News

Notes: Alexandria Police mentors take students from George Washington Middle School to Smithsonian African American Museum

By ALXnow.com

Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!

☀️ Today’s weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81 degrees. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Partly cloudy tonight, with a low around 53 degrees. Southeast wind around six mph becoming calm in the evening. On Friday, expect a slight chance of showers after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 78 degrees. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 20%.

🚨 You need to know

The Alexandria Police Department’s youth mentoring program recently took students on an exciting trip to the Smithsonian African American Museum in Washington, D.C.

This program, called the Alexandria Initiative on Mentoring (AIM), is run by the Alexandria Police Department (APD) and works with sixth and seventh-graders from George Washington Middle School. Its goal? To help these young students reach their full potential.

In a Facebook post, the APD shared, “Forging relationships with our youth, supporting social-emotional learning, and building trust is part of the AIM mission.”

Here’s what else you should know

On this day in 1865, four men pursuing Lincoln’s killer drowned in the Rappahannock River. “Quartermaster Corps employees Peter Carroll, Samuel N. Gosnell, George W. Huntington, and Christopher Farley were buried at Alexandria National Cemetery,” according to the City of Alexandria.

On this day in 1940, the Robert Robinson Library opened its doors to the African American community, just eight months after one of America’s first “sit-in” demonstrations took place at the segregated Alexandria Library on Queen Street. The library was named after Robert H. Robinson, a former slave who became a pastor at the church on South Washington Street, now known as Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church. The old Robinson Library building now houses the Alexandria Black History Museum. More from the City of Alexandria.

AlexRenew is proposing a $258.3 million budget for fiscal year 2026, along with a two-year rate adjustment to fund ongoing infrastructure investments, including the RiverRenew program. The wastewater treatment authority plans a 5.0% rate increase beginning July 1, 2025, followed by a 5.7% increase starting July 1, 2026.

Things To Do This Weekend: I’ll have a full rundown of all the events, live music, and entertainment happening this weekend up on alxnow.com around noon today, but here’s a preview of what’s happening;

A 4-day “Banned Book Speakeasy” opened last night at The Study at Morrison House. It runs through Sunday.

Alexandria City Council is back in session on Saturday, hosting a Public Hearing Meeting that includes development projects, zoning amendments, and special recognitions.

Drug Take Back Day, which includes pet prescriptions, is taking place on Saturday across the city.

On Saturday, five of Old Town Alexandria’s most historic private homes and gardens will open to the public as part of Virginia’s 92nd annual Historic Garden Week.

The City of Alexandria is hosting a free expungement clinic on Saturday as part of Second Chance Month. The clinic will give residents a chance to clear their criminal records.

The MV Big Flea, an annual fundraiser and community yard sale for the Mount Vernon Community School in Del Ray, returns this weekend.

Del Ray’s GardenFest is set for Sunday at Nicholas A. Colasanto Baseball Field. [Read More]

The PNC Alexandria Half Marathon, formerly the Parkway Classic, will debut on Sunday morning. There are several road closures planned throughout the city.

📈 Wednesday’s most read

The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for April 23, 2025.

  1. Northern Virginia Transportation Authority unveils draft plan for Bus Rapid Transit system (2437 views)
  2. Alexandria’s top 3 pizza places, according to ALXnow readers (746 views)
  3. New redistricting maps proposed for Alexandria City Public Schools (685 views)
  4. VRE ridership surges as Alexandria station upgrades planned (611 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here’s what’s happening today in Alexandria, from our newsletter and event calendar.

Things To Do

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Live Music & Entertainment

City of Alexandria

About the Author

  • This is the staff byline for ALXnow, used by editors and other full-time staff. Launched in October 2019, ALXnow is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Alexandria, Virginia.