On This Day in Alexandria History — “On September 17, 1949, the George Washington High School in Del Ray was just beginning its football season. It was a magnificent fall day; the stadium was filled with excited fans, including the President of the United States, Harry S Truman, who had come earlier to Alexandria to assist with the burial of a time capsule, honoring the City’s bicentennial at the flagpole near the north goal post. The capsule, a stainless steel cylinder, approximately 4 feet long and 8 inches in diameter, was filled with photographs, newspapers, documents, books and artifacts recording life in Alexandria dating back to 1749. Warner Brothers Pathe News recorded the event and it was shown in over 176,000 theaters nationwide.” [Historic Alexandria]
Taste of Old Town North is Today — “The Annual Taste of Old Town North, a free, family- and pet-friendly event held in Montgomery Park returns on September 17, to include a weekend of great food and drink tastings, interactive art activities, and live music.” [Old Town North Community Partnership]
Taste of Old Town North Still Needs Volunteers — “Support this festival and meet neighbors on Thursday, September 17, for the Old Town North Community Partnership.” [Volunteer Alexandria]
Restaurant of the Year Winner from Alexandria Named — Per state Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Ada’s on the River won Restaurant of the Year award from the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association. Dave Nicholas, a partner with Ada’s on the River owner Alexandria Restaurant Partners was nominated for the Jim Wordsworth Award for Restaurateur of the Year, and Santiago Lopez from the Majestic was nominated for Chef of the Year. Bennett-Parker won Legislator of the Year from the organization. [Elizabeth Bennett-Parker/Instagram]
Goat Herding Pilot Program Concludes — “The goats and sheep were on location for six days, until Sept. 13, and stayed onsite for the duration of the program. Grazing is the targeted use of livestock to eat and control non-native plants. It is an eco-friendly form of ‘biological control’ for invasive plants rather than using herbicides or other forms of control methods that could be harmful, according to the city’s website.” [Alexandria Times]
Alexandria Firefighters Named in 9/11 Ceremony at Pentagon — “When the Garrison flag was lowered from the roof of the Pentagon last week, three firefighters involved in the original effort watched from the ground … ‘They all had safety ropes and harnesses on too,’ retired Alexandria Firefighter Scott Morgan said with a laugh. He, retired Alexandria Firefighter Joe Morabito and Fairfax County Firefighter Karl Sallberg were the only ones from the original team who attended the 25th ceremony last Friday.” [Firehouse.com]
DASH Ended Fiscal Year Over Budget — “The reason, officials told the transit system’s board at a public meeting on Sept. 9, was a $3.2 million placeholder entry left in a spreadsheet. It made DASH’s internal reports show a nearly balanced budget while the money was being spent.” [Alexandria Brief]
Fairfax County Suspends Flock Camera Use — “The county’s ‘pause’ came on the same day that the Arlington County Board voted to discontinue the use of Flock cameras; recently, Alexandria City leaders also expressed support for ending their contract. Other Virginia localities that have paused or terminated their ALPR programs include the Town of Dumfries and Campbell and Appomattox counties.” [FFXnow]
Rep. Beyer Pushes for AI Legislation — “Congressman Don Beyer, co-chair of Congress’ bipartisan Caucus on Artificial Intelligence, [Wednesday] led a bipartisan group of 10 leaders on AI in the U.S. House in pressing leadership of both parties to take immediate, urgent action to address risks posed by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI). Their push came in the wake of the OpenAI agent cyberattacks on Hugging Face and subsequent warnings from leaders and researchers at prominent AI companies about the societal and existential risks posed by unrestrained advances in the technology.” [Rep. Don Beyer news release]
State of Emergency Responds to Drought Impact on Farmers — “[Gov. Abigail] Spanberger’s Executive Order 21 temporarily exempts over-width hay deliveries from certain transportation restrictions, allowing hay to reach farmers more quickly to feed their livestock. Persistent drought conditions that began last winter have led to an estimated hay shortfall totaling 500,000 tons.” [Virginia Mercury]
Washington Commanders Show Vision for New Stadium’s Seating Bowl — “The Commanders and global design firm HKS said the bowl was inspired by RFK Stadium, with an emphasis on recreating the loud, intimate atmosphere associated with the franchise’s years at its former home. The design features a continuous, unified seating bowl intended to bring fans closer to the field and create a shared viewing experience throughout the stadium.” [MoCo Show]
It’s Thursday — This afternoon will be mostly sunny with a high around 89°F and a slight 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 PM, with south winds at 5 to 7 mph. Thursday night will be mostly cloudy with a low near 71°F, and there is a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 PM, then continuing as showers until midnight. Southwest winds will be 3 to 5 mph. [NWS]
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