On This Day in Alexandria History — “On October 1, 1931 the Alexandria City Council appointed the George Washington Bicentennial Commission to arrange and promote activities in Alexandria associated with the 200th birthday of our nation’s first president. Chaired by former Mayor William Albert Smoot, who resided at Lloyd House, now the headquarters for the Office of Historic Alexandria., the celebration would be one of the first to officially promote Alexandria as a tourism destination. Not only did Washington regard Alexandria as his hometown, but he had even helped survey the land that became Alexandria when he was just 17 years of age. Among the major physical landmarks that grew out of the Bicentennial Commemoration are the George Washington Masonic National Memorial and the George Washington Memorial Parkway.” [Historic Alexandria]
DASH to Reign in Budget After $3.7M Overspending Error — “[DASH General Manager & CEO Josh Baker] added that about $2.5 million of the overspending can be attributed to those decisions to ‘invest in maintenance and operations,’ while about $1.2 million came from unexpected costs including ‘increased parts costs as a result of inflation and tariffs.'” [Alexandria Times]
Spider-Man Walk Planned in Del Ray Today — “Spider-Man fans and fellow costumed characters are planning a walk along Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray on Thursday, October 1—and everyone is invited to join the fun. The Spider Walk is scheduled for 2 to 5:30 p.m. Participants will gather in the Aldi parking lot at 425 E. Monroe Avenue before heading along Mount Vernon Avenue.” [The Zebra]
King Arthur Baking Shares Update on Alexandria Opening — “We don’t have a confirmed opening date locked in just yet, but we’re hoping to open our doors in time for the holiday baking season. We’ll definitely be inviting the community to join us in celebrating our opening and will share more details on what those celebrations will look like in the next few weeks!” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Alexandria Company Secures Naval Special Warfare Contract — “Systems Planning & Analysis, the defense analytics firm headquartered on North Beauregard Street, has won a $126 million contract to support the Navy office that buys and sustains equipment for Naval Special Warfare, the company announced Wednesday.” [Alexandria Brief]
School Calendar Reminder for ACPS — “For the 2026-27 school year, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) fall parent-teacher conferences for most elementary, middle and high school families will be held on Thu., Oct. 1, 2026 and Fri., Oct. 2, 2026. As a result, on Oct. 1, 2026, there will be a two-hour early dismissal for students and on Oct. 2, 2026, there will be no school for students.” [ACPS]
Sheriff’s Office to Host Car Seat Checks — “Do you need help installing a child car seat, or do you want a car seat inspected to ensure it’s installed correctly? Join the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office at a FREE Car Seat Safety Event on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Adult Detention Center. Deputies who are certified in car seat installation will be available to help parents install child car seats.” [Alexandria Sheriff’s Office]
Station Art Designs Approved for Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit — “County supervisors on Tuesday (Sept. 29) approved designs for windscreen artwork to be placed at the nine stations along “The One,” Fairfax’s future Richmond Highway bus rapid transit corridor. Each of the designs reflects a theme related to the area surrounding a station. Submissions were sought from artists as part of the project’s “Community Charm” initiative.” [FFXnow]
More Job Reductions Expected at Pentagon — “A 20% reduction would remove about 170 active-duty generals and admirals from chains of command, leaving around 680 in charge of key military organizations around the globe. Some billets will be demoted to be filled by colonels and Navy captains, Fox reported, while others will be cut altogether.” [Federal News Network]
Presidential Order Seeks to Reduce Mosquitoes in D.C. — “Trump’s order directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and other federal officials to ‘develop and implement a campaign’ within 60 days that would cut certain invasive mosquito species by 90 percent and the tick population by 50 percent in two years. The federal government will aim to use ‘commonsense, non-chemical, technology-enabled measures’ instead of conventional pesticides, the order says.” [The Washington Post]
Traffic Camera Fine Collecting Law Could Create Higher Workloads — “Legislation passed this year aims to prod more people to pay, but it may have the unintended consequence of making collections even harder for localities. At stake in all of this are tens of millions of dollars for localities desperate for funding. The law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, requires General District courts to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles about those who fail to respond to a court summons to pay their fine. Once notified, DMV is required to refuse to renew their car’s license plate or registration.” [Virginia Mercury]
$4.1M Secured for Veteran Suicide Prevention in Virginia — “The grants are being awarded through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, which was created by bipartisan legislation that Sen. Warner wrote and Sen. Kaine supported to expand prevention efforts and better connect veterans with resources available through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and local communities.” [Sen. Mark Warner news release]
Crisp Fall Weather Arriving Soon — “For fans of sweater weather, DC could see its first morning lows in the 40s of the season next Tuesday and Wednesday. Cooler suburbs will almost certainly dip into the 40s.” [Capital Weather]
It’s Thursday — The weather will start off partly sunny and gradually become fully sunny, with temperatures reaching a high of about 84°F. There will be a southwest wind blowing at 5 to 9 mph. In the evening, expect partly cloudy skies and a low temperature around 65°F, with a southwest wind at about 7 mph. [NWS]
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