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

Volunteer musicians to play for Alexandria shelter animals through new program

By Emily Leayman
Musician plays at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (via AWLA)

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s animal shelter will now regularly be filled with the sound of live music.

AWLA is partnering with Wild Tunes, a nonprofit started by 10-year-old Yuvi Agarwal, to introduce live music by volunteer musicians at the animal shelter (4101 Eisenhower Avenue). The program kicked off Thursday (May 28).

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News

Next road closure for VRE project at Alexandria Union Station starts tonight

By Emily Leayman
Alexandria Station in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Road closures will resume around Alexandria Union Station (110 Callahan Drive) starting tonight (Thursday) as Virginia Railway Express continues bridge work over King Street and Commonwealth Avenue.

King Street will be closed between Russell Road and Daingerfield Road from 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28 through 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 3. Commonwealth Avenue will remain open with a single alternating lane controlled by a flagger. Sunset Drive will remain open. Traffic detours run on Duke Street.

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News

Alexandria’s D-Day commemoration moves to new location during City Hall construction

By Emily Leayman
World War II reenactors at a past D-Day commemoration at Market Square (via Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee)

Alexandria’s annual D-Day Commemoration won’t be skipped this year even as City Hall and Market Square construction moved it out of its normal location.

The 16th Annual D-Day Commemoration will take place from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, May 31 at Carlyle Square (300 John Carlyle Street). Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, Council Member John Taylor Chapman, Council Member Jacinta Greene and representatives from the French and British embassies, the U.S. military and veterans organizations are expected to provide remarks.

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City Council considers special committee to discuss School Board election reform, more ACPS funds

By Emily Leayman
The Alexandria City Council (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Council took a step Tuesday (May 26) to consider changes to the School Board’s terms and the size of the nine-member board. The council is also considering using potential contingent funds that will be available in the new fiscal year to fund Community in Schools of Northern Virginia at Alexandria City Public Schools.

Mayor Alyia Gaskins received support from a majority of City Council members on the proposal to form an ad hoc committee on election reform. City Council’s request will direct City Manager Jim Parajon to prepare a resolution to create the committee that two City Council members would be in. Gaskins said the committee’s scope would allow it to look at staggered terms and other election reform items such as board size, timing of terms or representation. The two City Council members would work with two School Board members to bring forward election reform recommendations.

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Around Town

Alexandria kicks off World Cup welcome with Croatian cultural celebration at Waterfront Park

By Emily Leayman
A bench at Waterfront Park in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

The City of Alexandria will celebrate the Croatian National Team’s use of the city as a home base during the World Cup with a welcome event next month.

The city will host “Flavors & Sounds of Croatia – Alexandria” from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at Waterfront Park (1 Prince Street) to celebrate Croatian heritage. The event is free to attend. The Croatian National Football Team will not be in attendance.

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Around Town

Fresh Market’s Alexandria store is staying put as other N. Va. location closes

By Emily Leayman
The Fresh Market at the Bradlee Shopping Center (via Google Maps)

As another Fresh Market store in the Northern Virginia region prepares to close, the Alexandria location isn’t going anywhere.

A Fresh Market spokesperson told ALXnow no changes are planned for the Alexandria store at Bradlee Shopping Center (3680 King Street). The store is one of the anchor businesses at the shopping center, adjacent to a Safeway grocery store to the east.

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News

Alexandria releases draft Housing 2040 Plan ahead of public hearings

By Emily Leayman
As seen at the 204-unit affordable housing apartment complex Samuel Madden Homes, Nov. 12, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria has released its draft Housing 2040 Plan, which will set new housing goals for the next 15 years, ahead of June public hearings.

The Housing 2040 Plan is slated to replace the city’s current Housing Master Plan, which was first approved in 2013. That plan had a goal of producing and preserving 2,000 affordable housing units by 2025, and the city exceeded that goal when counting units under construction.

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Around Town

Alexandria launches passport program to boost support for Duke Street businesses

By Emily Leayman
Duke Street near Landmark and Cameron Run (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A new “passport”-inspired promotion to generate support for Duke Street businesses has launched, the city announced Friday (May 22).

The program encouraging residents to shop local is a lighter side of the Duke Street Land Use Plan, a process updating the land use vision for the Duke Street corridor. Christian Brandt, an urban planner for the city, told ALXnow 19 businesses have signed up to participate in the Duke Street Business Passport Program, with more to be added. Businesses within a half-mile of Duke Street are eligible to join.

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Around Town

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Ginger seeks a quiet home to fit her gentle nature

By Emily Leayman
Ginger, an adoptable pup from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (via AWLA)

Meet Ginger, a young dog looking for a calm environment to make her home.

This petite pup has a gentle spirit and has plenty of love to give once she warms up to you. An AWLA volunteer told ALXnow she needs a family with a bit of patience and would like to avoid loud, chaotic settings.

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News

School Board asks City Council to redirect reserve funds to program for high-needs students

By James Cullum and Emily Leayman
Alexandria School Board meeting in 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria School Board is asking City Council to use emergency funds to help preserve a $350,000 program that supports high-needs students.

In a joint letter to City Council, Chair Michelle Rief said the School Board is navigating difficult choices between staff and programming cuts. The request comes after City Council approved its Fiscal Year 2027 Budget, leaving a $5.6 million gap for the school system’s proposed $12.7 million collective bargaining agreement. Proposed budget cuts to fill the gap include reducing the partnership with Communities In Schools of Northern Virginia (CIS NOVA), which provides 10 bilingual staffers at Alexandria City High School, Francis Hammond Middle School, Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 School and Samuel Tucker, John Adams and William Ramsay Elementary Schools.

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News

State health officials push safe swimming pledge after young child drownings rise in 2025

By Emily Leayman
Person swimming (photo via Brian Matangelo/Unsplash)

After pool drownings of children 5 and under reached a five-year high last year in Virginia, state health officials are urging families to take a “safe swimming pledge” as pools open for the season.

In 2025, there were 12 accidental drownings of children aged 5 and under in Virginia — more than the nine reported over the prior three years: three in 2024, two in 2023 and four in 2022. Virginia reported 473 drownings in all bodies of water between 2020 and 2024.

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