On This Day in Alexandria History — “On January 30, 1849, resident Montgomery D. Corse, a prominent Alexandrian and military officer who had served in the Mexican War, left the city with a group of like-minded Alexandrians to seek their fortune in the California gold rush.” [Historic Alexandria]
Today: Deadline to Request Ballot By Mail — “Last day to request a ballot by mail for the February 10, 2026 Special Election. Applications must be received in the Voter Registration Office by 5pm.” Early voting, meanwhile, begins tomorrow. [City of Alexandria]
Crooked Beat Closing Tomorrow — “After experiencing catastrophic flooding earlier this month, Crooked Beat Records will close its doors for good this Saturday … [Owner Bill Daly is] searching for a new spot — and he wants to stay in the neighborhood.” [ALXnow]
Theogony: Relocated Farmers’ Market Vendors Adapt — “The new location spans the 100th block of Royal Street and Tavern Square behind Gatsby’s Tavern. With the new space and many businesses, the location of vendors and their stands proves to be very important.” [Theogony]
Reforms Proposed to Address Injustices Against Va. Native Tribes — “The Virginia legislature plans to address the impact of a racist 1920s policy that for decades prohibited Native American children from pursuing education beyond seventh or eighth grade … [and] multiple House and Senate lawmakers are proposing amendments that prioritize formal recognition and mandatory consultation with American Indian tribes on infrastructure, land use and historic preservation decisions.” [Virginia Mercury]
Neighboring Prosecutors Join ‘FAFO’ Coalition — “Nine progressive prosecutors around the country, including Fairfax County’s Steve Descano, have joined forces in hopes of holding federal agents accountable for violating state laws. The Project to Fight Against Federal Overreach (FAFO) coalition aims to ‘rein in unlawful conduct’ amid a growing presence of federal immigration and law enforcement in communities across the country … Joining Descano in the effort is Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti.” [FFXnow]
WaPo Downsizes Printing Plant Amid Layoff Rumors —”As rumors of impending layoffs circulate at The Washington Post, the newspaper has confirmed at least one future change: its Springfield printing plant will close. The 46-year-old facility, which sits just inside the Capital Beltway at 7171 Wimsatt Road, is expected to be replaced by a new facility in Loudoun County … [which] is expected to be at least five times smaller than the Post’s current printing plant, reflecting a decline in print readership.” [FFXnow]
AFD Shares Safety Tip — “Never plug space heaters into power strips or extension cords. Always plug them directly into a wall outlet. Power strips are not designed to handle the high electrical demand of space heaters and can overheat, increasing the risk of fire.” [AFD]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of around 21 degrees during the day, with wind chill values dropping as low as -1 due to a 6 mph northwest wind. The night will be mostly cloudy, seeing a low of around 9 degrees, identical wind chill values, and a calm wind that will shift to north at around 6 mph after midnight. [NWS]
