On This Day in Alexandria History — “On July 24, 1946, court approval was sought by the owners of the former residence of Dr. and Mrs. Hugh McGuire at 201 S. Washington Street to demolish the historic structure to make way for contemporary office development of the site. This action prompted a major citizen effort to preserve the structure, built in 1837 as a center for learning and knowledge known as The Lyceum. The original concept to build such a structure in Alexandria was led by local schoolmaster Benjamin Hallowell, and when finished the building included the Alexandria library, exhibits of natural history and science and a large lecture hall on the second floor. Today, the building houses The Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum, and is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the city.” [Historic Alexandria]
Key Deadlines for Aug. 4 Primaries — July 24 is the deadline for voter registration and to request a mail ballot for the Aug. 4 Democratic and Republican primary elections. After that date, same-day registration will allow new voters to cast a provisional ballot. [ALXnow]
Heat Map Data Collected at Three Alexandria Sites — “The volunteers collected measurements using MeteoTracker sensors while driving the 30 routes – which were driven three times during the day to account for temperature changes during morning, afternoon and evening. The routes included three in the City of Alexandria – one in the West End and two in Old Town including one by Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School – FACS Executive Director Chris Topoleski told the Times.” [Alexandria Times]
Fort Ward Museum Tour This Weekend — “Medicine in the Civil War isn’t all just amputations and dysentery! Come explore the wild world of medicine in the 1860s at Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site during Specialty Tour: Civil War Medicine on Saturday, July 25, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The tour takes place at Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site, 4301 West Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA.” [Historic Alexandria]
Miracle League of Alexandria Seeks Fall Volunteers — “The league’s ‘Angels in the Outfield’ are volunteer buddies who assist youth and adult players of all abilities. Depending on a player’s needs, a buddy might help with hitting, catching, or throwing; walk or run alongside a player; or push a wheelchair around the bases.” [The Zebra]
AFD Participates in Potomac River Training — “Our Marine Operations Team and Inland Water Rescue Team recently joined the United States Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, and United States Park Police for a multi-agency training on the Potomac River. Fire Boat 201 supported helicopter hoisting, swimmer recovery, patient basket loading, and water safety operations.” [Alexandria Fire Department/Facebook]
Neighboring School System Introduces Limits on AI Use, Laptops — “Going forward, Fairfax County Public Schools will prohibit the use of generative artificial intelligence by elementary school students, tablets and laptops in preschool and kindergarten, and student use of personal electronic communication and computing devices during instructional time.” [FFXnow]
New Commission Identifies Reading Gap Between Boys and Girls — “[Del. Josh] Thomas chairs the newly formed Virginia Boys and Men Advisory Commission, which held its first meeting Monday. The data was supplied by the American Institute for Boys and Men in a presentation to the commission July 20.” [WTOP]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny weather with a high of about 82 degrees, and a calm wind that will pick up to 5 to 8 mph from the east in the morning. Friday night will be mostly cloudy with temperatures dropping to around 65 degrees. The east wind of about 6 mph will become calm in the evening. [NWS]
