Author: Emily Leayman

Emily Leayman is the editor of ALXnow and contributes reporting to ARLnow and FFXnow. She was previously a field editor covering parts of Northern Virginia for Patch for more than eight years. A native of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, she lives in Northern Virginia.

Around Town

Adoptable pet of the week: Golden girl Charlotte will be your chill sidekick

By Emily Leayman
Brown adult dog with white muzzle wearing a red collar, standing on green grass in a park, on a leash.
Adoptable senior dog Charlotte (via AWLA)

If you’re in need of a mellow office assistant at your home, look no further than Charlotte.

Meet Charlotte, a 10-year-old golden girl who will be a reliable companion for strolls around the block or time lounging at home. According to an AWLA volunteer, the senior’s ideal day is moving from her dog bed to the couch and back with her human at her side.

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Around Town

Beats, Bites and Brews and Friendship Firehouse Festival lead the lineup of Alexandria’s weekend events

By Emily Leayman
2025 Friendship Firehouse Festival (courtesy of Office of Historic Alexandria)

July will turn into August this weekend as a packed lineup of events arrives in Alexandria.

Alexandrians may see aspiring witches and wizards around for several Harry Potter-themed events lined up for the weekend — the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum’s A Magical Apothecary tour and Lee-Fendall House’s Pop Culture Trivia: Harry Potter Edition. Both events are already sold out.

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News

Record participation set for Alexandria’s National Night Out with 54 sites

By Emily Leayman
2025 National Night Out in Alexandria (courtesy of the Alexandria Police Department)

National Night Out, an annual program that promotes community and law enforcement partnerships to combat crime, will get record participation from Alexandria this year.

The city will have 54 participating sites on Tuesday, Aug. 4, which is also the date of Democratic and Republican primary elections.

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Around Town

Old Town resident’s Velvet Wax & Beauty salon pays tribute to late mother

By Emily Leayman
Velvet Wax & Beauty founder Montie Green (via Velvet Wax & Beauty)

As Black Business Month approaches in August, Montie Green is reflecting back on her journey to open her Old Town business Velvet Wax & Beauty.

Green is a licensed cosmetologist and opened her first salon in Hampton ten years ago. The location at Old Town’s Crilley Warehouse (218 N. Lee Street, Suite 100) has been open for four years.

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News

Upgrades underway for permanent 200 block of King Street pedestrian zone

By Emily Leayman
200 block of King Street (staff photo by James Cullum)

After the permanent closure of the 200 block of King Street to vehicular traffic was approved last year, Alexandria is making upgrades to the block.

The Alexandria Department of Transportation & Environmental Services announced plans to add permanent improvements to the pedestrian block. The last city budget allocated $350,000 to make improvements to the 200 block pedestrian zone.

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News

Alexandria board OKs removing 20 Russell Road parking spaces, seeks solution for ACPS staff

By Emily Leayman
Map showing Naomi Brooks school location along a vertical blue line between West Myrtle Street and West Maple Street, with a graduation cap icon marking the site.
Proposed area to remove on-street parking along Russell Road in Alexandria’s Rosemont/North Ridge neighborhoods (via City of Alexandria)

Parking changes will be coming to Russell Road near Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School after action by the Traffic and Parking Board Monday.

The Traffic and Parking Board voted 5-2 to remove 20 parking spaces in several blocks of Russell Road. Board Member Dane Lauritzen made the motion to recommend more parking space removals than city staff had proposed. Staff’s proposal would have resulted in a net loss of two parking spaces.

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News

JUST IN: Trespassing at vacant home leads to police presence in Old Town

By Emily Leayman
Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

There was an increased police presence in Old Town midday Tuesday in response to a trespassing incident.

Around 12:36 p.m., the Alexandria Police Department said it was responding to an “ongoing situation” in the 1700 block of Cameron Street. An APD spokesperson said officers responded when an unauthorized person entered a vacant home.

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News

Alexandria’s drinking water utility calls for voluntary water conservation amid drought

By Emily Leayman
Water faucet (via SHTTEFAN/Unsplash)

Drought conditions in Alexandria and other parts of Virginia have prompted the city’s drinking water utility to ask customers to voluntarily conserve water.

Virginia American Water issued the notice to residential customers amid the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s recent drought warning advisories. The utility says the guidance only applies to non-essential residential usage, not businesses or industries.

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Around Town

Mudhouse Specialty Coffee Roasters opens doors on King Street this week

By Emily Leayman and James Cullum
Mudhouse storefront with black awning and banners announcing 'Coming Soon!' above large windows and a wooden door.
Mudhouse Cafe at 1119 King Street (staff photo by James Cullum)

The King Street corridor in Old Town is gaining another coffee shop as Mudhouse Specialty Coffee Roasters opens its doors this week.

Mudhouse will open on Wednesday (July 29) at 1119 King Street, staff confirmed to ALXnow. This will be the Charlottesville-founded coffee roaster’s sixth location, joining two in Charlottesville, and ones in Richmond, Crozet and Charleston, S.C.

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News

Alexandria officials and residents push back against planned data center near city limits

By Emily Leayman
Data center server (via Scott Rodgerson/Unsplash)

Data center plans just outside Alexandria city limits has raised concerns among residents and officials.

Starwood Capital Group filed the permit application and building plans to Fairfax County for the 34-acre Plaza 500 site at 6299 Edsall Road in Lincolnia. The application is for Plaza 500 South, the first of two data center buildings it is seeking.

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News

ACPS makes registration push ahead of new school year to avoid first-day rush

By Emily Leayman
Students at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School, Aug. 23, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools is making a push to get new students registered in time for the new school year.

The city’s public school system has already seen 1,637 early student registrations between April 15 and July 1, a 15.5% increase of early new student registrations compared to April 23 and July 1 last year. Over 900 families have been fully registered or are completing enrollment.

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