On This Day in Alexandria History — “On November 6, 1860, in what was one of the most controversial presidential elections in American history, Abraham Lincoln was elected president securing the necessary electoral votes from the industrializing Northern States, almost no support in the agricultural South. Of the four candidates participating in the election, Alexandria’s voters, fearing the destruction of Virginia’s economy and their way of life by either the ever-growing political power of the North, or increasingly radical calls for secession by the South, overwhelmingly supported Constitutional Unionist John Bell with 940 votes. Bell, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and planter from Tennessee, opposed secession and supported a neutral stance on the issue of slavery.” [Historic Alexandria]
City Council Hosting Budget Retreat Tomorrow — Saturday’s budget retreat beginning at 9 a.m. will include an ACPS operating budget presentation, city revenue forecast, discussion on budget guidance, Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority presentation and an update on state regulations and local sales tax. [ALXnow]
D.C. Italian Restaurant to Close Ahead of Old Town Opening — “Floriana has shared few details about the timeline for the upcoming Alexandria space, though it revealed that the new Old Town location will sit less than a mile from the King Street-Old Town Metro station. The restaurant also confirmed that all existing gift cards will be honored at the new Virginia location.” [Fox5DC]
Feedback Due on West End Transportation Projects — “Heads up- there are TWO feedback forms closing tomorrow! Make sure to share your thoughts on design options for Seminary Road and on the high-crash intersection audit in the West End by EOD Friday: Seminary West: alexandriava.gov/go/6552 High Crash Intersection Audit: alexandriava.gov/go/4794.” [Alexandria T&ES/Bluesky]
Nonprofit Dog Treat Maker Leases Alexandria Space — “For years, the team at Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats has rolled out ginger dough, cut it into shapes and packed bags for customers. Now the Alexandria nonprofit has signed a lease for its own office, giving it room to expand the kinds of paid work it can offer adults with disabilities.” [The Zebra]
Labor Union Supports Potential Bus System Merger — “It will be better for workers and for riders, better for communities,” said Benjamin Lynn, a representative of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, during an Oct. 21 roundtable discussion convened to consider the possibility of consolidating Fairfax Connector, Fairfax City’s CUE Bus, Arlington Transit (ART) and Alexandria’s DASH.” [FFXnow]
ACHS Students to Appear on WETA’s ‘It’s Academic’ — “Schools from across the Washington metropolitan area will compete throughout the month. The show’s head-to-head intellectual competition format challenges student teams to answer questions on a variety of topics from history to science, geography, current events and more.” [Patch]
Alexandria Firm Hosts Tech Expo — “Systems Planning & Analysis (SPA), a global, independent analytical and technical innovation firm, hosted its inaugural SPA Ignite Tech Expo on October 29 at the company’s Alexandria headquarters. The invitation-only event brought together leaders from defense and industry organizations to experience SPA-developed technologies and engage directly with the experts behind them. The event featured live demonstrations of 12 technologies across eight exhibit stations spanning SPA’s capabilities in strategic analysis and force design; mission and operations research analysis; data science and artificial intelligence; software and cloud engineering; integrated program execution; and systems engineering and emerging technology.” [Systems Planning and Analysis]
Volunteer Alexandria to Host Family Volunteer Day — “Volunteer Alexandria holds a day for families to volunteer together, where even the youngest child can learn the value of service to others! Two locations available on November 21.” [Volunteer Alexandria]
Sphere Wins Approval in National Harbor — “A slew of new renderings released ahead of the planning board meeting depict a venue unlike anything Greater Washington has ever seen, especially so close to the Capital Beltway. The $1.4 billion Sphere will tower above the adjacent MGM National Harbor complex, which rises 265 feet, and the tangle of highways and forests in the Oxon Hill area.” [Washington Business Journal]
Dominion-NextEra Merger Hearings Begin — “Public hearings in the case to decide the fate of the proposed merger between Dominion Energy and Florida-based NextEra Energy begin this week at the State Corporation Commission. The $67 billion all-stock deal would create the largest regulated utility in the world. In the months preceding the hearings, scores of lawmakers, consumer advocates and citizens have strongly opposed the proposal, with leaders at the top level of state government pushing for more time to review the case.” [Virginia Mercury]
Experts Weigh in on Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting — “Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn has defended officers’ actions as attempts to peacefully resolve a standoff with an armed and noncompliant suspect, who had raised his knife when officers shot him. But points of contention include a lack of response from mental health professionals, the deployment of chemical irritants during negotiations, the amount of time officers spent waiting for Valn to surrender, and the final decision to break open the door to the room where he was hiding.” [ARLnow]
SoberRide Halloween Program Results — “Over 2,000 (2,175) persons in the Washington-metropolitan area used the free safe ride service, SoberRide®, Halloween weekend (October 30-November 1) as opposed to possibly driving home drunk.” [Washington Regional Alcohol Program]
It’s Friday — Showers are likely early, mainly before 8am, with patchy fog before 9am. Skies will turn from cloudy to mostly sunny, with a high near 69 and light north winds. Rainfall may total a tenth to a quarter inch. Friday night will be mostly cloudy with a low around 50, and northwest winds increasing after midnight with gusts up to 20 mph. [NWS]
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