Author: ALXnow.com

On This Day in Alexandria History — “Late in the War of 1812, during August 1814, Alexandrians recognized their increasing peril as British ships inched their way northward, up the Potomac. Responding to the pending emergency, on the 14th day of that month, the commercial banks of Georgetown, Washington and Alexandria agreed to loan the Federal government $200,000 for the purpose of providing a defense for the district. The Alexandria town and county militia were soon called out en masse and ordered to cross the Potomac to take up a post between Piscataway and Fort Washington. They took with them nearly all the arms and artillery belonging to the town, leaving Alexandria defenseless. Thus, when the militia retreated to the Virginia countryside and Captain Dyson, commander of Ft. Washington, blew up the fortress, Alexandria’s fate was sealed.” [Historic Alexandria]

Alexandria Restaurant Week Begins Today — “Alexandria Restaurant Week, held twice a year in January and August, will be held over 10 days from Friday, Aug. 14 to Sunday, Aug. 23. Full-service restaurants will serve prix fixe dinner menus at $35, $45 or $55 per person, and fast casual restaurants will have their own offers.” [ALXnow]

Reminder on Emergency Drill at Minnie Howard Campus Today — “The Alexandria Police Department, Alexandria City Public Schools and other emergency partners will hold an incident response drill at the campus (3775 W. Braddock Road) Thursday (Aug. 13). Expect police, fire and EMS vehicles and personnel to be in the area between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.” [ALXnow]

ICE Agent Points Gun in Encounter with N. Va. Woman — “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents confronted a driver and accused her of trying to run them over in a Bailey’s Crossroads parking lot earlier this week — a claim contradicted by video recordings that the woman captured of the encounter. One of the ICE agents, dressed in a police vest and a balaclava that covers his face except for his eyes, pointed a gun at the woman while yelling at her for recording them and claiming ‘you almost ran us over,’ a cellphone video posted on Instagram on Monday (Aug. 10) shows.” [FFXnow]

Special Meeting for School Board Tonight — “The Alexandria City School Board has scheduled a special called meeting on August 12, 2026, at 6 p.m. to convene a closed session to discuss a personnel matter.” [Alexandria City Public Schools/Facebook]

Youth Leadership Conference Continues — “The 2026 Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference will be held August 11-13 at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Dr.) This free event is open to rising 9th through 12th graders residing in the City of Alexandria. The Youth Leadership Conference empowers emerging young leaders by providing training opportunities and connecting them to resources in their community.” [City of Alexandria]

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On August 11, 1885, the Alexandria Light Infantry returned home to Alexandria after attending the funeral of former President Ulysses S. Grant in New York City three days earlier. The unit arrived in Alexandria on the Steamship Excelsior.” [Historic Alexandria]

Police Chief to Attend Community Conversation in Del Ray — “The Del Ray Business Association and Del Ray Citizens Association invite you to join us for a conversation with Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire about the Alexandria Police Department’s Public Safety Framework and how we can continue building safe, vibrant neighborhoods together. On Tuesday, August 11, join us at 5pm at Piece Out and learn about APD’s G.R.E.A.T. Public Safety Framework, the department’s vision for the future of public safety, and how the framework’s five pillars support a collaborative approach to keeping Alexandria safe.” [Del Ray Business Association]

Ad Hoc Committee on School Board Election Reform Sets First Meeting — “The joint committee studying changes to how Alexandria elects its School Board holds its first meeting Aug. 25, roughly a month later than the resolution creating it directed and one day after students return to class.” [Alexandria Brief]

Street Repaving and Maintenance This Week — Streets with repaving and maintenance this week include Ancell Street (from Commonwealth Avenue to Kennedy Street), East and West Custis Street (from Mt. Vernon Avenue to Russell Road), West Del Ray Avenue (from Russell Road to Commonwealth Avenue), Wayne Street (from East Monroe Avenue to Adams Avenue), North Overlook Drive (concrete work from Halcyon Drive to end), South Overlook Drive (concrete work from Cameron Mills Road to North Overlook Drive), Orlando Place (concrete work from Cameron Mills Road to end) and Manor Road (concrete work from Cameron Mills Road to end). [Alexandria T&ES]

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On August 7, 1900, the Alexandria Gazette reported that a four-legged chicken was residing in the city at the home of Washington Ewell, a 65-year-old African American farmer who resided at 1017 Cameron Street. Although the newspaper considered the unusual fowl a “queer freak of nature,” the amazing bird was also described as “perfectly formed and remarkably active.” Interestingly, it was further confirmed that the yellow-bellied curiosity walked on only two legs, carrying the other two about one inch above the ground.” [Historic Alexandria]

Gov. Spanberger Intervenes in Proposed Dominion Energy Merger Case — “As a Virginian, I am deeply skeptical about whether selling our primary, state-regulated utility to an out-of-state company is good for the commonwealth. I have serious questions about what this deal would mean for us. And as governor, I intend to get answers and be a voice for Virginians in the process.” [Washington Post op-ed]