On This Day in Alexandria History — “On June 3, 1897, just after midnight, a large fire broke out at Herbert Bryant’s fertilizer mill on the Strand. It spread quickly, destroying Bryant’s warehouse, Pioneer Mills and the Old Dominion Boat Club, and numerous other buildings and wharves along The Strand from Duke to Prince Streets. Considered virtually fireproof at the time of its completion in March 1854, Pioneer Mills was a massive structure was built of brick with a slate roof, and stood over six stories high, with the roof elevated 77 feet above the first floor. Built for the American Steam Power Company, the mill was capable of producing eight hundred barrels of flour per day, processed by grinding over four thousand bushels of wheat through 12 sets of “run-of-burr” millstones.” [Historic Alexandria]
Fox5 to Broadcast from Old Town Friday Morning — “Tune in or attend the FOX 5 morning-long live broadcast from Alexandria’s Waterfront Park this Friday, June 5. The 7—11 a.m. ET broadcast is part of the station’s annual Zip Trips series, in which they highlight communities around the D.C. region on Fridays during the summer. The news team is working in coordination with Visit Alexandria and our partners at the City of Alexandria.” [Visit Alexandria news release]
Rep. Beyer on Trump AI Order — “The risks posed by frontier AI models and their advanced cyber capabilities are real and demand serious attention, but this executive order falls short of providing a credible framework to manage those risks. As it is written, this order continues to allow companies to release powerful models to the public without undergoing meaningful evaluation or review. This largely voluntary and classified approach is simply not sufficient.” [Rep. Don Beyer news release]
White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Rescheduled — “The White House Correspondents’ Association announced Tuesday it will host another dinner next month to make up for the gala that was cut short when a suspect stormed the event and fired a gun in an alleged attempt to kill President Donald Trump.” [NBC Washington]
Virginia Revenue Forecast Up Ahead of Budget Discussions — “The revised forecast projects revenues for fiscal year 2026 will exceed the official estimate by $585.5 million. Another $922.6 million in General Fund revenue is projected for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, including $582.4 million in 2027 and $340.2 million in 2028. The new projections arrive while lawmakers remain stuck in negotiations over Virginia’s next two-year budget, with disagreements over data center tax incentives and spending priorities continuing to hold up a final deal.” [Virginia Mercury]
Preservation, Green Updates Drive City Hall Renovation — “Renovations are underway to update the 153-year-old building with state-of-the art geothermal energy. City Hall closed in January for the extensive project, which includes HVAC, plumbing and electrical upgrades, as well as improvements to technology, accessibility and security.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Parking Reminder During City Hall Construction — “There are plenty of parking options – even with construction closures! In addition to 20 garages and surface lots, additional street parking has just been added for your convenience – check out the full parking map at alexandriava.gov/go/2930.” [Alexandria T&ES/X]
Next Community Cookout — The city’s next Community Cookout will be held at ARHA’s Princess Square Apartments (1400 Princess Street) from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 3. [City of Alexandria]
AWLA Recaps Adoptions for May — “We had an amazing adoption month — 122 animals found homes in May! 🥳
Thank you to everyone who opened their hearts and homes to a shelter animal in need.” [Animal Welfare League of Alexandria/Facebook]
Mini Art Show Highlights Young Artists at Library — “In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, the Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library hosted a month-long art showcase. Nine young students from the Alexandria community were given the opportunity to share their art with others, highlighting the value of self-expression and community engagement.” [Theogony]
Waterfront Cleanup Seeks Volunteers — “Join the City of Alexandria for a Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week cleanup at Windmill Hill Park on Saturday, June 6 from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM! Volunteers will help remove litter and debris from the waterfront while learning how local waterways connect directly to the Chesapeake Bay watershed.” [Volunteer Alexandria]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies with a high of about 82°F and a gentle north wind at 8 mph. Overnight, conditions will be clear with temperatures dropping to around 60°F, accompanied by light and variable winds. [NWS]
Support local journalism. Join the ALXnow Press Club to boost our reporting and to get upgraded newsletters.
