News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum
Alexandria City High School’s graduation at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena, May 28, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

What a week we just had in Alexandria!

Here’s our recap of everything worth talking and reading about over the past week in the Port City. This week, Alexandria was named a Sanctuary Jurisdiction by the Trump administration, a distinction Mayor Alyia Gaskins said “wrongly targets and mischaracterizes Alexandria and dismisses core principles that make up the foundation of our democracy.”

Our top story this week is the closure of Glory Days Grill, the sports bar and restaurant located at 3141 Duke Street in the Alexandria Commons Shopping Center, which took effect on Monday. The restaurant, which featured dozens of televisions, was open for seven years, and patron Pat Malone told us that the closure will be a significant loss for sports fans in Alexandria.

“It’s a big loss for so many people who would come in to be with friends and family, to have great experiences, to watch sports, and to have great food,” Malone said.

Our number-two post this week features Alexandria participating in the welcoming of a fleet of tall ships to the waterfront next month. It’s part of Sail Virginia 2026, and Alexandria is one of the participating affiliate harbors from June 12-15, as the vessels make their way to Norfolk.

It’s time to celebrate. Our third most-read post this week is our photo gallery of Alexandria City High School’s graduation at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena on Wednesday. Congratulations to the graduates!

Who’s up for some ice cream? Our poll on the top three ice cream businesses in the city garnered nearly 1,500 votes. Do you agree with the results?

Looking to get out? Don’t miss our excellent guide to Alexandria’s weekend events.

The most-read stories this week were:

  1. Glory Days Grill permanently closes its doors in Alexandria after seven years (24462 views)
  2. Notes: Alexandria to welcome Tall Ships for America’s 250th birthday (11470 views)
  3. PHOTOS: Alexandria City High School’s largest-ever class graduates at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena (8589 views)
  4. Alexandria’s 47th Annual Jazz Festival set for June 14 at Waterfront Park (6646 views)
  5. City seeks public input on proposed King Street changes near Alexandria City High School (6611 views)
  6. Four stable after early morning shooting in Arlandria (5484 views)
  7. Michael & Son owner wants to open an Asian fusion restaurant across from Potomac Yard (5108 views)
  8. Alexandria man working for DIA charged with attempting to provide classified information to a foreign government (5080 views)
  9. Alexandria’s top 3 ice cream shops, according to ALXnow readers (4780 views)
  10. Virginia Tech rebrands Alexandria campus, unveils Institute for Advanced Computing (3369 views)
  11. Former FedEx driver charged with stealing $210K in Verizon phones from Alexandria shipping center (3026 views)

Have a safe weekend!

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.