Good morning, Alexandria! 👋 Today is Wednesday, July 30, the 211th day of 2025. There are 154 days left in the year.
☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98 degrees. Heat index values as high as 107 degrees. Calm wind becoming south around six mph in the afternoon. Mostly clear tonight, with a low around 77 degrees. South wind around five mph, becoming calm in the evening.
🚨 You need to know
An Alexandria City High School student has been named among the final winners of the 2025 National Merit Scholarship competition, according to Patch.
Zachary Baker-Heil was one of 15 students nationwide selected for the final round of college-sponsored scholarships, recently announced by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Baker-Heil received his scholarship from Purdue University, where he plans to study aerospace engineering.
The nearly 800 winners of college-sponsored awards in the final round join more than 2,900 recipients named in June. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation also awarded 2,500 of its own $2,500 scholarships and about 830 corporate-sponsored scholarships.
In total, more than 7,100 students earned National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million in 2025.
Students entered the competition by taking the PSAT as juniors in 2023. About 16,000 semifinalists were named based on each state’s proportion of graduating seniors, representing the top-scoring students in their states and less than 1% of U.S. seniors.
To advance to finalist status, semifinalists submitted detailed scholarship applications including essays and information about extracurricular activities, awards and leadership positions. They also had to demonstrate outstanding academic records, receive endorsements from high school officials, and confirm their PSAT performance with SAT or ACT scores.
Alexandria City Public Schools shared the following on NextDoor on Tuesday;
🎉 Join us in congratulating Zachary Baker-Heil from ACHS, who has been named one of the final winners of the 2025 National Merit Scholarship! Zachary is among just 15 students nationwide selected in the final round of college-sponsored scholarships. He will be attending Purdue University to study aerospace engineering. Learn more about Zachary and his accomplishments. https://acps.cc/4fiOviE
Approximately 15,000 finalists met the requirements and became eligible for corporate-sponsored, National Merit Scholarship-sponsored, and college-sponsored awards.
Over the past 70 years, approximately 389,000 students have collectively won National Merit Scholarships, collectively worth nearly $1.4 billion.
Here’s what else you need to know
🗓️ On this day in 1619, the first representative assembly in Colonial America convened in Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.
🗓️ On this day in 1909, Orville Wright and Benjamin Foulois, a U.S. Army lieutenant, flew a plane to Alexandria in a test flight for the military. According to Historic Alexandria, the biplane traveled from Fort Myer to Shuter’s Hill and back. A tethered balloon flew above Shuter’s Hill so the pilot would know when to turn back toward Fort Myer. This successful demonstration flight was required for the Army’s purchase of its first military airplane.
✈️ Three days of investigative hearings on the deadly midair collision over Washington in January begin today and aim to reveal new insights into what caused the crash between a passenger plane and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people.
📦 The City of Alexandria will begin relocating city services and employee offices in August as part of preparations for major renovations to City Hall and Market Square, officials announced.
🚧 Arlington County will begin reconstruction of the Mount Vernon Avenue Bridge over Four Mile Run in mid-August, launching a $23.8 million project expected to last two years.
⚠️ Maintenance work north of Old Town on George Washington Memorial Parkway and East and West Abingdon Drives will result in closures and detours impacting today’s and tomorrow’s evening commutes, according to the City of Alexandria.
🗓️ Here’s a look at what’s happening this week and weekend!
📈 Tuesday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for July 29, 2025.
- Construction to begin on Mount Vernon Avenue Bridge, expect two-year delays
- Notes: Alexandria’s 11% drop in homelessness at risk under Trump order, Mayor Gaskins tells NPR
- Alexandria Restaurant Week returns Aug. 22-31 with $30-$50 prix fixe menus
- Final Hours: Alexandria’s Best BBQ crown up for grabs as voting ends tonight
- From Tax-Free Shopping to Glow Paddling: Alexandria’s week packed with events, live music, and summer fun
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s happening today in Alexandria, as per our event calendar.
Things To Do
- 9 a.m.: Volunteer Alexandria FOOD4ALX Food Drive across Alexandria
- 2 p.m.: Mad Science – Fire & Ice at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: Plant Swap at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 6:30 p.m.: Charm Bracelet Workshop with Milan Jewelry at Lost Boy Cider
- 7 p.m.: Run Club at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub
- 219 Restaurant: Bill Pappas Project at 9 p.m.
- Augie’s Mussel House: Live music at 5 p.m.
- Galactic Panther Art Gallery: Old Town New Films – Local Filmmakers Screening Event at 7 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Live music at 6 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Kenny Kohlhaas at 8:30 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere: Sheila E. & The E-Train at 7:30 p.m.
City of Alexandria Events & Public Meetings
