On This Day in Alexandria History — “Alexandria celebrates African American heritage every month of the year, but before there was a designated Black History Month, Black History Week was started in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson to commemorate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln on February 12th, and Frederick Douglass on February 14th. In many black communities, these birthdays were already commemorated in the years between 1865 and 1926. Black History Week evolved into Black History Month in 1976.” [Historic Alexandria]
Attorney Who Prosecuted Trump Running For Congress — “J.P. Cooney — who served as a top deputy for special counsel Jack Smith’s office in two criminal prosecutions against Trump, before the president fired him in January 2025 — announced his candidacy Wednesday.” [ARLnow]
Theogony: Mayor Highlights Black History at ACHS — “On the morning of Feb. 6, Alexandria City High School officially kicked off its Black History Month celebrations. Staff hosted Mayor Alyia Gaskins in the Forum at Minnie Howard for a discussion on her family’s history and her work as mayor.” [Theogony]
Roosevelt Bridge Ramp Closure — “Repairs on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge will bring a detour to a heavily trafficked commuter route beginning this weekend and continuing for several months. Starting on Sunday, Feb. 15, the bridge’s capacity will be reduced from three lanes to two lanes in each direction, and the Arlington Blvd eastbound ramp will be closed through early June.” [ARLnow]
GMU Cheers On Ilia Malinin — “In between classes, George Mason University students gathered at the Johnson Center in Fairfax to cheer one of their own going for the gold in the winter Olympics. Ilia Malinin, a 21-year-old figure skater competing in the Milan Cortina Olympics, is also studying for a not-yet-declared major at GMU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.” [FFXnow]
Heightened Unemployment Continues — “Northern Virginia ended 2025 with nearly 44% more people unemployed than it had started the year. A total of 57,728 residents were counted as jobless for December, up from 40,203 a year before, according to figures reported Feb. 6 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.” [FFXnow]
DHS Funding Deadline Approaches — “Congress has until Friday at midnight to pass a stopgap spending bill or reach bipartisan agreement on the [Department of Homeland Security’s] full-year funding bill, which was held up by Democrats after the killing of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis. Otherwise, the department will begin a shutdown.” [Virginia Mercury]
Cub Scouts Tour AFD — “Cub Scout Troops 129 and 135 visited Station 203 on Saturday for a fun, hands-on tour! Scouts learned about fire safety, explored the apparatus, and got a behind-the-scenes look at life in the firehouse.” [AFD]
It’s Thursday — Expect to see mostly sunny skies and a high temperature near 38 degrees. The northwest wind will be blowing at a speed of 11 to 15 mph, alongside gusts reaching up to 26 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 24 degrees, and a northwest wind blowing at roughly 10 mph. [NWS]
