On This Day in Alexandria History — “On Jan. 20, 1942, the Alexandria City Council authorized the purchase of an ambulance for first time. Alexandria’s first ambulance was acquired in the 1930s, but it had been paid for with donations, after members of the Potomac Truck and Engine Company, which had organized the first rescue squad in Alexandria, raised money to purchase one.” [Historic Alexandria]
Spanberger Sworn Into Office — “Amid a cold drizzle, Democrat Abigail Spanberger was sworn into office Saturday at the state Capitol as Virginia’s first female governor after centuries of men holding the state’s top office.” [Associated Press]
EO Gives ‘Option’ to End VSP, ICE Relationship — “Luis Aguilar with the immigrant rights group CASA told Radio IQ he was seeing pictures, though unverified, of alleged ICE enforcement stretching from Henrico County up to Woodbridge and beyond. Among confirmed ICE activity was raids in Alexandria; he said it left locals terrified. He hopes Spanberger will end the relationship soon.” [WVTF]
Firehouse Primary Voting Opens Soon — “Voters in the Democratic firehouse primary will have four candidates to choose from after Fairfax County Public Schools teacher Gregory Darrall entered the race this weekend.” Voting begins at 8:30 a.m. and will last through 7 p.m. at Charles E. Beatley Jr., Library and the Charles Houston Recreation Center. Voters must be registered to vote in District 5 and provide written certification that they are a Democrat. [ALXnow]
Mathematician Who Laid Groundwork For GPS Dies — “Born into poverty on a Virginia farm during the Jim Crow era, [Dr. Gladys] West grew up in a segregated South where opportunity was scarce … In 1956, West began working as a mathematician at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. She was only the second African American woman hired at the base and one of just four African American employees at the time. What followed was a career that would quietly change the world.” [The Zebra]
Students Participate in ‘Bike Bus’ — “For the elementary-aged riders, there’s three rules on the Bike Bus: Don’t pass the leader, stay to the right and have fun … The Bike Bus, a bus-like program comprising a group of young bikers traveling to school on a set route with adult supervision, launched three routes to Brooks Elementary during the first half of the 2025-2026 school year, organizers Boes and Perrin Krisko said.” [The Alexandria Times]
‘Sphere’ Venue Coming to MD — “Sphere Entertainment, along with the State of Maryland, Prince George’s County and Peterson Companies, announced plans on Sunday to develop a new Sphere venue at National Harbor. This will be the second Sphere in the United States and the first to use a smaller-scale design, according to a press release.” [FOX 5 DC]
Reproductive Rights Amendment Will Go to Vote — “A proposal allowing mid-decade redistricting of Virginia’s congressional maps that cleared the legislature last week may dominate debate heading into a spring special referendum, but a constitutional amendment on reproductive rights is poised to ignite similar fervor as the November election approaches.” [Virginia Mercury]
It’s Tuesday — The weather will be sunny, reaching a high of 29 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 9 to 11 mph and gusts up to 24 mph. The night will be mostly clear with a low temperature of 17 degrees and light variable winds. [NWS]
