Police Seek Help Identifying Jewelry Theft Suspect

Diamond and platinum ring valued at more than $25,000 went missing from King's Jewelry on July 24.

The Alexandria Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a suspect involved in a theft last month from King’s Jewelry in Old Town. At 3:20 p.m. on July 24, a suspect described as a bald, black male in his 40s standing between 5-foot-10 and 6-1 and weighing approximately 185 pounds entered the business located at 609 King Street. The suspect asked to look at diamond rings and took a platinum and diamond ring valued at more than $25,000.    The suspect had a mustache and was wearing wire-rimmed glasses, an off-white long-sleeve polo shirt, blue jeans and black and brown boots. The suspect also had a tattoo on the left side of his neck that included the words “Sigma Forever” and possibly another word, according to police. …

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Police Seek Help in Counterfeit Check Case

White male cashed counterfeit check at United Bank in Old Town.

Alexandria Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a suspect involved in the uttering of a counterfeit check. An unidentified suspect walked into the United Bank, located at 301 S. Washington St. on June 7 at 2:13 p.m., and cashed a counterfeit check from a Washington, D.C.-based company. At approximately 3:17 p.m. the same day, the suspect went to a United Bank located at 2300 S. Ninth St. in Arlington County and attempted to cash a second check, but was denied by the teller.  The suspect left the bank before police arrived.  In both cases, the suspect used a fake Maryland driver’s license. The suspect is described as a white male, in his 40s, approximately 5-foot-8 with a medium to heavy build. He was wearing a flannel shirt …

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Family Matters: 215 Jefferson Street on Old Town Garden Tour

Home was on 1955 Virginia Garden Week tour.

For more than a decade, Gene Jankowski, the former president of CBS Broadcasting Corp., lived in Connecticut but spent a lot of time visiting family in Old Town Alexandria. In 2005, Jankowski decided it was time to move closer to his children and grandkids, and make Old Town his home, too. “I would walk around Old Town and I loved it,” he noted. “But when I looked at the houses, I’d get depressed about their size… so many were just too small.” When Jankowski’s real estate agent called to say the house at 215 Jefferson St. was available, he remembered the property from his walks. “I said, ‘You mean the brick one with the white fence? I’ll be right down.’” The home was his within a week. “This house is very special for Old Town,” Jankowski …

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Everybody Loves a Presidents Day Parade

A photo gallery of Monday's George Washington Birthday Parade in Alexandria.

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Occasionally Cake To Open New Shop in Old Town

Mount Vernon cake shop will open a new store in Old Town this spring.

Mount Vernon cake shop Occasionally Cake will open a new shop in Old Town this spring. The new store will be located on 207 King Street, two blocks from the waterfront. Owner Sabrina Campbell says that the new location has a target opening date of early March 2012. Campbell said she had been thinking of opening a new location for about a year and considered Shirlington and Clarendon as possible locales. Old Town eventually won, because it’s a high pedestrian area and has a different market, said Campbell. “Old Town’s close enough for me to manage the store well, but far away where it’s a new market,” said Campbell. Campbell, who grew up in Mount Vernon, has “a huge love of Old Town.” “It’s a place with high energy and I like it,” she said…

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Metro Board Approves Name Change for King Street Metro

King Street Metro will be called King St-Old Town beginning with the June 2012 map.

The Metro Board on Thursday approved name changes for several Metro stations, including changing King Street to King St-Old Town. Primary station names can be 19 characters. The board exempted some station names from that limit because "customers have strong familiarity with the existing names." Those exemptions include Franconia-Springfield. Additionally, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport remains unchanged. The King Street name change will cost between $90,000 and $120,000, mainly to replace signage and create new maps. The funding will not come from the city’s general fund. Instead, it will come from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission allocation the city receives annually to pay for a portion of its Metro needs. …

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Green and Simple

Green and Simple: How Green is Your Footwear?

When thinking about ways to have a more positive planetary impact, don't forget your feet!

I must admit, it is a question I had not spent much time pondering until very recently. On an errand at T.J.Maxx a couple of weeks ago, I came across a pair of casual, comfortable looking shoes, so I pulled them off the shelf. My first surprise was the brand name on the inside of the shoes, “Earth.” I had not heard of this brand of footwear before so my curiosity was piqued. Once I slipped the shoes on my feet, I was sold. Aesthetically, the shoes appeal to my earthy-crunchy side and would be great for weekend wear, walks through the woods or around town. With great arch support and a forgiving sole, the shoes cradled my feet with each step. My second surprise was the $19.99 price tag! Granted, I was shopping at a discount retailer, so the…

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Carolyn Semedo

6:56 pm on Thursday, September 22, 2011

Thank you, Kristen. I really appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts. Nice to read!   more ›

Crime Report: Sexual Assault and Peeping Tom Incident

The following arrest information was supplied by the Alexandria Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

The following information was supplied by the Alexandria Police Department to www.crimereports.com. Additional details about the most recent crimes were not available at publication time. September 13 – A vehicle that was reported stolen in another jurisdiction was recovered in the 200 block of Buchanan St. at 2:55 a.m. The case is pending. September 12 – Theft of property from a vehicle was reported in the 700 block of Massey La. at 7:56 p.m. The case is pending. September 12 – A peeping Tom incident was reported in the 200 block of S. Fayette St. at 12:02 a.m. To protect the victim’s privacy, the narrative for this case is not available at this time. The case is pending. September 11 – An assault was reported in the 500 block of S. …

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Eat Local: Vermilion

A restaurant with a passion for its locally sourced, seasonal menu.

Vermilion is an exceptional Old Town establishment that takes great pride in sourcing its ingredients locally or, when necessary, regionally. Open since 2003, Vermilion has been nominated for several awards and recently won the 2010 RAMW Rammy Award for Best Upscale, Casual Restaurant of the Year. Located at 1120 King Street, the restaurant has been accurately described as regional, farm driven modern American cuisine with Greek and Italian influences.  Executive Chef Anthony Chittum ("Chef Tony") explains that the food he creates is largely the product of three main influences: 1) his childhood years spent on Kent Island, Md., where he enjoyed and acquired a taste for fresh, local and seasonal foods, 2) the knowledge and styles of two …

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Old Town Alexandria Crime Report: Stolen Bike, Stolen Buick and More

The following arrest information was supplied by the Alexandria Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

The following information was supplied by the Alexandria Police Department to www.crimereports.com. Additional details about the most recent crimes were not available at publication time. August 30 – An assault was reported in the 300 block of Oronoco St. at 2:04 p.m. The case is pending. August 30 – A vehicle was reported stolen in the 300 block of N. West St. at 1:52 p.m. The case is pending. August 30 – A theft was reported in the 100 block of S. Lee St. at 10:51 a.m. The case is pending. August 30 – A theft was reported in the 700 block of N. Fayette St. 10:12 a.m. The case is pending. August 30 – Theft of property from a vehicle was reported in the 300 block of N. Payne St. at 9:26 a.m. The case is pending. August 29 – Fraud was …

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