Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Wednesday, Aug. 20, the 232nd day of 2025. There are 133 days left in the year.
⛈️ Today’s weather: Patchy drizzle before 8 a.m., then a slight chance of showers after 4 p.m. Patchy fog before 10 a.m. Otherwise, cloudy through mid-morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 87. Light and variable wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 20%.
A chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight before 2 a.m., then a slight chance of showers between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Northeast wind around 8 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%.
🚨 You need to know
Virginia regulators have approved a controversial electricity transmission project that will bring 120-foot steel towers to the border area between the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County, despite strong opposition from residents in the nearby Bren Pointe community, according to Inside Climate News.
The State Corporation Commission approved Dominion Energy’s “Edsall Substation” project on Aug. 8, which includes eight transmission towers and 230-kilovolt power lines in the jurisdictional border area near the Bren Pointe townhome community. The $23 million infrastructure project is designed to serve a planned 176-megawatt data center being developed by Miami-based Starwood Capital on a 460,000-square-foot site in Fairfax County. Dominion’s mapping shows the substation will be approximately 100 feet from the Alexandria-addressed homes, though the Bren Pointe Homeowners Association contends some residences will be just 60 feet away from the towers.
Tyler Ray, president of the Bren Pointe Homeowners Association, which includes residents of the community west of Landmark Mall and off of Edsall Road, expressed frustration that residents living on the Alexandria side of the border have little say in a Fairfax County project that directly impacts their community. “It’s clear under the current statute that residents are at risk,” Ray told Inside Climate News. The complex jurisdictional situation highlights how regional infrastructure projects can significantly impact communities that have no voice in the approval process due to municipal boundaries.
The project now moves to Fairfax County for land use review, expected to conclude between July 2026 and February 2027, while Alexandria residents continue to have limited recourse despite being the most directly affected by the transmission towers and substation. The approval underscores the challenges faced by border communities in Northern Virginia as data center development rapidly expands across jurisdictional lines, with this facility being one of about 200 transmission projects Dominion plans over the next 15 years.
Read the full story here –Virginia Regulator Approves Electricity Transmission Line and Towers in Alexandria to Serve One Proposed Data Center.
What else you need to know
🏈 Alexandria City High School’s football program continues its 2025 season Thursday when the varsity Titans host Meridian High School at 6:15 p.m. for their home opener, following last week’s season-opening road game at Langley High School.
🏫 The U.S. Department of Education escalated its conflict with Alexandria City Public Schools on Tuesday, placing the district on “high-risk” status and moving all federal funding to a reimbursement-only system after ACPS rejected federal demands to change transgender student policies, according to a department press release.
🚨 Alexandria Police searched Tuesday evening for two suspects who shot a man twice in Alexandria, prompting a multi-agency manhunt involving K-9 units.
🎶 Looking for something to do this week or the weekend? Here’s our weekly roundup of all the events, entertainment, and live music happening out there.
✊ Tenants from several Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority apartments will stage a protest this morning at 10 a.m. at ARHA headquarters (401 Wythe Street) in Old Town. ARHA CEO Erik C. Johnson issued a statement last Thursday acknowledging “valid” tenant concerns and detailing reforms implemented since he took the helm in September 2024.
📈 Tuesday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Aug. 19, 2025.
- Woman found dead during eviction process in Alexandria
- Community leaders condemn ICE arrests of construction workers in Alexandria’s Chirilagua neighborhood
- Federal agents return to Chirilagua, arrest individual at bus stop day after construction worker detentions
- Alexandria police searched for 2 suspects in S. 28th Street shooting that injured 1
- Family member launches GoFundMe for man who died in Alexandria police custody
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s happening today in Alexandria, as featured in our newsletter and event calendar.
Things To Do
- 10:30 a.m.: 1s and 2s Time at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 10:30 a.m.: Stitcher’s Space at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 11:30 a.m.: 1s and 2s Time at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 5:30 p.m.: English Language Learning (ELL) 2 Workshop at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 6:30 p.m.: Introduction to Korean Language & Culture at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 6:45 p.m.: English Language Learning – ELL Classes at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 7 p.m.: Run Club at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub
- 7 p.m.: Returning to Romance Through Food and Flirty Fun in Fiction – with Casey McQuiston virtual with Alexandria Library
Live Music & Entertainment
- 219 Restaurant: Bill Pappas Project at 9 p.m.
- Aslin ALX: Brew Feud at 7 p.m.
- Augie’s Mussel House & Beer Garden: Live music at 5 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Esther Haynes 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.
- Port City Brewing: Bluegrass Jam Night at 7 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere: Robert Earl Keen with Henry Conlon at 7:30 p.m.
City of Alexandria Events & Public Meetings
- No events or meetings scheduled.
Organizing an event? Submit your event to ALXnow’s Event Calendar.
