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

Tech firm thrives near Alexandria’s Mark Center amid uncertain time for federal contractors

By Emily Leayman
Systems Planning & Analysis employee at the Alexandria headquarters (courtesy of SPA)

As federal reductions have caused uncertainties for federal contractors, one Alexandria-based firm feels confident about its future.

Systems Planning & Analysis, located in the West End near the Mark Center, has been headquartered in the city since its 1972 founding. Its more than 3,000 employees worldwide work with clients from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, federal intelligence and other agencies to deliver mission engineering, advanced analytics, operational insights, and technology solutions.

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News

JUST IN: Hazardous materials scene partially closes Duke Street in Alexandria

By Emily Leayman
Hazardous materials response on Duke Street, July 20, 2026, (via Alexandria Police Department/Facebook)

A hazardous materials spill onto Duke Street in the West End prompted a partial road closure and police and fire presence Monday morning.

Around 8:07 a.m., the Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria Fire Department responded to a call in the 5300 block of Duke Street about white powder substance falling from a truck.

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Alexandria to brief residents on upcoming gas-powered leaf blower ban

By Emily Leayman
Leafblower (via Philip Myrtorp/Unsplash)

With about four months to go until the City of Alexandria completely bans the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, the city government will hold a meeting Tuesday on specifics of the ban.

Residents, business owners, property owners and landscapers are invited to the meeting on the ban from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. There are options to attend in person at the Charles Houston Recreation Center  in the preschool activity room or virtually through Zoom (meeting ID 972 6916 1416 and passcode 575982).

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Around Town

What’s on in Alexandria this weekend: Old Town Pub Crawl, Stewart Copeland show

By Emily Leayman
Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant and Bar at 112 King Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Old Town Pub Crawl, a sold-out show with The Police drummer Stewart Copeland, historical tours and other events will keep Alexandrians busy throughout the weekend.

After a Code Purple Air Quality Alert on Friday, conditions should somewhat improve for outdoor events this weekend. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is predicting a moderate air quality index on Saturday.

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Around Town

Adoptable pet of the week: Petite Ginger seeks a quiet home

By Emily Leayman
Dog with black, white, and tan coat wearing a blue collar, sitting on a patterned rug indoors.
Ginger is available for adoption (via AWLA)

Meet Ginger, a petite pup seeking a quiet home to land in.

This gentle dog at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria needs a patient family who will move at her pace until she gets comfortable. She enjoys snuggling up once she feels safe with her person, an AWLA volunteer told ALXnow.

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News

No evidence of cyclosporiasis outbreak in Va., Alexandria health officials say

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press
Two red round cells on a blue-stained microscopic slide, clustered together.
This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. (CDC via AP)

The intestinal illness spreading in parts of the U.S. has been raising food safety concerns, but health authorities in Alexandria say there’s little cause for alarm locally.

Cyclosporiasis is an infection caused by a parasite believed to be linked to some types of imported fresh produce. The illness is most often associated with watery diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can last a few days to upward of a month, but some people do not show symptoms.

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Joseph Hensley Park fully reopens in Eisenhower West after years-long renovations

By Emily Leayman
Amenities at the renovated Joseph Hensley Park (via Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities)

Joseph Hensley Park has completely reopened in the Eisenhower West neighborhood after years of renovations, the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities said.

The renovated park (4200 Eisenhower Avenue) includes a new synthetic turf upper diamond field, a full-size natural turf softball field on the lower level, a replacement picnic pavilion and bathhouse and new playground. The athletic fields have new LED field lighting, scoreboards, safety netting, dugouts, spectator seating and batting cages. A flexible court and event space also provides a setting for community and recreational programming.

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AWLA taps into emergency vet fund to help dogs after Alexandria house fire

By Emily Leayman
Senior dogs Dunya and Jasnah received emergency vet care after being displaced by a house fire (via Animal Welfare League of Alexandria)

Two dogs recently surrendered to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria due to a house fire have received emergency care, but that has put a strain on the organization’s emergency veterinary fund.

Senior dogs Dunya and Jasnah had been surrendered due to a displacement from a house fire. The animal shelter operator confirmed to ALXnow that the dogs were from the house fire Monday (July 13) in the 600 block of N. Ripley Street.

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Around Town

Lee-Fendall House names new director amid ongoing preservation efforts

By Emily Leayman
Jenny Waters was named the new museum director of Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden (via Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden)

The Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden has announced the appointment of Jenny Waters as the new museum director in the midst of preservation efforts for the historic property.

The promotion was made by the museum’s board of directors. Waters first joined the Lee-Fendall House as a collections management intern in summer 2022 to catalog and care for the museum’s collection. She was named collections assistant in fall 2022 and the collections and programming manager in summer 2023.

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News

Judge dismisses DOJ’s lawsuit seeking Virginia’s voter rolls

By Emily Leayman
Voters at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center on Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

A U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit seeking Virginia to hand over its voter rolls to the federal government has been tossed out by a federal judge.

The ruling yesterday (Tuesday) came from Judge Roderick Young, who President Donald Trump nominated in 2020 at the recommendation of Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. The ruling found that the Civil Rights Act does not require Virginia to provide the federal government with unredacted voter rolls.

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New program to get Alexandria food business entrepreneurs ‘from idea to opening day’

By Emily Leayman
Open kitchen scene showing stainless steel appliances, shelves, and a row of hanging ladles above the prep counter.
A restaurant kitchen (via Jaz. Mine/Unsplash)

As the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership is working to launch a business accelerator for tech companies, another for food businesses is on the horizon.

AEDP is partnering with the MOVE Chamber for minority business leaders on the new Alexandria Food & Beverage Business Readiness Program for entrepreneurs looking to start a restaurant, food truck, bakery, catering company or packaged food brand. It will run Aug. 5 to Sept. 9 from 4:30-7 p.m. on Wednesdays.

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