Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
🌦️ Today’s weather: There’s a slight chance of showers after 2 p.m., with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 78°F. On Friday night, showers are possible before 11 p.m., with potential thunderstorms between 11 p.m.-2 a.m., and more likely showers after 2 a.m. Expect a low around 61°F and light winds. There’s a 20% chance of precipitation during the day and 60% at night, with minimal rainfall except in thunderstorms.
🚨 You need to know
The Virginia Railway Express, which goes from Manassas and Fredericksburg up into D.C. right through Alexandria, could be getting a 5% fare increase and weekend service, Patch first reported.
VRE, which currently only runs weekdays as a commuter train, is considering Saturday service starting next July.
“Based on positive feedback from initial discussions with the Operations Board and key stakeholders (including Keolis and the host railroads), VRE is planning for the introduction of Saturday service in FY 2025,” VRE CEO Rich Dalton said in a memo. “The plan envisions three round trips on each line (Fredericksburg and Manassas), or a total of 12 one-way trains on Saturdays, as compared to the current schedule of 32-weekday trains.”
The VRE is also considering a 5% fare increase to help cover the 10% (roughly $11 million) increase in the train system’s operating budget. The last fare increase was proposed in 2018 and implemented in FY 2020, the memo said.
“In the five years since that 3% fare increase, inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) has reduced the purchasing power of every dollar of fare revenue by more than 18 percent,” Dalton said. “While avoiding fare increases during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was an understandable response, the significant inflation in 2021 and 2022 has many agencies now weighing how best to raise revenue while also not turning off new and returning riders.”
📈 Thursday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Oct 5, 2023.
- City Council to consider removing panhandling restrictions in Alexandria (2607 views)
- New Hawaiian shaved ice trailer coming to Del Ray (1432 views)
- What’s Up in Alexandria This Weekend: Oct. 6 – 8 (1165 views)
🗞 Other local coverage
- Art On The Avenue 2023: Large Festival Comes To Del Ray
Patch (Thursday @ 4:12 pm)
- Ghost Tours, Parade, Bar Crawls, Other Halloween Frights In Alexandria
Patch (Thursday @ 3:39 pm)
- Charlotte E. Olson
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 3:20 pm)
- Ann Buckley Woelflein
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 12:43 pm)
- Weekly Briefing for October 5
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 11:37 am)
- The SBDC made a difference
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 11:03 am)
- Look at the facts, not rumors
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 10:53 am)
- Farewell, but not forgotten
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 10:51 am)
- Just own it
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 10:45 am)
- American Horticultural Society Raises $350,000
Alexandria Living (Thursday @ 10:44 am)
- October 2023
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 10:22 am)
- Haunted Houses 2023: Where To Find The Best Thrills Around Northern VA
Patch (Thursday @ 10:21 am)
- 15-year-old injured in hit-and-run
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 10:09 am)
- Missing Woman Sought By Alexandria Police
Patch (Thursday @ 9:32 am)
- APD arrests abduction suspect
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 9:24 am)
- Cooking her way through ‘Hell’
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 9:23 am)
- Leaders downplay PTO downsizing
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 9:22 am)
- Alexandria Honored as #3 Best Small City by Conde Nast Traveler
Alexandria Living (Thursday @ 8:01 am)
- Tying the Knot: Work you love with the one you love
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 7:15 am)
- Tying the knot: Wedding elegance captured through the lens of ‘lyfeinfocus’
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 7:00 am)
- Board of Architectural Review-Legal Notice of a Public Hearing
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 7:00 am)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today and this weekend in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 10:00 am Saturday: Art on the Avenue
- 👉 11:00 am Saturday: Family Fun Fall Fest
- 2:00 pm Saturday: Ballyshaners Passport to Old Town Pub Crawl
Recent Stories
Francis Deonte Rose was found guilty today of two counts of aggravated murder in the 2022 shooting deaths of two construction workers in the West End. The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office…
It’s been a busy week in Alexandria. There were multiple mayoral and city council forums and debates this week as the city gets closer and closer to the June 18…
The Cinco de Mayo fiesta is starting early this Sunday in Carlyle. From 9 to 10 a.m., Tequila & Taco (540 John Carlyle Street) will be selling six-ounce margaritas for…
After missing an important mayoral debate this week due to a “freak accident” while canvassing that led to his hospitalization, Steven Peterson says that he’s done sitting on the sidelines….
Good news, D.C. area. You can save money on your next home cleaning with Well-Paid Maids. It’s easy!
We offer a discount when you set up recurring cleans — and the discounts just increased this week!
For weekly cleans, get $30 off each cleaning.
Potomac Harmony is Back! Following a gap year of competing, then virtual rehearsals during the pandemic, followed by the well-earned retirement of our long-term director, a year of a director search, Potomac Harmony hit the regional contest stage in Concord, North Carolina in March for the first time since 2018! It was exhilarating, reaffirming, and rewarding!
The chorus hit all of its goals, the biggest of which was to have fun and sing our best on contest stage — we did both! Because we earned a score over 400 points, our new Director, Allison Lynskey, was awarded the Novice Director award, photo above. Additionally, one of our charter members, Jackie Bottash, was nominated for and honored with the Leadership Excellence award. It was a celebratory weekend!
What’s next? So much! We now look forward to upcoming performances, growing our membership, and expanding our musical product with new arrangements and an education component each week. It’s an exciting time to be part of this ever-growing ensemble!
Alexandria NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, DPC to hold City Council…
The Alexandria Branch of the NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, and The Departmental Progressive Club to hold the City Council Candidate Forum for ALL Candidates in the City of Alexandria Virginia. The event is Free of Charge and Open to The
