message and Acupuncture Therapy businesses in Northern Virginia (approved by the Alexandria Health Department).
• Old Town Suds - (Alexandria) This maker of eco-friendly soaps, cleaning supplies, bath bombs, and more!

Crafts available on a rotating basis.

See below all the ways to help and participate in the market!

The supercool 4MRMarket t-shirt

BUY. Proceeds of our 4MRMarket T-shirts go to support the expansion and revitalization of 4MR Park. They cost $12 and come in 4 colors. See us model a few at the market.  You can pre-pay online via Pay-Pal (send money to 4MRM@arlandria.org).

DONATE. Help 4MRMarket help 4MRPark. Tax-deductible donations can be made to support us in our efforts to revitalize Four Mile Run Park. Donate to the City's Living Landscape Fund to fund tree and other amenities at 4MRExpand More information here.

HELP. If you'd like to volunteer with the 4MRMarket, go to: volunteer.4MRMarket.org to sign up or look for the "volunteer" tab on our website. You'll be able to volunteer to help process SNAP/EBT sales, help us keep our books, help set up or tear down for the market, or help us find musicians to play the market. You can also find a Market Manager to ask to help, or email us at 4MRMarket@arlandria.org for more info.

READ. Keep up to date on all the goings on by following 4MRMarket on Facebook or Twitter or via our website and blog.

SPREAD THE WORD.  Please tell folks about us. And tell folks about some of the great things we're doing. For instance, all SNAP/EBT participants can take advantage of the Inova-sponsored "Double Dollar" program again this year that doubles the first $10 SNAP participants spend at the market. 4MRMarket is the first farmers’ market in Northern Virginia (and still the only) to accept SNAP. And C&T Produce now accepts SFMNP vouchers!

__________________________________

Buy Fresh Buy Local 4MRMarket products.

The Four Mile Run Farmers and Artisans Market (Alexandria, Virginia 22305) brings fresh, nutritious food to people of all income levels, provide an opportunity for local artisans and producers of goods to bring their wares to market, strive to reflect the diversity of the community, and improve the quality of life for Arlandria residents and visitors. It is part of an overall vision to expand and improve Four Mile Run park and the surrounding neighborhood.

4MRMarket is open every Sunday from 8am until 1pm from April 14th until November in Four Mile Run Park at 4109 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. 

(click here for directions)

For more info see: http://www.4mrmarket.org/

On Facebook: facebook.com/4MRMarket
On Twitter: @4MRMarket

Contact us at: 4MRMarket@arlandria.org

Or call the 4MRMarket hotline: (804) 4mi-Run1

Tales of an Arlandria Twitcher: The Earth Day Edition

More on the wildlife around Four Mile Run by The Arlandrian's resident amateur ornithologist:

Black-crowned Night-Heron at Four Mile Run Park in Alexandria, VA.
This was one of a pair that I found in the park today. At least one has been present all winter.
He's become my favorite friend in the park.

FOS Yellow Warbler at Four Mile Run Park in Alexandria, VA.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at Four Mile Run Park in Alexandria, VA.

________________________________

In addition to his side-line as a naturalist, Jake Cuomo is an all around neighborhood good guy organizing stream clean-ups of the Four Mile Run, initiating community tree plantings on Earth Day, helping build the new Commonwealth Park on Reed Avenue and the Four Mile Run Park Expansion. 

Jake is the winner of the 2012 Alexandria Beautification Award, along with his wife, Erin.