On This Day in Alexandria History — “On May 14, 1859, van Amburgh & Company’s Grand Zoological & Equestrian Company performed two shows in Alexandria. Founded by Isaac van Amburgh, who was the first American animal trainer to develop wild animals acts for entertainment, the former cage cleaner at the Zoological Society of New York had developed one of the most successful 19th century traveling menagerie shows. Fearless, cunning, and merciless in his treatment of animals, van Amburgh’s mobile exposition featured trained elephants, tigers, lions, leopards, horses, trick dogs, riding monkeys and educated ponies within his repertoire. Nicknamed “The Lion King” van Amburgh was well-known for placing his bloodied arms or entire head within the mouths of growling lions, then having the animal lick his boots at the end of the act. His performance so impressed Queen Victoria and Prince Albert when it was presented to them in London in 1844, that Her Excellency commissioned Sir Edwin Henry Landseer to paint a portrait of van Amburgh and his animals to be exhibited at the Royal Academy.” [Historic Alexandria]
Collective Bargaining Legislation Not Moving Forward — “Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger intends to veto a bill that would expand collective bargaining powers for public employees after the proposed law received bipartisan pushback, according to lawmakers.” [WJLA]
Mayor Addresses Ads Attacking City Hall Project Labor Agreements — “We pursued a project labor agreement because it’s aligned with our values. We are a community that will always put our people first and want to make sure that whatever we’re doing benefits all of us and make sure that there are greater pathways to jobs, prosperities and training and connectivity across our region.” [Mayor Alyia Gaskins/Bluesky]
Road Closure for USPTO Day in Carlyle — Dulany Street will be closed at Jamieson Avenue and Ballenger Avenue at Dulany Street from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. [Alexandria Police Department/Facebook]
Applications for Witter Place Lottery Open — “The City of Alexandria is pleased to announce that Witter Place Apartments will start accepting applications for its lottery-based lease-up on May 14 through June 1. Located at 2712 Duke Street in Alexandria, VA, the community, upon completion, will have 94 two- and three-bedroom affordable units. The community is anticipated to be ready for occupancy no later than September 1. [City of Alexandria]
Reminder on Friday’s Bike to Work Day — “On Friday, May 15, Alexandria will host six citywide ‘pit stops’ for national Bike to Work Day, where cyclists can partake in special events and giveaways. The free event “encourages the public to consider bicycle commuting as an affordable, fun, and environmentally friendly mode of transportation to get to work,” according to a city announcement.” [ALXnow]
Kindergarten Registration at ACPS — “Kindergarten registration for the 2026–27 school year is now open. Get started and learn more about the ACPS registration process.” [Alexandria City Public Schools/Facebook]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies today with a high near 65°F and northwest winds at 11 to 14 mph, gusting up to 23 mph. Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low around 51°F, featuring northwest winds around 11 mph and gusts up to 18 mph. [NWS]
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