On This Day in Alexandria History — “On Jan. 5, 1874, the old George’s Tavern, also known as the Old English House on the northwest corner of Cameron and North Royal Streets, caught fire and was severely damaged, burned beyond repair. Seen in the background of this Civil War era photo of Union soldiers taken in front of Gadsby’s Tavern, the dormered building is further marked by a large horizontal sign extending over the public sidewalk reading ‘Restaurant.'” [Historic Alexandria]
Beyer Responds to Military Strike in Venezuela — “I’ve always opposed American attacks on Venezuela and I oppose them now. You don’t need sympathy for Maduro to grasp that attacking another country for unclear, shifting rationales without domestic support or a clear plan for the day after won’t make us safer. The Administration lied to Congress and launched an illegal war for regime change and oil. Foolhardy and wrong.” [Rep. Don Beyer]
VA Lawmakers Considering Voting Rights, Abortion Amendments — “Virginia lawmakers plan to vote on four constitutional amendments on the first day of the legislative session, advancing measures on voting rights, same-sex marriage, abortion access and redistricting that could appear before voters as early as April.” [WVIR]
New Laws Go Into Effect Across Region — “A wide range of legislation hit the books on New Year’s Day in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. Health, social media and paychecks are among the topics addressed in the laws that began on Jan. 1, 2026.” [WTOP]
ALX Taqueria Bringing Back Taco Tuesdays — “After 25 years, Taqueria Poblano has lifted its embargo on Tuesday Tacos effective January 6 from 5:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Now you’ll be able to scratch that itch you’ve had for some of the best fish tacos in town on Tuesdays!” [The Zebra]
Mount Vernon Hosting National Symphony Orchestra — “Mount Vernon is hosting a chamber music concert series performed by members of the National Symphony Orchestra, followed by a reception of champagne and chocolates with the musicians at the Ford Orientation Center at Mount Vernon.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Warner, Kaine Issue Statements on Venezuela — Sen. Mark Warner: “Our Constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike.” Sen. Tim Kaine: “President Trump’s unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro—however terrible he is—is a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate the internal political affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere.” [Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine]
It’s Monday — Expect partly sunny skies with a high near 45 and a light southeast wind shifting to the south between 5 and 10 mph in the morning. Winds may gust up to 18 mph. By Monday night, the skies will be mostly cloudy and the temperature will drop to around 35. The south wind will decrease to about 6 mph and become calmer in the evening. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
