On This Day in Alexandria History — “On August 6, 1890, a report was issued indicating that the old Tidal Basin and lock of the Alexandria Canal adjacent to the Potomac River were deteriorating. A charter from Congress authorizing the canal had been passed just sixty years earlier, in response to a proposal by Alexandria merchants to build a canal linking Georgetown with the Alexandria seaport, to capitalize on the new Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Ultimately, when the canal was complete, there was a vertical drop of 38 feet achieved by the construction of four locks over the seven-mile course. The canal was abandoned in 1886, and the towpath through what is now Arlington was replaced by the electric railway to Mount Vernon. It would be nearly 90 years later for the Tidal Basin and lock to be restored as part of Alexandria’s Canal Center development.” [Historic Alexandria]
Primaries Set Up Competitive Fall Midterm Elections — “Voters this fall will consider candidates for all the state’s congressional seats, as well as a race for U.S. Senate. The battle for control of the U.S. House will turn on just a few dozen races nationwide, so every contest counts. House Republicans now have a 218-212 edge, with one independent and four seats currently unfilled.” [WTOP]
Retired NBC4 Journalist Works at Alexandria Polls — “Sitting behind the voter check-in table wasn’t a familiar election official. It was longtime News4 reporter Julie Carey. For more than three decades, Carey covered elections across Northern Virginia, explaining the process to viewers and reporting the results. This Election Day, the recently retired journalist and Alexandria resident experienced the process from a completely different perspective—as a first-time election officer.” [The Zebra]
Alexandria PTAs Among National PTA Schools of Excellence — “The Alexandria City High School PTSA and the Cora Kelly School PTA appear on the national roster released Aug. 1. They are among 321 local PTAs and schools nationwide to earn the two-year designation, and among 25 in Virginia.” [Alexandria Brief]
Fundraiser for AWLA to Honor Garden Center’s Beloved Pig — “Penny the pig is turning 15 years old this August! In honor of her birthday, for the whole month of August, we are collecting funds for the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria to help animals in need.” [Nalls Produce/Facebook]
Historic Happy Hour Spotlights Great Fire of 1827 — “Join us for Historic Happy Hours as we deep dive into history in a fun setting throughout the city! This free program takes place on Thursday, August 6, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Josephine’s Restaurant, 109 S. Saint Asaph Street. The speaker, Dr. Jim McClellan, retired History Professor, Dean Emeritus from Northern Virginia Community College, and Fellow of Dundee and Angus College, will speak on the Great Fire of 1827. Ten percent of all checks will benefit Historic Alexandria.” [Historic Alexandria]
Plane Takes Off at DCA as President’s Helicopter Approaches — “The incident appears to be a violation of safety procedures put in place after last year’s midair collision over the Potomac River. The incident occurred as Marine One left the White House for Andrews Air Force Base with the president aboard for the first leg of a West Coast trip. A commercial jet took off at the same time.” [ARLnow]
Virginia DMV to Run Cannabis-Impaired Driving Prevention Messaging — “The campaign, titled “Relaxxxxx, Don’t Drive High,” is based on the idea that many people use cannabis to unwind. DMV’s message urges those users to stay home rather than drive while impaired. The campaign will run statewide from Aug. 10 through Sept. 7 across television, radio, social media, digital platforms and billboards.” [Fox5DC]
SCC Rules to Shift More Cost of Transmission Lines to Data Centers — “The State Corporation Commission has ordered Dominion Energy to develop a policy to directly assign the cost of transmission infrastructure to data centers and other large-load users that connect to the facilities, ‘with the goal of finding an acceptable and symmetrical approach towards assigning costs in these circumstances.'” [Virginia Mercury]
It’s Thursday — Showers and thunderstorms are possible after 5 p.m., with mostly sunny skies and a high of 91°F, though it may feel like 100°F. Winds from the south at 8-10 mph may gust up to 18 mph, with a 30% chance of rain. Thursday night, expect a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms mainly between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., with partly cloudy skies and a low of 74°F. Southwest winds will be around 6 mph. [NWS]
Want more local news? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow, with the latest from across the region.
